Restaurants
Travelling around England? Hoping to find some fun eateries outside London and Brighton. Hmmm. Our current advice when travelling outside London and Brighton in England: stock up on Nakd bars and stay at home! If you happen to head North of the border, Glasgow is awash with trendy, fun, and exciting restaurants that are animal product free. Our favourites are below, with 78 at the top of the pile. And in Edinburgh, get thee to the Baked Potato company just off the Royal Mile. The vegan haggis is the stuff of legends!
London
It can be surprisingly tough in London for restaurants that seek to sell animal-free food. There have been a spate of closure (Plants by Deliciously Ella, two of the 3 Gate restaurants). The problem, we think, is one of marketing. How to get the plus one to be enthused about vegan food. But there have also been some brilliant new openings, especially Studio Gauthier, Jam Delish and Mallow. We think the restaurants below are up to the job.
The Gate Hammersmith (020 3719 6431)
Beautiful wooden floors, in a bright airy space with large metal windows. The Gate Hammersmith feels classy, clean and cool. We are huge fans. The chain has refocussed on its original location (it's now a chain of one) after closure of its branches in Islington and Marble Arch. One huge plus in the refocus is a 100% plant-based main menu. The only exception being eggs for weekend brunch. The old favourites are still on the menu: a side order of delicious polenta chips, and a miso aubergine starter, but there are also some new additions to the menu. And what desserts! This places makes some of the best plant-based desserts in London, full of the creamy flavours that you thought you would never taste again once you made the switch to an APF diet!
www.thegaterestaurants.com/hammersmith
Beautiful wooden floors, in a bright airy space with large metal windows. The Gate Hammersmith feels classy, clean and cool. We are huge fans. The chain has refocussed on its original location (it's now a chain of one) after closure of its branches in Islington and Marble Arch. One huge plus in the refocus is a 100% plant-based main menu. The only exception being eggs for weekend brunch. The old favourites are still on the menu: a side order of delicious polenta chips, and a miso aubergine starter, but there are also some new additions to the menu. And what desserts! This places makes some of the best plant-based desserts in London, full of the creamy flavours that you thought you would never taste again once you made the switch to an APF diet!
www.thegaterestaurants.com/hammersmith
Ottolenghi, 63 Ledbury Road, London W11 (020 7727 1121)
So, for the purists among you, this is not 100% animal product free. However, for our money, this still has some of the best vegan food around (even if only a few dishes). When you put that together with the simple cafe setting, this place is hard to beat. They don't take reservations and the seating area is small and often rammed so don't go at a peak time. There are now branches across London, and two bigger restaurants, Rovi and Nopi in Central London, but for us this is still the best.
www.ottolenghi.com (for daily menus and opening times)
So, for the purists among you, this is not 100% animal product free. However, for our money, this still has some of the best vegan food around (even if only a few dishes). When you put that together with the simple cafe setting, this place is hard to beat. They don't take reservations and the seating area is small and often rammed so don't go at a peak time. There are now branches across London, and two bigger restaurants, Rovi and Nopi in Central London, but for us this is still the best.
www.ottolenghi.com (for daily menus and opening times)
Mildreds, the original Soho branch, and now 5 with one in Victoria soon
We really wanted to love this place, when it had just its Soho branch, and sometimes did and sometimes struggled. Then there was a branch in Camden, and Kings' Cross, and now they have 5 with one soon to open in Victoria.
And we want to say: you did it, Mildred. You're one of the few restaurants where turning into a chain hasn't brought the quality or the experience down. If anything, now that you don't have to queue for hours at peak time for a table, the experience has only improved. The Covent Garden branch still shares the problem of the Soho branch where you can't hear conversation over the din of other diners, but that's part of the charm. And if you want a quieter meal head to Camden or Kings' Cross.
www.mildreds.com (for daily menus and opening times)
We really wanted to love this place, when it had just its Soho branch, and sometimes did and sometimes struggled. Then there was a branch in Camden, and Kings' Cross, and now they have 5 with one soon to open in Victoria.
