UK: London’s Only Vegan Michelin Restaurant Is Almost Impossible to Book. I Found Out Why.

From vegnews.com 

By Charlotte Pointing

Green curry cappuccinos, mushroom-worshipping dances, and tick bites. Forget everything you thought you knew about fine-dining—London institution Plates is showing exactly why it’s England’s first—and only—vegan Michelin-starred restaurant

In Japan, maitake is known as the “dancing mushroom,” because according to folklore, foragers would have no choice but to literally dance with joy when they saw its signature brown ruffles nestled at the base of Mizunara oak trees. It wasn’t the apparent medicinal benefits that would force toes to tap and arms to wave, but the fungus’ flavour. Maitake bursts with umami: it’s savoury, earthy, tender—almost chicken-like, hence its nickname “hen of the woods.”

In the United Kingdom, at Plates, there aren’t any Mizunara oak trees, but there is plenty of dancing. As diners bite into meaty barbecued maitake mushrooms served on a bed of black bean mole topped with tangy kimchi, creamy aioli, and finished with a crust of crunchy puffed rice, they close their eyes, nod their heads, and sway their bodies in a display of unmistakable food-induced joy.

Safia Shakarchi

A Michelin mainstay

Plates, the UK’s first and only vegan Michelin-starred restaurant, sits in one of the most vibrant corners of Shoreditch, a trendy borough in East London. It’s lively, full of the fashion, street art, creativity, and chaos that characterize the city. Heading to Old Street, I dodge a stream of traffic and throngs of commuters spilling out from pubs after squeezing in just one more pint before descending to the Tube. It is London through and through, glorious, if not overstimulating. So stepping into Plates, full of soft, flickering candles and gentle lighting, feels almost like a mirage.

Inside the intimate, 25-seat dining room, I take in earthy, rich woods, cement walls, and natural textures. I immediately feel warm and at ease. The vibe and the aesthetic are pure hygge, which provides valuable respite from the capital’s fast pace, but also the perfect backdrop to a theatrical display of the potential of plant-based ingredients.

Also contributing to the overall sense of calm is the team behind it all. Much of the small kitchen is open, so diners can watch chefs quietly prepare each dish with careful precision and just the right amount of creative flair. Forget what you think you know about fine-dining culture: this isn’t The Bear. There are no Gordon Ramsay-level explosions. In fact, Kirk Haworth, head chef and co-founder, isn’t a showman at all. He comes off as quiet, considered, and softly spoken. Often, he plays the supporting role during service, standing behind servers and chefs with trays of ingredients for tableside service or cutlery as they present each meticulously crafted course to diners.

If it’s gruelling to work at Plates, no signs are evident. And make no mistake, the culture is entirely by design. “I’ve worked in kitchens where service almost feels like it’s been created to be difficult,” Haworth explains. “I try to do the opposite. The difficult part should be getting all the preparation right and getting the team organized, so that when service starts, it can feel as calm, fluid, and easy as possible.”

Plates

Creativity and cappuccinos

If the maitake dish is a dance, the next course is a chorus of seasonality. Slow-cooked English tomatoes, strawberries, and shiso leaves are sprinkled with frozen tarragon snow—innovative, but understated. As Haworth himself tells us, “sometimes the most interesting thing you can do is leave an ingredient alone and let it be exactly what it is.” Sometimes, but not always. Arguably, half the fun of running a Michelin restaurant is the creative license.

Haworth, who co-founded and runs Plates with his managing director sister Keeley Haworth, cut his teeth in some of the world’s most impressive eateries, including The French Laundry, Restaurant Sat Bains, The Square, and Sydney Harbour’s Quay. He knows how to elevate and experiment with simple ingredients and familiar flavours, and the Thai green curry cappuccino that diners are greeted with shortly after taking their seats is evidence of that. As is the sweetcorn and passionfruit cappuccino that comes halfway through Plates’ eleven-course Discovery Menu.

There is no coffee in Plates’ signature cappuccinos, but the familiar, frothy texture is all there. The flavour—that’s where the experimentation comes in. The first sip is warm, foamy corn; the final one is chilled, juicy passionfruit. An accompanying stone cube holds a delicate sweet and sour truffle. And there’s a surprise underneath it all, but I won’t say more than that.

“I think the cappuccino sits right on the edge of challenging people’s flavour perceptions while still being delicious, comforting, and nostalgic,” says Haworth. “That’s a very Plates thing to do: take something that feels familiar and turn it into something unexpected.”

