The World Vegan Travel Podcast
The World Vegan Travel Podcast
Vegan Berlin | Culture, Food & Community | Olivera Darko
Discover what makes Berlin one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world as Brighde chats with vegan content creator Olivera Darko. From endless vegan food options to sustainable living, cultural hot spots, and everyday life in Berlin’s vibrant neighborhoods, Olivera shares her insights, favorite places, and the story behind her plant-based journey. A perfect listen for anyone curious about vegan travel, Berlin, or building a compassionate lifestyle.
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Ep 213 Oliviera Darko Berlin
[00:00:00] Hello Olivera. Thank you so much for joining me on The World Vegan Travel Podcast today.
Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to chat together.
Me too. It's been a while. We've been planning to make this call and I'm so excited to have you on the podcast because you are doing some really cool stuff that I stumbled across.
I now follow you, and it's really very fun what you're doing in the vegan space. Can you give us a little bit of an intro into what that is?
Yeah. Thank you, first of all. And yeah, it's all quite new to me, to be honest. I've only been in the vegan space for the last, maybe, four or five months, like online. I have been vegan over four years, but actually on social media it's new to me. So I'm still trying to navigate, kind of, what works with my audience, what my style is.
But at the moment I'm doing a mixture of inspirational posts, but also some educational tips. And then I have this other thing where I do slightly relatable and humorous skits, which is [00:01:00] definitely my favorite, I have to say. And it's being perceived pretty well with my audience and also newcomers. So that's a good sign. And I hope to just continue being able to tell people, and educate them on veganism through humor, which is also a unique approach. I haven't seen too many creators do that. So yeah, that's what I'm focusing on at the moment.
I am so impressed that you've only been doing this a few months because you've amassed quite a following in that short time. It's quite amazing. Congratulations.
Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Actually, a funny story behind the page. My friend and I started it a few years ago, actually, the page. So we both went vegan, at the same time, accidentally, but it happened, and then we thought, oh, why don't we start a page where we can, you know, repost things from creators who are talented, of course, give them credit and just share the content and inspire more people. And so we did that very effortlessly. We didn't put too much thought into it. And it grew up [00:02:00] to around 15,000 followers over three years, which is not a lot, but when you're just doing it as a side thing. Kind of nice. And then just a few months ago, she decided to not really focus on this page anymore, so I took over fully and that's when I started integrating original content and myself into it, and that's when the growth really started to happen.
I see. Okay. So we are going to be talking to you about a city that you have made your home, which is Berlin. What drew you to Berlin? How did you end up there. Maybe you have a really amazing English accent.
Definitely not German at all but what basically drew me here is my relationship. So my boyfriend and I, who is German, half at least. We were together for nine years and we did long distance for five, which is intense. Yeah. So he was originally living in Mannheim, but he moved over to Berlin, around four years ago now, to start a tech company, like a software company. Berlin [00:03:00] is very big in the tech scene, actually. And so I decided to join him as it was a very exciting and new city for both of us, and I thought, why not? Let's just try Berlin, who knows? I knew nothing about it. Literally nothing. And I had no idea how big it was on veganism, so that was a shock to me for sure. But yeah, I thought let's just give it a go. I was living in London for 10 years before that, so I was already used to this big city, fast-paced life. So yeah, that's what really drew me and brought me into coming to live here.
Fantastic. Was it quite a bit of an adjustment to move to Berlin from London? What are your first memories about this transition?
I would say, it is quite different. Berlin is very wide. There's a lot of. space here. Whereas in London, everything feels a lot tighter, more crowded, more fast paced. Although Berlin is a massive city, but somehow, it doesn't feel like that. It's very strange. I don't know how to explain it. I also really like the architecture here. You got [00:04:00] a lot of historical, older buildings. It's nice to see, it feels very cozy. You definitely have nicer parts and not so nice parts like every city. But I would say, the biggest adjustment was just the big space. Obviously the language for me, but it's also a very international city, so you do get a lot of people speaking English. It's the norm here, which makes it even harder to learn German. but I would say that was the biggest, like shock in a way. Getting used to a different culture. But I like both cities. I wouldn't say necessarily one is better than the other. Price wise though, Berlin is definitely cheaper.
Interesting. And were you vegan when you moved to Berlin already?
Yes, I was, but very new, so I wasn't used to it. I didn't really still know what I was cooking or doing. I didn't know anything about all the alternatives. So I had just gotten interested in giving it a go. So when I moved here, I first came to visit for two weeks just to check out the city and I instantly [00:05:00] fell in love. I was like, wow, what is this vegan heaven here? Since when? Because it was all new to me. So I wasn't very educated on the vegan scene. I didn't know much about it. I didn't know so much about veganism itself and all the cruelty that came with it. I was vegetarian for a while before that. So it was like a test for me. And moving here, I just realized what a heaven it is. And after that, I decided I need to live here. It has to happen. Yeah.
