I really love eating well prepared food. However, more than my love for food is experiencing new dishes in a city that I am exploring while traveling. In London I was kept pretty busy with the film festival, but spent the rest of my time scouting for awesome places to try that are vegan and vegetarian friendly. When I lived in London over ten years ago, I remember carrying around a small book that was essentially a pocket guide to all of the vegan friendly restaurants in London. Although I did find some amazing places to eat, it was astounding to see how much more is available to anyone living a plant-based or simply health conscious lifestyle. I would even dare to say that of all of the European cities I have visited London would be number 1 or at the very least in the top three of vegetarian friendly cities. Below are the favorites of my finds while there. If you end up on that side of the pond and try any of these, shoot me a message and let me know what you think! -XO Raw Girl
Wild Food Cafe has delicious but simple gourmet dishes at an affordable price. Loved this amazing find tucked away in Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden. Lovely location especially when the weather is great and it’s right next to Neal’s Yard Remedies a natural and organic health and beauty shop perfect for browsing for cruelty-free skincare or supplements before or after your meal. You absolutely must try their cauliflower buffalo wings, and the green burger. Oh and the chocolate tart was to die for.
I’ve been in love with Wagamama since I first tried it over 10 years ago. At the time they only had one branch in London in Camden Town and now they have spread throughout London and beyond. There is actually now a Wagamama in New York. Although it’s more cooked fare, they actually have a vegan menu. My favorites are all the fresh veggie juices, the katsu curry, bang bang cauliflower, and the mushroom and panko eggplant hirata steamed buns. Very affordable, service is great, and green tea is always on the house. There are several locations across London.
Mildred’s Salad Bar I found tucked away while walking from my makeup appointment on my way to Soho. It has a fresh variety of mouthwatering pre-prepared salads that make it a wonderful place to grab lunch.
Masala Zone Soho is the Indian restaurant I dined at on my birthday. Loved the ambiance and the food. It has been rated one of London’s top Indian restaurants and if you are able to visit, you’ll see why. They serve a sampling of a wide range of Indian cuisines, have good reliable curries, and incredible desserts.
Dishoom is another top rated Indian restaurant that has people literally queuing up each night to get a seat as they are often overbooked. When I attempted to visit, we decided to skip the long line and head to Masala Zone, but I have heard the wait is worth it. If you want to try this spot I highly recommend making a reservation far in advance. There are two locations that I saw in London, so best to try your luck at both!
Planet Organic is the UK version of a Mom’s Organic meets Whole Foods. That’s the best way I can describe it. I actually loved it so much more that both of those stores, and was amazed at their incredible supplement section, juice bar, food bar options, and the grocery department. Had lunch there, bought some supplements, some of which I mentioned in my last post, and then took several bars of chocolate to go!
West Cornwall Pasty Co. is a small stand in the Waterloo Tube Station that sells meat and vegetable pies. One night I was rushing to catch Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theater and desperately needed some decent on-the-go but healthy food. I was pleasantly surprised that they had a vegan vegetable pie and it was the perfect answer to my growling stomach.