Travelling sustainably used to be a challenge, but with the multitude of fabulous eco-friendly hotels and sustainable restaurants opening up around the world, it’s now almost second nature to protect the environment while exploring new destinations.
We’ve rounded up some of the most beautiful sustainable restaurants with environmentally friendly menus in major cities such as Bangkok, London and Berlin, as well as underrated spots from Norway to Peru.
If you’ve got upcoming travel plans to these marvellous cities, make sure to bookmark these sustainable restaurants for some truly delicious discoveries on your itinerary.
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Haoma in Bangkok, Thailand
Dubbed Thailand’s first urban farm and zero-waste restaurant, Haoma is located at the heart of Bangkok in a beautiful, modern-meets-rustic interior designed by Bangkok-based architect Hammad Mohd. The restaurant aims to regenerate the local ecosystem and community through sustainable agriculture, supporting small farmers, as well as responsible, social gastronomy.
The restaurant’s menu is crafted by chef Deepanker Khosla using 40 different herbs, plants and fruits grown in Haoma’s vertical farm and aquaponics systems, supported by rainwater collection, solid waste recycling, and composting. A more extensive farm can be found a short distance from the restaurant, where chickens, goats and cows are raised for its ever-evolving menu.
The wine list is thoughtfully curated from small-scale, ethical growers who practice organic, biodynamic viticulture in the country. Apart from wine, Haoma also serves wild tea and locally produced coffee sourced from boutique Thai farmers.
Some of the restaurant’s social initiatives include serving over 300,000 meals to the homeless during the pandemic, as well as training Burmese refugees to find employment with new cooking skills.
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Restaurant St Barts in London, England
Food preparation is underway at Restaurant St Barts in London, England
Another restaurant that champions small-scale farms and growers, St Barts offers a delicious tasting menu by chef Johnnie Crowe, which takes diners on a journey through the British Isles with a keen sense of seasonality.
The interiors of the sustainable restaurant in London
One of the delicious dishes awaiting you at Restaurant St Barts
The interiors of the restaurant are a key highlight of the dining experience here, with inspiration drawn from historic buildings in the country. Raw materials such as stone and soft fabric were used throughout the restaurant interior, as well as wood from fallen trees for the handmade tables.
The tableware was similarly crafted in-house, with designs inspired by the British coastline and surrounding waters.
Restaurant Iris in Rosendal, Norway
A literal journey awaits you at Restaurant Iris, serving much more than a typical dinner.
You’ll start the journey with a boat ride from the picturesque town of Rosendal to chef Anika Madsen’s boathouse on the island of Snilstveitøy, where you’ll be treated to a snack before proceeding via the jetty to a multisensory underwater experience at the floating art installation Salmon Eye, a futuristic creation by Danish studio Kvorning Design.
The dining room is the final stop, where sublime views of the fjord and mountain ranges are said to create the backdrop for the restaurant’s set tasting menu, with dishes revolving around the ocean, the mountains, and the Norwegian landscape.
If the weather permits, dishes will be enjoyed directly on the rooftop terrace, grilled over an open fire in the fresh mountain air.
In the words of the restaurant, “The menu at Iris reads like a story. A story about the challenges and threats to the global food system, but also with ideas and suggestions for future innovations.”
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Frea in Berlin, Germany
Vegan restaurant Frea in Berlin, Germany
The elegant interiors at Frea
The interiors feel simultaneously sophisticated and intimate
A vegan restaurant located at the heart of Berlin, Frea is run by co-founders David J. Suchy and Jasmin Suchy. The duo hopes to strengthen regional organic farming through a careful selection of ingredients and an effort to produce much of their food in-house, from their homemade sourdough bread to the chocolate used in their desserts.
All food waste at Frea is processed into a soil substitute via a composting machine, before heading back to the restaurant’s suppliers to be utilised once more.
A variety of vegan dishes served at Frea
One of the desserts at the vegan Berlin restaurant
The restaurant’s contemporary interiors mix Scandinavian elements and a boho-chic aesthetic, striking a balance that makes the space feel both elegant and intimate. The space was entirely designed by the founders themselves, with handpicked décor and accessories from sustainable makers like Welsh design studio Tŷ Syml.