Yes. I definitely relate to this idea of moving somewhere for the vegan food and not moving somewhere because of the vegan food is not so good. And it sounds like you are on the same page there. That's fun.
Definitely. Yeah.
How has living in Berlin shaped your relationship with veganism, both like personally, creatively, in your relationship, et cetera.
I would say that moving here and starting my vegan journey has definitely been a benefit, and it's definitely helped me maintain it because when you first go [00:06:00] vegan, obviously it's difficult, and you have to make a lot of adjustments in your life. And when you don't have so many, let's say, alternatives or too much knowledge on it, or even people around you don't understand it, it makes it a lot harder to convert and transition. Having it super accessible in supermarkets, it is crazy, the supermarkets here are absolutely stocked up with vegan aisles. I've never seen anything like it in other cities. Like you do get good options in other cities, but here it's just wow. In general, I think definitely, having a lot of people who are open-minded about veganism here, and it's just a norm. It's difficult to explain, but when you end up traveling a lot, you realize that a lot of people maybe question what veganism even is. They don't understand fully the word. And here it's just, it's normal. No one will look at you weirdly or question it, whenever you have events or social gatherings. Vegan is a hundred percent an option. They don't even ask you. It's just there. And I think this definitely has really helped me to [00:07:00] transition easily or much easier than if I had been elsewhere. And it's also opened up the eyes of my partner, who is not vegan and still is not fully vegan, but he's transitioning slowly, and that's nice to see as well. I think, him being here as well and having it all around him helps him too, even though he isn't vegan.
Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. I think one of the most challenging things when you go vegan is the social aspects and the fact that it can be a lot of work in terms of having to explain. We've all been there. And just the fact that it makes it easier, just is a joy, I'm sure, to new vegans, for sure.
A hundred percent. Yeah. And I think also, like it's very accessible here, to have options everywhere, even in non-vegan places, which we'll talk about a little later. But that's also a big social aspect.
Absolutely. Berlin is one of the big world class cities, I would say. And as you already said, there are so many [00:08:00] vegan-friendly or vegan restaurants. Can you tell us some of your go-to spots? I mean, when you look at Happy Cow on Berlin, it's kind of like almost overwhelming. So help us separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. And what are your favorite ones, and I guess particularly for like German style food because it's nice to try, cuisine of the local country that we are visiting, that's been veganized.
I would say, number one, it's not a German style one, but it's one that everyone should go to if they visit Berlin. And it's actually a dessert place. It's called Brammibals Donuts, and yes, it's donuts. I've got not much more to say about it, but the donuts are unreal, and it's such a popular place that even if you're not vegan, everyone goes there for a donut. It's just, it's very like famous here, and they come in these cute pink boxes. So when you see people walking around, you always know who's gone to Brammibals Donuts. And they have like monthly different flavors as well, which is really nice. [00:09:00] So you're always eating donuts here. It's a problem actually, but they're so good. I don't know how to explain it. You just have to try it. Trust me. Another place that I really enjoy, is a fine dining restaurant. There are a few in the city that are a hundred percent vegan. One of my favorites is called Lucky Leek, and it is just insanely good. You can go from either a three course menu up to seven courses, and for the seven courses without wine or drinks or anything like this, it's 107 euro, which I think is very okay, actually, price point wise for such an experience. I think that goes back to me saying that Berlin is not so expensive, especially eating out. It's very affordable in this city, which is amazing 'cause you can try so many different options without feeling like it's completely draining your wallet. I think for a special occasion, Lucky Leek, I highly recommend it. There's so much like love and detail into every dish and it's just such an experience. That would be my second recommendation. And then [00:10:00] for typical German food, there are some places, I would say for typical German food, it's a little tricky because Berlin has so many different cultures in it, and the cuisines are so vast, like there's so much going on, that when it comes to actual German food, you actually find less of it, which is quite funny and interesting, but it's not like a typical German city. You do have the typical Berliner currywurst, which is basically sausage in tomato sauce. I don't really like it. Even as a vegan version, sausage with tomato sauce is not so appealing to me, but it's a very traditional dish and you can find plenty of places that will do a vegan version. They even have a fancy place that does currywurst in champagne. I just know that is actually like a cultural experience for people. Yeah, it's very random. I don't know who came up with that, but it works really well, and all the celebrities go there and show it off, and I'm just like, 'Okay. Interesting.'
