Vegan stuff

Why?

What do you eat?

Alia's Veg*n eating guide

• Milton Keynes, UK
  • Veggie World: (Veggie/95% Vegan) This chinese restaurant in Bletchley is an amazing place. It's not the most posh of places, but it's comfortable, and the enormous range of foods on the menu more than make up for it. Almost the entire menu is suitable for vegans, including the set menus, with several dishes adapted on request. (Last visited Dec 2001).
  
  
• Sheffield, UK
  • Blue Moon Cafe: (Veggie/Vegan) A whole range of different foods are on the menu, from quick snacks to meals, along with a large array of cakes and desserts. The cafe is small, but very busy! (Last visited Mar 2001)
  
  
• Birmingham, UK
  • Warehouse Cafe: (Veggie/Vegan) located in one of the less selubrious parts of the city centre, but definitely worth the trek to find it. It's relatively small and cosy, but with a large range of food and (more importantly!) dessert. All the milk and ice cream is vegan, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. (Last visited Nov 2001).
  
  
• Christchurch, NZ
  • Main Street Cafe: (Veggie/Vegan) This was a great find, and kept me in food while I was on my holidays. The cafe is next door to a bar, owned by the same people, so it's easy to move between the two. There is a range of food, with some specials, all of which is served with a huge helping of your choice of salads. The dessert menu is limited if you are vegan, though with chocolate cake like theirs, I'm not complaining! (Last visited Sept 2001).
  
  
  
• Nottingham, UK
  • V1: (Veggie/Vegan) This is the UK's first all-veggie fast food restaurant. There's a large range of burgers to choose from, as well as breakfast boxes, sandwiches and cakes. (Last visited June 2001).
  • Alley Cafe: (Veggie/Vegan) This place was quite small, but busy when we visited one Saturday lunch time. There was a range of meals, all veggie, but a limited range of vegan food. The large choice of drinks was excellent though. (Last visited June 2001).
  
  
• Exeter, UK
  • Herbies: (Veggie/vegan) A mate who lives in Exeter had been raving about this place for months, so I was quite keen to visit the place when I finally made it to Exeter, and I wasn't to be disappointed. There was a vast range of choice, much of it suitable for vegans, and an enormous number of desserts too! The price was reasonable, and though the place started out quiet when we arrived at 7, it was packed when we left. (Last visited January 2002).
  
  
  
• Sedgewick, Cumbria, UK
  • Fox Hall Bed and Breakfast: (Vegan) Not actually a restaurant, but they still provide food, and it's a fantastic place to go if you're vegan and looking for somewhere to stay away from home. The family are all vegan, so you don't have to worry about what the blankets, pillows or shampoos contain! Everyone was very friendly, and the food was excellent. The house itself is a converted old barn, with timber-framed walls, and is very comfortable. (Last visited Dec 2001).
  
  
  
• Birmingham, UK
  • Canalside Cafe: (veggie/vegan/omni) This cafe caters for all tastes, and as the name suggests, it's right next to the canal in Gas Street Basin. There's a good range of veggie foods, including yummy veggie blts and sausage sandwiches, as well as houmus and tortillas. There's plenty of desserts too. (Last visited August 2002)
  
  
  
• Melbourne, Australia
  • Vegetarian Nirvana: (veggie/vegan) A vegetarian restaurant that specialises in Indian food (or is that an indian restaurant that specialised in vegetarian food?!). The food here is excellent; not overly spicy and with a huge range to choose from. Most of the items can be made vegan to order, and it's very yummy. When we went it was very busy! (Last visited December 2002)
    
    
  • Soul Mama: (veggie/vegan) A fantastic place we discovered in St Kilda. The restaurant is above the sea baths, and has huge picture windows looking over the sea. We went in the evening and saw a beautiful sunset from our table. The nice thing about the place is that you can't book - so there's always a table for you somewhere, though you might have to wait for a while. Things are done a bit differently too - you get your drinks brought to your table, but you order food from the counter, and pay according to plate size. You can get a big plate, letting you sample four different options, or a small one with two. There's a whole range of cuisine on offer too - oriental, mexican and indian to name a few. There's also a dessert counter, though there were only one or two vegan options. Well worth a visit. (Last visited September 2004).
    
