Best Vegan Restaurants in London for Plant-Based Dining

Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe

London has one of the UK’s broadest plant-based dining scenes, but restaurant guides can become outdated quickly. The strongest choices now range from casual vegan pizza and Chinese food to Caribbean cooking, pub classics, modern vegetable-led menus, and Michelin-starred tasting experiences. This guide focuses on restaurants that could be verified as operating in 2026 while also correcting several closed venues that still appear in older London vegan guides.

Best Vegan Restaurants in London at a Glance

Mildreds Soho: A London Vegan Institution

Mildreds Soho is one of London’s longest-running names in meat-free dining. The first Mildreds opened on Greek Street in 1988 as a vegetarian restaurant. The business later expanded around London and became completely plant-based in 2021.

The current Soho flagship is at 45 Lexington Street. Its menus lean toward globally inspired comfort food rather than a single cuisine, making it useful for groups in which everyone wants something different. Breakfast, brunch, main meals, desserts, and cocktails are available, and the restaurant also publishes a children’s menu.

Mildreds works particularly well for a first-time visitor who wants a central, fully vegan restaurant without committing to an expensive tasting menu.

The Coach & Horses: Historic Soho Pub With Vegan Options

The Coach & Horses in Soho is different from most restaurants on this list because it is not fully vegan. Its current food information describes a traditional pub menu alongside vegan and vegetarian choices.

That makes it worth considering when you want a classic London pub atmosphere but need plant-based food. It is also a practical compromise for mixed-diet groups that do not require an entirely vegan kitchen.

Holy Carrot: Creative Plant-Based Dining

Holy Carrot is a current alternative for diners who once found recommendations for Farmacy. It operates in Notting Hill and Spitalfields and focuses on vegetable-forward cooking built around seasonal produce.

Executive chef Daniel Watkins’ approach centers on fire and fermentation. The restaurant says it also works with small-scale growers and aims to use vegetables from root to leaf, giving the menu more personality than the generic “healthy vegan food” label suggests.

Choose Holy Carrot when you want a polished meal built around vegetables themselves rather than plant-based versions of burgers or fried chicken.

Plates London: Michelin-Starred Vegan Fine Dining

Plates London is one of the most important additions missing from older London vegan guides. The Michelin Guide awarded the Old Street restaurant one star and describes chef Kirk Haworth’s cooking as inventive plant-based cuisine backed by strong classical technique.

This is a tasting-menu destination rather than a casual drop-in restaurant. For July and August 2026, Plates lists an eight-course Signature Menu at £109 per person and an 11-course Discovery Menu at £130 per person. Reservations are released in booking windows, and popular dates may require joining a waitlist.

London vegan dining now stretches from inexpensive takeaway food to Michelin-starred tasting menus costing more than £100 per person.

Tofu Vegan: One of London’s Standout Vegan Chinese Restaurants

Tofu Vegan specializes in fully vegan Chinese food and has several London locations, including Islington, Spitalfields, Charlotte Street, Gloucester Road, and Golders Green.

The menu goes well beyond plain tofu dishes. It uses tofu, bean curd, vegetables, mushrooms, and plant-based meat alternatives across a broad selection of Chinese dishes. Time Out’s 2026 London vegan guide highlights the restaurant as one of the city’s leading current choices.

For travelers, the multiple locations are a major advantage: you can often fit Tofu Vegan into a day in central London without making a special trip across the city.

Purezza Camden: Fully Vegan Pizza

Purezza is the stronger current choice for the vegan-pizza slot that the original draft incorrectly assigned to Rudy’s Dirty Vegan. Its Camden restaurant is at 45/47 Parkway and serves a fully vegan menu centered on pizza, with sides and other plant-based dishes.

Purezza describes itself as a plant-based pizzeria, and its current Camden listing includes gluten-free options as well as takeaway. It is a good fit when you want a casual meal close to Camden’s markets, music venues, and nightlife.

Gauthier Soho: Refined Vegan Fine Dining

Gauthier Soho is the current fine-dining recommendation that should replace old references to Vanilla Black. Chef Alexis Gauthier applies a French fine-dining background to menus that are now entirely free from animal products.

The restaurant occupies a Regency townhouse on Romilly Street in Soho. Its summer 2026 menus include a shorter five-course Petit Dîner at £65 and an eight-course Grand Dîner at £95 before optional drinks pairings and the listed discretionary service charge.

Choose Gauthier for an intimate special-occasion meal where you want formal service and tasting-menu cooking without animal products.

