Vegetarians, we know there are only so many porridge-y butternut squash risottos and limp stuffed peppers you can take.
Fortunately, London’s meat-free foodies are in the right city. With the capital’s appetite for vegetarian and vegan food on the rise, the vast majority of London restaurants cater to diets that ditch the meat.
Some, however, just go that extra mile. We’ve picked out a selection of our favourite restaurants that are either totally vegetarian, or offer a particularly mouth-watering offering of meat-less food.
From exceptional Indian food to sustainability-focused hotspots, these are the best restaurants for vegetarians in London.
Farmacy, Notting Hill
Entirely vegetarian
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” say Farmacy, the nourishing Notting Hill restaurant with a penchant for Hippocrates. For a wholesome meal, its Earth Bowls offer boundless goodness, brimming with grains and superfoods, or for a very un-naughty treat look to their plant-based "nice cream" sundaes or probiotic jars.
74-76 Westbourne Grove, W2 5SH, farmacylondon.com
The Gate, Various locations
Entirely vegetarian
Brothers Adrian and Michael Daniel have been delighting vegetarian diners since 1989, and The Gate now boasts four spots (Hammersmith, Islington, Marylebone, St John's Wood) across London. After nearly 30 years, it's still serving up satisfying and ingredient-packed fare with its globetrotting menu: aubergine comes both miso-glazed, schnitzel-ed.
EC1, W1, W6, thegaterestaurants.com
Dishoom, Various locations
Dishoom’s menu is a treasure of Bombay cafe-inspired dishes – and a whole host of them are veggie-friendly. Kick off with snacks of okra fries and chilli cheese toast, followed by a flavour-packed paneer tikka, a vegan bowl of chole puri chickpea curry, a jackfruit biryani and as much else as you can fit on the table. The 24-hour cooked house black daal is an essential order – it’s a highlight of the whole menu, vegetarian and otherwise. Dishoom also offers a whole separate vegan menu to peruse, making it easier to dodge the animal products.
Various locations, dishoom.com
222 Veggie Vegan, West Kensington
Entirely vegetarian
This totally vegan restaurant comes with an eco-conscious twist, serving up non-GM and organic whenever possible. Oyster mushroom and spinach raclette featuring tofu cottage cheese presents up a non-dairy alternative, with raw options available for the super health conscious. For veganism on-the-go, visit the lunch buffet and grab a takeaway box for £9.50.
222 North End Road, W14 9NU, 222veggievegan.com
Cub, Hoxton
Good for vegetarians
Cub is all about sustainable dining, with a constantly-evolving menu making use of locally-sourced and often undervalued ingredients in a bid to minimise waste. Expect quirky takes on classic dishes, with past menus including an intriguing "vegan caviar" made with seaweed, fennel and blood orange. The restaurant is the brainchild of Lyaness founder and cocktail guru Ryan Chetiyawardana and, as you’d expect, there’s great emphasis placed on the drinks menu. Expertly paired cocktails include the Bruichladdich whisky with green olive & chanteclair amazake, as well as a delicious rhubarb-infused cognac. This is definitely a place that vegetarian diners looking for a more premium experience — and fabulous cocktails — should seek out.
153 Hoxton St, Hoxton, N1 6PJ, lyancub.com
The Dairy, Clapham
Good for vegetarians
For relaxed but high quality veggie dining, it’s hard to top a trip to Clapham’s The Dairy. The menu features a high proportion of vegetarian offerings, including dishes of tagliatelle with Jerusalem artichoke and wild garlic, alongside truffled Baron Bigod cheese with fig & walnut toast and honey. As a bonus, some of the veg (and the aforementioned honey) is grown on The Dairy’s roof.
15 The Pavement, SW4 0HY, the-dairy.co.uk
Vanilla Black, Holborn
Entirely vegetarian
Before vegetarian fine dining was fairly standard practice, there was Vanilla Black. The exciting menu has what it takes to entice even the most hardened of carnivores — from celeriac profiteroles with dill and raisins, to a Romanesco and turmeric cake with Brazil nut milk and cavalo nero. The main menu is vegetarian, but both vegan and wheat-free options are also available.
17-18 Took’s Court, EC4A 1LB, vanillablack.co.uk
Farang, Highbury
Chef Seb Holmes is determined to spice up the life of all vegetarians at his Highbury Thai restaurant Farang. The South East Asian hotspot offers an entirely vegetarian and vegan menu separate to its standard one, its bountiful selection including a khao soi dish of curried noodles, smoked squash, pickled mustard greens and chilli jam, as well as a lĕuang gà-rèe yellow curry with shitake mushrooms and crispy tofu.
72 Highbury Park, N5 2XE, faranglondon.co.uk
Elystan Street, Chelsea
Good for vegetarians
Known in kitchens across the country as "The Chef’s Chef", Phil Howard (formerly of The Square) returned to the fine dining scene in 2016 with new Chelsea venture. Elystan Street’s fare is ingredient focused and relentlessly seasonal – they really care about veggies. The menu is bursting with meat-free fun, including a starter of salad of spring vegetables with truffle cream, cracked hazelnuts, pea shoots and a deep fried quail's egg, and a main course of double-baked cheese soufflé with Montgomery cheddar, melted leeks, button mushrooms and truffle.
43 Elystan Street, SW3 3NT, elystanstreet.co.uk
Honest Burger, Various locations
Good for vegetarians
You might not have been expecting to see a burger joint in this list — but who says vegetarians don’t like a well-filled bap now and then? Honest Burger offers one of London’s best veggie burgers, featuring a spiced pakora-like patty of cauliflower, sweetcorn and chickpea. Have it with a portion of Honest’s signature rosemary chips.
