With so many Indian restaurants around, you are never far from a vegetarian meal in London. The veggie option has improved a lot in recent years and besides being healthy, is often a cheap choice. Most listed here also offer vegan menus.
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Best Vegetarian
Masala Zone
Part of a small chain offering Indian street food. The speciality is thalis - a large platter with an array of different small dishes. Vegetable-rich, though there is some meat on the menu which changes daily. See the website for all the addresses.
25 Parkway NW1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7267 4422
Tube: Camdem Town
Food For Thought
A long established favourite, often jammed, especially at lunchtime, so you might have a wait to get a seat or share a table. A small menu (with mains under £10) but one that changes daily. Noted for its quiche with mixed salad and fruit crumbles with custard. Unlicensed.
31 Neal Street WC2
Tel: +44 (0)20 7836 9072
Tube: Covent Garden
Manna
‘Europe’s oldest gourmet vegetarian restaurant’ has been a Primrose Hill favourite for decades. Vegan, gluten-free and organic options on the menu don’t distract the chefs from having fun and offering fusion food with a light and appetising appeal.
4 Erskine Road NW3
Tel: +44 (0)20 7722 8028
Tube: Chalk Farm
www.mannav.com
Mildreds
A menu that ranges around the world for inspiration, with main courses around £10, and a strong wine list make this a Soho institution. Mrs Marengo's, a few doors away, serves vegetarian take-away and cakes with a popular ‘risque’ range.
45 Lexington Street W1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7494 1634
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Chutney’s
Standing out in an area full of Indian restaurants, many also vegetarian. South Indian and Gujerati dishes include Puris - a sort of stuffed pancake - which are a speciality. With so many regulars eating here, the friendly staff often forget to explain the menu, so ask.
124 Drummond Street NW1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7388 0604
Tube: Euston
www.chutneyseuston.co.uk/
The Gate
Possibly the best vegetarian restaurant in London serves a light, imaginative menu that is ‘Indo-Iraqi Jewish’ with a ‘French and Italian influence’. Set in a converted church, the decor is equally stylish. Worth crossing London for and often booked out. Mains up to £15.
51 Queen Caroline Street W6
Tel: +44 (0)20 8748 6932
Tube: Hammersmith
www.thegate.tv
