Farm-to-table, locally-sourced, and eco-conscious eating have transcended trend to become a powerful initiative around the globe. Sustainable and regenerative travel is especially food-focused today, with the appetites of fine diners and casual foodies alike preferring eco-friendly fare.
Michelin Green Star and green clover designations celebrate establishments that strive for sustainability in both their practices and on their plates, though countless restaurants still run their kitchens with centuries-old philosophies and techniques that honor the land. Launched in 2020, European restaurants are shifting their focus to meet and maintain Michelin’s new standard of environmental excellence. For instance, Germany has 72 to date which make up 21% of their total Michelin Stars.
These 11 eco-friendly restaurants are leading the way for sustainable dining and offer just a few of the sustainable experiences you can have while traveling Europe on an Insight Vacations itinerary.
FREA’s motto is “full taste, zero waste” so it’s no surprise that this eco-friendly restaurant in Berlin has a mature knowledge of what they can and cannot do with the scraps of their bounty. It earned a Michelin Green Star for its sustainable cuisine that features regional ingredients that are organic, seasonal, and meat-free. They’ve taken the soul of their eco friendly restaurant into their own hands with in-house composting, then ensue that this recycled waste is used to its fullest potential by shipping it back to their producers every night.
Discover Berlin on: Best of Germany
Molskroen – Ebeltoft, Denmark
Read next: How to Embrace the Slow Food Movement While Traveling
Homestyle cooking and a family-focused approach to sustainable practices has earned Konoba Mate one of the first Michelin Green Stars in Croatia. Though only two decades old, the recipes found at this eco-friendly restaurant are reminiscent of generations past. Each member of the family contributes to sustainable farming, whether that be the matriarch rearing goats and producing cheese or the patriarch perfecting drying prosciuttos year after year.
Discover Croatia on: Eastern Capitals & the Dalmatian Riviera
Mühle – Warth, Switzerland
Explore Switzerland on: Glorious Switzerland
Also read: Thinking Swisstainable with Switzerland Tourism’s Pascal Prinz
Casa di Langa, a five-star resort boasting the world’s first truffle concierge, started with sustainability in mind. The hotel and accompanying restaurant, Faula Ristorante, integrated itself into an abandoned, half-finished hotel site within minimal wasteful alterations. Set only minutes away from the International Alba White Truffle Fair, Faula Ristorante embraces its environment without exploitation. A greenhouse and biodynamic garden are tended to by the Chef Daniel Zeilinga himself. Guests can even hunt responsibly for their own black and white truffles in the resort’s protected forest then sample their finds in the eco-friendly restaurant, creating a low-impact activity that fosters the area’s tourism with unwavering promotion for sustainable truffle sourcing.
Experience Italy on: Grand Italy & Sicily
Friðheimar – Reykholt, Iceland
Good to know: Why Going Guided is the Best Way to Travel with Dietary Requirements
Holding a coveted three Michelin stars, Azurmendi is known as one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly restaurants in the world. Housed within a bioclimatic building, Azurmendi appears at home amongst the native vineyards. Rain water is recycled and reused for everything from garden watering to toilet flushing while their control of sunlight and ventilation remove the need for air-conditioning and most artificial light. Azurmendi has planted nearly 1,000 trees to offset their CO2 emissions and gladly provides area farmers with fresh fertilizer via its organic compost.
Read next: 6 of the Top Michelin Star Restaurants in Europe
The world’s first zero waste restaurant, Silo proves that restaurants in even the largest cities can embrace the principles of sustainability. What began with an idea to build a restaurant without a single trash can in sight turned into a mission to innovate food without insulting the environment. Silo uses its own flour mill for wheat production and its brewery has live cultures naturally fermenting beverages. All furniture is upcycled; all plates were once plastic bags. All restaurant products are delivered in reusable containers, leaving only minimal waste created in the eco-friendly restaurant for the compost bin.
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