We discover some of the best plant-based food in the capital. Words by Sian Clare.

 

London has a host of new and established vegan eateries.

So whether you want a take-away burger, or dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, you're spoilt for choice.

 

Pied Ă  Terre, Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia

Expect exquisite gourmet food at this exceptional restaurant. It has been Michelin starred since shortly after opening in the early 1990s.

The Vegan Tasting Menu (ÂŁ94) at Pied Ă  Terre includes no less than 10 courses.

These range from Organic Spelt Risotto with coconut, saffron and puffed rice to Stuffed Tomato with Jasmine Rice, onion, mint, dill, burnt red pepper and black garlic consommĂŠ.

 

Neat Burger, Princes Street, Mayfair

Just off Oxford Street, Neat Burger has ambitions to become the first major plant-based fast food chain.

It also has financial backing from Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

With products named cheese burgers, chicken burgers and sausages on the menu, you might be forgiven for forgetting it was  100% vegan!

But for every one of its products sold, a tree is planted – so double the reason to eat “Neat”!

 

The Rubens at the Palace, Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria

Enjoy a Vegan Royal Afternoon Tea (£45) overlooking the Palace itself at The Rubens at the Palace. 

Try five different flavours of sandwich from avocado and rocket to sun-dried tomato and cucumber served on vegan bread with vegan butter.

Follow this with scones and pastries such as gin and tonic macaron, peach mousse or Earl Grey and chocolate orange crown jewels.

Or try a vegan breakfast at the English Grill.

Tibits, Heddon Street, Mayfair

Choose from 40 homemade vegan and vegetarian dishes available every day at buffet-style Tibits restaurant.

The menu includes dishes such as savoy, butternut & oyster mushroom pie and red lentil & beetroot curry. You pay by weight. There is also a wonderful range of freshly pressed juices and desserts, such as orange-liquorice panna coco .

The original Tibits was set up in 2000 by brothers Christian, Daniel and Reto Frei from Switzerland. There are now 11 restaurants, mostly in Switzerland, and a second London restaurant at Bankside.

 

Wulf & Lamb, Pavilion Road, Chelsea

There's no lamb on the menu at the completely vegan Wulf & Lamb!  It serves 100% plant-based food for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Grab a takeaway or find a table – you can't pre-book one – to try everything from cauliflower steak, to burritos and curries.  

Try the Wulf Pie which is pulled jackfruit and lentil stew with mashed-potato and baby carrots (ÂŁ13.50).

Or maybe the Chilli ‘Non' Carne – smoky chilli made of spiced mushrooms, lentils and kidney beans on basmati herb rice with cashew sour cream, lime and coriander cress (ÂŁ12.95).

 

Gauthier, Romilly Street, Soho

Chef Alexis Gauthier is vegan himself and tries hard to make vegans feel welcome at Gauthier.

All guests are offered the Les Plantes vegan menu, which won an award from animal rights group PETA, alongside the classic menu.

Tempting dishes on the autumn menu include Rainbow Swiss Chard Parcels, Truffle Tortellini and Tempeh and Corn.

Desserts include Exotic Fruit Vacherin and Apple and Dill Delice.

 

Pho, Battersea Rise, Battersea

Booking a Christmas party? Pho Battersea offers a three course vegan Christmas menu (ÂŁ18.50 pp) of Vietnamese food.

Inspired by the street food of Ho Chi Minh City, Stephen and Juliette Wall returned from a trip to Vietnam and set up Pho 13 years ago.

The food is cooked fresh every day with a wide choice of dishes with everything from spring rolls and spicy soups to noodles.

Try the Vietnamese curry with tofu & mushrooms, topped with nuts & served with broken rice, or perhaps the vermicelli noodles with wok-fried lemongrass & chilli topping, fresh herbs, beansprouts, veggie spring roll & peanuts.

 

Indian Accent, Albermarle Street, Mayfair

In celebration of World Vegan Month, Indian Accent is introducing a seven course Vegan Tasting Menu (ÂŁ80 pp).

Chef Manish Mehrotra will be showcasing unique and exciting flavour combinations to take diners on a plant-based culinary journey.

Try dishes such as masala avocado with papdi chaat; beetroot chop, peanut butter, tamarind and coriander chutney; or Tandoori tofu tikka with Calcutta mustard.

 

Dukes Hotel, St James's Place, Mayfair

Don't miss the classic vegan tea (£35 pp) in the Drawing Room at Dukes Hotel . It has just won the award for best afternoon tea from Vegans of LDN.

Enjoy a range of delicious sandwiches including wholegrain mustard and apple slaw on beetroot bread and vegan cheese and fig chutney on white bread.

Or, as you're only a 5-minute walk from Buckingham Palace, why not try the cucumber, avocado and hummus on granary bread. Follow this with a choice of vegan scones and pastries.

Vegan main meal options include grilled radicchio salad with sultana, green apple and roasted walnuts or spiced sweet potato salad with cashews, roasted peppers and coriander.

 

Pollen Street Social, Pollen Street, Mayfair

Jason Atherton's Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social offers a vegan menu and a Vegan Tasting Menu (ÂŁ85).

Dishes include Parsley & garlic risotto with girolle mushrooms & truffle (ÂŁ18) or Isle of Wight tomato tartare with verjus granita
& sourdough croutons (ÂŁ14).

Here sustainability matters and the menu even lists the food miles for British produce such as asparagus from Wye Valley – 125 miles.

You can also enjoy a dining menu with specially chosen matching wines.

 

 

Texture, Portman Street, Marylebone

Minutes from Oxford Street, Michelin-starred Texture offers a seven course Vegan Tasting Menu (ÂŁ89 pp).

A sample dish might be baby artichokes, aubergine, broth, olives and rocket, for example.

Produce is mainly sourced from Britain, with some ingredients from owner Aggi Sverrisson's native Iceland.

 

Rovi, Wells Street, Fitzrovia

New in 2018, Rovi  offers “a menu with vegetables at its heart”. Fruit and vegetables are sourced from organic and bio dynamic farmers in Sussex.

There is a good range of vegan options, including a Jerusalem Mixed Grill (ÂŁ21).

One of the Ottolenghi set of shops and restaurants, which includes Nopi in Warwick Street, Soho, they serve breakfast, lunch, pre-theatre and dinner menus.

There is also a small deli with salads to take away and freshly baked cakes and pastries – open during the day only.

 

Ormer at Flemings Hotel, Half Moon Street, Mayfair

High end dining Ormer restaurant is based at the boutique Flemings Hotel and is headed by Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin.

It offers a vegan menu which includes risotto, linguine and salads.

Desserts include chilled hibiscus soup with berries and basil or coconut semi-freddo with granola and mango.

 

 

 

Find similar stories in the Food & Drink section of our website.

You may like to read Saint Anton in which renowned chef Anton Mosimann talks about his life and career.

Or try For the Long Haul in which the new chef director at Brown’s in Mayfair talks about the best of British tradition and quality he is bringing to the hotel.

In The Main Event, Gemma Bacon, head of planning at Rhubarb, talks about food trends, plastic-free initiatives and catering for some of the most exclusive events in London.