And we want to say: you did it, Mildred. You're one of the few restaurants where turning into a chain hasn't brought the quality or the experience down. If anything, now that you don't have to queue for hours at peak time for a table, the experience has only improved. The Covent Garden branch still shares the problem of the Soho branch where you can't hear conversation over the din of other diners, but that's part of the charm. And if you want a quieter meal head to Camden or Kings' Cross.
www.mildreds.com (for daily menus and opening times)
Manna, 4 Erskine Road, Primrose Hill, London NW3 (020 7722 8028)
This is an institution that aims to get the right balance between health and modernity. It's been going for ages, but they have abandoned the original decor in favour of a warm and relaxing blend of off-white and wood with a Morris-feel wallpaper. The menu is now 100% vegan, and it has become the place for the local Primrose Hill set to while away a Sunday afternoon. It's an improvement on 1970s-style vegetarian restaurants and they do offer great flavours, although on our visits we have often been more impressed with the desserts than the main courses. Presentation can be quite earthy, and the vegetable sides have sometimes had a slightly dated, boiled feel..
www.mannav.com (menus, classes and opening times)
This is an institution that aims to get the right balance between health and modernity. It's been going for ages, but they have abandoned the original decor in favour of a warm and relaxing blend of off-white and wood with a Morris-feel wallpaper. The menu is now 100% vegan, and it has become the place for the local Primrose Hill set to while away a Sunday afternoon. It's an improvement on 1970s-style vegetarian restaurants and they do offer great flavours, although on our visits we have often been more impressed with the desserts than the main courses. Presentation can be quite earthy, and the vegetable sides have sometimes had a slightly dated, boiled feel..
www.mannav.com (menus, classes and opening times)
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Studio Gauthier is next to the BFI in St Stephen’s Street, London W1, nestled in that 70s idea of the future, with round concrete booths with velour, pumpkin seating, polished metal, and the feel of the lobby at the Barbican towers. This restaurant is what we are all about: plant-based, but fun, chic, welcoming and unfussy. Not a macrame hanging basket or open-toed sandal in sight. And the prices? Well, set against the astronomical cost of Central London dining, this place is a bargain. We splashed out on the printed faux meat steak (ok, this was £30 but it’s a steak!) and the kohlrabi (£20), both of which were delicious. And the pudding. Come for this alone. Dark chocolate praline and genuinely crisp and gooey macaroons (£8.50). www.studiogauthier.co.uk
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Brighton
Brighton is home to Terre a Terre and VBites (they now sit opposite each, after V Bite's move from Shoreham). We may be lone voices, but neither of these restaurants makes our top pick. We have found the staff at Terre a Terre a little supercilious, when we have dared ask whether they have a table last minute, and as for VBites, well if you want chicken, get chicken. We think you need to sell the great flavours of vegetables and pulses, rather than having them pretend to be the limbs of animals.
64 Degrees, 53 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, BN1 (01273 770115)
Not a vegan restaurant, but we cannot sing the praises of this delightful restaurant enough. Chef Michael Bremner prides himself on creating made-to-order vegan dishes. We have been twice, and had the most wonderful vegan food. Ambience is perfect, with a relaxed modern feel and a rich, welcoming colour scheme. The restaurant is small and reservation is a must (which gives you the chance to remind them that you'll be expecting some mouth-watering vegan treats). But you have to check in advance if you have specific dietary requirements.
www.64degrees.co.uk (for sample menu, opening times and online reservation)
Not a vegan restaurant, but we cannot sing the praises of this delightful restaurant enough. Chef Michael Bremner prides himself on creating made-to-order vegan dishes. We have been twice, and had the most wonderful vegan food. Ambience is perfect, with a relaxed modern feel and a rich, welcoming colour scheme. The restaurant is small and reservation is a must (which gives you the chance to remind them that you'll be expecting some mouth-watering vegan treats). But you have to check in advance if you have specific dietary requirements.
www.64degrees.co.uk (for sample menu, opening times and online reservation)
Food for Friends, 17-18 Prince Albert Street, The Lanes, Brighton BN1 (01273 202 310)
This is to Brighton what Manna is to London: an institution that manages to change with the times. There is perhaps a touch too much stripped wood for our liking, but the place has a warm and friendly buzz. It's vegetarian and vegan, and we have found sometimes that vegan options can be quite limited. However, there are some vegan classics like crispy tofu and miso aubergine that will keep you full. Definitely worth a visit.
