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Six of the best vegan restaurants
Whether you’re dining with colleagues or treating clients to lunch, here’s our pick of perfect plant-based hotspots. Just remember to leave room for dessert.
London
Mallow - Borough Market
Mallow, overlooking Southwark Cathedral in foodie’s paradise Borough Market, is the latest vegan venture from the team behind Mildreds, and like Mildreds, it offers a delicious plant-based menu. There’s a refreshing absence of plain salads here – instead, seasonal, sustainable dishes inspired by cuisines from all over the globe. We’re talking the exotic likes of skordalia celeriac skewer and plum plant-chicken burger, white miso dashi and market thali, while the small plates, such as the fluffy pancakes and flavourful flatbread, are also standout. For dessert, try the zesty kumquat lemon meringue pie (made with non-vegan egg white).
Holy Carrot, Notting Hill
Holy Carrot is already making waves in London’s vegan dining scene, ever since entrepreneur Irina Linovich transformed it from a Patty&Bun into a vibrant, large restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Inside, the light-filled front area is ideal for dining, with counter seating offering a view of the chefs; while the menu, served up by chef Daniel Watkins, known for his plant-first focus and fire-cooking techniques, features inventive dishes such as Koji flatbread with chili ragu, sweet potato hummus, and smoked carrot with harissa sunflower seed butter. For dessert, try the matcha tiramisu, made with coffee kombucha-soaked sponge. While the drinks list includes a dill-infused martini.
Birmingham
Land
Known for its inventive, plant-based cuisine, Land, located in Birmingham’s Great Western Arcade, has been winning hearts, minds and stomachs since opening in 2019. (Jay Rayner said of this one, ‘vegan cooking to file under thrilling’, while Land’s reputation only increased with its Michelin Guide mention in 2023.) The globally inspired, seasonally evolving fare includes a six-course tasting menu at £60; while dishes may include watermelon with polenta, and an Asian-influenced turnip cake with sesame and water spinach.
Liverpool
The Vibe Cafe
This family-run restaurant aims to nourish, nurture and inspire, with Instagram-worthy dishes such as the ‘veggs royale’ – a vegan twist on eggs royale featuring a tofu-based ‘poached egg’ and smoky carrot in place of salmon, and a salmnot bagel – a plant based version of salmon bagel (again, with a carrot substituting for fish. Breakfast and brunch fans may also enjoy a JLT toastie with smoky pulled jackfruit, or the green soul bowl – a Thai curry broth with rice noodles and crispy tofu. Or for the truly committed, The Big One: a vegan full English, which features wholesome elements like tofu scramble and homemade beans. Wash it down with a fair trade coffee from a women’s collective in Honduras.
Edinburgh
Holy Cow
A top destination for vegan dining in Edinburgh, Holy Cow’s bright basement restaurant offers a diverse range of scrumptious vegan burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and smoothies – and has attracted a loyal following for its renowned ‘Muu Burger’, a Vietnamese tofu burger with hoisin and sriracha, and a BBQ jackfruit option. A charming garden terrace has been added, perfect for sunny days. And dogs are welcome too – it even offers them cushions and water bowls.
Dublin
Glas
Since opening off Grafton Street, this sophisticated restaurant (think stylish art deco décor) has offered a refined dining experience in the heart of the city, with a menu, curated by award-winning chefs, featuring superb vegan options. Starters include vegan sweetcorn and jalapeno fritters and a white truffle and forest mushroom pâté. While standout dishes include the king oyster “scallops,” which mimics the taste and texture of real seafood, and the baked Portimarron squash. There’s an extensive drinks list too.