The best vegan restaurants in Soho

Shocking the fine dining world, acclaimed chef Alexis Gauthier transformed his Soho restaurant into a fully plant-based fine dining destination, offering creative, vegetable-focused tasting menus that appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike. Specialising in seasonal, ethical, and modern French cuisine, the restaurant is set in a charming three-storey townhouse with private dining spaces.

Founded by Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton, Neat is an award-winning group of retro-styled vegan restaurants serving sustainable plant-based fast food. The Soho location offers a buzzy atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating, where diners can enjoy vegan versions of classic favourites like burgers, crispy chick*n sandwiches, tater tots, and indulgent shakes.

Pastaio in Soho offers handmade pasta, crafted  daily with quality seasonal ingredients. The sleek, modern restaurant features colourful decor and boasts a pavement terrace that's perfect for a bit of people watching as you dine al fresco. They take good care of vegan diners here, offering a dedicated plant-based menu with options like aubergine caponata or aglio e olio linguine. You can roun off your meal with some wine or a fun prosecco slushie.

Imad's Syrian Kitchen isn't fully vegan, but there's no lack of choice for plant-based diners on the menu. The Middle Eastern restaurant serves a varied menu of mezze favourites, including vegan choices such as baba ghanouj, falafel, and roasted aubergine. Food is served all day, and you can finish off your meal with an indulgent dessert, including vegan ice cream.

Mildreds is a well-loved pioneer of plant-based dining and today boasts several locations across London. Their flagship Soho restaurant features a cosy yet spacious dining room and bar, with options for private dining. Guests can enjoy an all-day vegan menu with dishes like vegan kofte, hearty burgers, and flavourful curries. Groups of two or more can also opt for the "Taste of Mildreds" vegan sharing feast.

After the pandemic, Bubala expanded its popular Middle Eastern cuisine from Spitalfields to Soho. The restaurant is snug and lively, with both tables and counter seating where you can observe the chefs working on the menu. With a few rare vegetarian exceptions, the dishes here are fully plant-based, and the things the kitchen does to the veg are sure to satisfy even hardened carnivores. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the choices, leave things to the staff – they'll put together a memorable vegan sharing feast.

The colourful home of vegan Mexican street food in London, Club Mexicana serves up a straightforward menu of nachos, tacos, and burritos, stuffed with flavour-packed plant-based options like BBQ jackfruit and vegan chicken. Complement your feast at this vegan Soho restaurant with a natural wine, a cocktail, or lagerita – a crisp beer topped with a frozen margarita.

Vantra has been proving that a vegan lifestyle can be both nourishing and full of flavour for more than a quarter of a century now. The plant-based restaurant in Soho offers dishes designed to enhance well-being, with a strong focus on sustainability. Using raw, fermented, and steamed ingredients to maximise nutrition, Vantra caters to a variety of dietary preferences, including Ayurvedic, macrobiotic, organic, and raw diets.

Rosa's Thai is a familiar sight on high streets across the UK, but vegans will want to bookmark the Soho branch in particular. Back in 2018, the chain turned the entire menu here fully vegetarian and vegan for a limited time, and the pop-up's success convinced them to keep the most popular dishes on the menu to this day. Meat-free diners can enjoy dishes like sweetcorn cakes in red curry paste, or a nice cashew stir-fry, and many of the veggie and tofu dishes can be adapted for vegans as well.

This branch of the Vietnamese chain Pho is a good choice for plant-based diners looking for an affordable, convenient, and tasty vegan meal in Soho. Explore the rich flavours of Vietnamese street food at this relaxed eatery, with  the titular pho noodle soup being the main star of the show. Unlike many other Vietnamese eateries, the pho here can be prepared with a vegetable broth instead of the traditional beef one.

Fish 'n' chips is the perennial British favourite, and at Hobson's, you won't feel left out even if you don't eat animals. This casual chippy in the heart of Soho offers vegan battered fish to go with the chips, along with a range of plant-based sides and salads. Sit down at one of the pavement tables and enjoy this timeless British treat.

If you like your falafel packed with plenty of fresh salad and veggies, Jerusalem Falafel is a must-visit. Known for its hearty portions, this Soho stall offers an impressive selection of 20 different vegetables to customise your wrap. Lengthy queues are a regular feature here, but for the many locals who line up here for a weekday lunch on the go, the flavour-packed food makes every minute of the wait worthwhile.

The original Ivy restaurant is a storied celeb haunt, and its Soho spin-off lives up to expectations. This casual all-day brasserie features an art-packed setting complete with a Parisian-style terrace, with DJs bringing the vibes on weekends for added measure. Vegan diners will be pleased to find plenty of options on the lengthy seasonal menu, ranging from starters and sides all the way through to indulgent desserts.

The Ping Pong dim sum and cocktail restaurants deliver exactly what you'd expect – an extensive variety of dim sum, from fluffy bao buns to delicate gyoza, paired with creative house cocktails. They're famed for their all-you-can-eat Sunday brunches, and the menu features lots of different options for vegans. The Soho branch stands out as one of the group's largest, spread across two floors and offering private hire spaces for special occasions.

In line with the Hare Krishna ethos, Govinda's, opened way back in 1979, offers a completely vegetarian and vegan menu. The focus here is on wholesome, cruelty-free food, with choices ranging from traditional thalis to à la carte Indian and European dishes. The dining area is unpretentious and straightforward, keeping the spotlight firmly on the nourishing meals.