Vegan friendly restaurants in UK (outside London)

[scarlett]

oooh, that's interesting to know, we're going to The Isle of Man next spring

Congratulations on the engagement too emmy

[Mr Flibble]

Just back from a week in Dorset, I met up with a friend in Exeter and had a great meal at Herbies - garlic bread/hummus started and vegan chilli for main was too full for pud

Ditto, we went there this summer too. Very good value for money.

We had a drink from plant, but glad we didn't eat there. Not because it didn't look alright, but because we wouldn't have then gone to herbies

[Mr Flibble]

We also went to Lancrigg in Cumbria this summer for lunch. Their evening menu looks fantastic but lunch menu is very limited. The service was slow (I guess because they are a hotel they have to provide lunch but the numbers of extra people they get is very variable) but the weather was gorgeous and we had our food out on the lawn. The quality of all the food was excellent for the money; each coming with a nasturtium. The type of food seems a bit more old school than some places; no tofu on the lunchtime menu at least. This isn't a bad thing though, it was well seasoned and well cooked. We'd definitely recommend it and look forward to staying there at some point.

[sugarmouse]

The Plough is a pub in Leyland, Lancashire, that has a really good vegan menu and the food is great I have eatern there 3 times now

[emmy]

The WhaleTail in Lancaster is excellent; they do lunch and have also started opening for evening meals Thurs-Sun (I think). We haven't had an evening meal yet, but if their lunches are anything to go by then it will be worth it!
It's above a health food shop, so handy to stock up there too

And Zefferellis in Ambleside (Cumbria) are really understanding of vegan requirements. We asked for a vegan pizza, we wanted different toppings on each half of it, they gave us some paper to draw how we wanted it made! And it was really really good!!

[Corum]

We have just got back from having the most gorgeous sunday lunch, ever! A few months ago, while on a work's lunchtime gurgle, I found the Royal Oak, Station Road, Lewes.

OK, it's a Greene King pub (Ex Beards if that means owt to the die-hard drinkers around here), so I didn't hold out much hope at first (what with GK being this major regional brewer from Suffolk dictating how folk drink in Sussex). However, the range of beer is excellent. They have Budvar (not the pants american rice beer version) on tap, as well as various trappist ales, such as Leffe, and the food...

... the food is totally to die for!!!
We just had a vegan sunday roast - with all the trimmings (though not with Yorkie puds as they haven't found a vegan recipe yet). The nut roast was devine and the veggies were all freshly cooked.

It cost £7.50 each, which if you add beer, it cost about £25 at most for two, but it was really worth the money and it certainly put the George in Brighton to shame.

They do decent veggie food, with a small range of vegan items on the menu every day, not just Sundays. If you tell the bar staff when you order, that you are vegan, they will make sure what you get is vegan. The landlady, Tina worked at the Rainbow around the corner, when that was a veggie/vegan pub and she's done a fantastic job.

in Hemlock's opinion, it was the best Sunday Roast she's ever had and I have to agree with that.

[cedarblue]

sounds great corum!

[harpy]

Thanks for that Corum - must give it a try when I'm in that neck of the woods. If only all pubs were the same!

[horselesspaul]

Ooh. Nice.
Must go sometime.
Thanks for the information.

[Sluggie]

There's a vietnamese restaurant in Southampton called 'Bamboos' that has a good range of dishes made with tofu or mock duck. The waiter was able to tell me what was vegan or veganisable without having to run off to the kitchen and consult the chef. Good food, reasonably priced. The corpse-eaters I was with approved of their nosh too.

[Kevster]

Went to Treehouse in Bradford t'other day and shared a piece of chocolate cake. We then went over to South Square vegetarian cafe in Thornton for a bit of lunch. I then went back to Treehouse in the evening and helped out a bit with washing up and all and had some soup, bhajis!!!! and cake!!! and popcorn!!! Pretty filling day, fortunately did some walking in between.

[astridasterix]

Sorry if someone has already mentioned this place, but Herbies in Exeter is YUM, and almost anything on the menu can be made vegan, everything on the menu is already vegetarian. I stayed in Exeter for 2 days and ate there for breakfast and dinner
Also, in Bath (nr. bristol), there's the Porter Cellar Bar, it's vegetarian with a few vegan meals on there too.

[Kevster]

From vegan village, sounds like quite an undertaking!

'New Veg*n Cafe in Brighton!

