First it was healthy veggie bowls, then it was vegan junk food and now us Londoners have set our sights on plant-based versions of classic seafood favourites. Restaurants all across London are creating inventive dishes; from caviar made with kelp, to vegetarian sushi and even cauliflower scallops. If you’re looking for decent options, you can avoid meat, fish and dairy with an ethical choice at one of these top restaurants in London.
Veggie caviar at Neptune
London’s coolest new opening is Neptune and you’ll find it nestled in Bloomsbury’s plush Principal Hotel. You may have spotted a whole heap of foodies flocking to lap up the seafood-focussed menu, but did you know that there’s a vegetarian version too? Switch out traditional caviar for kombu caviar (£16), which is made from sea kelp and sits atop hash browns, a runny cured egg yolk and lemon crème fraiche.
It's not just swish interiors and seafood at Neptune.
Baja tofish at Club Mexicana
A staple on the street food scene, Club Mexicana has gone from a market stall at KERB Camden, to a Kingsland Road pop-up and now you can find it at London’s first vegan pub, The Spread Eagle. There’s tacos, nachos and burritos… but not as you know ‘em. Scallops (£6.50) are actually king oyster mushrooms with mint salsa verde, while you’ll find Baja tofish in everything from tortas to tacos. All to be washed down with a vegan beer or two.
Bold flavours and bright colours set Club Mexicana apart from the crowd.
Vegan sushi at Roka
Roka needs no introduction; the famed restaurant chain has roots in swanky locations like Mayfair and Fitzrovia, all the way to Canary Wharf, where it serves up contemporary Asian cuisine of the highest quality. Its latest offering is a vegan tasting menu (£50) which takes you on a culinary journey through dishes like vegan nigiri, avocado temaki and yaki atsuage; a combination of grilled tofu with shiitake mushrooms, lemon and chilli.
This new vegan menu is a game changer.
Fish-free fish 'n' chips at by CHLOE.
After taking America by storm, by CHLOE. has brought its comfort food classics across the pond for us Londoners to have a taste. The interiors are eye-catching and the burgers are highly Instagrammable, but it’s the fish n’ chips (£7.80) that steal the show. Fish is swapped out for tofu and fried until crispy, then served with a side of mushy peas and creamy tartar sauce. So good, you can’t even tell the difference.
Not your average fish n chips.
'Tuna' tartare at Tell Your Friends
Founded by Made in Chelsea’s Lucy and Tiffany Watson, Tell Your Friends is Parsons Green’s first vegan restaurant. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients and fresh produce, with cruelty-free eating and hearty food at the core. Highlights include the ‘tuna’ tartare (£7); a curious combination of cucumber and wasabi brunoise topped with tomato lox tartare and sesame ginger sauce. There’s also fish & chips (£13) with a breaded aubergine fillet and cashew tartare.
This Fulham newbie is completely vegan.
Vegan sushi at Sticks'n'Sushi
This Copenhagen-based brand operates a collection of restaurants across London, dominating the sushi and yakitori scene, and more recently turning its hand to sustainable eating. From packaging and reducing meat and fish, to a vegan menu and sustainable farming, Sticks'n'Sushi are doing it all. ‘Saints’ can choose dishes from ‘the green kitchen,’ whether it’s inside-out hosomaki (from £4.60) or futomaki (£7.50) with sweet potato, asparagus, avocado and daikon.
Sustainable bites at Sticks'n'Sushi.
Vegan scallops at The Brook
This independent restaurant and bar is strictly vegan and there’s also a recording studio… you know, just in case. While its crowdfunding for a permanent London location, The Brook has popped up on Mare Street, where there’s beer-battered tofish bites (£6), seafood cakes (£6.25) with toasty nori and japanese panko, as well as, pan-seared scallops (£5.90) resting on a bed of hickory-smoked cauliflower puree with garlic, peas and dulse.
Scallop-free scallops at London Fields' newest resident.
