In today’s day and age, it seems as though more and more people are limiting their meat intake or even ditching meat altogether. Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise, and there’s no doubt about the fact that a meatless revolution is making its way across the world. However, many believe that this revolution has only just happened. This isn’t the case, as vegetarianism and vegetarian restaurants have been around for decades. Don’t believe us? Check out the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant.

The vegetarian revolution

According to recent reports, there are around 375 million vegetarians in the world, who have all vowed to give up eating meat in favor of food that doesn’t contain this ingredient. With so many people to cater for, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are countless vegetarian restaurants around the globe. However, this vegetarian revolution isn’t a new development. It’s actually been going on for hundreds of years, and the world’s oldest veggie restaurant is a testament to that.

Opening a restaurant

Located in Zurich, Haul Hiltl holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest vegetarian restaurant and the world, and it’s amazing to believe that this eatery first opened its doors in 1898. Yes, the restaurant was opened by German immigrants that same year under a different name, but it didn’t immediately take off. That’s because vegetarians were frowned upon in that day and age, and they were even given the title of “grazers” because people didn’t quite understand why others wouldn’t eat meat. However, that all changed when Ambrosius Hiltl became ill.

Adopting a new diet

Ambrosius Hiltl was a German tailor living in Zurich who found himself run down with rheumatism in 1901. He was forced away from his work, and he looked for a way to make himself feel better. It was then that he researched ditching meat from his diet and adopting vegetarianism – so he decided to give it a go. He created a few of his own recipes to cope with the change of his diet, and he became enamored with the cooking process. By the time 1903 came around, Hiltl decided to take on a new job as the managing director of the restaurant. It was here that it became a fully-fledged vegetarian restaurant and marketed itself as such. He later bought the restaurant with his wife, and it has been thriving ever since.

Finding it

If you want to see the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant for yourself, you won’t have to look too far. That’s because this restaurant is just 0.5 miles away from the Old Town of Zurich, and is located in District 1 of the city. There are many underground stops nearby, and you can guarantee that all of the locals know how to point you in the right direction if you get lost.

Whether you’re vegetarian yourself or just love to dabble in the world of vegetarianism, you should definitely add a meal at the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant to your to-do list.