The Vegan Capital of Sweden: Cruelty-Free Food and Fashion in Gothenburg

As a resident of Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg, I am thrilled to see the vegan community thrive and grow  – thanks to its growing plant-based offering, Gothenburg is even known to be the most vegan-friendly city in all of Sweden. There are many lovely areas to see while you’re here, most within walking distance from each other. This guide will help you cover some of the best ones – and enjoy some of the city’s best vegan food and fashion along the way.

Gothenburg is a sea town. Apart from the wind – and it can get very windy – there are a lot of benefits with being close to the water. In the city centre you’ll find a gorgeous canal surrounded by beautiful architecture and tram lines. Just at the foot of an old church, right on the bridge crossing the water, is Open New Doors. If you are a lover of raw food, this is the place to go. Actually, even if you don’t do the whole raw thing, you’re likely to love this place anyway! This dedicated small business has a great range of food such as pasta and sandwiches, as well as cakes and organic wine, beer, kombucha and more. Protected from the wind by glass walls you can enjoy your meal with a great view of the city and the canal.

 

South-west of the city centre, binding it together with the popular restaurant and pub streets of Linnégatan and Andra Långgatan, you´ll find Klädoteket. This store puts a whole new perspective on fashion by letting you rent the clothes as an alternative to buying them. Make sure to pay them a visit, the owners are really nice and in the store you’ll find lots of small and local designer items, most of which are vegan friendly. If renting seems difficult for you, it is possible to buy the clothes, too.

Walk slightly to the south-east and you´ll end up in Haga, a real historical pearl of Gothenburg. Stroll down the cobblestone street of Haga Nygata and enjoy the low old buildings made of wood and stone that are typical for Göteborg. Haga offers good shopping and lots of opportunities for the classic Swedish “fika” – a coffee and a pastry. A must visit is T H R I V E , an all vegan, eco and fair concept store with a vision of changing the fashion industry for good. (see our editorial with this concept store here!) In here you can shop great up-to-date fashion and chat with the staff about sustainability.

 

West of Haga is Linnégatan. This is a busy street with trams, older buildings, and lots of restaurants and shopping. One of my favourite stops here is Eco Linné, an organic, cruelty free and mostly vegan beauty shop with makeup and skincare for everyone. They also have a hairdresser, if you´re in the mood for a new cut!

Staying on Linnégatan, walking south, you’ll find a great second hand shop and, best of all, the vegan food store Happy Vegan. Make sure to buy some snacks and if, the weather allows, go to the great green area Slottskogen to enjoy them.

At the northern part of Linnégatan lies Andra långgatan with a good variety of pubs and restaurants, many which are vegan friendly. Newly opened Göteburgare Vegan (‘Göteburgare’ being a clever mix of the words Gothenburg and burger – typical Gothenburg humour!) makes awesome vegan burgers!

A bit further down is one of the best restaurants in Gothenburg in my opinion – Thali, an authentic contemporary vegetarian Indian restaurant. If Indian food is your thing, this restaurant is a must!

Go to the end of Andra långgatan and you’ll find yourself entering the old working-class district of Majorna. This was for a long time considered a rough area, but in the last decade, this neighbourhood has grown in popularity and become a real cultural (and vegan) centre of Gothenburg. You should definitely pay Blackbird a visit – this vegan restaurant has not been around for very long but has since day one been immensely popular. Perhaps the hype is due to the simple yet creative interior, the hip atmosphere, or the great menu with both classic local and more international options to choose from.

Two tram stations further down the street you can go for a vegan beauty treatment at Sophia’s eco beauty, have a coffee and a gluten-free snack at boutique and coffee shop Eco melo, or go for a beer and a vegan pub food at Crippa’s café.

 

Another two stations with the tram will take you to Klippan, the oldest part of Majorna. Here you can enjoy the sea view, the historical surroundings and the old harbour area, and also visit Röda sten, an art gallery and café with good vegan options (tip: don’t miss their Sunday brunch).

 

 

As I said, Gothenburg has so much to offer! Living here we usually say that it’s a small big city – nothing is ever far away and yet there is always something new to discover. Should you ever be in town, don´t hesitate to reach out. I would love to show you even more of this historical vegan pearl in Sweden!

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Clara Karpfors

Clara is the blogger behind vegan style blog TheVashionBlogg.com

1 Comment
  1. This is so helpful! I’m a first time visitor to Gothenburg and Sweden in general and really appreciate all the tips you’ve left here 🙂 thanks so much!

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