If guests are still in the mood for another sip, the 12-page list of wines, cocktails, beers, non-alcoholic tipples, coffees, and teas provides ample opportunity. Highlights include the cult-status Vouette et Sorbée Champagne from the Côte des Bar region of France; Lamoresca, a classic Sicilian red wine revered for its fruitiness and notes of bitter wild herbs; and forward-thinking signature cocktails like the Blackberry & Mulberry Leaf Spritz and the Martinez with Strawberry & Mushroom Garum—a complex, sweet-and-savoury spin on the classic gin and vermouth drink.

Safia Shakarchi

Vegan beginnings

Haworth has had to think outside the box for much of his career. While working in Australia more than a decade ago, a tick bite changed everything for the rising culinary star. A diagnosis of late-stage Lyme disease meant transforming his lifestyle, his diet, and everything he knew about cooking. Ingredients previously thought of as staples—like meat, fish, gluten, refined sugar, and dairy—were gone. It would be enough to make some chefs flounder, but Haworth had Michelin-level training, a supportive family (his father, Nigel Haworth, is also a renowned Michelin-starred chef), and the tools to embrace a whole new world of fruit, vegetables, and fungi. Still, it wasn’t an easy ride.

“I had to unlearn everything and start again,” he explains. “I had to rethink how you create flavour and how you make dishes that feel special without relying on those traditional ‘star’ ingredients like scallops, turbot, venison, steak, and caviar. Ingredients that can naturally become the centrepiece of an incredible dish.”

In 2017, he and Keeley launched the Plates pop-up, a platform to introduce Londoners to Haworth’s new creations. “It was humbling to start again,” recalls Haworth. “But it was also incredibly interesting. In a way, it gave me a completely new fuel creatively and changed the way I think about cooking.”

The timing is significant. Plates was at the forefront of a new era; in 2017, veganism and the plant-based movement were really starting to take root in England’s capital city. Nearly 10 years later, London has evolved into a hotbed of plant-based innovation, and Plates is still leading the way.

Its current brick-and-mortar in the city’s trendy Shoreditch district came in 2024, and the coveted Michelin star followed just one year later. Now, scoring a seat at Plates requires a lot of planning and fast fingers. Once released via a newsletter, reservations sell out in minutes.

Mushroom magic

A table at Plates is worth the level of planning required. Courses of joy-inducing maitake, unexpected cappuccinos, house-made cheese, croissant-esque, house-laminated sourdough, and a choice of expert wine pairings (including options like the House Pairing, the Rare & Unique Wine Flight, and the Botanical Pairing) all build up to Plates’ staple dish and the main event: caramelized lion’s mane.

My plate featured a tender, juicy slice of this versatile mushroom with barbecued eggplant, pickled cucumber, gooseberries, and basil, but previous iterations have seen it presented alongside Tokyo turnips and salsa verde or cauliflower cream and smoked shio koji. The ingredients are always changing, but the mushroom itself is a mainstay.

Before you’re served, you’ll be presented with an untouched mushroom in its full, bright white, shaggy glory and a brief education about where it comes from. In nature, lion’s mane grows in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, but Plates sources the ingredient from an operation in nearby Essex, where it’s cultivated in repurposed shipping containers.

Showcasing the mushroom in its raw form helps diners understand the magic of fine-dining: what a toothy fungus native to temperate hardwood forests can truly become with the right skill set behind it.

“I hope people leave Plates feeling a little more curious about what’s possible with nature,” he says. “What you can do with plants, fruit, and vegetables without needing meat or fish.”

Before my dining partner and I dragged ourselves back to the bustling streets of London, Plates closed us out with two courses of dessert. One revolved around velvety smooth chicory root ice cream and sour cherry compote, and the other featured the finest English raspberries, meadowsweet ice cream, almond praline, mochi, and shavings of black truffle.

“I want [diners] to think, at the end of the day, that the food was just delicious and that they felt completely satisfied,” he says. “But, ultimately, I want them to want to come back.”

Most, we imagine, are happy to oblige. Plates is an experience that’ll stay with you for a long time. Soon enough you might find yourself refreshing your email, waiting for news of more reservations. And when you do return, Haworth will be waiting patiently to serve you more innovation, more plants, and, most importantly, more of that maitakelevel joy.

https://vegnews.com/plates-london-restaurant-review

UK: London - La Vie Is Giving Away 100 Free Vegan Fry-Ups (29th October)

From londontheinside.com

French brand La Vie is taking over the Southwark caff for a day

La Vie is taking over Terry’s Cafe on Great Suffolk Street, who has been frying breakfasts since 1982, when Terry opened it. His son Austin runs it now, and on Thursday 29 October he’s handing the kitchen to La Vie, the French brand whose plant-based bacon ended up in Burger King veggie burgers across Europe. The theme is “Pork Is Dead”, and the whole menu is vegan for the day.

