It’s never been easier to be vegan. Not only that, it’s never been easier to be vegan and – not to put too fine a point on it – realllly stuff your face.
So, whether you’re being guided by ethics, gluttony, or, if you’re being honest with yourself, a bit of both – here’s exactly where you can find London’s vegan breakfasts that’ll have you eating like an animal, without any being harmed in the process.
Wulf & Lamb | Chelsea and Marylebone
All day, all vegan. Wulf & Lamb offers two (bougie) outposts – Marylebone and Chelsea – slickly serving up plant-based goodness morning noon and night. But if it’s an indulgent vegan breakfast you’re after, then in Chelsea you’ll be on the hunt for the Tex Mex wrap (the black beans and salsa are set off beautifully by the coriander cashew cream dressing), or the open burrito with ackee, rice, and rich datterini plum tomatoes, whilst over in Marylebone you should treat yourself to the jackfruit wrap with spinach and vegan cheese, or take a punt on the ‘scrambled muffin’ made with smoked tofu (no, honestly – it’s superb). You’ll wulf it down.
Details: 243 Pavilion Road, SW1X 0BP | 66 Chiltern Street, W1U 4EJ | Book Wulf and Lamb
Miranda | Crouch End
It’s more or less impossible to leave Miranda unsatisfied. Though the veggie café is wonderfully casual and down-to-earth, there’s a hint of indulgence to all of its dishes – the American breakfast comes topped with generous quantities of maple syrup, and the ultimate English breakfast lives up to its name, its ‘bacon’ coming with a portion of cheddar cheeze for good measure. The Venezuelan corn pancakes are a reliable highlight, as are the Japanese okonomiyaki (a must if you’ve never tried them) – but, if you’re dining with a hungry pal, throw caution to the wind and tackle the Caribbean Arepa brunch, an heroic feast offering arepas with black beans, smoky stewed chickpeas, slaw, guac, and much much more.
Details: 28 Broadway Parade, N8 9DB | Book Miranda
Kin | Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia mainstay Kin focuses on flavoursome, seasonal fare that won’t make you feel like you’re depriving yourself of anything fun – and indeed, with breakfast dishes including vegan waffles with caramelised banana, mixed berries, peanut butter, agave nectar, and berry compote, you’re not. If you’re strapping in for a Saturday brunch then you’ve got the choice of either the Kin Benedict on sourdough (sesame cube tofu and vegan hollandaise are available, as are – whisper it – poached eggs for your non-vegan friends) or the Kin Weekend Deluxe – which includes grilled pepper, wild mushroom, crushed avo, and tenderstem broccoli – all washed down with some pleasingly punchy cocktails.
Details: Foley St, W1W 6DT | Book Kin
WAVE | Hackney & Stoke Newington
Give a big hand for WAVE (it’s an acronym – We Are Vegan Everything) who are serving up stellar vegan breakfasts to the digital strategists and fashion PRs of Hackney. Founded by two friends, Cait and Soph, with a passion for – in their words – “vegan cuisine, minimalist homeware and a sunshine lifestyle”, WAVE reflects their passions admirably. In their ever-so-trendy cafés, you can get stuck into brilliant vegan sausage rolls, superb pulled mushroom ‘brisket’ brioche, and the inevitable smoothie bowl. They’ve got a pleasingly eclectic drinks selection too – try an indulgent peanut butter hot chocolate, or explore the mysteries of ‘salted coffee’, a latte-style number flavoured with Himalayan salt and agave.
Details: 11 Dispensary Lane, E8 1FT | 1A Evering Road, Stoke Newington, N16 7QA | No bookings – find out more here
Mildreds | Soho, Covent Garden, King’s Cross, Camden, Dalston, Victoria
A genuine London institution, Soho stalwart Mildreds (which has now branched out to a number of outposts across the city) has been serving totally plant-based food since the late-80s, when it was still considered a dangerous niche fad and not “probably what we should all be doing for the good of our health and the planet, actually”. When it comes to their vegan breakfasts, the Full English is a triumph, the Black Forest pancakes are a masterclass in what you can do with a vegan whippy cream can, and the Masala Brunch with dhal, railway cutlet and paratha is so good it’ll make you learn what a railway cutlet is (it’s a crispy vegetable croquette, which is exactly as delicious as it sounds). In deference to its Soho surroundings, Mildreds also politely offers a heady cocktail list (you won’t regret the blood orange and rosemary margarita, at least not at the time) and a particularly joyful wine list. Here’s to another 30-odd years.
Details: Various Locations | Book a table at Mildreds
No 197 Chiswick Fire Station | Chiswick
Convince your non-vegan friends to have brunch with you here – they do an excellent full cooked breakfast that’s entirely vegan (for you), ricotta pancakes (for your friends), and Caravan coffee, which pleases everyone.
Details: 197-199 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 2DR | Book No 197 Chiswick Fire Station
Brunswick East | Dalston & Hackney Downs
This East London brunch stalwart does veggie and vegan options for most of its big hitters on the menu, including Japanese okonomiyaki (stuffed savoury pancake) and a regularly-changing special on toast. Plus a few vegan-only options to tempt the carnivores away from their green eggs and ham, like freshly-baked vegan banana bread.
Details: Unit 3D Stamford Works, Gillett Street, N16 8JH | 47-317 Amhurst Terrace, Hackney Downs, E8 2BT | No bookings – find out more here
Bean’s Café | Hackney Downs
Bean’s Café have every reason to be full of themselves. The brunch menu at this breezy, all-vegan café on the fringes of Hackney Downs park is the food of eco-conscious kings: wrap yourself in the warmth of the Bean’s Breakfast with scrambled tofu and a grilled bean patty accompanied by a chorus of veg from garlicky greens to smoked celeriac; crack into the seasonal French toast; or get a load of their Irish Rarebit – a toastie oozing with melted Guinness-infused ‘cheeze’, leek & mustard aioli.
Details: Unit 2, 1 Maple Path, London E5 8FB | Walk-ins welcome – find out more on Bean’s instagram
Love Shack | Bethnal Green
The Love Shack: a little old place where we can get together… for an excellent vegan breakfast. The café-cum-cocktail bar lives up to its name with a charmingly ramshackle aesthetic cobbled together with donations from the local community; snuggle up indoors under a canopy of paper lanterns and parasols, or ensconce yourself in one of the hammocks swinging in the back garden. The all-day menu here is uniformly excellent, but breakfast is where they really excel: try the Whole Lotta Love to scratch that Full English itch, or try the ‘Lobster’ & Samphire brioche roll with chips (achieved through ingenious application of marinated artichokes). They’re big on mushrooms here, too, and you can power up your coffee, matcha or hot chocolate with a spoonful of mood-boosting fungi grown in-house.
Details: Arch 298, 299 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 9HA | Book Love Shack
Dishoom | Across London
Your non-vegan friends will think you’re being selfless when you suggest meeting for breakfast at Dishoom, because they’ll get the bacon naan. Little do they know that Dishoom’s vegan breakfast menu is absolutely god-tier, from the vegan sausage naan to the full Bombay (with a fragrant oat milk chai on the side). Plus, it’s served every day of the week – and you can book.
Details: See Dishoom’s website for locations & bookings
Breakfast…sorted. Dinner? You’ll want to have a look at our collection of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in London