    
  • Veggie Bar: (veggie/vegan) Apparently this is one of the oldest veggie hangouts in Melbourne. It's always busy, meaning sometimes you have to wait around for a table. It has a nice, chilled out atmosphere. Unfortunately a lot of the vegan options are veggie ones without sour cream or cream... (e.g. potato wedges or chocolate cake). This seems to mean that the vegan food is quite bland and dry, and the staff are usually rushed off their feet, so service is a bit more lax than in some of the smaller places. That said, there's plenty of choice, and you can happily sit around after your meal for a drink or two as it is also a bar. Worth a go if you're in the area. (Last visited Jan 2003).
    
    
  • Vegie Hut: (veggie/vegan chinese) I should start by saying that we unwittingly visited this place at chinese new year, so it was very busy, and we seemed to be the only non-chinese people there! However, they fitted us in and looked after us really well. There was quite a lot of choice on the menu, though is wasn't clear which items were veggie and which vegan. The sweet-and-sour pork, one of my faves, was excellent, though the hotpot we had was a bit of an acquired taste! The portions were huge though, and there were lots of drinks to choose from. It's tucked away in Box Hill, but worth a visit if you're passing by. (Last visited Feb 2003).
    
    
  • The Organic Deli: (veggie/vegan deli) This place (off Flinders Lane) was an amazing find. It's only open weekdays, but it has the most amazing collection of pies, burgers, sandwiches and cakes to choose from. It also has a large range of organic drinks to compliment the yummy food. Great for lunch, or to grab a take-away snack. (Last visited Apr 2003).
    
    
  • White Lotus (vegan chinese): An amazing place in the heart of Melbourne, near the Queen Vic Markets. White Lotus is always busy. It has a huge range of meals, including mock meats and vegetables, plus several yummy desserts (not that we usually have room for any after the huge meals!). The service is friendly and attentive and the food is good, well priced and plentiful. (Last visited: October 2004)
    
    
  • Shakahari - Probably the oldest veggie restuarant in Melbourne. Shakahari is a fine-dining experience for veggies/vegans, with a seasonal menu, and meals from around the world. Everything is amazingly presented and very yummy (we tried practically the entire menu between a large group of us!). Apparently the Tofu Caramel is the best anywhere - though I'm not a custard person so I can't confirm... Worth booking as it's often very busy (Last visited: November 2004)
    
    
  • Vegie Valley - An excellent veggie chinese restaurant in Glen Waverley. They make a whole range of foods involving mock meats, as well as plenty which are vegetable based. Service can be a little patchy, but the food is worth it, and they also offer an excellent take-away service. I highly recommend their black bean 'chicken'. (Last visited 20th Dec 2007)
    
    
  • Lord of the Fries - Life is tricky for vegans in Australia. The majority of chips in restaurants and fast-food joints are pre-cooked in tarrow (beef fat). Even though there are some vegetarian ones out there, most restaurant staff aren't knowledgable enough to tell the difference (in my experience). So it's wonderful to find somewhere that not only knows the difference but goes out of its way to cater to vegans too! Lord of the Fries is on the corner of Elizabeth St and Flinders St in Melbourne (with a new store on Flinders Street Station). They mostly sell chips (with a whole range of different sauces to choose from), but also offer burgers and breakfasts. The service is fast and friendly and the food is fantastic. Highly recommended! (last visited 24th Dec 2007)
    
    
  • Tandoori Junction - While not strictly speaking a vegetarian restaurant, this excellent Indian restaurant is knowledgable about the issues for both vegetarians and vegans and will happily advise or adjust menu items to cater. The service is friendly and professional and the food is excellent (I especially recommend their samosas and dhal). (Last visited 23rd Dec 2007)