Between 12.30pm and 4.30pm, 100 free meals are up for grabs, each one a main, a dessert and a drink. La Vie’s bacon and ham do the heavy lifting, including a version of Terry’s Billingsgate roll made with oyster mushrooms and La Vie bacon, and French toast topped with bacon and ice cream. There’s free La Vie product to take home as well.

Seats are free but limited, so you’ll need to book a spot. If you do miss out on the free feed, don’t worry the menu carries on at Terry’s on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st October.

Key Information

Dates | Thurs 29th October 2026, 12.30pm to 4.30pm
Address | Terry’s Cafe, Great Suffolk Street, Southwark
For more information | eventbrite.com

https://londontheinside.com/la-vie-is-giving-away-100-free-vegan-fry-ups/

Hotter Project’s ‘vegan Hamlet’ is a perfectly pitched mix of the silly and the serious

From timeout.com/london

A version of Hamlet called HAM in which Hamlet is vegan and sad about the death of a pig as opposed to his father is the sort of show concept that gives people cold sweats about seeing theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe.

But performance art duo Hotter Project is really onto something here with a show that casually sends up cringey activist theatre, while also being brilliantly accomplished, both in terms of the deft, funny way Mary Higgins and Ell Potter make use of Shakespeare’s own words (there is a big laugh for ‘oh that this too too solid flesh would melt’) but also in the way I haven’t wanted to eat any meat since I saw it.

The loose idea is that Higgins and Potter have been driven to write a preposterous show because they think they can get funding for it. They do not seem convinced by the project and spend their whole time bickering away: Higgins is the precious, uptight vegan; Potter, by her own admission, was given the nickname ‘sausage queen’ after she ate 18 in a go once. 

Photo: Jonny Ruff | Mary Higgins (Hamlet) and Ell Potter (Gertrude)

The duo’s fractious odd-couple absurdity and the fact that they treat the entire project as if they know it’s a stupid idea – they are also naked quite a lot, FYI – is nicely offset by how accomplished it actually all is: as well as some dazzling linguistic bits, there’s great stuff like the play within the play being reimagined as an S&M session between Higgins and a hapless member of the audience.

Does it preach? Well maybe kind of, a bit, but certainly having confirmed meat eater Potter on board makes it seem less deadly earnest, even if this aspect does sometimes seem quite undermining of the show’s message (it does appear possible from stuff Potter says later that her meat consumption had been exaggerated for effect). But personally I found that while it doesn’t hit you with too much heavy stuff overall, when it does it really lands home. Footage of pigs being slaughtered is frankly just horrible; stats like how radically good for the planet it would be if we even ate two vegan meals a day and went nuts with meat and dairy on the third really hit home for me, personally, because it feels like the show has earned a couple of moments of seriousness.

So it’s a dumb Hamlet parody, a clever Hamlet parody, a show about how useless eco theatre is that is also an effective piece of eco theatre. It has its pig and doesn’t eat it.

Details    Address:  Soho Theatre  21 Dean St London W1D 3NE

Price: £19-£22. Runs 1hr

Website:     Soho Theatre – New theatre productions, cabaret and stand-up comedy from established and emerging talent.

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/ham-review

How a startup served 2.5 million plant-based meals and changed the way Britain eats vegetables

From nationalworld.com

Grubby started with office lunches and a simple idea: make eating more plants easier and more enjoyable. Millions of meals later, the company is entering a new chapter.

Five years ago, building an entire food business around plant-based eating looked like a risky proposition.

Although veganism was becoming more mainstream, many consumers still associated plant-based food with compromise. It was often seen as expensive, overly worthy and aimed at a relatively small audience rather than everyday households looking for dinner inspiration after work.

Yet that was the challenge the founders of Grubby⁠ decided to take on when they launched the business in London in 2019.

The founders say the aim was never to persuade people to become vegan overnight. Instead, they wanted to make eating more plants easier, more accessible and, crucially, more enjoyable.

            Grubby launches its first-ever ready meals, making cooking tasty dinners quick and easy (aff) | Grubby

What began as a lunch delivery business serving offices would soon evolve into something much bigger. When the pandemic transformed the way people worked and shopped, Grubby pivoted into recipe boxes, becoming what the company describes as the UK’s first fully plant-based meal kit service.

