London Vegan Restaurants

By Cameron, London Vegan Pledge Buddy 2009, 2010, 2011; now mentor for the Vegan Easy Challenge back home in Australia. 

I'm an Antipodean vegan who has spent far too much time investigating London's vegan havens. Initially motivated by compassion, my veganism has extended over time from protest to celebration. 

London is one of the best cities in the world for vegan epicureans. With over 160 vegetarian restaurants, all of them with vegan options, you can go to a new one every week for three years, and by then a few more will have opened up.

The best online source to explore which vegan friendly restaurants are in your area is Vegan London, and for London and beyond there is the wonderful Happy Cow, though be warned it can sometimes get out of date so ring first. If you prefer a book you can read through and take with you, Vegetarian Guides are great too. You can also have a look at my review of the best Vegan Restaurants in London.

Diwana, Drummond Street © Copyright Stephen McKay;
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

London has so many vegan friendly restaurants, that I might classify my favourites into two categories. First is the day to day places, offering inexpensive good food. Beatroot in Soho, you fill up a box from the selection of tasty dishes and pay for the size of the box. Drummond St in Euston has three Indian all you can eat buffets, and having tried them all many times I couldn't decide if I like Diwana (above) or Ravi Shankar better. VitaO in Soho is great; you purchase a plate and then fill it as high as your engineering skills will allow. 222 in West Kensinton has an all you can eat buffet that is amazing value. I'll finish with Maoz falafel, the cheapest of all these and simply just fantastic falafel.

Saf cocktail

Now the more upper market places. Manna in Chalk Farm, London's oldest vegetarian restaurant, now fully vegan: just amazing. SAF above Wholefoods in South Kensington, again a must visit place. Itadaki Zen, organic Japanese in Kings Cross – what more do you need to know. Mildred's and Tibit's, both in the Soho area, are places you can take your most discerning friends.

Hope you enjoy checking out the great restaurants in London, and realise how lucky you are to live in one of the best places in the world to find delicious and interesting vegan food.

You can read more by Cameron on his website at camerongreen.org.

7-day Meal Plan Part Three: Dinner ~ including Easy Pizza Recipe!

Compiled by Clare from fairfoods.org.uk, caterer at the Vegan Pledge 

7 evening meal ideas

1- Traditional night

Vegan bangers, mash and gravy with steamed broccoli and peas.

2 - Mexican night

Burrito with freshly cooked refried beans with lettuce, tomato, avocado and seasoning in a wrap.

Quesadilla - place thinly sliced vegan cheese and tomato between two wheat tortillas making a sandwich (no margarine is required). Toast on both sides in a dry frying pan, then cut into quarters.

Serve with rice and salad.

3- Italian night in

Pasta with broccoli, mushrooms and olives or other favourite veggies in your favourite pasta sauce (most are vegan but check the ingredients).

Or make your own pizza simply and easily: recipe at the end.

4 - Italian night out

At Pizza Hut the pan pizza, mia, Italian and Tuscani pizza bases are all vegan if you ask for them without cheese. Their website has allergy information that lists the items suitable for vegans.

At Pizza Express the pizza base and tomato sauce is suitable for vegans. Create your own pizza by removing the cheese and adding an extra topping. Some restaurants are happy to add vegan cheese to your pizza if you supply it.

5 - Chilli night

Home made shepherd's pie 
using pinto bean chilli 

Make a quick chilli with frozen veggie mince, a can of tomatoes, a small can of kidney beans, plus any other vegetables you fancy. Add chilli, marmite and cocoa powder to taste, plus a pinch of cinnamon. Serve with rice. If any is left, use as a topping for baked potato the next day. 


The same basic veggie mince and tomato sauce base can be used for spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and shepherd's pie (leave out the chilli, cocoa and cinnamon).

6 - Indian night

Do you fancy takeaway, shop-bought or from scratch? There are plenty of choices. Indian takeaways tend to have a good choice, but check that your dishes are cooked with vegetable oil rather than ghee (clarified butter). There are a number of shop-bought curries, from Innocent 'Veg Pots' - six out of the 8 are vegan - to Sainsbury's own and more. Or, choose your favourite recipe and enjoy with rice.

7 - Chinese night

Stir-fried mushroom, beansprouts, red onion, spring greens and marinated tofu with rice noodles and soya sauce.

Quick and easy crusty pizza recipe

Photo by fairfoods.org.uk

1. Mix 90g tomato puree, 3 tbsp olive oil and ¾ tsp mixed herbs together (and give it a mix again just before using).

2. Mix 100g vegan cheese and 3 tbsp soya milk in a blender or mash together with a fork until you have a paste (or use 100g melting cheezly, sliced).

3. Split a large vegan ciabatta in half and spread tomato mix onto the top of each, followed by cheese mix. Add your favourite pizza toppings: sweetcorn, tomato, olives, red onion, red peppers, pineapple, vegan sausage, chilli etc.

4. Bake at 220C for 10-15 minutes.