Temple of Seitan: Vegan Fried Chicken and Comfort Food

Temple of Seitan remains one of London’s clearest choices for indulgent vegan fast food. Its official site currently lists dine-in locations in Camden and Hackney.

The focus is seitan-based comfort food rather than health food: think fried plant-based chicken, burgers, sandwiches, fries, and sides. The company states that its menu is 100% vegan.

Temple is particularly useful when you want a quick, filling meal instead of a sit-down tasting experience.

Facing Heaven: Vegan Sichuan-Inspired Food in Hackney

Facing Heaven in Hackney is a strong option when you want bold Chinese flavors rather than Western vegan comfort food. Time Out’s January 2026 guide describes it as a vegan Chinese restaurant with a short Sichuan-focused menu.

Dishes highlighted in current coverage include smacked cucumber, dan dan noodles, and other plates built around chili, black vinegar, sesame, garlic, and plant-based proteins. It offers a useful contrast to London’s burger-heavy vegan fast-food scene.

Jam Delish: Vegan Caribbean Food in Angel

Jam Delish brings Caribbean flavors into London’s fully plant-based restaurant scene. Current 2026 guides highlight dishes inspired by jerk cooking, curries, patties, rice and peas, plantain, and other Caribbean staples recreated with ingredients such as seitan, tempeh, jackfruit, and soy.

The restaurant is in Angel and sits between casual dining and a more polished night out. It is a strong choice for anyone who wants vegan food rooted in a specific culinary tradition rather than a generic international menu.

Club Mexicana: Mexican-Inspired Vegan Street Food

Club Mexicana focuses on bold, casual, Mexican-inspired plant-based food. Its current website lists London locations at Mercato Mayfair and Boxhall City near Liverpool Street.

This is the place to consider when tacos, loaded street-food-style dishes, and punchy flavors sound better than a formal restaurant meal. The casual format also makes it easy to combine with sightseeing or an evening out.

The Gate: Long-Running Plant-Based Restaurant Dining

The Gate has been part of London’s meat-free restaurant scene since 1989. Its current website lists locations in Hammersmith and Islington and says its à la carte menu is 100% plant-based.

The menu is better described as globally inspired and seasonal than simply Mediterranean. Fresh vegetables, grains, sauces, herbs, and international influences form the core of the cooking.

The Gate suits diners who want a traditional sit-down restaurant experience with a broad plant-based menu rather than fast food or a fixed tasting menu.

Closed or Outdated London Vegan Restaurant Listings

London’s restaurant scene changes quickly, which is why several names in older vegan guides should no longer be treated as current recommendations.

Farmacy Camden: Wrong Location and No Longer a Current Pick

The original draft referred to “Farmacy Camden,” but Farmacy’s restaurant was in Notting Hill, not Camden. It became known for organic, plant-based food and produce associated with its farm, but current 2026 listings report the restaurant as permanently closed. Holy Carrot now fills a similar niche for polished vegetable-led dining in Notting Hill.

Nutritious: Current London Venue Could Not Be Verified

The original article presented “Nutritious” as an innovative vegan fast-food restaurant in central London. A sufficiently reliable current London restaurant operating under that exact identity could not be verified, so it should not be recommended as though it were an established active venue.

Rudy’s Dirty Vegan: Closed

Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner was a Camden vegan comfort-food restaurant known for burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, fries, mac and cheese, milkshakes, and similar American-style dishes. It was not primarily a pizza restaurant, despite the original draft describing it that way. It was reported closed in May 2023.

222 Veggie Vegan: Closed

222 Veggie Vegan, later known as 222 Vegan Cuisine, was a long-running West London vegan restaurant on North End Road. Older descriptions praised its relaxed atmosphere, broad vegan menu, and relatively affordable meals. However, it stopped operating and is currently listed as closed rather than as an active restaurant recommendation.

Vanilla Black: Closed

Vanilla Black was an important part of London’s vegetarian fine-dining history, but it should not appear in a current “best vegan restaurants” list. The owners announced in 2020 that the restaurant would not reopen at its existing site. For contemporary plant-based fine dining, Gauthier Soho and Plates London are much more useful recommendations.

Wild Food Cafe: Closed

Wild Food Cafe in Neal’s Yard became known for raw and plant-based dishes in a colorful Covent Garden setting. It later became fully vegan, but the restaurant is now closed. Current visitors should not plan a trip to Neal’s Yard expecting it to be operating.

