Great veggie and vegan spots at Paddington Central
London’s Paddington Central, located next to the Regent’s Canal, is Veganuary heaven with a host of restaurants offering vegetarian-friendly menus and vegan options.
With plant-based, vibrant, sustainable and seasonal eating at the heart of their menus, you can dine from breakfast until dinner on a rainbow of salads, wraps, vegan burgers, Lebanese feasts, Aussie brunches, Chinese delights and more.
From The Cheese Barge moored on the canal (expect cheese plates with innovative pairings and small producer wines) and Tossed’s daily specials, Wagamama’s 50% plant-based menu, Itsu’s veggie sushi and Pret’s lunch-game-changing creations, you can eat with pure abandon whether you’re vegan, veggie or flexitarian. Find out where to dine and enjoy the best in vegan, vegetarian and plant-based food in the heart of London.
Ayllu
With a Peruvian-Japanese fusion menu, Ayllu is a goldmine for vegetarian dishes: quinoa vegan poké features black and white quinoa, mango, avocado, edamame, shimeji mushrooms, chilli and poke sauce; Carapulcra is Cazuela made with dried potato, truffle, aji panca, cinnamon, clove, basil and 100% chocolate while Fried tofu is served with warm tensuyo sauce, topped with grated ginger, daikon and sliced spring onions. Delicious.
Beany Green
A breakfast, lunch and happy hour pitstop overlooking the canal, Beany Green is an inspired place to up your veg and fruit intake as they create chilli and maple celeriac toast, avocado, poached eggs, broccoli, spinach and grilled tomatoes for breakfast (vegan versions are available) and colourful juices to boost your immune system.
Darcie & May Green
Colourful barges bobbing on the water play home to a 50m open-air deck making them an unmissable summer destination in London. With vegan burgers of panko mushroom, pickled cucumber, spring onions, cashew cream, sriracha crema and handcut chips and Bondi vegan boards of smoky BBQ tofu steak, crispy wild rice salad, fire roasted aubergine, crispy coconut rice, vegan curry stuffed pepper, Korean hot potato and citrus salad, this is good eating.
Huckster
Inspired by the late 1980s lower-Manhattan street scene, Huckster is a bustling all-day dining and drinking urban market that is also home to brunch karaoke parties. Their veggie offerings include vegan dumplings with fresh Asian salad, Sunshine burritos of black bean and corn, sundried tomato rice, guacamole, pico de gallo salsa with nachos, Jade noodles (tossed with broccoli, asparagus, fresh peas. grilled tofu, black dried sesame and mushrooms) and vegan katsu with lemongrass, coriander, chilli and lime, aromatic curry sauce and Asian pickle on brown rice. And do not miss the Moving Mountains’ Vegan burger with fresh lettuce, red onion, tomato and sweet potato fries; it’s incredible.
Itsu
The welcoming sight of an Itsu is well-known to vegetarians and vegans. Their Veggie sushi collection never lets you down with veggie maki with lightly pickled carrots, green beans, fresh mint and red ginger, baby avocado rolls and veggie dumplings on muki bean salad. You also can’t miss the vegan teriyaki gyoza and veggie meatballs and coconut soup.
Massis
This Lebanese menu is filled to the brim with tempting veggie plates: starters include spicy hummus with green chilli, garlic and parsley and oven-baked aubergine mousakaa with tomatoes, onions and chickpeas. Fatoush salad, grilled halloumi, falafel and Lebanese bean stew all take over the sides and mains. A sheer delight.
Pergola
A haven in the clouds, booking for Pergola is essential this summer as it’s a brilliant spot for friends, music, good food and excellent drinks. Veggies and vegans are also given a proper welcome with Filth & Co serving the Bae Burger (halloumi, tzatziki, harissa mayo, date ketchup, rocket and roasted peppers, served in a brioche bun) and Livin’ On The Veg, a plant-based patty, vegan mozzarella, blackened chilli pesto, basil mayo and crispy balsamic onions served in a vegan bun) while Niji serve up crispy aubergine katsu with panko-crumbed crispy aubergine finished with tonkatsu sauce and pickled ginger.
