By Teo Jaworski

The age-old question: Where do you want to eat? This a multi-layered question with endless answers, as nowadays there are even more factors to consider, including how environmentally aware different establishments may be.

An environmentally aware restaurant can range from sourcing food locally to making efforts to reduce waste, from leftovers as well as utilities. This can complicate dinner plans, but maintaining healthy and sustainable practices is essential in helping save the environment and the planet as a whole.

How popular is low-waste fine dining?
There is a large variety of restaurants that display low-waste practices, and the number continues to grow every year.

There may be setbacks when focusing on reducing waste, such as failing to provide for as large of a customer base, or decreasing portions to ensure no food is wasted, but a feat that some of these restaurants have achieved is maintaining high quality, fine dining standards while also excelling in the reduction of waste that their dishes may produce. These businesses can be off the beaten path, or halfway across the globe, but it is essential that they receive the deserved recognition and attention for their efforts in protecting and saving the planet.

The best low-waste luxury restaurants in the world

1. Silo, London

Based on the idea of a zero trash bin establishment, Silo originated in Australia before moving to its current location, London.

With an emphasis on natural farming practices that avoid the harmful chemicals of overprocessing and mass production, as well as a closed-loop kitchen, this restaurant exceeds all expectations when it comes to reducing food waste. Aside from the local partnerships they collaborate with to continue to avoid wastefulness, there is a concerted effort to use all of an ingredient. Any material left over is then used to compost, serving as fermentation for the future.

Not only their food but all furniture inside the dining area is made of 100% recycled material, showing that Silo goes above and beyond when it comes to total waste reduction.

2. Baldío, Mexico City

This restaurant treats its guests to an authentic Mexican experience with its incorporation of purely local Mexican ingredients. In addition, the interior is decorated with natural and local stone and wood, boasting sustainable practices in its food as well as presentation.

Owned by a pair of brothers in charge of an organic farm that supplies many of the top restaurants in Mexico City, not only is the food served in its whole form, but orders are taken on reusable ceramic tablets, avoiding the use of printed receipts.

3. Rhodora, Brooklyn

This bar represents an aspect of the food industry that gets looked over much of the time. While much of this industry’s waste is generated from solid food, the use of water and ice in beverages can go unnoticed when attempting to achieve environmental sustainability. With an array of wines to choose from, Rhodora also offers smaller plates, with their entire menu carefully selected to source from producers who share the same passion for waste reduction.

Outside of the ideas of sustainability though, the wine bar has gone a step further by training each of their employees in each different role in the restaurant, bridging the traditional gap that often exists between those at the front of the restaurant and those at the back.

4. Nolla, Helsinki

Nolla, or ‘Zero’ in English, is a Finnish restaurant dedicated to bringing environmental awareness and imaginative dining together.

As their name indicates, their efforts result in a zero waste practice from their use of composting food scraps to the recycled bed linen manner in which their staff uniforms were made. Additionally, their menu of locally and organically grown produce is sourced from farms that believe just as strongly in sustainable agriculture and dining practices as Nolla does.

This restaurant does not stop striving for better and more environmentally conscious habits, as they are constantly reevaluating their establishment for better ways to contribute to a healthier and happier planet.

5. Frea, Berlin

While many of the previously mentioned restaurants (although entirely devoted to reducing waste) do not shy away from serving meat, Frea has upped the ante by providing an entirely vegan menu.

In an effort to create a close-looped cycle of produce and dining, Frea has utilized a machine, “Gersi,” to compost leftovers and send them back to the producer for later use. Going through a multi-course meal, ranging from at minimum three courses, upwards of over five based on the customers’ preference and budget, the restaurant provides a delicious variety of vegetable-based dishes with an equally delicious and vast menu of drinks.

6. Chez Panisse, Berkeley

As one of the first to popularize classic Californian cuisine, this establishment reinforces the belief that ingredients should be appropriately seasonal, local, and fresh. These three pillars have stuck with Chez Panisse since its inception in 1971, a testament to the commitment that it takes to maintain such a sustainable restaurant, as well as resilience, especially after the building required multiple remodelings after fires in 1982 and 2013.

Fortunately, Chez Panisse remains, and so does its focus on organic ingredients and a sustainable past, present, and future.