Vegetarians can be underserved by restaurants in this country, more often than not left with a choice between mushroom risotto and a goat’s cheese tart. Seeing as Monday marks the beginning of not only British Tomato Week but National Vegetarian Week too, we thought we’d roundup the UK’s top 20 veggie and veggie-friendly restaurants where you’ll be spoilt for choice…
BRIGHTON
There is “innovation aplenty” in the “lovely veggie food” served up at this Lanes institution; after a recent make-over, it now has quite a “high-end” interior too.
“My favourite cafe ever, not just my favourite vegetarian cafe!” – this North Laine (also Hove) spot is tipped for “great food at fair prices, quick service and lovely staff”.
“A veggie gastronomic delight” – this “buzzy” meat-free mecca in the Lanes is “the best in the UK”, and inspires a hymn of praise for its “passionate” yet “unpretentious” staff and “beautiful” food, with “amazing textures and flavours”.
WEST COUNTRY
Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen, Bath
“Taken over from the old Demuth’s (RIP) and, surprisingly, better”; this “superb vegetarian”, in a cute alley in the heart of the city, is a “real treat” – “anyone would love it, unless they’re really determined to eat meat”.
“The tastebud party just keeps rocking!”, says one of the fans of this “favourite” Bristol veggie – an Easton institution which “never disappoints”.
“Cheap and wholesome Indian dishes” and a “great selection of vegetarian food” (with “take-aways in re-useable tiffin tins”) define this five-strong chain; this listing is for the Montpelier HQ, but the new Southville branch is “ideal for a meal before you go to the (on-site) Tobacco Factory”.
Albeit rather “hard to find” (“tucked away in a little back street behind Market Square”), this intimate Bangladeshi venture “rewards persistence”, thanks to the consistently high quality of its “spicy” fare (including “very good” vegetarian and vegan options).
MIDLANDS
A vegetarian restaurant where the “Middle Eastern-influenced” menu is “so imaginative as to satisfy even the most reluctant carnivore!”; it can be “hard to get a table”.
“The best restaurant in Derby by far” – a “longtime favourite”, part of an old mill, whose “lovely riverside setting” is ideal “for a special occasion”; superlatives abound for its “beautiful presentation of quality food”, and the “separate vegetarian menu is a big plus” too.
This outpost of a popular four-strong chain offers “light and delicious” Keralan cuisine, and is particularly tipped for its “great selection of vegan and vegetarian” dishes; the “Thali-type” business lunch offers “excellent value for money” too.
This small inn, on the city outskirts, is tipped for “substantial portions” of “good-quality” food that’s “far better and more interesting than average pub grub”; “super vegetarian options” too.
NORTH WEST
“Best veggie in Manchester…” – this crammed West Didsbury spot has many admirers for the “yummy loveliness” of its no-meat cuisine.
“If you want or need a quick pit stop” en route to the attached jazz bar or cinema (combined tickets are available) this “relaxed” and “family-friendly” Italian offers some “delicious” food – “all veggie but you’d never know”; there’s now a chic new ‘vegetarian’ venue, Fellini’s, on site too.
A “very attractively laid-out” dining room where the “inventive” cuisine “reminds carnivores that vegetarians can also eat impressively well”; don’t miss “great film-and-food deals” in tandem with the boutique cinema next door.
NORTH EAST
“Moving to bigger and better (Drighlington) premises has, if anything, only improved the great food” at this well-established and “extremely friendly” Gujarati veggie, whose “amazing” cuisine is “worth travelling a long way for”; it now offers “wine and cocktails too”.
“No visit to Edinburgh is complete without eating at Henderson’s!”; this “great veggie venue”, located in the crypt of a New Town church, is “still as good as it was thirty years ago”, say fans, thanks to its “attractive setting outside and in”, and its “plentiful” self-service fare too.
LONDON
“Whenever I go, I’m amazed I don’t go more often!”; in 24 years, the survey view of this “very small” and “tired”-looking outfit, in the shadow of the Telecom Tower, has never really wavered – it’s a total “winner”, serving “wondrous” South Indian dishes at “unbeatable” prices
“Exquisite Keralan food” at “great-value” prices again inspires ecstatic reports on this “tiny and basic” neighbourhood “diamond” in “an unlikely corner of Peckham”; it’s “rather cramped”, but “always fun”.
“A London institution” – this “perfect little Soho nook” continues to dish up “excellent” veggie food “that converts even die-hard carnivores”.
“Cramped” but adored – this rambling Covent Garden basement has long offered “some of the best vegetarian food in town” at “good-value” prices; BYO.
“I didn’t believe veggie food could taste this good!”; this “delightful” restaurant, “tucked away” down a Midtown alleyway, inspires consistently positive reports on its “upmarket and imaginative”, “if sometimes quirky”, cuisine. Vegetarian’s should also check out Vanilla Black’s more casual sibling Orchard.
