London is awash with the vegan restaurants these days – in fact, London boasts MORE 100% vegan restaurants than ANY other city in the world – but finding affordable vegan cafes in London is another matter! I’ve lived in London since 2008, the same year I went vegan, and while my first few years in London I was able to say I’d eaten at every single vegan restaurant and cafe in the city, that’s no longer the case…but I try my best! I’ve been to more than half and I try to eat my way through every single remaining one…
But to save you the trouble of trying to find the right vegan cafe in London, I’ve put together this list! There’s a vegan cafe for every style of food and budget here in London…
Now, London is also home to lots of swanky vegan restaurants, as well as more casual cafes. The definition of cafe is somewhat ambiguous but I’ve gone for more casual establishments here (if you want to dine out at a vegan fine dining establishment, I’ll be posting my favourites in another post soon).
Here are the best vegan cafes in London, in every area!
Table of Contents
Vegan Cafes London: Central
Thenga Cafe
120 Cromer St, London WC1H 8BS
I used to live round the corner from Thenga Cafe and it is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked vegan restaurants in London! This cafe serving Indian food is one of the least expensive places to get a filling, tasty vegan lunch in the capital and the owners are absolutely lovely.
Located inside a former community centre now turned YMCA gym (you don’t have to attend the gym to go to the cafe), Thenga cafe has a £9.95 lunch set menu. I always get the thali, which changes daily but always has a dahl, vegetable dish and rice. They also have a few different wraps to choose from, dosas, juices and cakes.
The decor is quite spare in that it’s a cafeteria-style setting, but it’s got a welcoming atmosphere thanks to the kind owners, and if you want a cheap and filling lunch in Central London, this is your best bet in my opinion!
More Cafes I want to try:
Mood Cafe
57 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8SP
This new vegan cafe near Holborn is one of the few fully vegan spots locally, and they’re open fairly late compared to most cafes (until 9pm Mondays to Saturdays). They’ve got burgers, curries and a healthy bowl.
Vegan Cafes in London: East
Daun’s Vegan Deli
77 Wentworth St, London E1 7TD
East London may have more vegan eateries than anywhere in London, but Daun’s is another overlooked gem, in my opinion.
This Scandi deli’s owner hails from Sweden, and Daun’s is the first (and so far only) vegan Scandinavian deli in London. The pastries in particular are so good – don’t miss the cinnamon buns.
When I went, my friend and I both went for the smørrebrød, open-faced sandwiches, with three different toppings to try, and a potato salad side.
I also attended a vegan wine tasting here with tapas-style bites from the menu, and I hope they’ll repeat it as it was a great night!
This is a great place to visit for brunch or lunch (they’re not open at dinnertime).
WAVE
11 Dispensary Ln, London E8 1FT (Hackney)
1A Evering Rd, London N16 7QA (Stoke Newington)
Even though I haven’t yet visited WAVE (We Are Vegan Everything) I felt I had to include it as it’s been recommended to me by SO many people and is top of my list of vegan brunch spots to try!
Their brunch options look incredible, like vegan sticky toffee pancakes or their Sunny Side, scrambled tofu, sauteed kale and hollandaise sauce on a toasted English muffin.
They have two locations, one in Hackney and one in Stoke Newington.
Andu Caffe
528 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AH
This is one of my favourite places for Ethiopian and a favourite for an inexpensive, filling meal in London! Be sure to take cash as this place is cash only.
Andu Caffe is a no-frills Ethiopian restaurant in Dalston with an extremely short menu. Basically, you can choose whether you want the vegan platter (with a selection of Ethiopian dishes) on rice or injera bread (a sour, slightly lemony, spongy and moreish bread made of fermented teff flour). You can also choose the size, based on how many people you’re dining with.
A platter for one person is £13, while a platter for two is £22. It’s also BYOB, though they have a small selection of soft drinks for purchase.
The Gallery Cafe
St. Margarets House Settlement, 21 Old Ford Rd., Bethnal Green, London E2 9PL
The Gallery Cafe is a long-running vegan cafe (which started its life as a vegetarian cafe) in a community centre in Bethnal Green.
Go here for classics like a vegan Full English, or other brunch options like waffles, in a laidback, homey space.
They’re also open for lunch, though the menu isn’t huge.
Black Cat
76A Clarence Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 8HB
Even more old-school than The Gallery Cafe, Black Cat is a long-standing, community-run cafe in Hackney. It occupies the site that was formerly Pogo Cafe, a vegan punk cafe which I’ve looked up and was running since 2004! It’s one of the first 100% vegan cafes I ever remember going to in London.
It used to be run entirely by volunteers, although I don’t think that’s the case any longer. The food changes weekly but is the sort of classic vegan restaurant fare you see on many vegan cafe’s menus, such as burgers and curries.
Vegan Yes
64 Brick Ln, London E1 6RF
A totally unique place and a great place to visit if you want to try something totally different, this Brick Lane spot is a Korean-Italian fusion restaurant, as the owners are from Korea and Italy. My friend even took a group of her non-vegan friends there after I recommended it, and they loved it too.
Menu options include kimchi pasta, a sushi burger or kimchi sausage. They have four different types of kimchi, varying in levels of spice, and a section of non-kimchi dishes on the menu.
