Vegan dining is having a moment. More and more of the capital’s foodies are moving towards a less meaty diet, and the restaurant scene is responding. They’re even coming from across the pond, with popular NYC-founded vegan eatery, by CHLOE., due to open in the UK later this autumn. 

So where and what’s a vegan to eat? The ‘where’, of course, is our dear Square Mile, where chefs are churning out some of most innovative plant-based goodies in the city, especially in hipster mecca a.k.a Shoreditch.

But you don’t want to spend hours searching online or on foot, that’s what you’ve got us for. Here is our list of the top restaurants to munch on vegan cooking:

1. Vedge Issue Pizza – Not one, not two, but five vegan pizza options, this parlour has been named one of the best places in London to get a slice. Inclusivity is a theme, they’ve also got meat and vegetarian options. Try the vegan version of a Margarita with flavourful San Marzano tomato sauce or The Clerkenwell pizza; peppers, courgette, mushrooms, onion and artichoke on a crispy base.

2. Vanilla Black – Started by two vegetarians who were tired of choosing between mushroom risotto and Halloumi kebab as their only options when dining out. This restaurant offers premium dining at its finest, regardless if you’re vegetarian or vegan. Set lunch, à la carte or five course sample menu, take your pick. They do great desserts too, particularly the peanut butter cheesecake and cracked cocoa bean. 

3. Redemption – It might sound like you’re about to commit a sin, but quite the opposite. Founders Catherine Salway and Andrea Waters combined their two talents – business and raw, vegan food – to create a healthy, sugar / wheat / meat – free restaurant where you can eat guilt-free. We hear you, what’s there left to eat? Plenty, it seems: pulled, barbecued ‘pork’ jackfruit & summer slaw, maki rolls, asparagus and spinach black rice risotto or a faux-sweets treat of dark chocolate and date truffles rolled in coconut. Seek Redemption and ye shall find it (in Shoreditch). 

4. Essence Cuisine – Few restaurants have such big household names running operations. Opened this summer by celebrity chef, author and founder of the world’s first raw food culinary academy, Matthew Kennedy. Essence is giving Redemption a run for its money; serving food free from meat, dairy, gluten and refined sugars, plus a range of organic, non-hpp cold-pressed juices and nut milks. The all-day menu is impressive, as you’d expect from a man who made his name cooking for the L.A. health crowd. 

5. Mildreds – Disclaimer: London’s probably most well-known vegan sanctuary is just outside of our Square Mile remit, but only just. Thus, it still gets a place on our list, for those days when you decide to venture outside of the City of London – as if you would do such a thing. So good, they’ve released a cookbook featuring some of their best vegetarian dishes. Hopefully, an all-vegan book is in the works…