Pret
Salads, wraps, sarnies and vegan coffee, Pret is one of the major chains leading the way on diverse and inspired vegan and veggie eating. Their vegan smashed avo open sandwich has become a breakfast addiction while the new houmous and chipotle wrap has become our go to thanks to its mix of sliced red peppers, crunchy carrot and mooli slaw, pickled cabbage and carrot and baby leaf spinach. Yum.
wagamama
With a really lovely staff, huge central tables and booths for four and two dotted around the room, stepping into Wagamama is pure joy. Serving up freshly made fruit juices and a ginger No-jito, their 50% veggie and vegan menu is filled with choice and they’ve reimagined some of their classic dishes for plant-based diets including their spicy vegan 'short rib' ramen and vegan chilli squid. We recommend the no duck donburi: shredded seitan and shiitake mushrooms in a cherry hoisin sauce, edamame beans, kimchee, coconut and sriracha vegan ‘egg’ with cucumber, spring onion, chillies, coriander, sesame seeds and brown rice.
Pure
Take your pick: the Vegetarian omelette wrap features free-range egg omelette, rolled and filled with avocado, vine tomatoes, edamame, spinach and free-range egg mayonnaise; Vegan coconut curry comes with sweet potato, tomato, red chilli, Panch Phoran and coconut milk curry with broccoli and is served on wholegrains while Bang bang cauliflower comes with roasted spiced cauliflower, roasted broccoli, quick-pickled vegetables, cucumber, grated carrot and super seeds on crunchy Cos. Devil’s dressing on the side.
Smiths Bar & Grill
Breakfast is now back at Smith’s so grab a table indoors or on the terrace and enjoy a leisurely catch-up over Granola Parfait or eggs florentine (spinach, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, buttered English muffin) or take time to try out their lunches and evening menus. Their Parmigiana is so good with thinly sliced fried aubergine, baked with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Grana Padano while Truffle Tagliatelle features fresh homemade tagliatelle with summer truffles and shavings of Grana Padano.
The Cheese Barge
The Cheese Barge is a 90ft double decker restaurant dedicated to celebrating the best of British cheese. Now taking reservations, their outdoor terrace is all about cheese boards with perfect pairings and grilled cheese while small plates include Blackwoods Graceburn with roasted carrots, British quinoa, Nocellara olives and Seeds and Westcombe Fried Curried Cheese Curds and chilli honey. It’s cheese heaven.
The Union
This is what we’ve been missing? A relaxed bar that’s made for lazy afternoons and hanging out with friends and colleagues. And thankfully their menu covers every taste with veggie and vegan dishes such as English asparagus, courgette, black bean hummus, pea and mint vinaigrette and dukkah and Thai yellow vegetable curry hot and sour with turmeric, lime, ginger and coriander with sticky jasmine rice. Order wine, beers and cocktails from their extensive menus and enjoy.
Tossed
Tossed are on a mission to make healthy eating delicious. Their eggs are free range and in the summer months their salad leaves travel less than 50 miles and go from field to bowl in less than 48 hours. Choose from salads galore (the houmous and roasted veg features pesto, roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, sweet potato and pickled red onion), power bowls and rainbow wraps of piri protein with falafel.
Vagabond Wines
Vagabond is totally original with the option to try a taster or glass of any of the 100+ wines available at their wine bar. With such a diverse selection there are plenty of natural, biodynamic and vegan wines to choose from while their tasting plates include Sicilian aubergine dip with crisp breads and truffle mushroom and mozzarella arancini.
Zizzi
The perfect spot when you’re out with friends and family, Zizzi’s easygoing and welcoming ambience fits into any time of day. Bruschetta, pizza (try the vegan jackfruit pepperoni, spicy harissa, roquito chilli and vegan MozzaRisella cheese), pasta – goat’s cheese and spinach-flecked ravioli with a tomato sauce, super green pesto and pine nuts – with salads and incredible desserts.
