The best vegan restaurants in London

What is it? The UK’s first ever Michelin-star vegan restaurant.

Why we love it: Because it’s the hottest, and greenest, ticket in town. Chef Kirk Haworth (who you might recognise from BBC’s Great British Menu) runs the restaurant with sister Keeley and there’s a waiting list that’s months-long. But when you finally make it inside this cosy cottage-corn dining room, you’ll be the envy of every vegan in the land. It’s a tasting menu, so you’ll get what you're given, but keep your eyes open for the caramelised lion’s mane mushroom with cauliflower cream, smoked shio koji, rhubarb and fermented green peppercorn sauce, as well as the raw cacao gateau with sour cherry (one two puds).

Time Out tip: This spring Plates launched a chef’s table kitchen at their small Shoreditch space, as well as two bedrooms for overnight stays, so you can make a massive, plant-based night of it.

Address: 320 Old Street, Shoreditch, EC1V 9DR.

Opening hours: Wed 6-10pm, Thu-Sat 12-4pm & 6-10pm. 

Expect to pay: The tasting menu is £90 at lunch, and £108 for dinner.

What is it? A neon-lit vegan Chinese dive-bistro. 

Why we love it: A cheery hipster hangout in Hackney that really nails it with a short menu of terrific Sichuan dishes. Current hits range from smacked cucumber with black vinegar, sesame oil and crushed garlic to dan dan noodles topped with vegan mince made to a secret recipe. Prices are pay-packet-friendly.

Time Out tip: Facing Heaven has its own neighbouring dive bar, Easy 8. Pop in after dinner for US-style serves and beers. 

Address: 1a Bayford Street, Hackney, E8 3SE.

Opening hours: Sun-Mon closed, Tue-Thu 5.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 5.30-11pm.

Expect to pay: Dishes £7-15.

What is it? Magical mock meat takes on classic Chinese fare.

Why we love it: Mention this place to in-the-know vegans and their eyes will glaze over in blissed-out memory of the gorgeous dishes this Islington restaurant serves up. Its menu is packed with classic Chinese dishes crafted from mock meat, tofu, and beancurd galore, but somehow that description doesn’t do justice to the exhilarating textures and flavours this joint serves up. Don’t miss the twice-cooked fake fish, with its crisp batter coating and meltingly soft interior. 

Time Out tip: There are also branches in Golders Green, Spitalfields, Gloucester Road, and Charlotte Street.

Address: 105 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1QN.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 12-10.15pm, Fri-Sat 12-10.30pm, Sun 12-9.15pm.

Expect to pay: Dim sum £6-8, soup £5.20, starters £7-10, mains £10-16.

What is it? Plant-based Caribbean classics. 

Why we love it: Siblings Jordan and Chyna opened Jam Delish off the back of stints at Kerb and a well-received six-month residency at Soho’s Sun and 13 Cantons pub. Food here is a vegan, relatively unadorned amble through West Indian classics like jerk chicken, goat curry, saltfish tostones, beef patties and so on, but made in a seriously alchemical fashion with things such as seitan, tempeh, jackfruit and soy. Try the silken oxtail stew, with a wildly flavourful liquor, studded with cassava dumplings and served with perfect rice and peas.

Time Out tip: Try the set menu for £39 a head, where everyone gets a little of everything good. 

Address: 1 Tolpuddle Street, Angel, N1 0XT.

Opening hours: Tue-Thu 5-10.30pm, Fri 5-11pm, Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-9pm, Mon closed.

Expect to pay: Small plates £10-12, large plates around £20.

What is it? Indian-inspired comfort food in a great south London cinema. 

Why we love it: As well as spots at in Peckham and Clapham, En Root have taken over the kitchen at this friendly cinema. Their Indian-fusion comfort food includes the likes of sharing thalis, crunchy plantain chaat, tandoori oyster mushroom wings, jerk dosas and battered oyster mushroom burgers.

Time Out tip: You can find En Root inside one of the best cinemas in London, so why not take in a movie too?

Address: Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG.

Opening hours: Daily 12-9pm.

Expect to pay: Small bites £5-8, big bites £11-15. 

What is it? Hip vegan sandwiches.

Why we love it: Seek out Unit 38 in the snug Wood Street Indoor Market, and you’ll find culty vegan deli, pickle house and bar The Coven of Wiches. Every sarnie is perfectly plant-based, and you’ll even get the likes of a cold cuts sandwich on hot rye, as well as their version of a reuben, and a super-stacked club sandwich. Pure wichcraft.

Time Out tip: Do not skip the sides; roast potato salad, kimchi bowls, pickles and a root beer float to wash it all down with. 

Address: 98-100 Wood Street, Walthamstow, E17 3HX.

Opening hours: Sun-Tue closed, Wed-Fri 12-5pm, Sat 11am-5pm.

Expect to pay: Sandwiches £6-11.

What is it? Big bowls of globally-inspired fast food. 

Why we love it: Grime music’s favourite vegan chef King Senathit has been bouncing around east London for a few years now – since 2015 – serving up steaming bowls of curries and noodles; all dripping with crunchy fresh veg. His latest outlet is in Spitalfields. Drop by for a massive bowl of high grade; a sweet and sour BBQ dish with hemp seeds and oil that comes with vegan chicken or tofu. Fast food with soul. 

Time Out tip: Yoga Fire curry feels healthy and naughty at the same time. Get it with tofu puffs to soak up the juices.

Address: 10 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, E1 6QR.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-4pm, Sun closed.

Expect to pay: Bowls £13-15.