The Beanstalk, 25 North St. Currently open 9-6 but there are plans to extend these hours to 8-10pm. Reasonably priced, hot and cold food. Vegan cake, cheesecake and pasties. Redwoods cheatin' and cheezly range used in baguettes etc. Predominantly vegan. Mother and son team. Please show them your support!'

[Kevster]

Went to Dandelion and Burdocks in Sowerby bridge for their Christmas meal and to celebrate the end of a year! The food was excellent, i started with bubble and squeak cakes which tasted delicious, my only previous experience of bubble and squeak was when my Mum used to make a vile concoction, however, this was really good tasty stuff with salad, dressing and mayo.

For main course it was the traditional cashew nut roast with sweet potato and sweet sauce mmmmmmmmmmmm also tried some of the sweet potato pie!!!! For dessert the beetroot and chocolate cake, with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce scored very highly on the dessert front!!!

Very good food!!!!

This morning i had chocolate cookies for breakfast.

[herbwormwood]

If you are near Newcastle you may like to try this one

http://www.scrumpywillowandthesingingkettle.co.uk/

I went there for lunch today and had a delicious vegan cooked breakfast, baked beans, potato cakes, mushrooms, tomato, toast with home made bread and vegan spread (of course) and a pot of tea with soya milk all for £5.00.

[AnneCE]

vegan cooked breakfast, mmm, I had one in Stereo
http://www.rottenrow.co.uk/stereo/
in Glasgow in December - I had mushrooms, tomato, tempeh rasher, veggie sausages, baked beans, home-style hash browns and toasted organic bread for £5.95. And I had a slice of cheese cake as a carry out.

It's going to be about a month before I next go through to Glasgow and I'll probably have the same again.

[seitan]

call me lazy if you wnat, as ive not read all the pages here (i did do a serach tho, that brought me here), so if someone has already mentioned this palce, i apologise.
cafe kino off stokescroft in bristol is AMAZING! its nearly all vegan. ok, so, they, for some unknown reason, have cows milk if people wnat it, just for coffees and t's. ALL the food is vegan. there are so many different options.
today, there was falafel, blt sarnie, nut roast, bangers, mash and gravy, salads, soup, breakfast (bacon, sausage, mushrooms, toast, beans and hash browns) and so much more!
if anybody goes to bristol, youve GOT to go to kino!!!
oh yeah, and its a cooperative too

[Frank]

I went to Surti's in Walsall (near Birmingham) last night. It’s a vegetarian restaurant.


Surti
250 Wednesbury Road, Pleck, Walsall, WS2 9QN. 01922 725 314.


It's a nice small, perhaps cosy place with really nice staff - all seem to be family based.

The food was great, bit spicy for some and a wealth of dishes from India, Mexico and China.

The menu was hard work - not a lot of explanation for what each dish comprises - although if you go there several times I’m sure that people would pick up quite easily.

They struggled to serve our table of 14 and the meal went from 7pm to 11pm!!

However, they have listened to us and have agreed to publish a separate vegan menu - with explanations. Now - that's service!

I recommend you try it.

[Kevster]

Decent food to be found here:

http://www.thegarden-oxford.co.uk/

[Akala]

Stumbled across a veggie café in Halifax called The Okra House. It's right in the town centre seconds away from the bus station and a short walk from the train station. Its above the Food Therapy health food shop, which is quite well stocked. Its clear that design wasn't a priority as it looks a bit like a ‘greasy spoon’ type place inside but the service from the very friendly staff is excellent . The menu labels what is vegan and/or gluten-free and most things come with a bit of salad which is a reasonably good average salad. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering many ingredients are organic and most drinks are Fairtrade. I may go back to try one of their very popular Bento Boxes. A very good little café!

One crazy thing that stood out on the menu was the peanut butter and apple sandwich. I wonder how people come up with these crazy dishes. Its probably because they're aimed at crazy people like me. Me being crazy, I went back and tried this crazy menu item which, crazily, was actually quite nice. Crazy!

I somehow also ended up in Saltaire (World Heritage Site) for a short time. Totally unplanned, but one of the first things I saw was Magic Number Three, so had a look in there. They offer soya milk on request with all their drinks and serve a couple of vegan sandwiches at £2-£3. I had another soya hot chocolate, which is becoming a bit of a weakness…or shall we call it a treat . It was served in one of those big wide cups which was…fun. A lot of interesting crafts and other things for sale in there. One item that stood out was the ‘Make your own sock monkey kit’ which is only for big kids (like me!).

