There are many reasons to “go green” and trade in meat for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Whether it’s over animal cruelty concerns, trying to eat healthier, religious beliefs, or social reasons, choosing to be vegetarian or vegan can present a challenge when going out to eat. Fortunately, as more people have made the switch, a growing number of plant-based restaurants have opened to accommodate them. London has a wonderful array of vegetarian and vegan restaurants from which to choose, with menus that are so good your carnivorous friends might not even recognize that what they’re eating isn’t really meat. We have identified five of the best below, and you can share your own recommendations with us in the comments.
The Gate
The Gate has four locations throughout London: Hammersmith, Islington, Marylebone, and St. John’s Wood, which offer a mixture of vegetarian and vegan dishes for the herbivorous. Their menu has a great number of options, such as plantain fritters, wild mushroom risotto, and chunky herb polenta chips, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For your meat-lover friends, they have appetizers like jackfruit tostada (which is said to replicate the taste and texture of pork) as well as their own version of Wellington that substitutes butternut squash for beef.
Mildreds
Mildreds spent thirty years in Soho before branching out to locations in Camden, Dalston, Borough Market, Covent Garden, and King’s Cross. The restaurant chain boasts a 100% plant-based menu, and its glowing reviews make it one of the best places for vegan meals in London. Whether you’re going for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a special occasion, the menu has incredibly diverse selections, from Sri Lankan curries to their own take on Korean Fried Chicken. They even do special menus for Christmas and Veganuary, and it all looks so good that even an omnivore like myself is tempted to dive right in.
Itadaki Zen
Vegan sushi is an idea that must be seen to be believed, but Itadaki Zen pulls it off with gusto. Switching out the fish with edamame, cucumber, tofu, and other plant-based ingredients, the teriyaki, soy, and spicy sauces will tantalize your taste buds and mask the lack of meat for the non-vegetarians in your life. Desert trends a little more to the vegetarian side of the spectrum with offerings of vanilla gelato and ice cream. Whether you’re a pure vegetarian/vegan or just interested in broadening your pallet, this restaurant is certainly the right way to go.
Kin Café
Sometimes you don’t need a big meal restaurant, just a great café with a selection of sandwiches, pastries and light offerings. This is where Kin Café comes into play with a selection of breakfast offerings, burgers, noodles, curry, tacos, and more. The café uses tofu, jackfruit, and plant-based meat substitutes to fill in for their animal protein counterparts, and it all looks absolutely delicious. Like most cafes, you can also bet there are flavorful salads, coffee, baked goods, and desserts for a nice meal or a good snack throughout the day.
Bubala
The Middle Eastern-inspired Bubala in Spitalfields is the perfect place for a vegetarian lunch with plenty of flavor. Menu options include falafel, fried aubergine, charred oyster mushroom skewers, confit potato latkes, and more. You’ll want to be sure to indulge yourself in desserts that include salted caramel truffles, cocoanut and tahini fudge, cocoanut brittle, negroni, and so on. And if you can’t make it to London, they’ll deliver a whole meal for two anywhere in the country thanks to Dishpatch.
Author: John Rabon
John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.