Leicester Square Archives

You might be putting the flex into flexitarian for Veganuary but why would you want to eat somewhere that only bothers to put vegan dishes on the menu once a year? We've got a selection of casual dining gems that put plant-based cooking at the centre of their menu and send out banging vegan dishes all year long. Mr Bao All the regular vegetarian dishes at Mr Bau are either already vegan or can be made vegan on request. Add to this their Veganuary specials, plus their regular tofu bao with ginger-braised tofu, house kimchi and crispy onions. We like: Teriyaki Shiitake Mushroom Bao with Sticky BBQ Corn Ribs: Locations: Peckham, Tooting, Westfield Fat Hippo If you're a burger fan, Fat Hippo has a good selection of four vegan burgers on their regular menu using plant-based patties and vegan cheese; all include a free side. We like that they also have vegan dirty fries, with 'fakon' bits and Fat Hippo sauce. It's worth checking out the menu just for their strong pun game. We like: Five Lies with Tater Tots: Locations: Shoreditch, Soho Honest Burgers The Bacon Plant 2.0 Special is the new and improved Bacon Plant burger, first introduced to the Honest Burgers menu in January 2019 and back better than ever after more than 600 burger fans petitioned for its return. Made up of shoestring fries sprinkled with vegan bacon dust, Applewood vegan cheese, and a Beyond Meat patty, the Bacon Plant 2.0 is topped with La Vie’s plant-based bacon. It comes with a side of your choice; that choice should be the rosemary salted chips. Thank us later. We like: The Bacon Plant 2.0: including side Locations: Over 30 around London Wahaca Half of the Mexican-inspired street food at Wahaca is already meat-free and this year they have added a full vegan set meal for two, plus a tetela with roasted seasonal vegetables, black beans, avocado salsa and vegan cashew crema. We like: Seasonal Vegetable Tetala: Locations: Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, Islington, Oxford Circus, Shoreditch, Southbank, Stratford, Waterloo, White City, Wimbledon Cheapo Top Tip: Register for a voucher here and you can pick up a free cocktail when you buy a street food dish this January! Wagamama Wagamama is known for its inventive Veganuary specials; previous dishes include the world’s first vegan egg, watermelon tuna, vegan fish and chips and last year’s vegan ‘chicken’ kare lomen. New for 2024 is the next-level 'steak' bulgogi: udon noodles, aubergine and caramelised onion in a miso sauce topped with smoky lion’s mane mushroom ‘steak’ and drizzled with Korean barbecue sauce. Lion's mane mushroom is a foodie favourite, famed for its meaty texture and appearance, and umami-led flavour. We like: 'Steak' Bulgogi Locations: 39 locations across London Fatto a Mano With a new site in Covent Garden, you don't have to trek out to King's Cross to bag one of Fatto a Mano's absolutely banging Neapolitan pizzas; and if you are looking for a vegan-friendly slice, you don't have to miss out on flavour. Bring on the Vegan 'nduja pizza - tomato, vegan ’nduja, artichokes, red onion, black olives, chilli, vegan mozzarella and basil - and the Truffle, butternut squash and Fatto cashew vegan parmesan with truffle and mushroom cream. We like: Vegan 'nduja pizza: Locations: King's Cross, Covent Garden Crust Bros Crust Bros focus on wood-fired Neapolitan pizza that you can customise with your own choice of 30 ingredients, making them a great choice for Veganuary. They have three vegan pizzas on their regular menu, a Veganuary special plus ten vegan ingredient options for build-your-own. We like: Romagnolo Pizza with Vegan Mozzarella, Mushrooms and Truffle Oil: Locations: Croydon, Wandsworth, Waterloo The Real Greek If you're in the mood for a meze then head over to The Real Greek, where dishes such as the flatbread, houmous, falafel and chickpea filo parcels are all naturally vegan. To celebrate Veganuary they have a special meze designed by Michelin-starred Greek chef Nikos Karathanos; think flatbread, melitzanosalata (smoked aubergine, garlic, red onion, roasted red peppers and lemon) and vegan meatballs. They also have vegan ice-cream for dessert. We like: The Veganuary Meze (price depends on items chosen) Locations: Bankside, Covent Garden, Dulwich Village, Marylebone, Soho, Spitalfields, St Martin's Lane, Strand, Tower Bridge, Westfield Ramen Yokocho If you're looking at Veganuary as a relief from recent indulgence then Ramen Yokocho is the place for you. A cool retro Tokyo ramen bar showcasing regional ramen from all over Japan, it has vegan options throughout the menu including miso ramen with spicy piri piri sauce, tofu, bamboo shoots, kikurage mushrooms, tenderstem broccoli and nori seaweed; vegan sushi rolls and yuzu sorbet. We like: Vegan Miso Ramen Locations: Heddon Street, Panton Street

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