
The oldest vegetarian restaurant - MiriamWeiner
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190513-the-worlds-oldest-vegetarian-restaurant
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telesilla
Having been vegetarian since the early 90s, I can happily say the last few
years has gotten amazing for eating out. 20 years ago I was in Hungary for a
week and lived on salad and deep-fried camembert from the regular restaurants
while my friends gorged on meat. The day before I left, I stumbled across a
hidden buddhist restaurant in a basement - I believe I cried with relief.
These days I can travel almost anywhere and be assured of filling my stomach
with more than salad greens and cheese.

~~~
callinyouin
I've noticed a bit of an ebb and flow of vegetarian options at restaurants
here in the mid-west US. There were not a lot of options when I went
vegetarian/vegan in the early 2000's, but gradually that got better and better
and then peaked sometime in the early 2010's when it was super popular to be
vegan. I feel like that popularity has dropped off and I've begun to notice
less options than before.

Couple that with the insane number of breweries that have been opening and
you'll see their food options are very, very meat-heavy. Most in my area (and
there are an awful lot) will only have an option or two, and a lot of the time
that will be grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese, not exactly what I'm
looking for when I eat out.

Of course, this is just my perception and it really only applies to the area I
live in.

~~~
ssully
My wife is vegetarian, so by extension I end up being very conscious of
vegetarian options. It's generally pretty easy to find good for her, but I am
pretty surprised how limited the options can be. I feel like it's a coin flip
with newer restaurants - they either have a pretty wide selection, or like you
mentioned, they go really heavy on the meat and offer few or no vegetarian
options.

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mci
Fun fact: the first vegetarian restaurant in Krakow ("Przyroda" at Św. Krzyża
St. 7) opened in 1912 due to the 8th World Esperanto Congress. The staff spoke
Esperanto.[1]

[1]
[http://digital.onb.ac.at/RepViewer/viewer.faces?doc=DTL_6196...](http://digital.onb.ac.at/RepViewer/viewer.faces?doc=DTL_6196698&order=1&view=SINGLE)
page 56

~~~
Mediterraneo10
In the early 20th century, vegetarianism in Europe and North America was
utterly outside the mainstream, its practitioners considered total weirdos.
So, no surprise that vegetarians would overlap with Esperantists, another
bunch of weirdos.

(I am former member of the Esperanto movement, very heavily involved in it.
When I say the Esperanto world abounds with weirdos, I know of what I speak.
Yes, I know, that claim might mean I was/am one too.)

~~~
mci
Yup. Both were mocked at the time: "militant Catholics [...] solemnly
disavowed modernism, monism, masochism, vegetarianism, and Esperanto" (Rydwan,
September 1912)[1]

[1] [https://docplayer.pl/112655650-Rydwan-miesiecznik-
poswiecony...](https://docplayer.pl/112655650-Rydwan-miesiecznik-poswiecony-
sprawom-tw-orczosci-i-kultury-polskiej.html) page 29

~~~
jandrese
> "militant Catholics [...] solemnly disavowed modernism, monism, _masochism_
> , vegetarianism, and Esperanto"

But they were totally on board with sadism.

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secure
I eat at Hiltl frequently and love it every time! Strongly recommended.

For a friend of mine, Hiltl’s presences in Zürich (and other vegeterian
restaurants) was a big factor in moving to Zürich :)

I was on an airplane once where SWISS served Hiltl food. The person next to me
was very positively surprised by the quality and asked me about details of the
dish.

~~~
xiphias2
I was working 6 years in Zürich, and I really miss Hiltl. I go back every year
for a weekly visit though :)

For people who go to Hiltl for the first time, I suggest using the self
serving part. It's cheaper and you can get a much better selection of the
food.

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peterwwillis
I'd say Guinness should probably explain their decision-making process.

 _" Oldest restaurant in the world: Restaurante Botín, 1725"_
([https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-
records/76907-old...](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-
records/76907-oldest-restaurant)).

Yet St. Peter Stiftskulinarium was recorded as operating in Austria in 803
(1), Bianyifang in Beijing was established in 1416 (2), Zur letzten Instanz in
Berlin in 1621 (but recorded existing a century earlier) (3), White Horse
Tavern in Rhode Island established in 1673 (4), etc. This list from Japan
alone could contradict Guiness' claim (5)

(1)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter_Stiftskulinarium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter_Stiftskulinarium)
(2)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianyifang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianyifang)
(3)
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zur_letzten_Instanz](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zur_letzten_Instanz)
(4)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Horse_Tavern_(Newport,_R...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Horse_Tavern_\(Newport,_Rhode_Island\))
(5)
[https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-10-oldest...](https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-10-oldest-
restaurants-in-japan/)

------
sachdevap
Japan has had Shojin ryori for centuries before this. It is a purely
vegetarian strictly codified cuisine. This claim is false imo.

[https://www.saveur.com/japan-shojin-ryori-temple-
cuisine](https://www.saveur.com/japan-shojin-ryori-temple-cuisine)

~~~
0xfffafaCrash
I agree. Guinness world records for things like this should probably not be
taken as authoritative since they are heavily skewed by selection bias.

It seems completely implausible that there aren't any vegetarian restaurants
older than that in parts of Asia (especially in religious communities of
Buddhists, Jains, etc.) where large populations have been practicing
vegetarianism for many centuries. Even if you rule out things that aren't
"continuously running" (whatever that means in practice) that seems quite
unlikely.

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wornohaulus
Obviously.. how could we know. The source of all worked great practices
started some where in Europe or America.. the rest of the world is just a
giant shithole according to your people..

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rajeshp1986
India Coffee House in Kolkata opened in 1870's. It is definitely much older
than this. Leopold cafe in Mumbai is also from 1800s. They both serve only
vegetarian dishes.

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planetjones
First time I went to Hiltl I loaded up the plate. Went to get it weighed. And
the 45 Francer (45 USD) as I call it was up. It’s not the cheapest, but the
buffet food is consistently good. And in my time in Zurich they have expanded
rapidly (recently Bahnhofstrasse and Landstrasse). And I like the free water.
Just watch you don’t load the plate too heavily!

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andr
In London, there are two Tibits locations, which are owned by Hiltl. They
share the buffet concept and some of the menu items. Pretty delicious!

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amriksohata
Today, Haus Hiltl isn’t just one Zürich’s most popular dining options; it’s
recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest continuously run
vegetarian restaurant

\- i dont get this, India has a long history of vegetarianism for centuries
and you find thousands of "dabas" or small eateries all over India for
centuries. How can it be the oldest?

~~~
tsjq
I'm sure Indians gonna raise a huge noise over this.

>How can it be the oldest?

ultimately it'll boil down to what one knows versus what one can prove.

~~~
yumraj
1) The above comment is rather condescending

2) 100 years is nothing in Indian history

3) Our ancestral home, which still stands, is over 150 years old and there are
small eateries below which have been family run for ever and are vegetarian.

4) There are probably 1000s of 100 year old vegetarian restaurants in India.
Granted they are not probably as fancy as the one in Switzerland, but they are
_vegetarian_ and _restaurants_ and _over 100 year old_ nonetheless.

5) If the post said _in Europe_ , I'll believe. But given history of Asia, I
have no doubt that it is _not_ the oldest vegetarian restaurant.

~~~
billfruit
Problem with most of Indian History is lack of written or otherwise
corroborating evidence. Also the claim is not for the oldest, but oldest
continusly running. Even then the ship of Theseus argument can be raised.

~~~
sachdevap
And the Ship of Theseus argument does not apply to Haus Hiltl because ... ?

