Did you know that London is considered the number 1 city for vegans? It is the most vegan-friendly city in the world according to surveys conducted by HappyCow.
I’m lucky enough to live in this city and I’ve recently became vegan so I was very excited to discover all the plant based food the city has to offer. Being Italian and coming from a small town, I am not used to places being vegan friendly, but in London it’s so easy to be vegan, and in fact, it’s here that my vegan journey began!
If you’re planning to visit London and are vegan or you simply want to try some delicious plant based food make sure to check out these places!
There are so many restaurants and a cafes in London that are vegan friendly of fully vegan. Since there are so many I will be sharing some that I’ve personally been to and really enjoyed!
Here are 10 Vegan restaurants worth checking out in London:
1. Eat of Eden
This one is my favourite. Its menu is inspired by Caribbean Ital and European recipes and it offers a range of dishes, from platters to share to vegan burgers and patties. I love anything that has to do with curry, fried plantains and Caribbean or exotic food and I enjoyed eating there so much.
Brixton Village
I went for the mini platter, where you can choose 5 options.
- – Pumpkin and sweet potato curry
- – Black rice
- – Callaloo ( leafy green vegetables marinated with herbs peppers and spices)
- – Lentil stew
- – Sweet ripe plantain
I had the mini platter and I can say they are very filling. There are a lot of options, from main dishes like curries and stews, to burgers and patties. Check out their menu here!
There are four locations in London. I’ve been in the one in Brixton, which is inside Brixton village which is a very nice quirky market.
2. EAT CHAY, BOXPARK
This small shop inside BoxPark Shoreditch offers the most amazing vegan baos I’ve ever tried! I had:
- – Korean Tofu bao, with crispy tofu, pickled cucumber , gochujang sauce and sesame seeds
- – Chick’n bao, with grilled soya chick’n, pickled carrots , fresh coriander and sweet chili sauce
- – Side noodle salad
They were full of flavour and I was really impressed by the texture of the Chick’n (see image below). I cannot recommend these enough!
Here’s their menu:
3. MILDREDS
This is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant, that you can find in Soho, Camden, King’s cross and Dalston. They offer breakfast, brunch and all day eats. They have delicious vegan desserts and most dishes are indeed vegan. They have a range of starters, sides, mains, burgers but also smoothies, blends and juices.
What I tried:
- – “KIRI HODI”which is a mild Sri Lankan coconut & curry leaf sauce, roast sweet potato, french beans, pea basmati, toasted coconut cashews and tomato sambal
- – AZTEC cacao brownie
Check out the menu on their website here!
4. FARMACY, NOTTING HILL
This is very well known and renowned for its cuisine. The place itself is really nice, welcoming and bright, but the food is amazing! They take an organic, organic and chemical free approach to dining and their dishes are nutritious and good for health and sustainability.
They grow their own vegetables and their main menu offers so many different options, form Middle Eastern bowls, to curries, lasagne and many more. They also have a breakfast and tea menu.
Veggie bowl (Farmacy London website)
Definitely worth checkin out! Have a look at their menu here
5. DELICIOUSLY ELLA DELI
Deliciously Ella deli (photo from the website)
Deliciously Ella is my favourite food blogger on instagram. I love all that she makes and I often make her recipes, so I had to check out her Deli! It is now in the process of becoming a restaurant so I will have to go back for sure.
The shop is like her instagram feed, its bright, full of colour and chic. It offers all day food options and freshly baked goods from the counter, like cakes and brownies. The menu is all plant based, there are various delicious options. You can opt for healthy bowls, a warming dahl or stew, or create your own bowl. You can do the same for breakfast, where you choose the base (chia pudding, yoghurt, porridge, bircher muesli and more) and add the toppings (granola, fruit..). There is also a selection of juices, blends and smoothies.
What I tried:
- Green lentil and coconut dahl , with kale, brown rice and fresh chilli
- Banana bread, which is my all time favourite thing to eat so I had to try it
I was very satisfied with my visit, I enjoyed all the food and I will for sure go again. Check out the menu here!
6. CAFE VAN GOGH, OVAL
This cafe has been described as London’s best vegan Sunday roast south of the river”by The Metro. It’s near Oval station and it’s a 100% vegan, non-profit restaurant. They offer delicious plant-based dishes using seasonal ingredients. The menu changes every 6-8 weeks.
I went to try their famous roast: Nut and Butternut squash wellington with kale and pumpkin seed pesto, seasonal veggies, and red onion gravy.
It was really delicious, and they have many other dishes that I want to try! Menu here
7. THE UGLY DUMPLING, SOHO
I love dumplings and I was very happy to discover that Ugly Dumplings have a completely vegan platter of dumplings! They combine Western ingredients with Asian recipes.
The vegan platter has the following dumplings:
- Spinach and tofu
- Artichoke and sun-dried tomato
- Spring roll
They were really delicious, the platter has 8 dumplings so you can choose to have two of one flavour. I also had tempura aubergine with peanuts and golden syrup dressing which was so nice!
8.NEM NEM
Nem Nem is a Vietnamese restaurant. They have two locations, one in Islington and one in Hoxton. I went to the one in Islington, it’s a relatively small space but it’s really cosy and the owners are very nice and polite. Their menu is divided in half, a regular side and a vegan side. There are so many delicious options to choose from. I went for vegetables and mushrooms Pho because I had never had Pho. It was really delicious and surprisingly very filling, but I wanted to try everything!
I hope you get to try these places and let me know what are your favourite places in London in the comments!