Champagne and [00:11:00] sausage. Yeah. Very, very weird. So are there any other favorite spots that you would like to share with our listeners?
One more that I would love to share is, Like Thai. It's probably one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Berlin. It's located on the East Side, in a place called Friedrichshain. And it's these small tapas dishes, obviously Thai, but they're absolutely delicious and it's so nice because you get to try so many different items on the menu at one go, which is nice when you go to a restaurant, especially a vegan restaurant. You want to try everything, but you're never going to be able to eat it all. So having like nice little tapa style is such a bonus, and the food is so fresh, it feels or tastes very traditional. My boyfriend is actually half Thai. So he can definitely tell us. He would be able to tell us that it actually tastes very authentic. At least his mom said so, and getting his mom to say something tastes authentic, [00:12:00] is almost impossible. So yeah, I can say definitely try that place out. It's a really good one.
Amazing. Amazing. How easy is it to live in Berlin beyond just like dining out at restaurants, like clothing, cosmetics, or household items? Do you feel like it's easy to purchase these items?
A hundred percent. The nice thing about this city, is that in supermarkets, things are labeled really clearly, which I love. I don't find this in many cities. You do need to dig deep into the labels and you spend hours in there. Whereas in Berlin, I do feel, or in Germany in general, like German supermarkets, everything is just so clear. And you have your cruelty-free labels on there as well, so you know what you're buying and it's quick, it's easy, and it's for everything. From cosmetics to clothing. Well, clothing is a little different because you do need to look at the material. But to be honest, myself, I don't shop so much for clothing, and if I do, I do like to use apps like Vinted. I just don't [00:13:00] mind secondhand clothing myself. I think it's more sustainable. You can find some nice things for a good price I even also sell my stuff there. And what I love to do is just sell my own thing and have my Vinted balance, that's what I use for clothes. If I get rid of one item, I can have one item back. I don't overcrowd my wardrobe. Which I used to be very bad at. So this is something I'm learning to do, and to be a little bit more sustainable in the sense, because we don't need so much in life, especially in these tiny Berlin apartments. I anyway, can't fit it. So yeah. But generally, I would say, a hundred percent. It's so easy with everything, from, like I said, cosmetics, clothing to household things, like it's just a dream.
Fantastic. I spent quite a bit of time in Europe as well, with my business, and I would like to say that I agree with you. Supermarkets, everything is so well labeled, like Switzerland. I haven't spent so much time recently in Germany, but Switzerland, the labeling is really good. Italy, the labeling is really good. I just don't [00:14:00] know why. I don't know whether there's like a specific certification that all of these products are applying for or whether companies just use it, but it just makes it so easy to be able to just pick up a product and know at a glance whether it's vegan or not. And I wish North America would get on board with that, for sure. I'm curious about other aspects of lifestyle as well. This isn't really travel related, but it's just interesting, I guess, in terms of going to get your hair cut, and shampoos, and tattoo parlors, and other places. Are those kinds of things generally vegan-friendly?
I think this one is a tricky one. I think you would really need to ask in advance, or what you can do is, there are specific salons. I know that, especially for nail techs, that only use vegan-friendly products. This is something you would need to research, as I am not so aware, to be completely honest. But I have seen friends of mine who will post on their Instagram stories when they get their nails done and [00:15:00] stuff, that they do go to like vegan-friendly and cruelty-free places.And I'm assuming that a hundred percent, you can find the same for hairdressers. The thing is, in Berlin, you can find everything. If you just research it, you'll find what you need when it comes to veganism, because someone's doing it.
That's so cool. It can be really quite hard to navigate these things. You end up having to do a ton of research. Well, certainly here in Canada where I am as well, if you want to go to vegan-friendly spas and skincare places, et cetera. Anyway. That's interesting. Are there any neighborhoods that you consider particularly vegan-friendly, that travelers might like to base themselves in for their time in Berlin?
I would say, definitely, focus on the east side of Berlin. For some reason, just a lot more vegan-friendly. I'm currently actually on the West, so it's sometimes a struggle to even find like a good vegan pizza around here, but it's easy to get into the East anyway. But as a traveler, a hundred percent stay in, I don't know, [00:16:00] districts like Friedrichshain is a really good one. That's actually where they have a hundred percent vegan supermarkets. It used to actually belong to Veganz, which is like a vegan brand, but now REWE, which is a huge German supermarket chain, took over, I think, two years ago, maybe. And yeah, they sell all their products there from brands like Veganz as well. And it's amazing in there. It's still relatively small, but it's so nice to have this option, where you go in and you don't have to think about anything. So that's in this area as well as just in these East Side areas, there's vegan stuff in every single kind of corner. Every other cafe, every other shop has something, if not a hundred percent vegan, at least, like a good few options. So yeah, a hundred percent, East Side.
