Chigwell, Vegetarian Restaurant Guide

With its landmark puce frontage, Das Sreedharan’s Stoke Newington institution is a “really fun place” that “still hits it out of the park every time for authentic, vibrant Keralan vegetarian cooking” – “the menu has been the same forever”, but the food is so good that nobody minds very much.

2024 Review: Nobody is entirely happy about the change of style at this “wonderful curry house” of more than three decades’ standing in Turnpike Lane, following a recent “facelift”, although “if that’s what they had to do to survive the pandemic, then fair enough I suppose – but we really miss the old place”. Some feel it’s now “essentially a large takeaway counter with the restaurant area tucked behind under glaringly bright lights”, while more positive types feel that overall it’s “still recommended for a quick casual eating experience, but not for a relaxed evening out as in the past”.

“Very clever cooking – far more satisfying than a carnivore might expect” – is the reason for the ongoing success of this vegetarian group, founded in Soho almost 40 years ago and expanded into a modern chain over the last ten years. “Is it vegan? Yes”, fully plant-based since 2001. “Do you have to be vegan to enjoy it? No” – “the quality and intensity of the flavours” wins over many omnivores, while “the extremely friendly service and full-to-the-gills interior creates an ambience that is conducive to enjoyment”.

“Just look at that view!” – Tower Bridge seen from the terrace of this sleek riverside restaurant is a spectacular sight, as the late Sir Terence Conran recognised when he launched the venue in 1991. Now part of the Evolv Collection, its ratings have revived somewhat in recent years with its French cuisine again hitting the spot. But many diners have moved on, and it’s nowadays a relatively obscure destination, especially by the standards of its ’90s heyday as one of the hottest tables in town (where, most famously, PM Tony Blair hosted then-President Clinton).

“Very clever cooking – far more satisfying than a carnivore might expect” – is the reason for the ongoing success of this vegetarian group, founded in Soho almost 40 years ago and expanded into a modern chain over the last ten years. “Is it vegan? Yes”, fully plant-based since 2001. “Do you have to be vegan to enjoy it? No” – “the quality and intensity of the flavours” wins over many omnivores, while “the extremely friendly service and full-to-the-gills interior creates an ambience that is conducive to enjoyment”.

2023 Review: The “exquisite kebabs” at this family-run Turk in Kentish Town (which takes its name from the original Victorian sign above the door) have “set the standard in north London for years”. Don’t be put off by the “limited menu and basic amenities (more like a local chippy)” – the food is “fresh, good quality and delicious”, while “service is cheerful”.

“Exceptional Middle Eastern food is the norm at Honey & Co” – “delicious multi-flavoured and colourful dishes with fresh ingredients, in awesome combinations” from a “menu that’s well-balanced between familiar options (houmous, falafel) and more adventurous items”. Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich inspired a huge wave of interest when they first opened in 2012 in a poky café near Warren Street tube, and they have been on this more comfortable (but slightly “bland”) Bloomsbury corner-site since 2022. Top Menu Tips – “The USP is that although many of the dishes are familiar, such as hummus, labneh, falafel and so on, the flavours are extraordinary”; “portions are generous, vegetarians are well catered for”; “carrot and blood orange salad is a must”; and “be sure to leave room for their cheesecake!”

“Very clever cooking – far more satisfying than a carnivore might expect” – is the reason for the ongoing success of this vegetarian group, founded in Soho almost 40 years ago and expanded into a modern chain over the last ten years. “Is it vegan? Yes”, fully plant-based since 2001. “Do you have to be vegan to enjoy it? No” – “the quality and intensity of the flavours” wins over many omnivores, while “the extremely friendly service and full-to-the-gills interior creates an ambience that is conducive to enjoyment”.

“A good place to come for top-notch Israeli cooking, in a stylish space under the railway arches” on the South Bank. A “lively” spot, it’s the work of Eran Tibi, who used to work for Ottolenghi: “there’s an excellent choice of vegetarian dishes” and a “fascinating Middle Eastern wine list to explore”. Ratings slipped a fraction for this year though – perhaps it’s become a tad more “pricey”?

“I’ve been eating here since the 1970s!” is quite the boast in senior vegetarian circles, where there’s much respect for this “Euston institution” in the Drummond Street enclave, where you can find a “good meal – starter, thali and drink – for less than £25 a head”. If anyone has changed the decor since it first opened in 1971, you’d never know. Top Tip – “bring your own bottle (or order the mango lassi)”.

“A classic old-school Indian, with service to match” in the ‘Little India’ pocket behind Euston station, this “really takes you back” with its “good (and good value) South Indian vegetarian food”. Top Tip – “great lunchtime veggie buffet”.

If you’re looking for a “good pitstop in the West End”, this trio (also with an offshoot in Hammersmith) offers “tasty vegan and veggie Indian food” at “very reasonable prices” – nothing fancy, but “good basic cooking” of “South Indian staples”. Pickier diners can feel that some sauces are “rather watery”, or that the filling food can come “with no stand-out flavours”. Practically all agree, however, that “a great Masala Dosa and beer makes a very affordable meal in Central London”. Top Tip – “good choice to take a crowd: they’re not fazed by large tables”.

This “good-value” contemporary Indian in Bloomsbury offers “reliable” cooking from Tamil Nadu on India’s southern tip. Like its neighbour Sagar, it offers a selection of dosas, but here the menu isn’t vegetarian with many options ‘From our butchers’ or ‘From our Fishermen‘s nets’ and chicken ‘From our Farm’. (If you’re up Leicester way, they also have a branch not far from the De Montfort Hall).

“Wonderful views and sense of space give a sense of occasion” to a meal in the flagship restaurant at the Southbank arts centre, overlooking the Thames. Originally built at the heart of this 1950s Brutalist venue as ‘The People’s Palace’ – with massive windows to make the best of the panorama – it is nowadays run by Evolv (fka D&D London), and although it’s not been on a high in recent years its ratings turned upwards this year. It still “takes a fair amount of flack” for its “simple, basic menu” and “very ordinary cooking”, but diners with more modest expectations can be pleasantly surprised (“I was sceptical about booking, but the staff were lovely, welcoming and friendly, the location was perfect: we had a window table!”).

“Cheap and very, very cheerful!”, vegan Indian canteen just off Oxford Street, opened in 1979 by the Hare Krishna temple next door and serving ‘karma-free’ meals – which means no onions, garlic or mushrooms, and no alcohol. The value is pretty well unbeatable, with a 5-item plate at £7.95 or a 12-item thali extravaganza for £15.95. (“As a confirmed carnivore, I love this place as a change!!”).

“A genuine legend serving authentic South Indian food at reasonable prices” – this “long-established” Keralan near the Telecom Tower dispenses “tasty, high-quality” meals in dated surroundings (“don’t worry about the formica tables”). There is the odd concern raised that “the food is no longer what it was” but most reports are remorselessly upbeat. Top Menu Tip – “incredible masala dosa”.

2022 Review: Vegan and vegetarian neighbourhood bistro, set in a quiet street near Peckham Rye station. It was opened in autumn 2019 by ex-Vanilla Black chef Tom Heale (plus his two brothers and a business partner) and – though it’s a simple, cosy venue – it quickly attracted favourable press from The Torygraph and Marina O’Loughlin in The Sunday Times. Sharing is encouraged and drinks include biodynamic, organic and vegan, and numerous fancy teas.