The timing proved fortunate.

As consumers became more interested in healthy eating, sustainability and reducing food waste, demand grew for services such as Grubby’s meal kits⁠, which removed much of the planning and shopping while still allowing customers to cook fresh meals at home.

According to the company, more than 2.5 million meals have now been served, helping transform what was once a small start-up into one of Britain’s best-known plant-based food brands.

Rather than focusing on what customers should stop eating, Grubby says it has always concentrated on what people can add to their diets instead. Its recipes draw inspiration from cuisines around the world and are designed to be prepared in around 30 minutes or less, with pre-portioned ingredients helping to minimise waste.

That approach appears to have resonated with consumers far beyond traditional vegan audiences.

The company has collaborated with brands including BOSH!, Mildreds and LEON, while building a customer base that increasingly includes people who simply want to eat more vegetables without completely changing their lifestyle. 

Grubby says its new range of plant-based ready meals combines high protein and fibre with quick “heat, ding, eat” convenience. | Grubby

Now Grubby is taking its biggest step since launching those original recipe boxes.

The company has expanded into frozen ready meals for the first time, giving customers the option to cook from scratch when they have the time and reach for a chef-made meal when they don’t.

According to Grubby, the new range has been designed to deliver the same flavour-first philosophy that helped build its meal kit business.

Products include the Tex Mex Protein Bowl⁠, which contains 20.2g of protein and 11.2 plant points, the Sticky Teriyaki Udon Noodles⁠, which combine vegetables and noodles in a rich teriyaki sauce, and the Spicy Szechuan Noodles⁠, which deliver 25g of protein alongside 10.5 plant points.

The emphasis on plant points reflects a broader shift taking place across Britain’s food culture.

Professor Tim Spector and nutrition science company ZOE⁠ have helped popularise the idea that eating a wider variety of plants can support better gut health, encouraging consumers to think beyond simple calorie counting.

According to Grubby, its Plant Points range was developed to help customers increase the diversity of plants they eat each week, supporting the increasingly popular goal of consuming around 30 different plants.

Nutrition is only part of the story, however.

As a certified B Corp, Grubby says every recipe is assessed against meat equivalents to estimate carbon savings, while customers can track the environmental impact of their food choices over time.

Yet despite the sustainability credentials and nutritional messaging, the company has consistently tried to avoid becoming overly serious about food.

Recipe boxes arrive with curated Spotify playlists, colourful branding and recipes designed to feel exciting rather than restrictive. According to the business, the goal has always been to make eating more plants something people look forward to rather than something they feel obliged to do.

That philosophy has helped the company grow from a start-up delivering lunches to offices into a national brand serving millions of meals.

With meal kits, ready meals and further product launches planned for the future, Grubby is betting that Britain’s appetite for convenient plant-based food still has plenty of room to grow.

https://www.nationalworld.com/recommended/grubby-plant-based-meal-kits-ready-meals-8689397

6 Cities Where Street Food Vendors Make Vegetarian and Vegan Eating Easy for Every Traveller

From kansascity.com

By Lauren Schuster 

Travelers looking to skip meat without skipping the local food scene have more options than ever. These six cities stand out for street food vendors who make vegetarian and vegan eating easy, affordable and genuinely delicious. 

Which Street Food City is Best for Vegetarians? 

Mumbai is widely considered the top street food destination for vegetarians, because most of the city’s iconic street dishes are meat-free by default. You don’t have to ask for substitutions or hunt down specialty stalls — the default menu works.

According to a National Family Health Survey, approximately 18% of people in Mumbai reported being vegetarian, which has shaped a street food culture built around plants, legumes and dairy. Look for pav bhaji, vada pav, pani puri and bhel puri at stalls across the city. 

India as a whole has the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world at 29.5%, according to World Population Review data, which helps explain why vegetarian street food is so deeply embedded in Mumbai’s daily life rather than treated as a niche offering.

How Do You Find Vegan Street Food in Bangkok? 

Bangkok makes plant-based eating straightforward: look for stalls marked “jay” (เจ), which means vegan. Vendors typically display a yellow diamond icon with a red border and the symbol written inside. 

The jay system is rooted in Buddhist dietary practice and is widely recognized by Thai vendors, so spotting the symbol on a cart or menu is a reliable signal. Pad thai with tofu (ordered without fish sauce, and without egg if you’re vegan), papaya salad without fish sauce, grilled corn brushed with coconut milk and mango sticky rice are all common finds.