East Side. Okay. Are there any specific apps or tricks or hacks or tips that you have to help people find vegan things in Berlin? Of course, I'm [00:17:00] sure everyone listening has heard of Happy Cow, but sometimes there's some local ones that international vegans might miss out on. Anything to share?
For Travelers, I think, Happy Cow is still the one at the moment anyway. But I honestly, I think, you don't really need an app in Berlin. I never use an app to check if there's vegan stuff around. So I would suggest Happy Cow is good to see ratings and what people think. So that's always a good one. But I would say,
more event apps are good here. Eventbrite is one that I use often or meet up, just to see if there's anything going on, especially as a solo traveler. I would say, if you want to meet other like-minded people who share the same values as you and do something fun, I don't know, a vegan cooking course or just a gathering. Have a nice dinner and you know that everyone will be vegan there. It's just nice. They do these things like coffee in the park and it's just fun. It's easy, and it's all [00:18:00] accessible in these apps. So I highly recommend downloading those for anyone who is visiting the city.
Ah, okay. Yes. I used to use Meetup a lot, a few years ago, and I actually was one of the organizers for the Bangkok vegan meetup for quite a few years. Gosh, it was a lot of work. Those people that organize those things, they often don't get a lot of gratitude, but it's really a labor of love to be an organizer of events, vegan or not.
Yeah, a hundred percent. I have to agree with that. I've tried my fair share, and it's a lot of work.
It really is. Okay. I think everybody knows that Berlin is quite, sort of, alternative and is a disruptor in a lot of ways. How do you see veganism fitting into that?
I would say, that definitely, Berlin has a strong activist culture for sure. What I do like about it is that it's not just loud protests. You do have those for sure, and if that's something you enjoy, there are plenty you can join in on. A lot of creators [00:19:00] also, I know here, who do that. And that's the type of content they post, and that can reach a certain audience where it does help out. It's not my style, for sure, but it's no wrong or right, it's just different. And you do see that quite a lot. But it's also about people's everyday choices, I think, because veganism is visually there, everywhere. It inspires people to just try it out, even if they're not vegan, even if ,maybe, they're not even thinking about going vegan. It's just very in your face here, which I love. I think people in general in Berlin are very focused on sustainability. For example, a lot of people cycle instead of driving. Recycling is big here. You have the Fund, I don't know if you've heard about this, but basically every plastic bottle or can or glass bottles have cents on them. So it's like a deposit. And every time you buy it, you pay a little bit on top, like 25 cents or something, and then you can basically put that back, recycle it, you get the money back. And this is some people's actual [00:20:00] full-time jobs here, to collect bottles from the streets and collect that money.
It's a thing, really. So never, ever, throw away your bottles when you're in Berlin or in Germany because there's money on them and someone could actually use that money. And I think that actually motivates people to recycle more, which is an interesting concept. And I wish every country had this because it's so smart.
We actually have that in Canada. Not many people realize this, but we have that in Canada as well, on many things. For example, my soy milk that I purchase, we pay a 10 cent deposit, and then we can get that back if we go to the bottle depot. I collected all of these items and I can just take them to the bottle depot and get my 10 cents back.
And yeah, you are right. There are a lot of people who will go there with these enormous bags of stuff that they've just collected over time or, I guess, people donate to them. You can even donate them to like charities and things like that. And then they will [00:21:00] take them and collect the money back. And I don't think this is everywhere, but yeah, it's very cool. I think it's great. I've certainly seen in Switzerland, when I was just recently there, I saw this lady with two enormous bags of cans, and she was at the supermarket, and she was dropping those into the machines, and getting the money back. I guess there's something in there that compresses them down or something.
Yeah, no, I think it's amazing that you're saying you have it over there as well, because I actually haven't really seen it anywhere similarly to how I've seen it in Germany, and I don't know, I just think it's a great concept, and everywhere should do it.
Me too. Me too. Agreed. Agreed. I'd love to ask you aboutnot just vegan related, but some attractions or maybe off the beaten path attractions or neighborhoods or something for people to just check out or curious little museums or something like that. Do you feel you could talk about that?
Yeah, sure. I just wanted to mention the [00:22:00] percentage of Berlin families that eat no meat or almost no meat in the last two years. I think it's actually wild. It's like around 47%, which I think is amazing.
