Brighton's 9 Best Places To Eat For A Vegetarian
The City of Brighton and Hove has long been regarded as a place of tolerance and diversity. Here, you can dress how you want to, believe what you want to and generally be as eccentric as you like, without anyone batting an eyelid.
In those days supermarkets didn't have lots of veggie options and Quorn was unheard of. I recall my absolute delight when the supermarket started to stock cauliflower cheese grills. Even then it took months for my mother to understand that I couldn't have it slathered in meat gravy and much of our mum/teenage daughter angst stemmed from me being "difficult" with my vegetarian principles.
Things have moved on considerably since those days. To be a vegetarian is not considered eccentric anymore and options are always available even in the most backwater pubs. However, it's still sometimes an afterthought and there are often only one or two things on the menu. Fine dining restaurants tend to go for the veggie risotto option and in other restaurants there are only the obvious choices of pasta with Napolitana sauce or veggie lasagne.
Brighton now has a large number of residents who are veggie and vegan and the number of restaurants and cafes who cater for them is extensive also. Even the winners of the Best Brighton Restaurant 2012 and Best Pub Food 2012 are both totally veggie! If you are a vegetarian or vegan, or even if you're not, but you appreciate carefully prepared, fresh wholesome food, then Brighton and Hove has some excellent places for you to try. Here's my Top Ten, but there's plenty more!
Food for Friends: 17-18 Prince Albert Street, The Lanes
Best Restaurant Winner 2012 in the Brighton and Hove Foodie Awards. Vegetarian restaurant that also caters for vegan/gluten free. Fresh, locally sourced food at a good price with lots of offers. Cakes, breads and scones fresh every day too and vegan/ gluten free cakes made to order if you need something for a special occasion. Great atmosphere and live music Sundays. A firm favourite for my friends and I on our girls' nights out! Totally fab!
Terre a Terre: 71 East Street
Another restaurant with a string of awards to its name. A great veggie restaurant for a special occasion or even if you just want a quick lunch. My personal favourites are the Terra a Tapas plate and Better Batter and Lemony Yemeni Relish. They have a quirky menu with some unusual names for main courses such as "Fancy Nancy" and "Pidgin English"! The rostis are amazing and a favourite with my meat eating friends too. Great wine list and organic beers and yummy puddings. Great for little veggies too, my little ones love going there for lunch and at lunchtimes it's very family friendly.
Planet India: 4-5 Richmond Place
Truly authentic, budget restaurant and well worth a visit. Fantastic vegetarian food at an affordable price. The owner, sometimes barefoot, has a great love for what he does and you almost feel like you're going to a friend's house for dinner. Big portions, great food, no frills environment and budget prices. A must visit place for a veggie coming to Brighton.
The Prince George: 5 Trafalgar Street
Another winner in the Brighton and Hove Foodie Awards 2012 for Best Pub food. This pub also features in the Peta Top 10 vegetarian friendly pubs in the UK. An entirely meat free kitchen and vegetarian wines, lagers and beers. A traditional pub with Real Ales of Sussex and a vegetarian menu that offers great feel good veggie food. Even the bar snacks are supplied by Infinity Foods. Perfect for a Sunday lunch!
Infinity Foods Cafe: 50 Gardner Street, North Laines
A wide range of amazing, freshly cooked organic food. Perfect for lunch after shopping in the Laines. Grab a veggie BLT sandwich served with a big, wholesome salad, veggie chilli and loads more both vegan and veggie. When you eat this food you can almost feel the good it's doing you! Totally guilt free, totally yummy. High chairs and family friendly. Relaxed, informal cafe and you can take away too so you can enjoy a picnic in Pavilion Gardens.
Iyeda: 17 Kensington Gardens, North Laine
Another award winner, this time from the Vegetarian Society. Great value, quality fast food. Vegetarian cafeteria style servery. Main dishes and salad and veg, served fast and great prices. Plus a breakfast menu. Real food, real fast is their philosophy and they certainly deliver on both fronts.
Rock Ola: 29 Tidy Street
A 50s themed American diner with retro pop on the walls and a jukebox. This is themed but not tacky themed! I've included this because they have a separate vegan menu which is very thoughtful of them. It's quite a small place but definitely worth a visit for great food and something a little bit different.
Wai Kika Moo Kau: 11a Kensington Gardens
Fully vegetarian cafe with vegan options. Extensive choice and good food. Again, a great choice if you're looking for somewhere for lunch after browsing the shops in the Laines or for an early dinner. Good prices and atmosphere.
Pho: 12 Black Lion Street
Not strictly a vegetarian restaurant but this has a good selection of veggie dishes and the staff are genuinely knowledgable about these options. It offers authentic, Vietnamese street foods, freshly prepared. Good location just off the seafront, nice decor and with a good review from The Times. Worth a visit especially if you have a penchant for the Vietnamese national dish.
