There is a completely vegan falafel spot in London that seems determined to stop me from ever eating there.
Read more below.
Every single time I have tried to visit Pockets near London Fields, there has been a queue stretching out the door and down the street.
And every single time, I have looked at the line, looked at my available time, sighed dramatically, and wandered away hungry.
This has happened to me about five times now.
At this point, Pockets has become somewhat of an albatross around my neck. Their success is my failure!
For those not familiar, Pockets is a fully vegan falafel specialist serving stuffed pita pockets packed with salads, sauces, pickles, and all manner of glorious things. The place has developed a near cult-like reputation and the reviews on HappyCow are universally positive. I am fascinated.
I am now planning a tactical weekday visit in the hope things might be slightly calmer. Maybe a Tuesday at 2:17pm or maybe during light rain. I need to understand what is happening inside this building.
But in all seriousness, it is genuinely wonderful to see a vegan business attracting this level of demand.
The vegan scene in the UK has become increasingly difficult over the past few years and we have sadly seen far too many closures and struggles. So seeing queues out the door at Pockets feels encouraging. Seeing places like Tofu Vegan turning customers away because they are too full is encouraging. Seeing Plates booked up months in advance is encouraging.
People clearly still want exceptional vegan food and they are willing to travel, queue, and plan ahead to get it.
Have you been to Pockets? Is it worth the queue?
Follow Pockets on Instagram. See the exact location thanks to Google Maps.
I have a series of FGV events coming up in London including the return of London Vegan Beer Fest. Click here to find out more and book tickets. You can also join my FGV email newsletter online here.
If you appreciate these blog posts and the work I do to support vegan business, please consider making a one time small donation of a couple of quid online here. You might also be in the position to sponsor my work on an regular basis via Patreon.
You can order my book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’ online now. It has been out a while now but is still a good read. You can also listen to the Audiobook read by me!
You can watch/stream my weekly podcast Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Follow me on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, and Blue Sky.