Vegan Munich | Traditional Bavarian Dishes, Plant-Based | Yuxi Xia

Link for the show notes

In today’s episode, we’ll be talking to Yuxi Xia, founder of Munich Vegan Tours, the first and only vegan-by-default food tours in Munich.

Yuxi will be sharing what led her to create Munich Vegan Tours, how her own vegan travel experiences shaped the work she does today, and why Munich is becoming such an exciting destination for vegan travelers.

We’ll also talk about Munich’s growing vegan scene, veganized Bavarian food, the best neighborhoods to explore, helpful transport tips, and some of Yuxi’s favorite places to eat and visit in the city.

There are a lot of resources, restaurants, neighborhoods, and travel tips we talk about in this episode, so make sure you check the show notes and blog post for all the details.

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Transcript

Brighde: [00:00:00] Welcome, Yuxi, to The World Vegan Travel Podcast.
Yuxi: Thank you so much, Brighde, for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.
Brighde: Thank you so much. I'm really pleased to have you on the podcast because, as soon as I realized that somebody was running vegan food tours in Munich, Germany, I was so excited, and I knew straight away that I wanted to have you on the podcast. And we're gonna be talking about Munich, and what makes it desirable and interesting for vegan travelers.
But let's just firstly get to know you a little bit, Yuxi. You've been living in Munich for some time now, but it took you a little while to get there by way of a few other really interesting places. So can you let us know what brought you to Munich?
Yuxi: Yes, absolutely. You're definitely right that it took me some time to get here. I was born and raised in China, and when I was 14, I went to the US, where I went to high school and then [00:01:00] later university, or college. And during that time, I studied German, actually. So I started taking German classes as soon as I went to uni, and I was in Munich for a semester in 2019.
And I guess that planted the seeds of me wanting to be here. And then, a few years later, in 2022, I came here for my master's degree in environmental humanities, and then I've stayed here since. So I've gone from China, US, brief stay in Germany, brief stay in Cambodia, but eventually still ended up here, as for now.
Brighde: So that's three languages, probably fluently. That's amazing.
Yuxi: Yeah, I mean, I speak German reasonably okay, but there's always room for improvement, of course. Yeah.
Brighde: All right. That's so interesting. What led you to create Munich Vegan Tours?
Yuxi: Yeah, great question. So, first of all, [00:02:00] I will say I had this idea already for a couple of years, and it's been surprising to me that nobody has done it during all this time that I've been thinking about it. So I guess I get to say that it's the first and only, so far, vegan-by-default food tour in Munich. I've been vegan for eight years, and ever since I became vegan, I've always been thinking about all things vegan-related. A few years ago, I had this wonderful opportunity to be on a travel fellowship, exploring vegan food culture and community building all around Europe and Asia. I went on some vegan tours myself, and that inspired me to create one in Munich where there hadn't been one. And I think it's a great way to combine my interest and passion for great vegan food as well as travel. So it gives me a chance to [00:03:00] meet interesting people, travelers, vegans. So yeah, it's been really wonderful for me and fun for me to do this.
Brighde: I would love to ask you some follow-up questions about this fellowship, this academic opportunity that you got to be a travel fellow, a travel fellowship, which just sounds amazing. How did that come to pass, and what kind of work were you doing, and what did you have to produce when you got back home?
I imagine that you had to do some sort of paper or something like that connected with this work. That sounds so interesting. I would like to read that.
Yuxi: Yeah, I appreciate your interest. It's definitely one of the greatest gifts of my life to have gotten this fellowship. So, long story short, there is a foundation based out of New York City that partners with about 40 colleges in the US and grants about 40 fellowships a year to students [00:04:00] at these partnering universities. So, the first year I went to uni, even before classes started, I saw this poster for this fellowship, and the travel bug in me was already telling me, this is it for me. I had always had an interest, or I guess a longing or curiosity, for faraway places, which was also partially what led me to the US in the beginning. And so I knew I wanted to get this fellowship, and I guess all four years of college I was thinking about all kinds of ideas that I could apply to this with. But becoming vegan was that kind of defining element, I guess, because it led me to do research already in veganism and its character in Shanghai, China, where I'm from.