Also went to ‘relish global eatery’ in Hebden Bridge. It has a very nicely decorated interior and you can see the kitchen from the dining area. A bit of a strange atmosphere as I was the only one there. I had a main course which was OK, and a chocolate and ginger torte with fig jam for dessert which was tiny and not that good. The portions served are quite small and definitely not worth the very expensive prices. It’s still expensive if you go for the time specific special offers like I did, which worked out at £8 for the main course and £4 for dessert. I think the cheapest options would be to buy two mains for two people which would be £6 each, or three mains for three people at £5 each. If you’re not dining at them times, it works out very expensive and you’re better off travelling the short distance to nearby Dandelion and Burdock for slightly lower prices and probably better food. They did put a slice of lemon in my tap water though.

…….I really need to learn to cook.

[aubergine]

Decent food to be found here:

http://www.thegarden-oxford.co.uk/

Oh yes. They do a very nice curry.

[Mr Flibble]

We ate at Ryton yesterday:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/gardens/restaurant.php

When I checked their site a few years ago it didn't look very vegan friendly. However now their online menu looks fantastic. I asked to make sure when I booked the table that they still have lots of vegan items and was told yes. Unfortunately this wasn't so.

Only 1 starter was vegan - bread with oil and balsamic. One main (containing Mushrooms which Cherry is allergic to). 2 sandwiches, of which one wasn't available (no chargrilled vegetables, despite being a famous organic vegetable garden!). The soup wasn't vegan. As we were now having the humous sandwich instead of a hot meal we went without the starter. It came with wedges, which are only marked as vegetarian on the menu not vegan, despite us specifying vegan when we ordered. We ordered brown bread and got white.

Pudding was the best part, what they claim to be "tofutti slice". It wasn't a product that I recognise as being made by tofutti. 2 bits of what I assume to be homemade icecream with cherries and nuts in. It came with a couple of small biscuits that Cherry was convinced weren't vegan; again we specified vegan when we ordered.

Presentation wise it was very good, portion sizes good (if we knew how much salad came with the sandwiches we wouldn't have ordered sides), cost wise very reasonable for a sit down meal. Service was OK.

If they have as much on the menu that is vegan as they say on their site then I'd love to go again and would thoroughly recommend it. We were however a bit disappointed. We're going to email and see what happens.

[Frank]

Garden Organic - I did not know they had changed their name from HDRA - Henry Doubleday Research Association.

I have not been for years but lunch was good there last time.

I went to their shop too (is that still there?) - but was put off a bit by the organic boar meat etc etc.

At the end of the day though if they cater for all diets then that's better than nothing.

[chickpea_chica]

This evening I went to The Lobster Pot in Farnham, Surrey for my sister's birthday (expecting to have salad and nothing else). They said the chef could make something specially and he did the Mushroom Stroganoff with rice and salad dairy-free for me, and then when it came to dessert they had vegan ice-cream! They said they had a table of lactose intolerant people there before and now they always keep a supply because it comes in handy. :-D So I had raspberry ice 'cream' for pudding! It is quite an expensive place to eat though, and my boyfriend had fish that came with the head and tail still attached (which he cut off and had sent away when I said it upset me).

[Kevster]

Went to Dandelion and Burdocks in Sowerby bridge, west Yorkshire and had great waffles with maple syrup and fresh fruit, then ciabatta and a scone, they do the best scones!!!

On the Sunday i popped along to the new organic vegetarian restaurant in Ilkley: Green and Bousfield: http://www.myspace.com/greenandbousfield

Had a really tasty mixed tapas plate, will go back there between 10 and 12 on a Sunday as they do a cooked breakfast. Then a great walk over Ilkley moor.

[Tin-Tin]

aaah i just got back from cambridge and my parents took me to the Rainbow Cafe just outside kings college
and i must say
the food was really nice and all of my non-vegan family enjoyed their meals and even said that the cake afterwards was the best they had ever had
so well done to the Rainbow Cafe =D <3

[ellaminnowpea]

Ey you're back Tin-Tin! Glad to see you've found some food to eat, you were having a hard time at school a month ago.

[bryzee86]

aaah i just got back from cambridge and my parents took me to the Rainbow Cafe just outside kings college
and i must say
the food was really nice and all of my non-vegan family enjoyed their meals and even said that the cake afterwards was the best they had ever had
so well done to the Rainbow Cafe =D <3

ooh yeah that place was good!

