by Karina Sitnik
If it is important for you, what is going to happen to our planet in a couple of tens or hundreds of years, if you avoid disposable plastic bags, and a green leaf sticker is on all the products that you buy – perhaps you are looking for this guide from local ecologists on the green gastronomic routes in Minsk! Our city is not yet a spoiled place for ecomainstreaming: shops that offer eco packaging are quite rare, and not every café will be happy to serve you a coffee in your mug. In this guide we will share our favorite green places in the center of Minsk and some gastro festivals we recommend you to visit.
SHOPS/MARKETS
Komarovsky market
Photo by Vitaliy Brazovskiy
Viery Charužaj st., 8
9 AM-7PM (closed on Monday)
A favorite market of all locals is definitely Komarovka. This is the place where many different people meet: someone is here to get food cheaper (you can buy it without extra charges from the store), someone come to the market for healthy and fresh products, which possible to pack directly in your containers. The sellers represent different cultures: you can buy Tajik tortillas directly from tandyr, Uzbek spices and Belarusian farm cheeses and meat. And this is the only market in Minsk, which has its own Instagram!
Photo by Vitaliy Brazovskiy
Get inspired by the juicy colors of vegetables and spices, and pay a visit! We recommend you to check the shop “Hleb Doma” (Bread at home), where you can find not only everything for home-made bread, but also natural apple pastille, carob chocolate, soya pate and other vegan and vegetarian products. The shop is located inside the market, just go slightly on the right from the main entrance.
And we advise you to look at the seasonal market (open part of Komarovka), where except fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, you can find few grandmothers selling herbs in one of the corners. If you ever collected herbs, then you instantly recognize the quality of the product. They do collect and dry it all themselves, so the taste is excellent, it’s nothing like a regular tea from the shop. Might be a good present for your friends – tasty Belarusian tea from local Grandmas!
Vegans.by
Photo from vk.com
Nemiga st., 3, (floor 3, pav. 23)
10 AM-9PM
Just right in the city center you can find a classic vegan store. All products here meet the principles of healthy food: without gluten, cholesterol and preservatives. You can shop here some vegan snacks and drinks, grain, oil, tea and some more. Vegans.by also has a great choice of natural cosmetics from local craftsmen. So if you forgot to bring your veggi shampoo, no worries – here you can find a good alternative.
Craft Chocolate
Photo from Instagram
Visit their website or check their Instagram to make an order!
We recommend this chocolate because it is really high premium quality and it is extremely delicious! The family from Lida (a small town in Grodno region) is engaged in the production of crafted natural chocolate due to bean-to-bar technology, which means the entire production process is carried out in one place: from selection of cocoa beans to packaging ready products. Today their assortment is represented by about 20 kinds of chocolate – the difference is in the percentage of cocoa, as well as in cocoa beans which were used. In the composition of the chocolate, there is nothing superfluous: only high-quality cocoa, cane sugar and unrefined non-oxidized cocoa butter. You can buy true chocolate from Lida artisans in Minsk: while the offline store is temporarily closed, an online order via Instagram is available. The delivery around Minsk is free!
CAFE
Monkey Food
Photo from vk.com
Bogdanovicha st., 128a
11 AM-10PM
Monkey Food is a vegan fast food, which you can also order online, and the courier will bring you a delicious lunchbox right on his bike. Monkey Food supports the concept of zero-waste, they reduce plastic packaging as much as possible, and make cool promo campaigns. For example, one of the latest: a local painter turned tens of pie boxes into art objects by painting them. So after eating a tasty vegan pie, you could place a unique picture on your wall!
Photo from vk.com
Of course this kind of guys takes an active part in supporting local communities. Every Sunday there is a “12 monkeys’ kitchen” – a project which shows up interesting initiatives, businesses and simply good people who somehow make Minsk better. For a day they occupy the kitchen and cook some meals, which every visitor can taste for free donation. After eating guests usually hold a talk about their initiative or business. If you want to eat delicious vegan food and hang out with local activists – visit Monkey Food on Sunday!
Supkultura
Photo from realt.onliner.by
Kozlova st., 5
11 AM-9PM
Tasty soups and zero-waste concept: vegetarian cream soups in no less vegetarian edible glasses, which are convenient to take away and eat, leaving no waste to the environment. In served dishes only local seasonal vegetables are used. Cream soups do not contain meat, eggs, flavor enhancers and fragrances. The technology of preparing dishes excludes the use of unhealthy methods: frying, grilling, roasting. The main idea of the project is to develop a culture of street food, to show that there is always a convenient and tasty alternative to street fast food.
COFFEE
Do you like taking coffee? Pay attention to the public company My Cup Please, which created a map of coffee houses, where barista will surely pour coffee into your mug. Saving the planet from excess plastic, you can support the initiative of local activists and enjoy delicious coffee from your favorite mug! Scroll down their website to see a map of friendly cafes.
Surf Café
Photo by Vitaliy Brazovskiy
Kirova st., 19
8 AM-11PM
Surf Café has a lot of advantages: it’s in the center, near the railway, there’s always good music, a cozy chill out atmosphere. Here you will definitely get good coffee in your mug with some snacks, like ginger biscuits. And don’t forget your skate – there is a real ramp inside!
You can check out more feedbacks about the guys on Tripadvisor.
FESTIVALS
Use Svaje – a fest of our home food
Photos from Fb.com
May 27, 2018
Karla Marksa st., 12 (patio of the National Historical Museum)
Use Svaje festival includes everything what you can care about: healthy products from local farmers, a variety of crafted delicacies, eco-packaging and homy mood. Here you can taste Belarusian bread cooked according to a traditional recipe, delicious homemade pies, and it is an excellent chance to buy milk, honey, vegetables and other farm products in one place.
Pasternak - eco-market
Photo from vk.com
June 30-July 1
Arlouskaya st., 80 (Dreamland Park)
If you come to Minsk in the summer, check out Pasternak festival. The whole eco gang of Belarus is coming here. There will be a food court with green cafes and bars, workshops and active spots from environmental initiatives, products from artisans and farmers. Here you can definitely eat delicious vegetarian and vegan food, practice yoga, buy cool gifts and meet Minsk eco activists.