London

[Long]

I just got back from London and was quite disappointed by the vegan restaurants.
At the end I ate vegan stuff at other restaurants, mostly Asian. What I didn't like about the vegan restaurants is that they had too many soy dishes that resembled meat or sea food while in Chinatown(Soho) I just ordered something like mushrooms and veggies on rice and Chinese greens.

I prefer to eat vegan food that resembles the food it is: a mushroom is a mushroom.
What I liked is that you can basically get vegan food almost everywhere.

[Hiking Fox]

London has a massive range of vegan food, from raw to Indian to Italian, to Macrobiotic, to salads, to wholefood.

Some places like 'Manna' and the little place in Covent garden have been there for many decades, and then there's new, cheap places like 'Pogo' in Hackney.

You must have picked the wrong restaurants.

[Long]

You must have picked the wrong restaurants.

To be fair, I was there for two weeks work related. I didn't have much time to really check out all the vegan restaurants. The ones I went to were the ones I found in a London guide book.

I used to live in London(before my vegan days) so I knew all the Asian restaurants to go to where I knew I would get decent food.

Thanks for pointing that out. I'll check them out next time.

[Enhydra Lutris]

Love wagamamas!

[barnz2k]

the thai buffets in soho are cheap and OK for a cheap bite - but yeah mostly fake meat type stuff.

But in Soho alone theres (cant remember name) buffet/cafe on wardour street where you pay per portion, mildreds, red veg for fast food, and most places have vegan options around there.

actually I havent eaten really in chinatown, almost everything is contains meat and even greens often have oyster sauce or butter. I do like my Sesame Balls though

[Long]

Love wagamamas!

I went to Wagamamas a few times because I used to go there when I used to live in London but I think it is a bit overpriced. It is a good option though.

the thai buffets in soho are cheap and OK for a cheap bite - but yeah mostly fake meat type stuff.

But in Soho alone theres (cant remember name) buffet/cafe on wardour street where you pay per portion, mildreds, red veg for fast food, and most places have vegan options around there.

actually I havent eaten really in chinatown, almost everything is contains meat and even greens often have oyster sauce or butter. I do like my Sesame Balls though

Yeah, I was speaking about those Thai buffets. It surprised me that they didn't have any tofu dish but instead had several fake meat dishes. You still get decent food for the price because you can choose a lot of veggies and fruit.

[Enhydra Lutris]

I went to Wagamamas a few times because I used to go there when I used to live in London but I think it is a bit overpriced. It is a good option though.

Yeah, I guess I've mainly seen it as a treat or a "it's going to be expensive anyway"-dinner out. What really bothers me though, is how they refuse ("can't") split the bill, even though they write your choices down on the giant place matt!

[barnz2k]

Yeah, I was speaking about those Thai buffets. It surprised me that they didn't have any tofu dish but instead had several fake meat dishes. You still get decent food for the price because you can choose a lot of veggies and fruit.

True true. They do often have 1 tofu dish - with chillies!

Dont think Ive ever been to wagamamas.

Satsuma in Soho has a few veg options - they even specificially say non-fish based sauce on the menu!

[emm7]

well apart from the Chinese restaurants in Soho which are great, and Wagamamas which is great too.......

some more left-of-field lunchtime options that haven't been mentioned:
Covent Garden area: there's a lot of (pricey but tasty) vegan food to be had in Neal's Yard (off Neal Street near Covent Garden tube), cash only though and you'll need a fair bit of it! Also at Food for Thought restaurant on Neal Street. It is overpriced though!

Bloomsbury/Russell Square area: "Alara" health food shop in Bloomsbury does hot and cold vegan takeaway food for lunchtimes and excellent vegan cake slices but again it ain't cheap!

Tottenham Court Road area: Planet Organic health food shop on Tottenham Court Road is even pricier but does vegan lunch food.

Foyles bookshop cafe upstairs has vegan options including cake and soya milk for the drinks.

[Long]

Tottenham Court Road area: Planet Organic health food shop on Tottenham Court Road is even pricier but does vegan lunch food.

Foyles bookshop cafe upstairs has vegan options including cake and soya milk for the drinks.

I was in Foyles almost everyday while I was in London but somehow never went into their café. i thought it was like the Starbucks café in Borders across the street so I didn't bother. I also worked near Tottenham Court Rd but totally missed Planet Organic Health Food shop.
Good to know for the next time I'm there.

I'll have to see about the over-priced ones though

[barnz2k]

Tottenham Court Road area: Planet Organic health food shop on Tottenham Court Road is even pricier but does vegan lunch food.

Foyles bookshop cafe upstairs has vegan options including cake and soya milk for the drinks.

Never knew there was a Planet Organic in central! A bit up from T.C station but still. They do have good cheap options too like those from Laura I think, only like £2.20 for spinach + tofu wrap, vegan muesli yoghurt etc. I want one near me.

FOyles is cool, they have some weird ass music there at times

[Rubber_Ritchie]

Hey Long,

It sounds like you only found the vegan 'tai' buffets. They are terrible. They were exposed on a uk tv show. Their food isn't fresh (some of it days old) and they use the cheapest ingredients. It's a pity you didn't visit Vita Organic, Beetroot or Tidbits all of which are great and don't do any fake meat.

[ninearms]

http://www.safrestaurant.co.uk/

Best place I've been to in London by a mile.

[ultra_whippet]

There's a new place called Tibits which is pretty decent too. Much pricier than the Tai places but miles better.

[Rubber_Ritchie]

Tibits is my favourite place at the moment. It's so cosy, food very fresh and the staff are lovely. You can get a big plate for about 9 quid so it's only a little more expensive than the tai buffets but a much higher standard.