London’s best vegetarian restaurants (that will appeal to meat eaters too)

Long gone are the days when a herbivore could go hungry in London. Vegetarians and vegans alike are well served now, with a growing number of restaurants boasting not just the odd token dish, but plant-based menus — even, at some places, an exclusively plant-based offering.

While much of the veggie-centric scene has sprung up over the past few years, its innovators are institutions in their own right: Soho-born Mildred’s has five outposts; Sagar serves South Indian vegetarian and vegan cuisine from Harrow to Covent Garden; and The Gate in Hammersmith, one of the very first vegetarian restaurants to open in London, has an Islington outlet. But The Gate shows something else interesting too: where once there were four Gates, the loss of two perhaps is an indication that exclusively vegetarian spots are somewhat on the wane — not because they aren’t up to scratch, but because the competition is stiffer from more mainstream spots. The welcome upshot of all this is that groups that are mixed between those eating meat and those avoiding it are better served than ever.

As the below shows, there are a great many restaurants beyond the old reliables mentioned above that serve a globe-spanning array of dishes which will delight vegetarians, flexitarians and even carnivores with their hot (and cold) takes on plant-based cooking. From clever to comforting, creative to classic, here’s our guide to London’s best restaurants for those living life on the veg — and those just tagging along for the ride.

Bubala

This pair of Middle Eastern restaurants in Soho and Spitalfields