Not from Shanghai, but China. And that led me to develop this idea to do a project about veganism on a global scale. So I applied to the fellowship with a project proposal and was [00:05:00] very lucky to be selected. Also, there was the pandemic, so I didn't travel right away after I got the fellowship, so the project has kind of changed and shifted, and eventually I stayed within Europe and Asia, I guess the two continents that I feel most connected to at the moment, instead of, you know, going to all continents, which I originally planned to. Anyway, so I didn't have to produce an academic paper necessarily. The fellowship is about building character. It's about supporting someone to pursue their curiosity for a whole year and see where that goes. So it's kind of like an investment in someone's long-term development and passion area. So I was definitely really, really lucky. So I interviewed a lot of restaurant owners and community builders. I went on vegan tours. So definitely, I had a bit of an insight into vegan tourism and [00:06:00] I wrote a blog for half a year. And eventually, I did give a talk that kind of captures the essence of my year. And the talk is online, so I'd be happy to share.
Brighde: I love it. Yes, that would be awesome.
I'm curious, which countries did you go to, and what were the biggest surprises or takeaways from that year that you had?
Yuxi: I went to about 10 countries. In Asia, I was in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia. I did spend three days in Singapore, but not an extensive stay. And I was also, on the European side, in Italy, in Switzerland, in Austria, Bulgaria. I was also in Turkey for a month.
Brighde: Oh.
Yuxi: Depending on whether you count that as Asia or Europe. A bit of both, I guess. Yeah.
Brighde: Incredible. What was something that you learned that was quite surprising that you think our listeners might be interested [00:07:00] in?
Yuxi: I guess if we're talking about traveling as a vegan, I would say I found Vietnam to be very vegan-friendly overall, very easy to travel in as well. I really enjoyed my time in Japan, and if I had to pick my number one, I think it would be Japan. I have this very special memory of doing a vegan Japanese cooking workshop with a 92-year-old woman. She does that from her home. Her daughter does more of the administrative work. I found that event on Meetup.com, and I decided to also just spend a whole week in Kamakura, where the workshop took place south of Tokyo. And it's just so memorable for me because she shared her whole philosophy of cooking, of taking care of people through food, and also putting in a lot of effort and attention and care into braising different [00:08:00] vegetables, making different sauces from scratch, and how things go together, and cooking with the season and combining all five colors and textures and cooking methods. It was just amazing to see how someone really creates nourishing food with so much heart into it. It gave me kind of this image of who or how I want to be in the future. I think those moments of connecting with people through food and learning about their philosophy of life and how they live it out, that, I would say, was the highlight of my trip.
And of course, I had other moments like that elsewhere too.
Brighde: Wow, Yuxi, that's so interesting. I feel like we could have you on the podcast just talking about this experience for a whole other episode, and I'm so grateful for what you've shared. But let's get back to Munich now. I would love you to describe what you feel like Munich's vegan scene is like right now, because my understanding of Munich is that it's not [00:09:00] Berlin. It's maybe a little bit more conservative than Berlin, at least, and maybe that means that it's sort of behind other more progressive places, but I could be wrong. What's the vegan vibe like in Munich right now?
Yuxi: I think the vegan scene has definitely grown over the last few years. And recently, I don't know if you've seen this, but HappyCow had this ranking of the top 25 vegan cities around the world, 2025, and Munich was number 16th. And Berlin was maybe top five. They both made it. I mean, Berlin made it, no surprise. It's been called the vegan capital of Europe, or at least Germany. But I think, yeah, internationally as well. But Munich, I think, now has a mix of both scale and creativity when it comes to the vegan scene. I think it's no longer niche. I mean, there are fully vegan cafes, restaurants, comfort food spots, fully [00:10:00] vegan, vegan patisserie, vegan bakeries, many Asian fusion vegan restaurants, and German restaurants that rework local classics in plant-based forms.
Brighde: Fun.
Yuxi: So I think you've got a pretty great range of restaurants in Munich, vegan-friendly or vegan. So, yeah, I think it's definitely, I don't wanna say catching up, but it's progressing.
