Have a vegan mate who feels left out when the only veggie option on the menu is a soggy portobello mushroom burger, because the group is full of carnivores and always go to meaty restaurants in London?
Or dating someone who’s vegan and you want to impress?
Or maybe you’re new to veganism and looking to dip your toes and see if the diet would suit you?
Long gone are the days of salad and plain boring veggie dishes at vegetarian restaurants. Mock meat is a thing don’t ya know?
And as someone who can’t live without meat, it’s glorious.
Mock burgers, chicken, even bacon… Mock bacon for crying out loud!
Here are the best mock meat vegan places in London
Temple of Seitan
I’m gonna be honest. I thought Seitan was a place…
Seitan is made from wheat gluten; it’s chewy like meat and protein-rich to boot. And Temple of Seitan use it to full effect to create a tasty bacon substitute (on top of mock 1/4 pound patties or chicken fillets) that has the crispy texture of the real thing.
You’ll also find fries with vegan chicken salt, chicken wings and chicken popcorn bites that’ll make you want to worship there every day.
Locations: Camden and Hackney
The Full Nelson
What is chicken and waffles anyway? Is it like a dessert? Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?
It’s delicious is whatever it is. And Full Nelson have created a perfect vegan version with mock southern fried chicken with maple syrup and maple butter.
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find the brunch roll (beer battered mock sausages, hash brown, pepper mushrooms, fried onions and cheese) and the Full Nelson *takes deep breath* (Tofu, kale and onion scramble, beer battered vegan sausages, mushrooms, courgette, potato, onion and apple rosti, oven roasted vine tomatoes and Deptford Death sauce beans *exhales*
Locations: Deptford
Eat chay
I’ve been eating baos for as long as I can remember. I couldn’t imagine giving up the super soft-cloud like little fellas.
And now I don’t have to, because Eat Chay offer Korean BBQ seitan, deep fried mock fish and Korean fried tofu as fillings for their delicious baos.
You’ll also find fish and chips, bibimbap and traditional sandwich bahn mi (with grilled soya vegan chicken).
Location: Boxpark Shoreditch and Borough Market
Club Mexicana
Club Mexicana, tacos are frea(kin awesome)
Miss Mexican food?
Club Mexicana has your back.
It’s London’s first vegan Mexican restaurant.
Food is best shared which means you can order more things and try a little bit of everything. The foodie’s dream.
Club Mexicana also have a Mexican influenced fry up featuring mock chorizo sausage and tempeh bacon, massive breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros.
Locations: Shoreditch, Netil Market and Spread Eagle
Biff’s Jack Shack
If you’ve never tried jack fruit, you don’t know jack about vegan food.
Biff’s Jack Shack use this thick, chewy fruit to create burgers, wings and bowls.
On their website they claim jack fruit is still one of your five a day even when fried (I’m not sure if this is totally true, but I’m going to believe it and not think about it too much).
Locations: Boxpark Wembley and Shoreditch, Walthamstow
Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner
A message to you, Rudy.
I love you for your soya mince patty, crispy seitan fried chicken in your outrageous burgers, mock buffalo wings, vegan Rueben pastrami sandwich, ‘chicken’ parmigiana and your dirty dogs.
Locations: Camden Stables Market
Purezza
100% plant based pizza? Gluten free dough? Is this the healthiest pizza in London???
As the first vegan pizzeria in the UK, it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about pizzas. They’ve perfected their sourdough bases with a ‘type 2’ wholegrain flour which are left to mature for a minimum of 48 hours making them extra light and fluffy with maximum flavour and easier to digest. They’ve won multiple awards for their pizzas too!
If you’re missing a classic pepperoni pizza, the Seitan salami slices at Purezza will fill that circular whole in your heart. You’ll also find mock BBQ pulled pieces, sausage and shaved seitan as toppings too.
Location: Camden
Unity diner
The great full English. A classic staple in the breakfast vocabulary.
If you have a big day ahead, keep yourself powered (and full) with the Unity Diner full English breakfast. Or satisfy your sweet tooth with the chikken pancake or waffle stack (spend £1 extra for bakon).
If Scooby Doo turned vegan, he’d be at Unity Diner every day eating their club sandwich, the king of sandwiches.
Talking of supreme dogs, there’s also the UD Supreme Dog (seamless segue, I know), a ridiculous concoction of grilled hot dog wrapped in bakon topped with mac and cheese.
Unity Diner are also non profit too.
Location: Hoxton
