London vegan news, reviews & events
If you’re looking for a night of Queer creativity, community, and good vibes, you need to get yourself to Queer Open Mic this Sunday in South London.
I started the open mic about two years ago with my friend Josh as we wanted to create a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ performers in London because, let’s be real, not all open mic nights are as welcoming as they should be.
Worshipping celebrity vegans can often be a problematic endeavour.
Holding up and celebrating famous people as vegans has often come back to bite our community in the backside.
Miley was championed as an ethical vegan for years right up until she went on the Joe Rogan podcast to tell the world she was eating animals again.
One of my childhood heroes, Drew Barrymore, also went down a similar route. Drew lived as a vegan for years but over the past decade or more had dipped in and out of plant-based eating sporadically. The superstar does promote a lot of vegan food, but it feels as though the argument for ethical veganism is somewhat diluted by her suggesting it’s cool to chop and change on a whim.
I am not really here to drag ex-vegan celebrities (and I do still love both of the mentioned performers. I mean, Flowers is a fabulous song), rather I’d love to shout out a vegan celebrity I feel more comfortable endorsing.
So take a look at who I bumped into yesterday at legendary vegan fried chicken shop, Temple of Seitan.
Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) podcast is back with episode 31 and this outing is full of complaining.
Complaining about capitalism, greedy landlords, and the disappearing cultural landmarks of London at the hands of rent gouging.
Josh and I chat about how close it is to completely unsustainable for independent businesses to survive in the UK as we mourn the loss of several high profile vegan restaurants.
We also discuss the threat to other cultural landmarks such as The Prince Charles Cinema. How will this erosion of our celebration spaces end?!
Listen or stream the episode via YouTube.
You can also watch or stream the episode via Spotify at the link below.
You know what’s better than a doughnut? A doughnut that everyone can enjoy. That’s exactly what Borough 22 in central London is all about.
Founded by Ryan Panchoo back in 2014, this doughnut brand was born from a mission to create sweet treats that were vegan and free from common allergens, without sacrificing taste. Fast forward a decade, and Ryan’s doughnuts are still made with the same love, care, and commitment to inclusivity.
London is an expensive place to eat out. Add hungry children to the mix and it becomes prohibitive for a lot of families.
Thankfully, a favourite vegan restaurant is making it a little bit more affordable this half term holiday period (February 2025) with their offer to feed kids for free!
Canary Wharf is one of those parts of London that feels like it only exists for people who work there. A sea of suits, glass towers, and the eerie quiet of a place that empties out after office hours.
It’s never really been a destination unless you have a reason to be there and for years, I’ve had precisely zero reasons.
But now, Yummzy has arrived, giving Canary Wharf a rare glimmer of interest for those of us who don’t clock in at a finance firm.
Fifteen years ago when I started this very blog, if you wanted to be social as a vegan in London you had to make it happen yourself. There were no vegan pubs and certainly no high street chains with dedicated plant-based menus.
This wilderness forced me to launch London Vegan Drinks, a monthly gathering where we carved out a space for ourselves in a world that barely acknowledged we existed. London Vegan Potluck was another community-driven event I curated, where people cooked and shared food because there weren’t many places to eat out.
Back then, if you wanted a vegan meal, you might get lucky at Pogo Café in Hackney (if they were open and serving something edible) or a measly number of eateries that weren’t always great. Other than that, it was whatever scraps you could cobble together from independent health food stores and Holland & Barrett. There were no vegan ready meals, hardly any supermarket own-brand plant milks, and certainly no Gregg’s vegan sausage rolls.
Then the independent vegan revolution happened. Slowly at first and then rapidly.
If you are familiar with the delicious vegan offerings of Mali Thai in Earls Court, you’ll be delighted to know this restaurant now has a companion outlet located south of the river.
Muan is a Thai street food restaurant located inside Brixton Village market, just a few minutes walk from Brixton Underground and Overground stations.
The eatery is a no-frills kind of vibe which makes for the perfect spot for a fast meal in a relaxed and comfortable setting.
Take a look below at the delights I ate during my recent visit!
Are you feeling romantic, London?
E3 Vegan, the sensational plant-based restaurant on Roman Road in Bow, is celebrating Valentine’s Day with an exclusive menu crafted by chef Marc Joseph.
If you hang around these parts often, you might have seen my post about the top tier Sunday roast being served regularly at E3 Vegan. Click here to play catch up if you missed it.
That Sunday feast is all well and good, but I’m here to encourage you to take your current romantic entanglements along for this one of a kind date night on Friday February 14th, 2025.
Check out the menu below!
There was a time, not that long ago, when I struggled to keep up with newly-opened vegan food businesses in London.
There was a green culinary boom taking place in the UK capital that was tough to track and I’d often find myself being the last to know about a new eatery.
Sadly, there now appears to be another new trend rapidly spreading around town which is equally as exhausting to document.
Vegan restaurant closures.
I’m not here to do a deep dive into why these businesses are closing (mostly because I’m too lazy for investigative journalism) but I did want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to a few locations that had been feeding the vegan and vegan-curious in London but which have now turned out the lights for good.
The huge (and hugely-popular) Club Mexicana on Commercial Street, Shoreditch recently closed quite abruptly. This loss came as a shock to the community as the restaurant had been promoting its offerings almost until the day it was shuttered.
Fans of the Mexican-inspired eatery can still enjoy their favourite menu items at two continuing locations, Soho and Mayfair. Click here to get more information and booking details. Use it or lose it people!
This listicle isn’t my favourite thing to do, but let me rush through these recent closures.