Brighde: That's really impressive that it's ranking so highly on the HappyCow scores because Munich isn't an enormous city. It's not huge. So the fact that it's performing so well in a continent where there are so many big, big cities is so, so cool.
So what makes Munich different from other European cities for vegan travelers, like Berlin, London, Paris?
Yuxi: Yeah, I think Munich feels different because it pairs [00:11:00] a highly mainstream vegan scene. I mean, you've got the falafel, you've got places where you can get rice bowls, right? You've got brunch places where you can get vegan pancakes. These things that it seems like most cities with vegan restaurants would offer. But also, it has a very specific local identity. You're not just finding, like, you know, this, you're finding vegan Munich and vegan Bavaria. So you can find vegan versions of traditionally heavy, meaty Bavarian dishes, like schnitzel, veganized Käsespätzle, which is cheese, cheese noodle, veganized. Cheese egg noodle, I should say. Knödel, which is the German bread dumpling, which typically has egg in it. So all of these things you can find vegan, and they are really traditional Bavarian food. So I think that's something unique here. It gives people a chance to taste the traditional food culture.
Brighde: What you just described is something that I really appreciate. I [00:12:00] know that, when I go to Paris, for example, I'm lucky enough that I get to go there probably once a year at least, and Paris is now so vegan-friendly. It's got a lot of vegan restaurants. But there's very few places that you can go to have the traditional French cuisine veganized. I can think of one restaurant that does this really well. It's Le Potager du Marais. So you can have your French onion soup, you can have a vegan boeuf bourguignon, and all of these kinds of things.
But there are plenty of other really great vegan restaurants, but very few of them are selling French vegan food. Maybe they're making it for their local population and not for tourists. But I will say that I, as a tourist, would love to have those vegan versions of French food. That would be lovely. So the fact that Munich is doing that is so, so cool. And maybe you can talk a little bit about how Munich is set up. You know, just kind of orient people to the different neighborhoods [00:13:00] in the city, and what makes certain neighborhoods better than others.
Yuxi: Yeah, great question. So I'll start with the neighborhoods. I think Maxvorstadt is a great one. For the food scene, it's the uni museum district, I would say. It's very young. It has a lot of cafes, restaurants, great vegan options. I think that's one that people could literally just eat across a few blocks and have food on every block, vegan, of course. So that's great. And also, you could combine that with going to some museums and just generally strolling around. I think it's a great area. And then, in the old town, where my Old Town tour takes place, there is the Viktualienmarkt. It's the largest open-air market in Munich, founded since the early 1800s. So it's a market with about 140 stalls. There are a few vegan-friendly slash even one all-vegan [00:14:00] place. I take my guests through the market on the tour. We make a few stops there as well, and I think there are some great options. And besides that, there's also the Glockenbachviertel. It's Munich's most vibrant, diverse, and stylish neighborhood. There are quite a few cafes, bars, and it feels like a very trendy, modern, bohemian kind of place. There are great cafes with vegan options there too.
Brighde: Wow, okay. That all sounds delicious, for sure. So you'd already talked a little bit about Bavarian food that's already made vegan. I'm wondering if you can talk more about that. Like, I'm thinking about some other specialties in Bavaria. Like, I've heard that sauerkraut is a thing.
Yuxi: Mm-hmm.
Brighde: Cabbage salad, pretzels, things like that. And sometimes, you know, I've found that pretzels can be really challenging because maybe they're washed with [00:15:00] egg or milk or something like that. How would you suggest that vegan travelers can navigate that kind of thing?
Yuxi: I know traditional Bavarian cuisine is not associated with vegan food necessarily, but there are some classic Bavarian dishes that are vegan, like you mentioned, right? Sauerkraut, potato salad, which is interesting because I think in other places around the world, like in Japan, in America, traditionally potato salads would have mayo, right? Or some sort of cream. But in Germany, in Bavaria, the potato salad is usually just dressed with a vinegar-based mixture. There's no eggs, no mayo. It's not this creamy potato salad. It's light and refreshing, usually with some chives or parsley.
