Eating Out (as a vegan) in England
Unity Diner (London)
If you’re on the now several million people in England who eat plant-based foods for some or all of the time, the good news is that there are many vegan restaurants to choose from. From afternoon teas to small eateries to fast food and fine dining, there is something for everyone.
Note that most vegan restaurants don’t accept cash, as bank notes are made with animal fats (and plastic). Check site updates for accessibility, and dog-friendly restaurants.
Some places are 100% vegan, others cater well for all dietary choices. And that’s how it should be, as many people also can’t eat dairy or egg for allergy or health reasons.
If you run a restaurant that would like to offer vegan options, there are plenty of books around these days (hundreds of them!) so it should not be too difficult to come up with a few recipes beyond boiled rice and fruit salad! Also know that Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian, so offer a plant-based alternative.
If you eat a lot of plant-based food, it’s worth buying membership card VegDining which can be used worldwide at hundreds of restaurants and shops. Other discount cards for shops (which may also be used at participating restaurants) are VeganCard (a digital card that offers 10% to 50% off prices in restaurants, shops and online stores) and Viva! Supporters Discount Club
Diners impressed with plant-based food can buy thank-you cards (also sold by animal charity thank you cards (just 70p for a bundle of 50) to give out that say ‘I ate here, because you serve vegan food’. It’s nice to show chefs and hoteliers that their efforts are appreciated.
Unity Diner (London – profits help animals!)
Unity Diner (London) offers a vegan carvery on Sunday (with vegan Yorkshire puddings, maple-glazed veggies, vegan cauliflower cheese and gravy), then fast food in compostable packaging through the week (including burgers and hot dogs, ‘fish and chips’, tempura prawns and vegan kebabs).
Located in Spitalfields, nearest tube stops are Aldgate East and Liverpool East (just a few minutes walk away).
All profits help support its own Surge Sanctuary (to home rescued barnyard friends). You can also help to buy bales of hay by setting the sanctuary as your choice at easyfundraising. Then anytime you buy a product or service from participating retailers, a percentage goes to them, at no cost to you.
This means that whenever you buy a product or service from participating retailers, a percentage goes to the sanctuary, at no cost to you (and does not affect loyalty points).
Other Good Vegan Dining in London
Jam Delish (Islington) serves affordable Caribbean food, influenced by the founders’ grandparents. This award-winning eaterie also offers catering services. Food critic Grace Dent says ‘I have eaten enough, to know genius when I see it!’ Angel is the nearest tube station.
The menu includes Jamaican ‘Oxtail’ Stuffed Plantain, Bajan ‘fishcakes’, Caribbean Fried ‘Chicken’ with Jamaican gravy, and even curried ‘goat’, rice and peas. Plus desserts like Rum Coconut Crumble and happy hour cocktails and mocktails.
Dauns is an affordable vegan café, deli and bar in London’s Spitalfields, offering Scandinavian-inspired food that reviewers say is some of the best food they have ever tasted. It also offers catering services, including for weddings and other special occasions.
Founded by Swede who grew up watching his mother make and bake delicious food, the closest tube station is Aldgate East (book ahead, as it’s a small place!)
The menu includes Sourdough Toast with Danish Blackcurrant Jam, Vegan croissants with jam or vegan ham/brie, classic organic open sandwiches, hot dogs and of course, Swedish ‘meatballs!’ Plus classic cinnamon buns and pumpkin spice coffee.
Club Mexicana has two restaurants in Soho and swanky Mayfair. The founder ditched her advertising job and jumped in the kitchen, to found these bright-pink popular restaurants! Not a fan of delivery apps, she says that eating out with others is more fun!
Listed as one of the best 100 cheap eats in London by Evening Standard, enjoy loaded nachos, Baja to-fish tacos, chick’n burritos, churros (with chocolate and cinnamon), frozen margaritas and strawberry daiquiri, and mezcal (no worm in the bottle, this time).
Mildreds is a chain of plant-based fine dining restaurants across London. It donates surplus food to local charities and foodbanks and also partners with Streetsmart (pay £1 extra to help homeless people).
Locations are:
- Camden (Camden Town tube)
- Covent Garden (Covent Garden or Leicester Square tube)
- King’s Cross (King’s Cross & St Pancreas station)
- Soho (Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Road tube)
- Victoria (Victoria station)
- Canary Wharf
It also offers private dining and Christmas menus.
Sample Menu:
- Apricot Harissa Loaf with Toasted Seeds
- Festive Feast Burger with chestnut stuffing and gravy
- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Apple Compote
Holy Carrot (Notting Hill) is a fine-dining restaurant and low-waste cocktail bar, transforming veggies into stunning dishes, and supporting local suppliers. A few foods are fermented (unpasteurised, so avoid for pregnancy/nursing and weak immunity/children).
Sample dishes include Cauliflower Tostada and Butter Bean Puree, Artichoke Burger with Tofu Gribiche, Vanilla Waffles with Sticky Toffee Sauce & Candied Orange, Apricot Sorbet and Pecan Tiramisu.
For more choices, read An Opinionated Guide to Vegan London (third edition 2025) which includes 50 recommendations of vegan and vegan-friendly eateries, from cheese mongers to vegan kebab and sushi bars, or even an afternoon tea.
Purezza: Vegan Pizza in London, Brighton, Manchester
Dominoes offers good vegan pizza (but you can’t order mini-pizzas and the boxes’ plastic sauce dishes end up littered everywhere – it’s presently in legal wranglings with Sheringham council in Norfolk, due to it not wanting any more chain stores, in a town with 40 indie food outlets they wish to protect).
Purezza (London, Brighton, Manchester) is an award-winning vegan pizzeria that launched around 10 years ago, founded by an Italian who uses mostly local organic ingredients and no palm oil (outlets are furnished with reclaimed materials, run on green energy and even the loos have recycled bathroom tissue!
The range includes pizzas topped with their own cashew mozzarella (sold wholesale to other restaurants) includes Quattro formaggi (4 vegan cheeses!), Fungi pizza (with truffle oil) and Plant-based salami pizza.
CauliBox makes reusable pizza takeaway boxes that can be washed and returned to companies to save money and reduce waste packaging.
Don’t give leftover pizza crust to garden birds or wildfowl (could choke, and salt is toxic). You also can’t recycle greasy parts of pizza boxes, just throw them away.
Eating Out Vegan in Brighton
The No Catch Co (Brighton) is England’s first vegan fish and chip shop! Set up by animal welfare campaigners, it was designed to offer an alternative to fish caught in nets (that catch other species), and help reduce fishing for cod (now endangered), sold in zero waste packaging.
Most items are made from algae-based protein (2.3 trillion fish are killed each year for food). The fishing industry also catches dolphins, seals, whales, sea turtles and sharks – and causes immense suffering and greenhouse gas emissions.
Diners are blown away by wonderful alternatives::
- Vegan Cod or Smoked Haddock & Chips
- Jumbo Battered Saveloy & Chips
- Jumbo Lemom Shrimp
- Calamari Sides & Chips
- No-Cow Desserts!
