The 5 best vegan fine dining restaurants in London

Anyone who knows me will know that I have a taste for fine dining and that I have really struggled to find restaurants that live up to some of the establishments I frequented pre-vegan. I have been very fortunate to eat at 1-3 Michelin Star restaurants, but they all have the same thing in common – a reliance on animal-based products. Be it meat, fish, or dairy.

As a passionate vegan, I said goodbye to fine dining food for quite some years. That was until I started hearing about chefs making plants the star of the show.

As someone who worked as a professional vegan chef, I know how important challenges are, to keep you on your toes and to ensure your food stays exciting. So it is no surprise that chefs are taking on the plant-based challenge and showing just how amazing vegetables are!

Fortunately, there are now quite a few establishments where you can try out vegan fine dining food in London. From both fully vegan restaurants and non-vegan restaurants. I have outlined the best below. Bon appétit!

Gauthier

• Vegan: Yes
• Location: Romilly St, Soho
• Price: £££

When anyone thinks of vegan fine dining, they’ll think of Gauthier. It is the most ‘fine dining’ of all the fully vegan restaurants here. The chef, Alexis Gauthier, used to hold a Michelin Star for a previous restaurant. So he knows a thing or two about fine dining food. I found all of the dishes really exciting, fresh, and inviting. I recommend going for the wine pairing also for an extra special evening!

Plates

• Vegan: Yes
• Location: Kingsland Rd, Dalston
• Price: ££

Plates started out as a food studio and pop up concept and they are now housed inside Untitled bar in Dalston. They put together a 5 course set menu which comes in at a really reasonable £46 pp.

I believe that this is some of the most interesting vegan fine dining food that I’ve ever had, so I’d say the price is almost too cheap! I do love though that they are making innovative vegan food more accessible. I urge you to visit them.

Alter

• Vegan: 100% vegan
• Location: Leman St, Aldgate
• Price: ££

If you are after refined vegan Asian food in a trendy setting, then Alter is for you. I can’t get enough of this place. You’ll see me there at least once a month slurping down their Laksa.

The small dishes are mini flavour bombs that will get you thinking differently about food. And with a great drinks list, this is the perfect fully vegan Asian fine dining spot. Read my full Alter Restaurant Review to find out more.

Please note, Alter is currently looking for a new location. Watch this space!

Tendril

• Vegan: No, vegetarian
• Location: Princes St, Soho
• Price: ££

Tendril are a ‘mostly vegan’ restaurant. I saw one dish on their menu which used cow’s cheese. So it is pretty much there (I just wish it was fully). But that being said, there is a real buzz to this place. It was completely packed out when I visited, so maybe this does have a more inclusive feel for non-vegans. The food was delicious and really reasonably priced. I know I’ll be going back. Read my full Tendril Kitchen review.

Pied à Terre

• Vegan: No, separate vegan tasting menu
• Location: Charlotte St, Fitzrovia
• Price: £££

The only Michelin starred restaurant on this list, but that does come at a price, you’ll have to eat amongst other diners eating animal-based foods like foie gras. If you are okay with this then I would recommend paying them a visit. Their food is innovative, even if it does sometimes just feel like they removed the meat off the plate and replaced it with a vegetable. Read my full Pied à Terre review here.

My selection process

Here are the criteria I followed when handpicking the vegan fine dining restaurants for this roundup:

• My own experience: I have made sure to visit all of these vegan fine dining restaurants myself so that I can present an honest and open roundup of the best. I have left out restaurants which I felt weren’t up to scratch, like Apricity. Whilst I loved their zero food waste ethos, it didn’t make up for the lack of imagination and flavour in their vegan dishes.
• Price: Fine dining is notoriously expensive, but there are a few establishments with more affordable tasting menus (like Tendril and Plates), so I have made sure to include a mix to suit different budget requirements.
• Location: Whilst the majority of these are quite central, I did want to include a mix of vegan fine dining spots in different areas of London.