The best vegan eating in London

Vegans of the world, unite and take over. In the city’s streets and markets, the V-signs point towards revolution. First, on August 18, street food supremo Kerb aims to drag veganism into the mainstream with Livin’ on the Veg, a food festival in King’s Cross with the aim of making meat lovers fall for vegan food.

“Expect deep-fried buffalo wings, chocolate brownie mud pies, red Thai curry pots, Venezuelan chip buttie arepas and afro-tacos, but not as you know them,” says Petra Barran, founder of Kerb, who has invited eight traders to whip up food which looks like meat products but all with a vegan twist. It’s not just for vegans, though.

Rachel Hugh, founder of new plant-based fast food restaurant The Vurger Co, says: “Most of our customers wouldn’t label themselves as vegan or vegetarian, which is proof of how much people are becoming more aware than ever of what they are eating.”

In October, the UK’s largest vegan festival, VegFest, swings into Olympia for its fifth year, with cookery demos and talks from vegan activists, and a projected audience of 15,000.

If you’ve committed to the green machine, flirted with a flexitarian meat-free Monday, or simply scoffed (a hamburger) dismissively at your vegan friends, have a non-butcher’s at these meat-free options. Here’s where to go hard vegan.

Burgers don’t have to be made of meat. Vurger creates plant-based burgers with vegetables, seeds and nuts. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign it has graduated from Bethnal Green pop-up to permanent restaurant. “Fast food had become processed, unsustainable and very generic, and so we felt there had to be a better way,” says Hugh.

Dishes will include The Classic, made with smoky black beans, peppers and corn topped with tomato, red onion and home-made Vurger sauce, and The Mexican, featuring a spiced jalapeno and bean patty topped with hot salsa, chilli mayo and smashed avocado.

If you’re not Livin’ on the Veg, you’re taking up too much room. That’s because the King’s Cross street food festival combines the best of both worlds, with veggie alternatives to dietary staples. Biff’s Jack Shack will be serving up double-fried jackfruit “buffalo wings” with maple bourbon hot sauce and blue cheese, while Petare has concocted a Venezuelan “chip butty”, an arepa stuffed with cassava chips, sweet fried plantain, feta and avocado.

There’s also a Mr Potato Head vegetable decorating corner.

Despite veganism’s new groove, the old ways are hard to beat. In Hammersmith, The Gate has been converting non-vegans since 1989 with its flair for black-bean tortillas and miso glazed aubergine (the owners are Indo-Iraqi).

Mildred’s, which has been a stalwart for both vegans and vegetarians since 1988, boasts sides like chargrilled cauliflower with tahini and lemon, pine nuts and pomegranate. Or pile up a plate at Swiss offshoot Tibits, where the buffet-style dining can be anything from Asian slaw and aubergine quiche to patatas bravas, Lebanese wild rice and beetroot hummus.

Mother in Hackney Wick is a firm favourite for vegans in the east, with fresh juices, vegan burritos and burgers.

When Marks & Spencer gets on board it’s a sure-fire sign something is no longer niche. The supermarket has just launched the high street’s first vegan wrap. It’s a Middle Eastern-influenced mix of butternut squash, tabbouleh, spicy slaw and a sumac dressing rolled up in a harissa-spiced tortilla wrap. It was influenced by research showing that 63 per cent of customers are looking to reduce their red meat intake.

Crussh is another mecca for vegans looking for a quick, easy lunch on the go. Its vegan energy box is packed with wholesome ingredients. In the morning it serves “croats” — that’s carrot and sultana overnight oats soaked in almond milk with almond butter — and the classic banana bagel.

Vegans like to keep things fresh. With that in mind, Essence Cuisine has just opened its doors in Shoreditch with a seasonal menu designed by vegan trailblazer Matthew Keeney: think raw pad thai with kelp noodles and marinated lime to heirloom tomato lasagna with pistachio pesto and macademia ricotta.

In autumn we will be getting a branch of US-based vegan restaurant by Chloe. The chain is coming to Covent Garden with a 70-seater restaurant. It has four branches in New York and one each in LA and Boston. In the past two years 610,000 of its vegan burgers have been sold. It makes plant-based food including guacamole burgers, kelp noodles, tacos and a take on mac ’n’ cheese.

Over in Broadgate, Sub Cult, the award-winning sarnie shop, wheels out a weekly vegan sandwich, the Sub Conscious, which has previously boasted spiced vegan patties. Wedge Issue pizza, which has just opened a second site in Shoreditch, can claim pizzas with melted vegan cheese and toppings like spicy vegan chorizo or mock meatballs — while there’s also a vegan-approved chocolate pizza. V good.