I miss tibits. There was something uniquely comforting about wandering around, clutching a bowl or plate, with a small group of like-minded people, lifting lids, poking about with ladles, creating the perfect plate and perhaps drifting back for more. The open-buffet model faced obvious challenges after the pandemic, but the cracks caused by London’s high rents had already done much of the damage. The London branches closed in 2020.
So my joy at stumbling across Ginko, a restaurant with an almost identical model, in the Austrian city of Graz was immense. Almost identical, but better: even towards the end, Tibits was only around 80% vegan. Ginko is the real deal.
Its roots go back to 1976, when the Gilma family opened a vegetarian restaurant in the city. The current Ginko followed in 1996 and has been fully vegan since 2021. At its heart is a pay-by-weight self-service buffet, with a wide mix of salads, soups, hot dishes, sides, sauces and cakes, drawing on international flavours and seasonal, often organic ingredients. It’s also fully licensed, so there’s wine and beer if you fancy lingering a little longer.
The restaurant itself is set in a large, airy space, a short trot from the central transport area of Jakominiplatz. The food is bright, varied and plentiful, and the labels are easy to follow. There’s literally something for everyone, whether you prefer a few dishes, known or unfamiliar, or fill your plate with a smidgen of whatever takes your fancy.
What particularly appealed were the traditional Styrian dishes: the vinegary potato salad, just like my Austrian mum used to make, the pure stodge of spinach spätzle, the crispy schnitzels. Then there were familiar favourites that can still be surprisingly hard to find vegan, like a hefty chunk of lasagne.
A plate piled high, then. And, as so often in my wanderings, no space for pudding. I did, however, pause to take a look, and a photo. A large range of cakes, all made in-house and all looking delightful. Take your pick.
Graz itself is a stunningly beautiful city and something of a spiritual homeland for my family, but for years it dropped off the radar after Ryanair stopped serving it. There’s now a direct flight from Gatwick, but for me the train from Vienna through the Semmering is well worth the extra effort, with the route winding through mountains, viaducts and forest before dropping you into Styria.
For a city that already means so much to me, finding a place that brought back some of what I loved about Tibits felt like an unexpected bonus.
Bardo Burner 