So I feel like we have definitely convinced listeners to put Berlin on the bucket list, even if it's just for food and just to feel normal in the world. I definitely think a lot of people would want to come to Berlin for those reasons. There's more to Berlin than just food. So would you mind sharing with us some spots that you think that people should definitely include in their Berlin itinerary?
Yeah, I think definitely visit the monuments, obviously. So you've got the Brandenburg Gate, the Fernsehturm, the TV Tower. Those are classics, of course. And then, another thing that's interesting, is to go by the East Side Mall, where you have the East Side Gallery as well. There you've got parts of the Berlin Wall, which should be seen, for sure. Some [00:23:00] great restaurants as well. Another nice thing, if you do like to do some hikes or walks, there's a forest area, a wood called Grunewald , which is very beautiful, and it's not very far actually, from even the city. It's 25, 30 minutes, which is in Berlin. So in this Grunewald forest, wood, situation, you have also a gym with different stations that they've built outdoors, which is very nice, especially in the warmer weather. So if you go there during the summer or the spring, it's a nice activity that you can do if you're a very active person and want to do something that's not being stuck in an inside gym.
So anyway, then you're immersed by Berlin Nature whilst also working out. And I think it's just amazing that you have so many parks. There's so much greenery in the city, which is very unique to cities actually. And there's not so many cities that have as many parks as Berlin does, and they're all like big and clean and nice. The more east you go, the kind of dirtier things get. But the West Side is generally a bit more organized, but it [00:24:00] depends on which area you are. I'm a very nature person, that's why I'm recommending a lot of outdoor things. You also have museums, which is classic. You've got a fun spy museum in Potsdamer Platz. Yeah. So if you're into spy stuff, it's very fun. You also have the DDR Museum, which basically tells you everything about the history of Germany. Also very interesting to see. They even have like full on staged apartments inside where you really feel like you've gone back in time.
It's very interesting and very well done. So that's definitely a good one to check out. And in general, there's just so many events happening or different things that from month to month you can do if you wanted to. For example, next week I'm going to like a serial killer event. That sounds crazy, but it's very random. But my friend's 'Ah, yeah,' we like watching horror stuff. So he said, 'Yeah, there's an event and it's a few days. Do you want to go and check it out?' Sure. There's always something. So whatever your interests are, you can definitely [00:25:00] find something to accommodate that. There's also like VR experiences. It's a big thing here that you can do. Yeah. Very fun. It really depends on your interest, so it will differ for everyone.
I think the DDR museum that you're referring to, is the same one that I would have visited about 10 years ago. I love that museum. I like museums. After a couple of hours I am a little bit overwhelmed with all of the information that's coming at me, but that museum was so amazing. I remember when the Berlin Wall came down and just that whole era was so interesting to me, and going to this museum was amazing. It was so cool. And just learning about how life was like during that time, was fascinating. And another show that I really recommend was Deutschland 83. I'm not sure if you've seen it? You can go and check it out, but it's basically a young guy who's a spy in East Germany in 1983, and he [00:26:00] goes to the West Side to spy and gather information. It's really good.
Okay. Yeah.
So we are coming to the end of the podcast and before we say goodbye, I'd love to know if there is anything that you would consider,like a guilty pleasure in Berlin.
Well, for me personally, I'm going back to the donuts because I really want whoever is listening to go and try a donut. So a Brammibals donut is always a guilty pleasure. Then there's also another place called Cinnamood. It's not fully vegan, but they have a lot of vegan options and it's basically cinnamon buns. So if that's your thing, you're going to love it. They're different flavors. Yes. You're nodding. Me too. Different flavors, different toppings. It's insane. So good. So that's one I recommend. That's definitely my guilty pleasure. A hundred percent. And yeah, I would say that those are the ones.
I love it. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our listeners?
I think to end this podcast, I will share a little [00:27:00] statistic that I personally found extremely fascinating. So apparently, of course we cannot be a hundred percent accurate, but 10% of German consumers are actually plant-based eaters, which I found relatively high. Another thing is, 47% of children in Berlin families eat no meat or almost no meat. So that is extremely high. And it's interesting because that's our future generation. It's very inspiring to see and also because one day I also would love to feed my children vegan food. And so it's very interesting for me to see that is very accepted here, which means that in schools it's also very normal, and I think it helps kids to not feel excluded. So just something I thought I'd throw in there because I was fascinated by it.
That's amazing and that is something that we can feel very hopeful about for sure. [00:28:00] Thank you so much Olivera, for being on the podcast. I really appreciate you taking the time, sharing your experiences of Berlin and your recommendations. We really appreciate it. Thank you
Yeah. Thank you. I had such a blast chatting. It was very fun, and I really appreciate you having me on the podcast.
Oh, thank you.