For travellers who don’t read Thai, the visual marker is the easiest way to navigate a busy night market without a translation app. 

Is Mexico City Good for Vegan Street Food? 

Yes — Mexico City has built one of the largest vegan street food and restaurant scenes in Latin America, with over 3,000 establishments offering vegan options. 

Mexico has the second-highest percentage of vegetarians in the world at 19%, behind only India, and is tied with India for the highest percentage of vegans at 9%, according to World Population Review. That demand has pushed street vendors well beyond the standard taco. 

Look for tlacoyos stuffed with beans and topped with nopales and salsa, plus sopes and huaraches layered with black beans, onion, cilantro and avocado. These dishes are traditionally plant-based, not modern substitutions.

What Vegetarian Street Food Can You Eat in Ho Chi Minh City? 

Ho Chi Minh City offers an unusually wide range of vegan street food thanks to the influence of Vietnamese Buddhist cuisine, often called ẩm thực chay or simply chay.

Even Vietnamese diners who don’t follow chay restrictions year-round commonly eat plant-based for religious or health reasons several days each month, which keeps demand for meat-free street food consistent and prices low. 

Look for mock-meat dishes built around tofu and seitan — including bánh mì chay made with tofu — along with fresh spring rolls and phở chay, typically made with mushrooms in place of beef or chicken.

What is the Best European City for Vegan Street Food? 

London ranked number one out of every city in the world in the 2025 Vegan City Index, published by HappyCow at the beginning of 2026. HappyCow is the world’s leading platform for vegan dining. London’s strength is range. 

The city’s popular street food markets — Borough Market, Brick Lane and Maltby Street — are packed with plant-based options drawing from cuisines around the world. Look for stalls selling falafel, dosas, bao and tacos, often side by side.

Berlin came in third in the same 2025 Vegan City Index. The city’s döner culture has well-established meat alternatives, including vegan seitan and falafel, and Markthalle Neun — a historic market hall originally opened in 1891 — offers a rotating mix of global cuisine with strong plant-based representation.

https://www.kansascity.com/living/food-drink/article316024283.html

The 11 best vegan restaurants in London

From shortlist.com

By Andrew Taylor-Dawson

Half of which you probably won't even realise are vegan 

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or a curious omnivore – London has some incredible plant-based spots. You’ll find a huge diversity of cuisines from Chinese to Caribbean and much more besides. The capital’s best spots range from great value cheap eats, all the way up to fine dining and the city’s first fully vegan Michelin starred restaurant.

To bring you this list, we’ve teamed up with Clare Every, aka The Little London Vegan. If you haven’t seen her content on Instagram or Tik Tok, she’s a creator who shares her passion for vegan food and the incredible places that serve it in London and beyond. There aren’t many better people to assist us in serving up a selection of the best spots.

Forget the cliches about vegan food and delve into a world of great flavours and burgeoning culinary creativity. If you’re an omnivore dipping a toe into the waters of plant-based food, you certainly won’t miss the meat at these incredible restaurants.

The Little London Vegan selects

(Image credit: Muan Vegan)

1. Muan Vegan,
52-53 Granville Arcade Coldharbour Lane. SW9 8PS

Clare says: "The food here is phenomenal, but this underrated spot doesn’t just serve authentic Thai street food – the decor makes you feel like you’re sitting on a street in Thailand too."

Shortlist says: Leaning into Thai café vibes, as Clare says, Muan Vegan is massively under appreciated. Classic Thai dishes get a vegan make-over, celebrating incredible veg and spices. They also serve up some of the best vegan ‘meat’ you’ll find. The prices are also very reasonable for the location.

(Image credit: Plates via Instagram)

2. Plates
320 Old St., EC1V 9DR

Clare says: "I mean, it’s the UK’s first vegan Michelin-starred restaurant… need I say more? It’s spectacular in every way."

Shortlist says: Leaning into seasonality, this up market restaurant serves up a mind-blowing eight course tasting menu. Plates shows just how far plant-based cuisine can be refined. This couldn’t be further from the tired cliches about vegan food! If you’re looking for a genuine gastronomic experience or wanting somewhere for a celebration, you can’t go wrong here.

(Image credit: Club Mexicana)

3. Club Mexicana
Square Market Place Food Hall. 22 Leicester. WC2H 7LE

Clare says: "One of the OG vegan spots in London and a firm favourite for a lot of people. I dream about their birria tacos regularly."