More Cafes I want to try:
London Feel Good Hub Cafe
Village Arcade, 49 Station Rd, London E4 7DA
This cafe is not only all vegan, but also gluten free, refined sugar free and organic. It’s really far though, unless you happen to live in or be near Chingford (but could make a good stop off on the way to/from a walk in Epping Forest).
The Well Bean Co
1-2 Upper Dock Walk, London E16 2GU
This vegan cafe is located at the Royal Docks, and is one of the only vegan eateries around there. It’s also a community cafe and funds mental health initiatives, so it’s a place I’d love to visit for their mission.
London Vegan Cafes: South
Cafe Van Gogh
88 Brixton Rd, London SW9 6BE
While it’s a little out of the way, tucked away behind Oval station, Cafe Van Gogh is worth a visit. It’s run as a not-for-profit social enterprise and they work with a learning disability charity, Toucan, to provide on-the-job training and employment when the opportunity arises. They also run a pay-it-forward scheme so customer can purchase food or drink for people who are homeless or otherwise can’t afford it.
Their menu frequently changes but the focus is on comfort foods. For example, I visited with some friends just before Christmas for their Christmas set menu (three courses for £40 or two courses for £32) and included a glass of mulled wine or hot apple juice with cinnmon, plus a starter of baked vegan Camembert, a hearty mushroom and leek pie and a salted caramel tart.
Nama
33 Westow Hill, Norwood, London SE19 1TQ
Nama in Crystal Palace is mostly known for their cakes, but they also do vegan breakfast and sandwiches. But really, go here for the cake – it’s a great place to visit a friend for coffee and vegan cake in South London.
One of the more interesting cakes I tried here was a multi-layered vegan honey cake – I don’t know what they used as their vegan honey substitute but it worked well, the cake was really soft but held together well, and the layers were impressive.
Amrutha Lounge
326 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4EJ
Amrutha in Earlsfield is a bit more expensive than other cafe-style places on this list, but I felt I had to include them because they have a very homey atmosphere, and they’re open for dinner – plus they have a good deal on the set menu.
For £29 per person, the set selection menu is filling and comes with a LOT of variety, with 8 different dishes included. There’s also the Grande set menu, £34 per person, with an additional three dishes.
They also won me over by being the kindest to my dog of any restaurant I’ve ever visited! When we arrived, they made a big fuss over him and then asked if he liked rice or carrots (which happen to be two of his favourite foods). After disappearing off to the kitchen, they reappeared with a takeaway box for him full of rice and carrots.
More Cafes I want to try:
Pinch Cafe
Tooting Works, 89 Bickersteth Rd, London SW17 9SH
A vegan coffee shop in a coworking space in Tooting (but the opening hours are pretty limited – they close at 3pm).
Crumble Mania
395a New Cross Rd, London SE14 6LA
The most unusual and specialised cafe I’ve (ever?) stumbled across, Crumble Mania in New Cross specialise in vegan crumbles, in different forms (as well as a classic apple crumble, they also have cherry Oreo or hemp protein crumble). You can top with ice cream or custard.
Deserted Cactus
135A Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST
This cafe in Peckham is one I’ve been meaning to go to for awhile, but I’m never in the area and the hours are really limited (only open Thursdays and Saturday from 1-4pm). The food is Caribbean/fusion and there’s no menu, with the dishes changing.
En Root
28 Peckham Rye, London SE15 4JR (Peckham)
Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Ln, London SW2 1JG (Brixton, at the Ritzy cinema)
7 Station Rise, Norwood, London SE27 9BW (Tulse Hill, collab at the Railway Tavern)
5, Ascot Parade, Clapham Park Rd, London SW4 7EY (Clapham)
En Root started life in Peckham, but has added two more locations: in the Ritzy cinema in Brixton, a collab in the Railway Tavern in Tulse Hill, and another branch in the Brixton end of Clapham. They do Indian fusion cuisine, and it was highly recommended by an Airbnb host I had last year.
Blank Cafe
144 Acre Ln, London SW2 5UT
A vegan coffee shop in Brixton, Blank Cafe is a spot for breakfast, brunch or a lunchtime sandwich. (Not to be confused with Blank Street Coffee, which is a non-vegan chain!)
Kinder Cafe
27 Bartholomew St, London SE1 4AL
Kinder Cafe in Bermondsey is open for breakfast and lunch only, with offerings like a Marmite toastie or pickled onion toastie, or a vegan full English.
Vegan Cafes London: North
The Fields Beneath
52a Prince of Wales Rd, London NW5 3LN
This coffee shop in Kentish Town is a great place for a catch-up if you want a coffee and a vegan croissant or a sandwich.
As it’s a coffee shop, it’s a casual place and they don’t have a menu but just whatever’s on offer (and in the past when I’ve gone for a croissant later in the day they’ve run out, so get in early if you want pastries!).
More cafes I want to try:
The Gleaners Cafe
458 Hoe St, London E17 9AH (in the Hornbeam Centre)
I’d love to try this place because they have such a great ethos. They’re a community cafe with a pay-what-you-feel system in Walthamstow. The food is made using surplus produce (which would have otherwise gone to waste).
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Visiting London and looking for somewhere to stay? I’ve got a guide to the best vegan & vegan-friendly hotels in London! I also have a guide to the best vegan hotels in the UK.
2 thoughts on “21 Best Vegan Cafes in London: Don’t Miss These (Mostly) Affordable Gems”
Great suggestions! Thank you!
Happy to have helped! :)