In those days supermarkets didn't have lots of veggie options and Quorn was unheard of. I recall my absolute delight when the supermarket started to stock cauliflower cheese grills. Even then it took months for my mother to understand that I couldn't have it slathered in meat gravy and much of our mum/teenage daughter angst stemmed from me being "difficult" with my vegetarian principles.
Things have moved on considerably since those days. To be a vegetarian is not considered eccentric anymore and options are always available even in the most backwater pubs. However, it's still sometimes an afterthought and there are often only one or two things on the menu. Fine dining restaurants tend to go for the veggie risotto option and in other restaurants there are only the obvious choices of pasta with Napolitana sauce or veggie lasagne.
Brighton now has a large number of residents who are veggie and vegan and the number of restaurants and cafes who cater for them is extensive also. Even the winners of the Best Brighton Restaurant 2012 and Best Pub Food 2012 are both totally veggie! If you are a vegetarian or vegan, or even if you're not, but you appreciate carefully prepared, fresh wholesome food, then Brighton and Hove has some excellent places for you to try. Here's my Top Ten, but there's plenty more!
Food for Friends: 17-18 Prince Albert Street, The Lanes
Best Restaurant Winner 2012 in the Brighton and Hove Foodie Awards. Vegetarian restaurant that also caters for vegan/gluten free. Fresh, locally sourced food at a good price with lots of offers. Cakes, breads and scones fresh every day too and vegan/ gluten free cakes made to order if you need something for a special occasion. Great atmosphere and live music Sundays. A firm favourite for my friends and I on our girls' nights out! Totally fab!
Terre a Terre: 71 East Street
Another restaurant with a string of awards to its name. A great veggie restaurant for a special occasion or even if you just want a quick lunch. My personal favourites are the Terra a Tapas plate and Better Batter and Lemony Yemeni Relish. They have a quirky menu with some unusual names for main courses such as "Fancy Nancy" and "Pidgin English"! The rostis are amazing and a favourite with my meat eating friends too. Great wine list and organic beers and yummy puddings. Great for little veggies too, my little ones love going there for lunch and at lunchtimes it's very family friendly.
Planet India: 4-5 Richmond Place
Truly authentic, budget restaurant and well worth a visit. Fantastic vegetarian food at an affordable price. The owner, sometimes barefoot, has a great love for what he does and you almost feel like you're going to a friend's house for dinner. Big portions, great food, no frills environment and budget prices. A must visit place for a veggie coming to Brighton.
The Prince George: 5 Trafalgar Street
Another winner in the Brighton and Hove Foodie Awards 2012 for Best Pub food. This pub also features in the Peta Top 10 vegetarian friendly pubs in the UK. An entirely meat free kitchen and vegetarian wines, lagers and beers. A traditional pub with Real Ales of Sussex and a vegetarian menu that offers great feel good veggie food. Even the bar snacks are supplied by Infinity Foods. Perfect for a Sunday lunch!
Infinity Foods Cafe: 50 Gardner Street, North Laines
A wide range of amazing, freshly cooked organic food. Perfect for lunch after shopping in the Laines. Grab a veggie BLT sandwich served with a big, wholesome salad, veggie chilli and loads more both vegan and veggie. When you eat this food you can almost feel the good it's doing you! Totally guilt free, totally yummy. High chairs and family friendly. Relaxed, informal cafe and you can take away too so you can enjoy a picnic in Pavilion Gardens.
Iyeda: 17 Kensington Gardens, North Laine
Another award winner, this time from the Vegetarian Society. Great value, quality fast food. Vegetarian cafeteria style servery. Main dishes and salad and veg, served fast and great prices. Plus a breakfast menu. Real food, real fast is their philosophy and they certainly deliver on both fronts.
Rock Ola: 29 Tidy Street
A 50s themed American diner with retro pop on the walls and a jukebox. This is themed but not tacky themed! I've included this because they have a separate vegan menu which is very thoughtful of them. It's quite a small place but definitely worth a visit for great food and something a little bit different.
Wai Kika Moo Kau: 11a Kensington Gardens
Fully vegetarian cafe with vegan options. Extensive choice and good food. Again, a great choice if you're looking for somewhere for lunch after browsing the shops in the Laines or for an early dinner. Good prices and atmosphere.
Pho: 12 Black Lion Street
Not strictly a vegetarian restaurant but this has a good selection of veggie dishes and the staff are genuinely knowledgable about these options. It offers authentic, Vietnamese street foods, freshly prepared. Good location just off the seafront, nice decor and with a good review from The Times. Worth a visit especially if you have a penchant for the Vietnamese national dish.
Rob writes for Brighton Holiday Homes who provide self catering holiday apartments in Brighton. Our aim is to make your stay in Brighton the best it can be
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