So it's vegan. Cabbage salad as well. So those are some things you could get. And the pretzel is an interesting thing because many people might think pretzel has butter [00:16:00] or is washed with egg. But a traditional pretzel is vegan. The wash is just a lye wash, so it's baking soda mixed with water. And it's just got flour, yeast, salt, water. So it's vegan. And unless you get a butter pretzel, then okay, they smear butter in the pretzel. But usually, it is vegan. There are exceptions, but rarely, I would say. And for the other things, like sausages, schnitze—schnitzel, or the German meatloaf, in German it's called Leberkäse. It's like the thing to eat, the snack to eat here on the streets of Munich. Those things you can find vegan versions of, for sure.
Brighde: I just made a bit of a realization. I wondered whether that shine that you have on pretzels and the lye that you're talking about, it probably is the same thing that is used to give bagels that [00:17:00] shine.
Yuxi: Yeah, bagels.
Brighde: I don't know. I'm guessing.
Yuxi: Yeah, I think bagels are not washed in a baking soda mixture. I'm not 100% sure, actually, but I know bagels are boiled first, and pretzels are washed with lye. I think the washing process or the moisture that comes from the water somehow creates or gives the shiny look after it's baked. Yeah.
Brighde: Okay.
Yuxi: Yeah, similar.
Brighde: Good to know. I feel like I will feel more confident going into pretzel places now. That's awesome.
Yuxi: That's great.
Brighde: And something I am aware of is that bread is a huge part of German and Munich food culture. I'm wondering whether it's, like, bread is vegan and if you can basically just go into any bakery. What do you think?
Yuxi: I think you can go to any bakery and find vegan bread. Bread is such a foundational part of German [00:18:00] food culture. In German, there's this word Abendbrot, which means evening bread. A very typical traditional German dinner would be sliced bread with toppings on the bread.
So it's very simple, but that also means it's very important in their diet, and there are so many kinds of breads. Typically, breads don't have egg or milk or butter in them. I would say they're quite hearty, nutty, and grainy. There are a lot of whole-grain breads, a lot of breads mixed with nuts and seeds.
They're very filling, smell great. And I would say most of the chain bakeries in Munich, at least, do a great job of marking what's vegan and what's not. So typically, you walk in and there are signs already. Otherwise, I mean, if you buy simple loaves of bread, chances are they are vegan.
Brighde: That's awesome. It just makes picnicking in the park so much easier, for sure. Okay, well, you're really convincing me that [00:19:00] Munich is much more vegan-friendly than I thought. What is the best time of year to go to Munich, and what is the worst time of year? I'm imagining Oktoberfest could be a bad time to go if you're not interested in beer.
Yuxi: Oktoberfest, I think, is like the busiest you would see in Munich. I think my personal favorite time to be in Munich is like right now, but also summer season. I think summer is the best because, I mean, the sun is shining. People are out. You know, it's super lush. It's a very green city. People are out picnicking by the river, in the parks.
In August is when a lot of locals actually go on vacation, so the pace of life feels slower, and it's just really nice to enjoy the outdoors as well, like going hiking to a lot of the lakes around Munich, or I should say south of Munich. You could also go hiking in the [00:20:00] Bavarian Alps, taking day trips from Munich. So there are just a lot of things you could do and enjoy here, with great weather, lush environment. I mean, what's there not to love about it? Yeah.
Brighde: And something I'm curious about is getting around Munich and maybe traveling just outside to those beautiful hikes that you were talking about. What is public transportation like? Because I know a lot of people are a little fearful to rent a car, or it's too expensive, and they just want to use public transportation. How is it? Germany, from what I know, has a reputation for public transportation. I've heard terrible things about Deutsche Bahn in recent years.
Yuxi: Yeah, I think that's valid. If you travel long-distance with Deutsche Bahn, there are quite a lot of delays. It's not always on time. That's to take into consideration. But I would say, overall, it is a great system. At least all of the places are very well connected. You can reach almost [00:21:00] anywhere by public transportation. I live in Munich, don't have a car, and I rely pretty much on the public transportation here in the city. It's a great network. Personally, I have the Deutschlandticket, even though I don't travel all over Germany, of course. I'm mostly in Munich. But it's still a great subscription for 63 euros a month. And if you're a student, you get a discount, of course. But 63 euros, you actually could ride on any kind of public transportation all over Germany, like, as much as you want for a month.