What is it? A vegan bistro with a set menu in Peckham.

Why we love it: Part of the green wave of vegan restaurants that's currently breaking in Peckham, Naïfs is a family-run small plates spot tucked away on a quiet residential street. Chef Tom Heale used to be a sous chef at much-missed, much-garlanded veggie restaurant Vanilla Black. Now, he runs Naïfs with his brother Finn alongside him in the kitchen, serving up Middle Eastern-inspired small plates in a low-key but romantic setting. 

Time Out tip: Naifs is only open Friday and Saturday evenings, so look elsewhere for mid-week plant-first feasting. 

Address: 56 Goldsmith Road, Peckham, SE15 5TF.

Opening hours: Fri-Sat 6-11pm.

Expect to pay: Set menu is £38 a head, with an extra £10 for dessert. 

What is it? Vegan fast food in a metal bar. 

Why we love it: The Black Heart, a dimly-lit Camden bar best known for its heavy music gigs, also operates as a front for some of London’s best vegan food. LD’s Kitchen at the Black Heart offers a menu of American comfort food delights – think wings, mac ’n’ cheese, dirty fries, that sort of stuff – as gorge-able as they are refined with scientific precision. Entirely made in-house, LD’s faux chicken will leave you sitting there thinking how, what; the ‘meat’ is juicy and tender, the ‘skin’ somehow remains crisp under thick, rich, potent sauce. Accompanied by homely sides and fabulous cocktails, LD’s Kitchen boasts as many thrills as any head-banging Black Heart band.

Time Out tip: Come by on the weekends for Saturday brunch and Sunday roasts. LD’s is also in residence at Saint Monday Brewery in Hackney. 

Address: 2-3 Greenland Place, Camden, NW1 0AP.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 3-10pm, Fri 12-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12-8pm.

Expect to pay: Dishes £8-12. 

What is it? Fun and fabulous Mexican food in Soho. 

Why we love it: After beginnings at summer music festivals, pub pop-ups and Hackney supper clubs, Club Mexicana is in Soho, permanently packed with happily seitan-stuffed burrito fiends. The al pastor taco is still a must-order. But there are other highlights, like the ingenious tofish taco and jackfruit ‘ribs’. 

Time Out tip: The margarita menu is impressive, make sure you give it a look. 

Address: Kingly Court, Soho, W1B 5PW.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-9pm.

Expect to pay: Tacos £5 or three for £13.50, burritos £13.

What is it? The first vegan sushi bar in Europe. 

Why we love it: Japanese, vegan and organic? What’s not to love – and, rest assured, we do love this cool little miracle near King’s Cross station. Only the slurping of udon noodles disturbs the Zen-like tranquillity, as punters dip into a virtuously healthy menu that makes the most of a few key ingredients (expects lots of tofu and seaweed). Laid-back staff go with the flow.

Time Out tip: Finsh your meal with a sweet dose of mochi ice cream.

Address: 139 King’s Cross Road, King’s Cross, WC1X 9BJ.

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 12-2pm & 6-10pm, Sun-Mon 6-10pm. 

Expect to pay: Dishes £6-15.

What is it? Pizza, but vegan.

Why we love it: The name means ‘purity’ and that’s what you get at this London outpost of the UK’s first vegan pizzeria. The setting is buzzy, modern and relaxed, while the terrific plant-based toppings involve everything from wood-smoked tofu and shaved seitan to rice-based mozzarella and beetroot carpaccio.

Time Out tip: You can also indulge in some good old-fashioned gluttony by ordering a wicked Oreo pizza for pud.

Address: 43 Parkway, Camden, NW1 7PN.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 12-10pm, Fri-Sat 12-10.30pm, Sun 12-9pm.

Expect to pay: Pizzas £15-18.

Sesame-speckled purple sweet potatoes, mouth-puckering ferments and lip-smacking tiramisu are all on the menu at Chef Rishim Sachdeva’s brilliant (mostly) vegan small-plates restaurant Tendril. This dimly-lit, gently romantic spot makes meat-free dining both relaxing and unquestionably delicious: you won't believe you're just minutes away from the madness of Oxford Circus. 

What is it? Sustainable, fire-cooked vegan dining in Notting Hill. 

Why we love it: Holy Carrot is prim as a perfume shop, fronting a menu that is plant-forward, ‘root to peel’ and sustainable. It comes from Daniel Watkins, formerly of ACME Fire Cult in Dalston, who brings his ‘fire and ferment’ ethos across the capital from one neighbourhood of cool to another. It has plenty of his signature punch and cocktails come courtesy of Hackney’s uber cool A Bar With Shapes For a Name.

Time Out tip: Ask about the ferments – Watkins’ collection of fermented stuff isn’t just tasty, it’s genuinely fascinating

Address: 156 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, W11 2EB.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12-11pm, Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm.

Expect to pay: Small plates £13-15, large plates £22-26.

What is it? A vegetarian - now vegan - London classic. 

Why we love it: London institution Mildred’s dates back to 1988, an era when vegetarians were shunned, reviled and closeted, which is perhaps why it wears the 100% plant-based nature of its offering so lightly: it’s just a classy, casual-ish restaurant with a diverse, international menu that happens to include no meat. You can expect the likes of Sri Lankan sweet potato curry, tempeh mushroom yaki udon, grilled artichoke caesar and a menu staple; sausage and mash. Their pan-global menu is always fun.

Time Out tip: Branches also in Camden, Soho, King’s Cross,  Victoria, Canary Wharf.

Address: 79 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4AA.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm.

Expect to pay: Dishes £8-22.