Looking for restaurants that do much more than merely accommodate those with a plant-based diet? We showcase the best veggie-friendly establishments in the city.
Where: 5 Clipstone Street London W1W 5QW
A cool, minimalist space with consistently outstanding food, always interesting, and creative, seasonally based vegetable dishes on the menu which are always an exciting prospect to try.
What to order: the menu changes regularly depending on market produce - but the pasta is always a must-have, like the fermented mushroom ravioli with wild garlic pistou and toasted buckwheat. Starters might include grilled green asparagus with hazelnut miso and egg yolk. And don't forget their house-made sourdough with lemon olive oil.
Where: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
Executive chef Tom Cenci has created a brilliant selection of veg dishes across the menu - with more than enough to keep anyone happy from brunch through to dinner.
What to order: the grilled flatbread with aubergine and sumac yoghurt is a great start - followed by the seasonally changing filled ravioli ‘for the table’. Plus they’ve created a special plant-based version of the eponymous duck and waffle, featuring curry scraps and spiced cauliflower.
If you're vegan: Vegan options always available by request.
Where: Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB
Tucked away inside the museum, next to Lambeth Palace, this really is worth seeking out. As you might expect, really excellent fresh produce features prominently on the menu - available daily at lunchtimes and evenings Tuesday to Friday.
What to order: the menu changes daily, but might feature dishes like a wild garlic and chard barley risotto, or panisse with roast onions, tomatoes and goats curd. Save room for the excellent desserts - especially if there is crumble.
Our Garden Museum Café Test Drive
Where: 216 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QW
Round the corner from Clipstone is the newest outpost of Itamar Srulovic and Sarit Packer's joyful Israeli restaurants, where the byword is generosity, with fabulous cooking to match. There is certainly no shortage of vegetarian dishes, with vegan options too.
What to order: Go for the set menu - basically every single mezze dish (all vegetarian) plus a main from the wood-fired grill and a dessert. You will regret not ordering everything as there is not a single dish you won't want to try. Must haves include the roasted cauliflower with tahini and homemade amba (a spicy mango pickle), their version of falafel, fragrant with cinnamon, burnt celeriac with urfa butter, and whole roasted tahini aubergine with jewelled rice.
If you're vegan: try something like the lentil, courgette and cashew koftas with quinoa tabbouleh and cashew tahini.
Where: 88 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH
A relaxed and stylish space from chef Isaac McHale and the team behind the much-celebrated Clove Club - there's a more informal bar menu too. The focus on pasta and fresh vegetable starters mean you can share a selection of dishes without being restricted to a single choice.
What to order: The pasta dishes which might include a plate of malfadine with pistachio pesto. At breakfast, this pesto features again in a focaccia sandwich with smoked ricotta. Or maybe a verdant risotto of wild garlic with spring greens.
Where: 22 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NB
A wonderful, comfortable restaurant by chef Jun Tanaka which manages to retain a neighbourhood feel in the heart of Fitzrovia, winning a Michelin star in the process. The food is always full of flavour with enough veg choices to keep a large group happy, sharing many small plates and desserts.
What to order: pastas like orecchiette with egg yolk, morels and tarragon, and fabulous pastry which features in the Treviso tart tatin with blood orange and walnuts
Where: 21-22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE
As you'd expect from Yotam Ottolenghi, vegetables really are a star on the menu here - with so much choice there's no need to even look at the meat and fish offerings. Everything is so fresh and vibrant, it's a joy to eat vegetarian food here.
What to order: the signature courgette and manouri fritters with cardamom yoghurt are a must - along with seasonal dishes like chargrilled asparagus with miso tahini and poppyseed.
If you're vegan: check ahead of time, but plant-based dishes might include green beans with coconut sambal. cucumber and pumpkin seeds, or spiced potato cake with tamarind and pine nut yoghurt.
Where: 18 Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LD
Nick Balfe has turned this tiny upstairs space into a wonderful opportunity to showcase his seasonal cooking, often featuring foraged ingredients, cooked with skill and imagination. From the soda bread and focaccia to the house made pasta, it's a veg-focused delight.
What to order: evenings involve a set menu, with vegetarian choices throughout - with vegan friendly options like smoked cauliflower, miso, red onion and ramsons.
Where: Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA
An elegant and peaceful restaurant, with an emphasis on the excellent produce from their exclusive partnership with Fern Verrow biodynamic farm. There is plenty of choice for veggies, not least on the pasta section.
What to order: as well as beautiful pasta, there are creative vegetarian options on the seasonal menu, like panisse with artichokes, crushed broad bean leaves and pine nuts.
Our Spring Restaurant Test Drive
Where: 4A Upper St Martin's Ln, London WC2H 9NS
Executive chef Chantelle Nicholson has set out to create a range of outstanding plant based dishes as part of the main offering, not hidden away in some separate menu 'by request'. There's also a special 5 course vegan menu available for just £35.
What to order: Fantastic choices include a spice roast cauliflower with vegan aioli and triple cooked chips with romesco - and don't miss Chantelle's famous vegan peanut butter pudding with chocolate sorbet, utterly glorious.
If you're vegan: you will love the many choices available, with no compromise on taste.