[Mr Flibble]

We ate at Ryton yesterday.......We're going to email and see what happens.

The first email was ignored, so I sent another suggesting that perhaps it had been spam filtered or accidently deleted.

We got a reply saying that they normally do have lots more vegan choice, so we tried again today. This time indeed it was far better - 2 starters and 3 mains. Both starters were good (nettle, chive and nutmeg soup & carrot and chickpea fritters with red pepper sauce). I had a warm salad for the main, Cherry had a lasagne type thing. Still only 1 vegan dessert (except sorbet/ice cream), which was alright - elderflower and blackberry jelly. Unsure as to why they couldn't make some of the others (like fruit crumble) vegan.

It's good that they change the menu each month, so we'll certainly go back again.

[Tin-Tin]

yeah
you kinda expect it to be REALLY busy seeing as it really is quite literally directly outside of Kings College
but theres quite a lot of tables and cos its a cafe not just a restaurant people dont always stay long so theres pretty much always a spare table
so yeah
i do quite like it =]

[confusionisben]

Does anyone know of any good restaurants in the East Yorkshire/Surrounding area? Coming on my birthday and i fancy a treat wherein my family has to adhere to no meat at a nice restaurant.

[treaclemine]

A vegan friendly restaurant in The Brewers Fayre chain of pubs, i found them pretty helpful, however, at one of these pubs, there was just one dish suitable for vegans when they'd stripped out the cheese, seasoning and garlic bread. Note some of the dishes are pre-prepared and unalterable.

I wasn't at these places by choice, but they have a list of whether something is vegan/gluten free, unfortunately there aren't many on this list!

I think Kevster had this experience about 3 years ago?

I just rang one of the Brewers Fayre outlets in the Midlands, and what they've told me is a bit different from Kevster's experience: Two members of staff conferred, and told me ...

... that there is a ‘good selection’ of options on their standard menu which are suitable for vegans

They also said that some vegetarian menu items can be modified to remove cheese, butter etc. But they couldn't give me any details, and said that I would have to look at the menu myself. Well, the menu on their Web site doesn't seem to have many meals are suitable for vegans unmodified: http://www.brewersfayre.co.uk/food/

Anyone reading tried to get vegan meals in Brewers Fayre outlets on the current menu?

Thanks!

[Troutina]

My boyfriend and I just spent the weekend in Edinburgh- I would deffo recommend it!!
Really lovely city and fantastic for vegan options.
We bought pasties and pastries in an amazing shops (cannot remember the name though...!) Clearly labelled- the savoury pastie wasn't very nice, but the sweet options are delicious!!! We had an apple pastry and a cherry pastry. Yum!
For dinner we went to David Bann Restaurant (http://www.davidbann.com/) and it was one of the best meals I've ever had!
Everything's labelled (including wines) and at least half is vegan, or vegan option.
Very romantic, dim lighting, candles on the tables etc.
I had sliced&fried tofu with plum sauce, he had amazing thai fritters to start.
For main I had Harissa roasted aubergine, aduki and walnut (full menu is on the website) and he had Risotto with artichoke heart, pea and mint, made vegan.
Both meals were absolutely amazing!!
For dessert we shared the only vegan option, rice pudding. Not a fan but this was lovely! Strawberries with warm sauce, delish.
Best part- and this may be because I've been eating in London and Brighton for too long!!!- it was so reasonable!!! No alcohol, but a 3 course meal plus a fresh juice each came to £40!! Bargain! So impressed, cant recommend it enough!

Other nice places for lunch and snacks, were The Baked Potato Company- all veggie and vegan and has lots of sweet snacks aswell. Vegan mayo, coleslaw, houmous, veggies, chilli for the potato toppings, plus sandwiches, sausage rolls (but not 'meaty'- mushed beans, but pretty good) and a selection of vegan cakes. I had a tiffin, but it was more like a chocolate christmas cake. Weird but good.

On the whole Edinburgh is awesome for vegans!!

[BlackCats]

On the whole Edinburgh is awesome for vegans!!

Troutina - that is so helpful thanks, I literally just decided today that we are going to Edinburgh in November.

