Gone are the days when vegetarian dining meant stodgy risottos and endless variations on lentils. The capital’s veggie chefs are endlessly inventive, and modern meat-free menus are every bit as flavoursome and creative as their carnivorous counterparts.
Here are some of our top vegetarian restaurants in the capital, from old favourites to new stars. Call us for more suggestions anywhere in the world.
Mildreds
45 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AN
This laid-back Soho venue has been serving veggies and meat-eaters alike for more than two decades. Diners are as likely to find Sri Lankan curries on its international menu as they are borlotti bean sausages, and its burger of the day remains a perennial favourite.
Mildreds doesn’t take bookings, and it’s usually busy until around 9.30pm. Enjoy an organic smoothie or glass of vegan champagne at the bar while you wait for a table.
Tibits
12-14 Heddon Street, London W1B 4DA
If ‘health food’ sounds less like a meal and more like a punishment then Tibits could be the place to convert you to a more virtuous diet. This London outpost of the Swiss restaurant collection offers a buffet of more than 40 Asian, Indian and Mediterranean dishes. The selection changes frequently enough to reward return visitors with fresh flavours, but expect to find everything from zinging curries to Greek salads. The food is seasonal and, of course, supremely healthy, which means you can enjoy a touch of guilt-free indulgence with a house cocktail or glass of prosecco.
Tibits is open all day, so it’s a good option for breakfast before the office or lunch after a morning of retail therapy.
Manna
4 Erskine Road, London NW3 3AJ
Manna has been a bastion of veggie cooking since it opened in 1968, and over the decades its menu has evolved from worthy-if-dull brown rice and lentil combinations to a global showcase of meat-free flavour. This fashionable Primrose Hill venue serves up pasta with ‘veatballs’, veggie bangers and mash and enchiladas, alongside a changing selection of daily specials.
Its chefs will even put together a custom four-course tasting menu for parties of four or more, serving up inspiring creations based on your favourite dishes.
Vanilla Black
17-18 Tooks Court, London EC4A 1LB
Don’t think of Vanilla Black as a ‘veggie restaurant’ – this is a fine-dining venue that just happens not to serve meat. Head chef Andrew Dargue is an alchemist when it comes to drawing novel and inventive flavours from humble vegetables, and he can even replicate the fatty, savoury taste of meat. His signature dish of poached duck egg and Ribblesdale pudding with hickory-smoked potato croquette, for example, is full of distinctly gammon-like flavour.
Dargue’s approach has earned him a recommendation in the Michelin guide, and will leave many a carnivore yearning for his broad bean custard or baked mushroom duxelle.
The Gate
51 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9QL
The Gate has been at the fore of vegetarian dining in London ever since its doors swung open in 1989. Housed in a converted church in Hammersmith, its laid-back dining room is usually filled to the rafters with chattering diners, and most of the conversation will be about the food. It dubs its cuisine ‘Indo-Iraqi Jewish’, but diners will also find French and Italian inspired dishes alongside spiced potato cakes, couscous fritters and sweet kormas.
Throughout the year the Gate hosts food festivals devoted to seasonal menus – the Wild Mushroom Fest in October is a highlight – and in the summer its quiet courtyard offers a reprieve from the bustling streets of Hammersmith.
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