My favourite vegan/vegetarian resturants in Central London

As someone who loves to try out new restaurants but is vegetarian, I find London to be a great place to explore different cuisines. So, if you are in the same boat as me, here are some amazing restaurants in or near central London that are either fully vegan or vegetarian.

1. MukBap

This is a fully vegan Korean restaurant in Shoreditch. The interior is quite cosy but has limited seating capacity, so I would recommend going during the weekdays. Nevertheless, the food variety is pretty impressive and if you like spicy food, this is a must-visit. One item on the menu that I would recommend is the Kimchi Pancakes as the crispy texture and the savoury taste pair together very nicely and is perfect as a starter. 

2. Sagar Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant

This restaurant is a mere 10-minute walk from campus, located in our favourite: Covent Garden. The menu is completely vegetarian and the majority of it is also vegan. If you want healthy and heartwarming South Indian food, this is your place. My recommendation for this restaurant is the Onion & Chilli Uthappam, it is savoury, hot and crispy, served with hot and tangy sambar. However, like any other place in Covent Garden, it gets very busy here during the weekends so I would suggest going during the weekdays, but they do have a lot of seating. 

3. Tofu Vegan

Chinese plant-based food doesn’t get better than this. Tofu Vegan has multiple locations across Central London and the menu is extensive so you can easily find something that suits your taste. The interior of the restaurant itself is very welcoming, making the dining experience even better. The ‘sizzling fried tofu in black bean sauce’ is one of their signature dishes and I cannot recommend it enough. It is warm, crispy outside, and soft inside, accompanied by the tangy, spicy, and sweet taste of the black bean sauce. 

4. Itadakizen

Located near King’s Cross Station, Itadakizen is a fully vegan Japanese restaurant offering a dine-in lunch and dinner menu as well as lunch takeaway bento boxes. The 'Spicy Ramen' is best for cold weather as it warms you up from the inside with its rich yet smooth broth. The ramen also feels very healthy as it comes with plenty of vegetables and tofu for protein.

5. Vegan Passion

Although this restaurant is in Stepney, it delivers to central London and is a great option for when you are too lazy to cook and don’t want to go outside. This restaurant offers a plethora of meat-alternative burgers, loaded fries, vegan milkshakes, and non-alcoholic mojitos. My order is never complete without the ‘Vegan Passion Hot Fries,’ an amazing combination of crispy fries, hot sauce, vegan mayonnaise, and jalapenos, a perfect, spicy and sour side for your burger. The prices are also reasonable and many of the menu items are usually on a buy-one get-one-free offer on either Uber Eats or Deliveroo, so you can share this meal with your friend as well.

These are just a few of my favourite vegan/vegetarian restaurants, however, my tip for discovering new vegan restaurants is to use the HappyCow app. It finds vegan restaurants near your location and has ratings and reviews for each restaurant as well.