Various locations, honestburgers.co.uk
The Palomar, Soho
Good for vegetarians
From fattoush salad and homemade labneh to beetroot carpaccio and London’s best polenta, The Palomar serves a sprightly array of veggie dishes that even the most dedicated meat-eater would happily devour. Not that they don’t do equally good things with meat, of course...
34 Rupert Street, W1D 6DN, thepalomar.co.uk
Wild Food Café, Various locations
Entirely vegetarian
Sprouting hummus, "living" breads and raw foods are the order of the day at these super-healthy Covent Garden and Islington restaurants. Try the Rainbow Salad: butternut squash & chive puree is served with wild rice, roasted vine cherry tomatoes, purple sprouted broccoli, squash wedges, smoky horseradish mayo and - believe it or not - even more veg.
N1, WC2, wildfoodcafe.com
Sagar, Various locations
Entirely vegetarian
London’s four branches of Sagar offer south Indian vegetarian cuisine, complete with vegan, nut-free, wheat-free, garlic and onion-free options to please just about any diet. The range of dosas are a particular draw.
HA2, W1, W6, WC2, sagarveg.co.uk
Ottolenghi, Various locations
Good for vegetarians
Yotam Ottolenghi’s eponymous mini-chain is a well-deserved, if obvious, inclusion in any veggie-friendly recommendation list. His pack of deli restaurants major on perky, vibrant salads along with creatively spiced bakes and all manner of sweet treats. Meat also features for those who want it.
Various locations, ottolenghi.co.uk
Nopi, Soho
Good for vegetarians
Also from Ottolenghi is this stylish Soho restaurant, where meat and fish options sit alongside fresh vegetable-led dishes of burrata with clementine, coriander seeds and lavender honey, or courgette and manouri fritters with cardamom yoghurt. Check out new sister restaurant Rovi in Fitzrovia for more meat-free feasting.
21-22 Warwick Street, W1B 5NE, ottolenghi.co.uk
Bonnington Café, Vauxhall
Entirely vegetarian
Starting life as a squat, this south London restaurant, set in peaceful community gardens, strives to keep the caring-sharing vibe of its early days going. This means no service charge, no corkage charge for BYOB, and great value food. A community of people take it in turns to play chef, and as such the quality of what you get can vary.
11 Vauxhall Grove, SW8 1TD, bonningtoncafe.co.uk
Mildreds, Various locations
Entirely vegetarian
Mildreds is a Soho institution, and there are now bonus branches in Camden, King's Cross and Dalston too. It serves a vast array of vegetarian dishes ranging from chillies and curries to burritos and burgers, and has been doing so more than two decades. Dishes are unfussy and unrefined, but nonetheless well-flavoured and reliably well cooked. An added bonus is that while portions are big, prices are impressively small.
Various locations, mildreds.co.uk
The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell
Good for vegetarians
Anna Hansen’s The Modern Pantry is far from veggie, but does serve an almost unrivalled host of creative vegetarian dishes. Try a morning dish of poached eggs with wilted spinach on English muffins smothered in yuzu hollandaise, followed by dinner of crispy sushi rice with kizame tofu tartare, red miso roast heritage carrots, yuzu avocado puree and spiced apple relish.
47-48 St John's Square, EC1V 4JJ, themodernpantry.co.uk
Manna, Primrose Hill
Entirely vegetarian
This smart vegetarian restaurant is almost half a century old, and much of its menu is now also vegan and organic, with a bit of raw food thrown in for good measure. Intricate spicing and careful cooking ensures there’s plenty of interest (even for carnivores), while the skills of the kitchen also mean that the raw and vegan dishes are among the most accessible of their kind in London.
4 Erskine Road, NW3 3AJ, mannav.com
The Waiting Room, Deptford
Good for vegetarians
This veggie and vegan café serves fresh sandwiches, soups and veggie leek, thyme and mushroom "sausage" rolls, often smothered in its delicious homemade spicy Deptford Death Sauce. Sweet treats include pancakes with fresh fruit and maple syrup, gluten-free salted caramel flapjacks and banana and Nutella bread.
134 Deptford High Street, SE8 3PQ, twitter.com/waitingroomse8
Honey & Co, Fitzrovia
Good for vegetarians
Ramson leaf labaneh with minted courgette, currants and pine nuts is the kind of fresh-flavoured, Middle Eastern-inspired dish you’ll find on the menu at Honey & Co. Follow up with a main of roasted mauve aubergine with a BBQ tahini crust, jeweled rice salad and lime.
25 Warren Street, W1T 5LZ, honeyandco.co.uk
Gauthier Soho, Soho
Good for vegetarians
French restaurants would be considered a no-go by some vegetarians, but at this high-end Soho spot, chef Alexis Gauthier turns that logic on its head by offering an all-vegan tasting menu. It costs £70 for eight courses and has recently included a carrot tartare with a sesame, avocado and Japanese salt plum paste (umeboshi) and a dish of English asparagus with pea and broad bean fricassee.
21 Romilly Street, W1D 5AF, gauthiersoho.co.uk
The Haberdashery, Various locations
Good for vegetarians
The menu here has a very even balance of veggie and non-veggie dishes so there’s no need to feel guilty about inviting carnivorous pals along. Breakfast, brunches and lunches are served at both branches — the veggie breakfast features halloumi and splendid homemade hash browns to make up for bacon and sausages.
N8, N16, the-haberdashery.com
Ethos, Fitzrovia
Entirely vegetarian
This restaurant offers simple vegetarian soups and salads alongside sweets like doughnuts and cake pops. Be careful: the price is by weight not by dish, so don't go if you're feeling ravenous or you might bankrupt yourself. It's safer to snack here. For something filling, opt for the springtime scotch eggs, perked up with a sweet and spicy ketchup.
48 Eastcastle Street, Fitzrovia, ethosfoods.com