[AnneCE]

My boyfriend and I just spent the weekend in Edinburgh- I would deffo recommend it!!
Really lovely city and fantastic for vegan options.
We bought pasties and pastries in an amazing shops (cannot remember the name though...!)
...

I had a tiffin, but it was more like a chocolate christmas cake. Weird but good.

Did you get the pastries in The Piemaker on South Bridge? They have vegan pasties/pastries/pies - they're ok, but I prefer the Baked Potato Shop on Cockburn Street. I am sure I had that tiffin which is 'more like a chocolate christmas cake' on Friday! It was good with strong coffee. They do great rolls for only £1.70 - full to bursting - which is great if you are not a fan of the baked potato - I don't so I avoided it for ages until I was persuaded to give the place a go - one look at the cakes has had me returning regularly.

I wouldn't say Edinburgh is awesome for vegans but it's ok.

[Gwydion]

I thought Edinburgh was great for Vegan eats! I have to say, Glasgow takes the (vegan) cake though

[BlackCats]

I thought Edinburgh was great for Vegan eats! I have to say, Glasgow takes the (vegan) cake though

Why, what stuff is good in Glasgow? (we could go there instead if persuaded.)

[Gwydion]

Why, what stuff is good in Glasgow? (we could go there instead if persuaded.)

It's not to say that Glasgow has more Veggie places than Edinburgh, just think they are more Vegan friendly. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all taken care of, twice over. Most appealing being Mono, Stereo, and the like - its nice to go out for the evening(ie for drinks/band), and be able to get great vegan nosh at the same place. I think there's three venues like this in the centre of Glasgow? Either way, happy moo-moo link here.

Glasgow also has this great arty/indie/studenty type vibe - which really appealed.

If there's any kind of romantic tendencies involved though, would definitely go to Edinburgh instead! You're not gonna struggle for food.

[BlackCats]

Thanks.

[gogs67]

On the whole Edinburgh is awesome for vegans!!

Yes it is!
You not get to Suzis diner? Or Nile valley? Or Ann Purna? Shame!

[Troutina]

Troutina - that is so helpful thanks, I literally just decided today that we are going to Edinburgh in November.

Go! It's really easy- we got off the plane, walked out the door straight onto a bus which costs £5 open return, straight to the town centre! Left Burgess Hill at 4am, arrived in Edinburgh at 8am!

Did you get the pastries in The Piemaker on South Bridge?

That's the one!

Yes it is!
You not get to Suzis diner? Or Nile valley? Or Ann Purna? Shame!

We were there for just one night! I would definetly return if there were ever free/ cheap flights with RyanAir/ Easy Jet though!

[BlackCats]

Go! It's really easy- we got off the plane, walked out the door straight onto a bus which costs £5 open return, straight to the town centre! Left Burgess Hill at 4am, arrived in Edinburgh at 8am!

I am looking for hotels now. I can't decide whether to be environmentally friendly and go by train (or coach!) or by plane. Can you recommend a good hotel Troutina? I was thinking of going to Glasgow as Ryanair had cheap flights last night but decided to stick with Edinburgh.

I can't wait, sounds like the restaurants have some yummy stuff up there.

[Troutina]

I am looking for hotels now. I can't decide whether to be environmentally friendly and go by train (or coach!) or by plane. Can you recommend a good hotel Troutina? I was thinking of going to Glasgow as Ryanair had cheap flights last night but decided to stick with Edinburgh.

I can't wait, sounds like the restaurants have some yummy stuff up there.

I've never been to Glasgow, so can't help there!
We stayed at a hotel chain called Apex- we stayed at one quite far from the centre, but there is another hotel of theirs right in the middle.
Not sure about prices because it was a birthday present!
Apex are 4 * and really lovely. Excpet we got woken up at 7am by a fire alarm haha.

[Marrers]

I went to Woods in Tunbridge Wells today. They are able to adapt some vegetarian dishes or they will make something for you.

[Gorilla]

that's good to know Marrers, i sometimes go to Tunbridge Wells.

[Mr Flibble]

I sometimes prefer being inside buildings when I'm in London

[Marrers]

Good to know but this is the outside London thread Mr Flibble.

[Mr Flibble]

I know I know, was just saying that's all

[Marrers]

You are naughty to edit your review of Sagaar so my comment makes no sense! Glad to see you've reposted it where it belongs though, in the London thread.

[veganlinda]

I went to el piano in York yesterday totally vegan, nut free and gluten free and they had vegan cider too. Twas v nice!