Brighde: What? Is that open for non-residents as well?
Yuxi: Yes, I think so. I think visitors can just get a ticket, get a subscription. It is a subscription-based ticket, so just remember to cancel it. I think you have to cancel by the tenth day of the current month for it to take effect next month. So just be mindful of that.
Brighde: Oh.
Yuxi: It's a great—
Brighde: Hack right there. That's amazing.
Yuxi: Yeah. In terms of long-distance travel, it [00:22:00] works with the regional trains, not the high-speed trains that, for example, take you from Munich to Berlin in four hours. That is the ICE, the InterCity Express. Those are excluded. But other than that, all of the regional trains, buses, trams, all those things, they are covered.
Brighde: And the name of that subscription is?
Yuxi: It's Deutschlandticket, basically Germany ticket.
Brighde: Okay, that is fabulous. For people that have got a, you know, are wanting to do a two-week trip and don't need to use high-speed trains, that is amazing.
Yuxi: It is.
Brighde: If somebody had 24 hours in Munich, what do you think they should do in the city as a vegan traveler? And I hope one of those things is to do your tour.
Yuxi: Yeah, I mean, 24 hours is really difficult, I would say. There are so many things to do and see here. So I would highly recommend staying at least a couple of days, if not more. But [00:23:00] to answer your question, it really depends on what your preferences are. Like, do you wanna do more sightseeing, or do you want to have a more chill pace and kind of blend into the local life here? So there are options. But I would say, if you're a vegan traveler spending 24 hours here, start your day with breakfast, right? Go to a bakery. You can go to almost any bakery, but there are really great vegan ones as well. You can look out for that. Or even just, I really love the organic supermarkets here because they all have a fresh baked goods counter, usually very vegan-friendly, lots of options, savory, sweet. So I would start your day with a breakfast like that. Maybe also grab a coffee if you're a coffee drinker. And then my morning tour starts at 11. I think that's a great thing to do because, if you only have 24 hours, I take you in the Old Town for the iconic highlight landmarks in the historic Old Town. Plus, I take you to [00:24:00] four food spots. So you don't really have to do your research or try to figure out what to include, what not to include, and how to get from place to place. You can come join a walk with me. I show you all the highlights. And after my tour, I can recommend you...
One thing I always recommend people is to go up the tower of St. Peter's Church. It's the oldest church in Munich. It's got this great viewing platform up its tower, and you get a very nice skyline view of Munich. And if the weather is nice, you can see the Alps in the south.
Otherwise, if you have other time to fill up, I love to take a walk in the English Garden and just people watch. You can watch even surfers. Now the season is starting. There are people surfing in this river, Isar, you can see, at one end of the English Garden. Great thing to do. And you could also go to one of those [00:25:00] museums in Munich. There are so many of them. If you love going to museums, spending a couple of hours in a museum is great, whether you wanna go to an art museum or a museum to learn more about the local history. There are also other more alternative, subculture-ish museums, or street art. That's another option. There are some districts with great street art. And then, for dinner, there's this restaurant that does really great Bavarian food. Everything's vegan. It's called Bodhi. It's been around since, I think, like 2014, or the early 2010s at least. That's a great option.
But yeah, that's what I'm thinking about.
Brighde: And what about nightlife? Is there a particular area to go? Like, what is traditional nightlife in Munich, and how can people experience it?
Yuxi: There are a lot of taverns. In German, it's a Wirtshaus. If you're into beer or if you just wanna experience local beer [00:26:00] culture, if you didn't go to a beer garden already during the day—there are too many things to do for 24 hours.
But if you didn't make it to a beer garden, then yeah, you could go to a tavern. And by the way, the restaurant I just mentioned, Bodhi, has a traditional tavern feel. The interior design makes you think you're walking into a typical Bavarian wooden tavern.