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Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, United States
Instead of a menu, diners at Blue Hill at Stone Barns are treated to a “multi-taste feast” by chef Dan Barber, with ingredients sourced from the surrounding fields and pasture as well as other local farms.
The restaurant forms part of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, a rustic estate located just under 50 km north of New York City, with quiet, serene outdoors. The fairytale-esque interiors are the work of New York-based practice Guzy Architects, who also customised much of the furniture and décor.
This space aims to highlight the nourishing abundance of the Hudson Valley while educating visitors about the consequences of food production and dietary choices.
Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot in Palermo, Italy
The exterior of Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot, lit up by fairy lights in the evening
The lush gardens at Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot in Palermo, Italy
Warm hues and cosy vibes define the indoor dining spaces of Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot
If you’re planning a getaway to beautiful Sicily, don’t miss out on a meal at Palermo’s Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot, located inside Casa San Francesco, just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral of Palermo.
This inviting spot is the perfect locale to unwind over great pizza and other Italian food, with concerts, workshops and social events frequently taking over the restaurant’s vibrant gardens. Every corner of the restaurant was designed by the founders themselves, social worker Lucia Lauro and chef Francesco Gambino, pouring love and dedication into the space.
A view of the Cathedral of Palermo, which houses the restaurant
Choose between the warm-hued indoor dining rooms for a cosy meal sheltered from the elements, or cocktails and dinner in the garden lit up by thousands of fairy lights.
After years of abandonment, this outdoor space was reclaimed by the restaurant and allowed to blossom once more, becoming “a small green oasis” for the community, complete with a library and free board games for visitors.
Some of the food served at Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot
More of the delicacies awaiting you at the restaurant
The restaurant doesn’t just dish out delicious offerings in a lovely setting but also takes its social responsibility to heart, extending training courses and stable work opportunities to ex-convicts from the city’s Malaspina Juvenile Detention Facility.
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Mil Centro in Maras, Peru
A view of Mil Centro in Maras, Peru
The rustic exterior of Mil Centro
Warm tones and minimalist design welcome diners to the restaurant
The Mil Centro offers a “culinary proposal inspired by and aligned with the environment”. During your visit, you’ll be immersed in the landscape and connected to the local communities and customs orbiting the Mil Centro and the Archeological Center of Moray.
This immersive journey includes a visit to the farmlands, a search for endemic plants, interactive experiences, and encounters with impactful locals involved with the centre’s projects.
A wealth of dishes is served as part of Mil Centro’s tasting menu
An incredible eight-course tasting menu crafted by chef Virgilio Martínez is the culmination of it all, taking place in the centre’s understated, elegant dining space. The brainchild of Lima-based Estudio Rafael Freyre, the interiors reflect the centre’s balancing of innovative cooking and traditional cuisine.
Azurmendi in Biscay, Spain
The interiors of Azurmendi in Biscay, Spain
Azurmendi’s lush green spaces
A view of Azurmendi’s bioclimatic building
Another view of the modern, green interiors
The Azurmendi building is integrated into the Spanish hillside
Boasting three Michelin stars, Azurmendi balances the traditional gastronomic heritage of the region and cutting-edge culinary innovations, with an extraordinary offering of chef Eneko Atxa’s Spanish cuisine.
Sustainability runs in the restaurant’s DNA, from the preparation of each dish to the building itself.
One of the dishes served at Azurmendi
Another delicious Azurmendi creation
The irresistible cuisine at Azurmendi
The chef at work
The latter is a bioclimatic construction by Naia Eguino that allows modern architecture and the beauty of nature to co-exist harmoniously, the building integrated into the hillside with native vineyards and an in-house Sustainability Centre.
No matter where you turn, greenery surrounds you even indoors, immersing you in the landscape even as you dine sheltered from the elements.