Shortlist says: Burritos, tacos, nachos and more – all served up featuring some seriously punchy flavours. There’s a lot to love about this Mexican street food joint. Other locations can be found in the BOXHALL CITY food court near Liverpool Street and Mayfair.

(Image credit: Mukbap)

4. Mukbap
91 Worship St. EC2A 2BG

Clare says: "This tiny mother-and-son owned Korean restaurant can only seat about 10 people, so you may need to queue for a short time but it’s worth the wait."

Shortlist says: Korean culture and food is surging in popularity in the UK right now. As Clare points out, Mukbap is a family affair, serving up extraordinary bibimbap, mouth watering kimchi pancakes and much more besides.

(Image credit: Tendril Kitchen)

5. Tendril Kitchen
5 Princes St. London W1B 2LF

Clare says: "This spot is all about showcasing the beauty and versatility of vegetables and it does it so well. I recommend the tasting menu, so you get a bit of everything!"

Shortlist says: Describing itself as ‘plant first’, Tendril’s menu is approximately 95% vegan, with the occasional dish using dairy products, which is always clearly marked on the menu. Eschewing meat substitutes. This spot will open the eyes of many to what can be achieved with vegetables.

(Image credit: Tangra via Instagram)

6. Tangra
17 Frith St. W1D 4RG

Clare says: "This is one of London’s newer spots, but it has really filled a gap in the market. We desperately needed a cool vegan restaurant in central London with great food and cocktails, that both meat eaters and vegans will love. This Indo-Chinese restaurant is that spot!"

Shortlist says: Funky and fun, Tangra serves up punchy and flavourful food alongside some incredible cocktails. A fine addition to London’s vegan scene, that is perfect for a meal before heading to the theatre, catching some live jazz at Ronnie Scott’s on the other side of the street, or just hanging out and enjoying Soho.

(Image credit: Merkamo via Instagram)

7. Merkamo Ethiopian
42 Hanbury St, London E1 5JL

Clare says: "These guys started on a market stall in Spitalfields and due to popular demand, they've also got their own bricks and mortar venue now. Normally it’s a choice between taste buds and health but here, you get both!"

Shortlist says :Nestled on a side street just off Brick Lane, this atmospheric restaurant serves up authentic vegan Ethiopian food that is big on flavour. It’s bound to leave you craving your next dose of injera bread!

(Image credit: Jam Delish)

8. Jam Delish
1 Tolpuddle Street N1 0XT

Clare says: "A fully vegan Caribbean spot is no easy feat, but these guys have nailed it. Their head chef, Nathan Collymore combines the skills he learned under Jamie Oliver with his favourite flavours from his Caribbean household."

Shortlist says: Originally operating as a pop-up in Soho before launching its permanent location in the foodie mecca of Islington – Jam Delish has become a firm favourite in the world of London vegan restaurants.

9. Gauthier Soho
21 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AF

Clare says: "A fine-dining experience that will blow your mind. Alexis Gauthier has owned this restaurant for many years and made the decision to make it plant-based when he himself went vegan. It gained him both criticism and respect for the move, but whatever your thoughts are on it, the food speaks for itself!"

Shortlist says: Alexis Gauthier made an incredibly bold move by transitioning his long-established eponymous restaurant to being entirely vegan. Five years on, the restaurant continues to thrive and like Plates demonstrates just how refined vegan food can be.

Shortlist's picks

(Image credit: Mildreds)

10. Mildred’s
45 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AN

Mildred’s is a London plant-based staple. Originally opening on Greek Street, before moving to its current location – it used to be vegetarian, before transitioning to a fully vegan menu. Now with six locations, serving up their signature mix of cuisines from curries to excellent burgers, Lexington Street remains their most atmospheric restaurant. The longevity of Mildred’s is a testament to the ability of this relaxed restaurant to change and adapt over time.

11. Bubala
15 Poland St, London,
W1F 8QE

Bubala first started life as a pop up in London markets. before opening its first site in Spitalfiels in 2019. Whilst it's not a fully vegan restaurant, everything on the menu is vegan unless stated otherwise, which means you have a smattering of vegetarian dishes across its varied menus. Meaning 'darling' in Yiddish, Bubala is a Middle Eastern inspired eatery with the most delicious, fresh, and vibrant food which will have everyone – veggies, vegans, and meat-devotees alike – all clamouring for seconds. If you're looking for a restaurant where you'll walk away with your mind blown and your stomach dangerously full, Bubala need to be on your list.

You can find Claire's map of Vegan Eats in London via her website.

https://www.shortlist.com/food-and-drink/the-11-best-vegan-restaurants-in-london