In a slightly off-the-beaten-track part of Glasgow city centre, in an 80s yellowish brick and light blue steel enclave that could have been lifted straight from a Milton Keynes superstore, lies Mono. Welcome to the UK’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant for the 2nd year running.
Given the accolades, we thought it was time we checked it out.
Given the accolades, we thought it was time we checked it out.
On the plus side, Mono is 100% vegan, so you can genuinely order every item on the full menu without having to beg that cheese is left off (and then send the dish back when the well-meaning waiter forgets). Four brewing vats welcome you as you enter. Another plus: a vegan microbrewery producing its own ginger beer. It would be even better with vegan craft beer, but perhaps licensing doesn’t permit that.
The biggest plus though: pizza. How many times have you wanted pizza, and had to restrain yourself for fear of being served desiccated flatbread with a thin layer of tomato paste, some limp basil and a burnt crust? For, as you experienced vegans know, that is your destiny when you order a Margherita without mozzarella.
The biggest plus though: pizza. How many times have you wanted pizza, and had to restrain yourself for fear of being served desiccated flatbread with a thin layer of tomato paste, some limp basil and a burnt crust? For, as you experienced vegans know, that is your destiny when you order a Margherita without mozzarella.
Fear no longer. The pizzas we had were plump, doughy comfort food with tasty fresh vegetables, a thick layer of tomato sauce and garlic cream cheese. The purist might complain that they were not pizzas, as the base was more doughy loaf than thin crust, but these tick the craving boxes for vegans. As it was a Monday, we had two for a tenner, which eased the pressure on the Extraveganza coffers. The falafel sandwich was more standard, and could easily have been less interesting, but was in fact excellent. A staple it may have been, but it was made to perfection and wowed us.
The vibe of Mono is definitely sixth-form-cum-community-centre. It has a second-hand record store to one side, a book shop on the other, a central, raised seating area with beaten-up sofas, and a restaurant area with pine tables and benches. The serving area has a rollup shutter that screams university bar.
The university resonance doesn’t stop there either. There’s a disco on occasional Sundays, and a full gig calendar throughout the year. You’ll be transported back to Freshers’ week, and wonder whether you’re going to end up in a strange room after a night of vodka shots. The Sunday gigs may challenge your eardrums, so don’t think this a place to take the family for Sunday lunch as you introduce them to veganism.
We do like Mono, and we’ll definitely be back (in fact we’ve already visited twice). It has a clear Bohemian charm. However, the fact that this restaurant has beaten off all competition to be voted best vegetarian restaurant of the year shows that we still have a long way to go if vegans and non-vegans alike are to get the same dining-out experience.
The university resonance doesn’t stop there either. There’s a disco on occasional Sundays, and a full gig calendar throughout the year. You’ll be transported back to Freshers’ week, and wonder whether you’re going to end up in a strange room after a night of vodka shots. The Sunday gigs may challenge your eardrums, so don’t think this a place to take the family for Sunday lunch as you introduce them to veganism.
We do like Mono, and we’ll definitely be back (in fact we’ve already visited twice). It has a clear Bohemian charm. However, the fact that this restaurant has beaten off all competition to be voted best vegetarian restaurant of the year shows that we still have a long way to go if vegans and non-vegans alike are to get the same dining-out experience.
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