London Veg Restaurants
London is heaven for vegan epicureans. With over 160 vegetarians restaurants in the City alone, you can go to a new one every week for three years. By then of course a few more may have opened up.
OK so about me, vegan since the turn of the millenium and vegetarian for a few more years before, I've eaten in great vegetarian restaurants in Madrid, San Francisco, Paris, Munich, Glasgow, Kyoto, Sydney, Melbourne, and ok ones in a few more cities. I've organised the London Vegan Meetup group lunches for the past two years, and as well as enjoying dining I like to cook a little too. Oh yes and I once co owned an excellent vegan restaurant in Brisbane, Australia.
Indian restaurants figure pretty highly here, because in my opinion London has by far the best Indian vegetarian restaurants I've been to. I haven't been to India yet though...
So here is my considered opinion on the best places for vegans to eat in London. I'm going to try to limit myself to just must visit places...here goes.
Manna Vegetarian is perhaps the oldest vegetarian restaurant still established in London. A refreshing few minutes walk from Chalk Farm tube station, it has the sort of atmosphere conducive to special occasions. The food is always beautifully presented, and the menu always has some interesting ingredients and unusual things to try. Plenty of vegan options with the occasional vegan dish, there are usually also at least two or three desserts to choose from. Price wise I would put it in the upper middle class of vegetarian restaurants, but well worth every penny. If you haven't been to Manna, find a friend and book now.
222 Veggie Vegan in West Kensington is an almost exclusively vegan restaurant, though they do have milk for coffees etc. I've been there three times for dinner and the first couple it was just lovely, the most recent time wasn't as engaging though. I've also been a few times for their lunch buffet which is tasty, healthy and fantastic value. Their ice creams are also some of the best in London, though share with a friend as they are super sweet. This place is what everyday vegan food is about, for me this is a good place for groups of friends, certain on getting a good meal without paying more than they need to. Price wise I'd rate this as middle class.
Vanilla Black near Chancery Lane Tube is the poshest vegetarian restaurant in London. A very vegetarian heavy menu, when I went we mentioned we were vegans when booking and they printed out a special list for each of us. The entree I had there (deconstructed puy lentil daal) was one of the loveliest things I have ever eaten, and the desserts were all magnificent. This is the most expensive meal I've had in London (not including drinks) but it was a work of art. Highly recommended, you just have to go there at least once.
Sagars has two branches, one in Hammersmith and one central London just off Tottenham Court Road. I first went here on a friends recommendation for my birthday, and it was really wonderful. Of a group of eighteen with only one other vegetarian all my friends went away full and happy, some even returning later on their own, which is high praise from our flesh centric friends. The Dosa's are wonderful, the Onion Rave Masala one I find hard to resist. My recommendation is go with friends and share everything, after all that's how Indian food really should be eaten. Reasonably priced and wonderful cuisine, I wish I was there now.
The cheapest of the restaurants on this page, Vita Organics doesn't mess around creating web sites when they could be putting that energy into making a great vegan selection. Organic and Vegan, this oasis in Soho in the centre of London is the place I've eaten at perhaps more than any other in the city. This is also the only restaurant at which I have had a three course raw meal...which wasn't as good as their other offerings actually, but still a great experience. Magnificent juices, cakes, you choose and pay for dishes according to scoops, which can range anywhere from one to seven. Working class prices (particularly if you go at off peak times), this place is the deserved vegan staple of London.
SAF in Shoreditch is something of an enigma. I'm lucky enough to have also stumbled across their deli in Munich, providing some delicious and much needed lining in my stomache on the way to Oktoberfest. When I went to their London restaurant my lovely friend and I ordered the tasting menu, which was interesting and delicious. I really think I need to go again before I completely make up my mind, but when you start out with vegan, organic, raw (ish) food, prepared in wonderfully creative ways you can't go too wrong. I really want to go and visit the chef's table one day. The tasting menu is probably not the option for the budget conscious, and seeing as that's what I had when I was there SAF will be in the upper price range until I revisit.
Woodlands seems to be something of a controversial restaurant here in London as opinion seems mixed. In fact after taking a non veg friend there, he was going to revisit because he enjoyed it so much however the bad reviews put him off. Now I should say of their branches in London I've only been to the one in Piccadilly, and it has always been simply fabulous. I've taken large groups of ten to twenty people there three times, as well as going myself a couple more, and it has always been not only great, but often sublime. They have a Thali there which includes a Dosa, which is the best Thali I have ever had bar none. I also had a vegetable dumpling dish there once which was amazing. So I can only say go to the one in Piccadilly, order one of their Thali's, savour one of the best meals available on the planet, and be as mystified as me by the reviews. Middle class prices and centrally located.
OK I think I will end it at seven, perhaps I will add one more on reflection, but these would give one a wonderful week of eating in London.
There are a number which might make it into this list after I eat there again, Rasa Indian in Stoke Newington was one of the best meals I ever had but not as good on the second visit, the Gate in Hammersmith is super cool and a great date place, but the food isn't quite as profound as I'd hoped, Mildred's in Soho serves up predictably great food but not being able to book a table makes it a difficult place to recommend, Beatroot, also in Soho is one of the best places for a quick lunch around, but eating out of a cardboard box isn't for everyone, if you are a cake fan Inspiral Lounge in Camden is your friend, Pogo's in Hackney for Sunday breakfast is absolutely perfect, Peking Palace in Archway is a wonderful place for those who like chinese style "mock" cooking, and Drummond St in Euston has two wonderful Indian restaurants in Chutneys and Diwana's with the latter just pipping the former for lunch buffet but the accolades reversed for dinner. My friend Salim thinks that Ravi Shanka's on the same street is the best Indian place in London, and I did once had a paper dosa there which made me ponder how it could be more perfect as I ate it.
I've limited myself to London as I know it well, but there's also some great restaurants outside of London, Demuth's in Bath, Terre a Terre and Food for Friends in Brighton are some which spring to mind, also great places to visit.
Hope you get to some of these wonderful places, let me know what you thought.
by Cameron Green