So it's great for that as well. But yeah, there are many, many taverns. If you wanna go to a club or something, personally, I haven't done that yet. But the Glockenbachviertel that I mentioned earlier, you know, very trendy, modern, bohemian style, there are quite some pubs there. I mean, nightclubs or pubs, yeah. So that would be good. Or go to a theater. Go to see an opera, see a ballet, see a show. There are great stages or theaters here. Concerts.
Brighde: Am I right in remembering when I say that the opera house is absolutely beautiful in [00:27:00] Munich? There is a beautiful opera house there, right?
Yuxi: It's the Deutsches Theater. It's the German National Theater. Actually, I walk past that place on my tour. It's quite luxurious, interior design, and beautiful and very spacious.
Brighde: I love it. Yuxi, so if you were to... I mean, obviously, you've been encouraging listeners to come to Munich. You've made an excellent case so far as to why people should consider Munich. If there was one extra thing that you wanted to tell people to seal the deal to come to Munich, what would it be?
Yuxi: That's a great question. Despite being a major city, it's the third-largest city in Germany. It's got a bustling kind of metropolis feel, but it is very approachable and often, I think, moves at a slower pace compared to other big German cities. I think part of it is because, overall, the city really [00:28:00] values tradition and maintaining tradition, and that is actually so manifested in the architecture that we see in the city. On my tour, I talk about this too. But basically, there was a citizens' vote in the year 2004, and the citizens here voted against buildings in the inner city being taller than 99 meters, which is the height of the Frauenkirche, like the iconic landmark of the old town. It's quite a big city, right? With the population and also in terms of area, but there are no skyscrapers in the inner city. So you walk around, and you just see, you know, not super high buildings. It feels very residential.
There are lots of trees and green spaces. You feel comfortable here, and it's very clean. I think that's why I enjoy living here so much, and I think it's very special for a city to maintain that character.
Brighde: For sure. [00:29:00] Well, you have convinced me, and it's so funny that, at the time of recording this podcast, Seb and I will be in Munich in a few days. And outside of this podcast, we're working out that maybe we can experience Munich through your eyes on one of your vegan food tours.
So maybe we will see you next week, which would just be wild and so cool.
Yuxi: It would be wonderful.
Brighde: Yes. I know people listening to this podcast would love to join one of your vegan food tours. So maybe you can let people know how to find you, how to book. Maybe if you have more than one tour, some details about each of them, and all of the information so they can make sure that they schedule that in for their time in Munich.
Yuxi: Yes. Great. People can find me on munichvegantours.com. That's my website. I'm also active on Instagram. My handle is just munichvegantours, and I am also on [00:30:00] Airbnb. I'm not yet on other platforms, but Airbnb, I will stay there, and maybe I will also make some listings on other platforms, but to be decided. And on my website, I do write descriptions of the tour, tours I should say. My standard signature tour so far is the Old Town tour. It's a three-and-a-half-hour tour where I take visitors to see and appreciate 10 iconic landmarks in the heart of Munich, and we stop by four different food spots to have two savory and two sweet tastings. At one of these places, I usually order more than one thing, so you end up having five or six different things to taste. And I am also very happy to do customized tours. Like in Maxvorstadt, the neighborhood that I mentioned with great restaurants and cafes, I've been thinking about opening up a second route. But so far, that's still [00:31:00] in the planning stages, and there are also other places like that I could easily do tours in. So I really would encourage people to ask me if they wanna have a tour in a different district than the Old Town, whether I can customize the tour for them. The chances are I can probably do that. And I take into consideration people's preferences. Like, do they want more whole food plant-based, or do they wanna experience more tradition? Do they want more savory or more sweet? Do they have any kind of food allergies, gluten-free or soy allergy or nut allergy? I can take into consideration all of these things and try to tailor things to people's interest and preferences.
Brighde: Fabulous. Yuxi, that is fantastic. I wanna thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast, and maybe I'll see you next week.
Yuxi: That would be absolutely lovely. Thank you so much. It's been a great pleasure to chat and to connect.
Brighde: Oh, the [00:32:00] pleasure is all mine. Thank you.
Yuxi: Thank you so much.