www.foodforfriends.com (for menus and opening times)
This is to Brighton what Manna is to London: an institution that manages to change with the times. There is perhaps a touch too much stripped wood for our liking, but the place has a warm and friendly buzz. It's vegetarian and vegan, and we have found sometimes that vegan options can be quite limited. However, there are some vegan classics like crispy tofu and miso aubergine that will keep you full. Definitely worth a visit.
www.foodforfriends.com (for menus and opening times)
Glasgow
A surprise to those South of the Border is quite how vegan-friendly Glasgow is. In large measure, this is due to the expanding music-themed empire that is Mono/Stereo/78. However, as a result of the success of these venues, and of course the large student population (which accounts for over 15% of the population during term-time), the city has a number of vegan and vegan-friendly cafes, restaurants and bars. They do however tend to be more grungey, which a whiff of the 70s about them.
The 78, 10-14 Kelvinhaugh Street, Glasgow (0141 576 5018)
Our favourite vegan eatery in Glasgow. Part pub, part student cafe and part restaurant. Well-worth popping in for the lunch specials, and their famed vegan burgers. More pub than restaurant at night time, so we recommend this for a leisurely afternoon of eating and people-watching. Expect tatty Queen Anne armchairs rather than plush leatherette.
www.the78cafecar.com
Our favourite vegan eatery in Glasgow. Part pub, part student cafe and part restaurant. Well-worth popping in for the lunch specials, and their famed vegan burgers. More pub than restaurant at night time, so we recommend this for a leisurely afternoon of eating and people-watching. Expect tatty Queen Anne armchairs rather than plush leatherette.
www.the78cafecar.com
Mono, 12 King's Court, Glasgow G1 5RB (0141 553 2400)
Voted UK’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant for 2013 and 2014, which is testament both to the quality of food at Mono and to the dearth of good vegetarian restaurants in the UK. Mono is 100% vegan, and serves the sort of pizzas that you crave when you switch to a vegan diet. Has the vibe of a student union, with a second hand record store and book shop on site.
www.monocafebar.com
Voted UK’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant for 2013 and 2014, which is testament both to the quality of food at Mono and to the dearth of good vegetarian restaurants in the UK. Mono is 100% vegan, and serves the sort of pizzas that you crave when you switch to a vegan diet. Has the vibe of a student union, with a second hand record store and book shop on site.
www.monocafebar.com
Our criteria
Make no mistake. This list is not comprehensive. And there are very, very few vegan-only restaurants. You won't find much raw in our list either. Cold food simply doesn't to us have the comfort factor that you need after battling icy winds and stressed commuting hordes on the mean streets of England.
You'll read lots of guidebooks and websites that tell you about the abundance of restaurants in London and Brighton. They'll tell you about places that have 5 stars and awards commending them as the Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year. You probably won't find many of them here, either because they fail the pot plant test or because they serve vegetable stodge where one dish looks much the same as the other. Or perhaps because they have ubiquitous 60s varnished pine tables and stainless steel water goblets (You know the kind). We relent sometimes (we loved Food for Thought before it was a casualty of rising Covent Garden rents) but mainly because these places are institutions. You go because they are part of the fabric of London, but they are not, however much we love their existence, sexy. Food should be fun and exciting. There is, to quote Bernard Shaw, no sincerer love than the love of food.
Comments and complaints welcome. You may not agree with our opinions. Log onto the blog and rant away!
You'll read lots of guidebooks and websites that tell you about the abundance of restaurants in London and Brighton. They'll tell you about places that have 5 stars and awards commending them as the Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year. You probably won't find many of them here, either because they fail the pot plant test or because they serve vegetable stodge where one dish looks much the same as the other. Or perhaps because they have ubiquitous 60s varnished pine tables and stainless steel water goblets (You know the kind). We relent sometimes (we loved Food for Thought before it was a casualty of rising Covent Garden rents) but mainly because these places are institutions. You go because they are part of the fabric of London, but they are not, however much we love their existence, sexy. Food should be fun and exciting. There is, to quote Bernard Shaw, no sincerer love than the love of food.
Comments and complaints welcome. You may not agree with our opinions. Log onto the blog and rant away!
