If it feels like you’re seeing more and more vegan restaurants around London, that’s because you are. Plant-based food can be found with ease in the big smoke, which has just been named the most vegan-friendly city in the world by vegan blog HappyCow.
Of course, you know all about some of the very best vegan food this city has to offer—Biff’s, Adesse, more!—and you can find plenty of it all around; with 400 all-vegan establishments around the streets of London.
There’s 165 vegan restaurants within a 10km radius of the city centre, and 200 exclusively vegan restaurants across the entire city, making London the hub for vegan food, pipping second-placed Berlin to the post.
But how have HappyCow calculated the level of vegan-friendliness? In six simple steps: number of fully vegan restaurants within a 10km radius of the city centre; number of fully vegan businesses; number of all vegan, vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants; density of vegan businesses per capita; growth of vegan businesses since the previous report; and a qualitative evaluation from TeamCow, City ambassadors and the ‘Cowmunity’, using factors including how well veganism is understood.
London has come up trumps after HappyCow crunched the numbers, and given the number of vegans has quadrupled in the UK since 2014, it’s pleasant reading for many.
Speaking on London’s vegan food prowess, HappyCow said: “London’s vegan restaurant explosion has continued throughout the past year, making 2021-2022 a big year for veganism in the UK. London was the first city on HappyCow to surpass 200 completely vegan restaurants in 2022 and over 400 fully vegan establishments all in all—including but not limited to restaurants.”
“London has an abundance of vegan-friendly stalls, bakeries, cafes, smoothie bars, and even the UK’s first vegan cheese shop called La Fauxmagerie. When in London, you are never more than a tube stop away from anything vegan you might desire.”
Be it a sit-down delight at Mildred’s; a Michelin-starred meander at Gauthier or a culinary comfort at Eat Of Eden, HappyCow reckon you’re best-placed to strike gold with vegan food in London – and we can’t help but agree. Read the full HappyCow list on vegan-friendly cities here.