Harden's says
A third branch of London's veggie veteran The Gate opened in December 2016.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Vegetarian food which will silence a complaining carnivore (i.e. me)” typifies the high enthusiasm for Michael and Adrian Daniel’s stalwart veggie chain, particularly the quirkily located original (complete with “lovely courtyard”) behind Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo, which fans credibly claim “has probably been the best place in London to go meat-free for ages”. Of the other branches, the newest St John’s Wood outlet (opened in 2019) inspires most interest, while the Sadler’s Wells and Seymour Place branches in particular are often ignored by reporters. In every case, though, the cuisine generally inspires compliments such as “interesting” or “very acceptable”.
Summary
“Standards remain high” at Michael and Adrian Daniel’s “veggie stalwart” chain – in particular at the W6 original in a “convivial”, offbeat building south of Hammersmith Broadway, which some consider “the best vegetarian in town” thanks to “inventive” food that’s “wow-amazing… even for a committed carnivore”. Its spring 2019 opening in St John’s Wood is also going down well – launching as the second highest scoring member of the group with “a fabulous and very varied selection of vegan and vegetarian food”. The W1 operation in Seymour Village and EC1 branch near Sadler’s Wells are slightly less highly rated, but the tenor of practically all reports hails “thoughtful and tasty fare, catering to a range of dietary requirements”.
Summary
“Standards remain high” at Michael and Adrian Daniel’s “veggie stalwart” chain – in particular at the W6 original in a “convivial”, offbeat building south of Hammersmith Broadway, which some consider “the best vegetarian in town” thanks to “inventive” food that’s “wow-amazing… even for a committed carnivore”. Its spring 2019 opening in St John’s Wood is also going down well – launching as the second highest scoring member of the group with “a fabulous and very varied selection of vegan and vegetarian food”. The W1 operation in Seymour Village and EC1 branch near Sadler’s Wells are slightly less highly rated, but the tenor of practically all reports hails “thoughtful and tasty fare, catering to a range of dietary requirements”.
Summary
Bravos abound for the “superb” dishes (“imaginative and ambitious conceptions whose flavours make non-vegetarians desist from any pity about a lack of meat!”) at these accomplished veggies, which in recent years have added outlets in Seymour Village and Sadler’s Wells to the “legendary”, long-standing original (just south of Hammersmith Broadway). “However, quality of service and staff response can be variable” at all branches, and this is most particularly the case at W1, which needs to “up its game” generally, not least its cooking, as a number of regulars discern “a big drop in standards since it opened”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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