How to Choose the Right Vegan Restaurant in London

Start with the kind of meal you actually want. For a casual lunch, Temple of Seitan, Purezza, or Club Mexicana may make more sense than a tasting-menu restaurant. For Chinese food, Tofu Vegan or Facing Heaven are stronger choices. For a special occasion, look at Gauthier Soho, Holy Carrot, or Plates.

Location matters too. Soho gives you Mildreds, Gauthier, and the vegan-friendly Coach & Horses within a compact central area. Camden works well for Purezza and Temple of Seitan, while East London has choices such as Facing Heaven, Holy Carrot’s Spitalfields location, and Plates near Old Street.

Finally, check the current menu before making a long journey. Restaurant concepts, opening days, prices, and allergen policies can change much faster than travel articles are updated.

How Much Does Vegan Food Cost in London?

There is no single useful price range for vegan dining in London. Casual restaurants may have individual dishes or mains around the low-to-mid teens, while pizza and full sit-down meals often move into the £20-plus range once drinks and sides are added.

Fine dining is a different category. Gauthier Soho’s summer 2026 tasting menus are listed at £65 and £95, while Plates lists July-August 2026 menus at £109 and £130 per person before drinks. Service charges may also be added.

Check the current menu rather than relying on an old claim that every vegan meal in London falls between £8 and £30.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are reservations necessary at vegan restaurants in London?

It depends on the restaurant. Fine-dining venues such as Plates can require substantial advance planning, and popular sit-down restaurants are sensible to book on weekends. Temple of Seitan, however, states that it does not currently take reservations. Always check the individual restaurant rather than applying one rule to every venue.

Do London vegan restaurants offer gluten-free or allergy-friendly food?

Many offer allergen information or some gluten-free choices, but suitability varies sharply. Temple of Seitan says its gluten-free selection is limited and warns about cross-contact, while Plates says it cannot cater for nut, soy, or allium allergies. Contact the restaurant before booking when an allergy is involved.

What does a vegan meal cost in London?

Casual vegan restaurants can have individual dishes in roughly the £10-£20 range, while full meals cost more once sides and drinks are added. Fine dining is substantially more expensive: current 2026 tasting menus at Gauthier start around £65, while Plates lists menus above £100 per person.

Are children welcome at these vegan restaurants?

Some are very family-friendly. Mildreds, for example, publishes a children’s menu. Others are designed for adults or special occasions: Plates states that it has not accommodated babies or children under 12 since January 2026. Check the policy before taking children to a high-end venue.

Do London vegan restaurants offer takeaway or delivery?

Many casual venues do, but availability depends on the restaurant and your location. Temple of Seitan lists delivery through Uber Eats, while Purezza offers takeaway. Fine-dining restaurants are less likely to work as conventional delivery options. Check the restaurant’s current website or ordering platform before relying on delivery.

Which London restaurants on this list are fully vegan?

Mildreds, Temple of Seitan, Tofu Vegan, Purezza, Gauthier Soho, Plates London, and several other featured venues operate with plant-based or vegan menus. The Coach & Horses is different: it is a conventional pub with vegan and vegetarian options rather than a fully vegan restaurant.

What is the best vegan restaurant in London for a special occasion?

Plates London is the standout choice for Michelin-starred plant-based dining, while Gauthier Soho offers French-influenced vegan tasting menus in an intimate Soho townhouse. Holy Carrot is another good choice when you want creative vegetable-led cooking in a polished setting.

Conclusion

London remains an excellent city for plant-based dining, but a useful restaurant guide needs to reflect which venues are actually open now. Mildreds remains a dependable central option, while Plates and Gauthier cover high-end dining, Tofu Vegan and Facing Heaven bring strong Chinese choices, Purezza specializes in pizza, Temple of Seitan handles comfort food, and Holy Carrot puts vegetables at the center of the plate.

Just as important, do not plan a trip around outdated recommendations such as Vanilla Black, Rudy’s Dirty Vegan, 222 Veggie Vegan, Wild Food Cafe, or Farmacy. Check the restaurant’s current menu, booking rules, and allergen information before visiting, especially when traveling across London for a specific meal.

Sources

1. Mildreds — Our Story — verifies the 1988 opening and the move to a completely plant-based menu in 2021.
2. Plates London — current 2026 menus, reservation information, age policy, and allergen limitations.
3. Michelin Guide — Plates London — verifies its Michelin star and plant-based restaurant status.
4. Temple of Seitan FAQ — verifies vegan status, booking policy, delivery information, and gluten/cross-contact guidance.
5. The Gate — verifies current locations and its 100% plant-based à la carte menu.
6. Gauthier Soho Menus — verifies current plant-based tasting-menu format and dining information.