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L’Arpège in Paris, France
Inside L’Arpège in Paris, France
The magical interiors transport diners into another world
The dining space exudes a mix of French elegance and ethereal flair
A dinner at L’Arpège in Paris promises to transport you to a different world. Ornate, whimsical details infuse the interior with a hint of the otherworldly, underscored by French design sensibility. The intimate size and enveloping silhouette of the dining space further lend the restaurant the feeling of a cocoon away from the bustle of Paris.
As for its cuisine, a common thread runs through every dish at L’Arpège: the knowledge of its provenance. Chef Alain Passard claims to know the experts behind all of the restaurant’s products, from the gardeners to the cheese makers, the livestock breeders, and the fishermen.
Seasonal cuisine at L’Arpège
Explore fine dining with a twist
A Parisian menu guided by nature
Natural ingredients and seasonality steer the creations at L’Arpège
His creations are inspired by the wealth of ingredients found in nature, with menus guided by the country’s seasons.
This passion for seasonality—an intuitive and environmentally friendly way of crafting dishes—is certainly palpable in this quote: “What a joy it is to quench your thirst, in summer, with a tomato gazpacho with mustard, or a minted cucumber salad. And in winter, what a pleasure to warm up with a creamy celeriac gratin, or a leek and potato soup!”
Locus Native Food Lab in Chiang Rai, Thailand
Inside Locus Native Food Lab in Chiang Rai, Thailand
Dinner is served at the luxurious Chiang Rai restaurant
One of the dishes at Locus Native Food Lab
Another one of Locus Native Food Lab’s dishes
Indulge in a decadent glass of wine
Located within Pa Sak Thong Hotel in Chiang Rai, a luxury estate offering a private and serene retreat from the outside world, Locus Native Food Lab whips up traditional northern Thai dishes with a contemporary, innovative approach. Chef Kongwuth Chaiwongkachon’s modern take on the cuisine can already be sensed when immersed in the restaurant’s interiors, with a moody, decidedly decadent ambience.
But while the restaurant aims to embrace modern food innovations, it yet continues to celebrate the “essence and authenticity” of northern Thai culinary heritage too.
On your next visit to the city, delight in a set menu crafted with fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients.
Silo in London, England
The modern-minimalist interiors at Silo in London, England
All of the restaurant’s furniture and décor is recycled and handcrafted
A view of Silo’s characteristic exterior
Calling itself the world’s first zero-waste restaurant, Silo first opened in Australia back in 2011 and later expanded to its new location in east London in 2019 underr chef Douglas McMaster, keeping the original guiding principle of “not having a bin”.
The menu draws on natural farming, closed-loop cooking and, of course, eliminating waste. Every dish is crafted from ingredients in their totality, avoiding excessive processing and bypassing many of the standard industrial processes by producing many of the basics in-house.
The restaurant’s homemade Koji honey
Silo places great emphasis on recycling and zero-waste production
The restaurant’s reusable milk pales cut out the need for single-use packaging
Silo finds a use for every part of every ingredient, from parmesan rinds to egg whites and mackerel pieces
“We churn our own butter, roll our own oats and support a root-to-leaf ideology, meaning that if an animal dies or a vegetable is harvested for food we will maximise its entire potential, respectfully,” the restaurant shares.
Careful details lend Silo’s menu its unique appeal
One of the offerings on Silo’s delicious zero-waste menu
A mouthwatering creation
One of the dishes served at Silo
A refreshing tomato dish
Along these lines, the interiors of the dining space were designed by London-based studio Nina+Co with a zero-waste mindset as well.
The furniture is upcycled from food packaging, the tableware is crafted from recycled plastic bags and crushed wine bottles, the lights are made of mycelium, and the floor and ceiling are composed of cork and sheep’s wool respectively.
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Eleven Madison Park in New York, United States
A fine dining restaurant in the midst of bustling New York City, Eleven Madison Park boasts a lovely view of Madison Square Park, sitting at the base of a historic Art Deco building.
Its beautiful interiors were recently reimagined by Allied Works Architecture, refreshing the dining space while retaining the signature classic appeal that connects it with the building’s history.
The restaurant offers a wholly plant-based tasting menu under chef Daniel Humm, as well as an abbreviated version that can be enjoyed at the bar alongside light snacks and cocktails or a glass of wine.
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