Brighton may well be the best place in the UK to be vegan. Following a plant-based diet in this city is far less challenging than in some other places. With an abundance of health shops and refill stores, many of which appeared far before it became trendy, Brighton caters well to eco-conscious consumers, vegetarians and vegans. As a capital of culture, it comes as no surprise that Brighton is also a city full of great restaurants. Naturally, there are some notable vegetarian and vegan restaurants amongst them with cuisines that reflect the uniqueness of the seaside city itself.
With so many options to choose from it wasn’t easy to put together our list of the best vegan restaurants in Brighton and Hove. Yet, with over 70,000 vegans living in the city, there are also many restaurants not exclusively plant-based that cater particularly well for those who are, and we’ve included those too.
Whether you’re a resident or are visiting the city and seeking great vegan or vegetarian food, this guide will help you discover some of the best vegan restaurants in Brighton and Hove for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Best Vegan Breakfast In Brighton
Western Road
SIX isn’t just for breakfast, the restaurant is also a great spot for lunch and dinner or just a few drinks. However, it is the brunch they are famous for. It’s not easy to put together a great vegan brunch but SIX’s seasonal inspired menu provides a couple of great options. This is no lazy vegan add-on. An obvious effort has gone into creating interesting and inspired textures and flavours using a variety of plant-based ingredients. It’s also a lovely spot with a great ambience indoors and a great place for sitting and people watching outside in warmer weather too.
Preston Road
Green Kitchen is an exclusively vegan cafe that practises what they preach by supporting The Retreat Animal Rescue, a haven for over 1000 animals in Kent. Aside from their love of animals, they have a clear love of food, as demonstrated by their homely mouth-watering menu. It’s all about high-quality basic ingredients here. There are plenty of plant-based meat substitutes as well as vegetable-centred dishes. A great spot for lunch too, it’s just made the best vegan breakfasts in Brighton list because they offer my absolute favourite – Mexican-style vegan brunch. Complete with herby potatoes, homemade guacamole, refried beans and all sort of other components, this is the kind of breakfast to give you a jump start that lasts all day. It’s also one of the most reasonable places to eat in Brighton with almost everything on the menu coming in at under £10.
Best Vegan Cafes In Brighton
Kensington Gardens
This vegetarian canteen-style cafe has been a popular lunch spot in Brighton’s North Laines for years, and for good reason. It’s not the biggest restaurant but it’s the perfect place to pop into for some warm comfort food on a cold day or a quick lunch break from work. Each day there are a few choices for a main meal which you may pair with a couple of sides of your choice. Although it’s a vegetarian restaurant there are vegan options and the food is full of flavour, nourishing and available to eat-in or take-away.
Gardener Street
A little green and orange haven in the North Lanes, you might be surprised to learn that Loving Hut is actually an international chain. This chain of vegan cafes is on a mission to support and promote the plant-based movement all over the world. Serving soups, Asian inspired lunch dishes and lots of cakes, this park-based cafe is a lovely place to stop and watch the world go by. It’s also the perfect place to prove to the sceptics that vegan cupcakes can be just as, if not even more, delicious as dairy-based bakes.
Best Vegan Restaurants In Brighton And Hove
Ditchling Road
Brighton’s wholly plant-based pub, The Roundhill offers real ale, wines, cocktails, live music and an all plant-based food menu. A light and airy pub, it has a rustic charm and outside space too. The menu is eclectic. With the starters featuring Masala popcorn, Moroccan hummus and Chimichurri, it’s clear the Roundhill has not subscribed to only one cuisine. One of the other assets of the menu is that there’s a selection of sizes to suit different appetites. It also features a good balance of vegan meat substitutes as well as dishes where the vegetables take centre stage. So there is something on there for the whole food lovers and those who fancy indulging in a bit of vegan junk food too.
East Street
When you’re looking for something really special and are able to splash the cash, Terre A Terre is the place to go for vegetarian and vegan fine dining. Dishes are inspired by a wide range of cuisines from all over the world and Terre A Terre’s mission is to change the way people view vegetarian food, by ensuring it is anything but boring. Guess what – they succeed! An evening at Terre A Terre is a dining experience with unique combinations of flavours that are clearly put together with expert knowledge and an enormous passion for food.
Richmond Place
Indian food is very vegetarian-friendly and Planet India is proof of how well this cuisine lends itself to plant-based eating. If you’re bored of the vegetarian or vegan option on the curry house menu being the blandest of the dishes then head to Planet India where vegetables and spice meet in an explosion of flavour. The menu does not go on for pages and pages, it’s a selection of vegetarian and vegan Indian meals with varying levels of spice. Don’t let the simple menu fool you, this is about quality over quantity and both the food and the interior of this bright pink family-run restaurant is full of colour.
Prince Albert Street
Food For Friends has been a frequented vegetarian restaurant in Brighton since 1981, so they must be doing something right. Whilst the cuisine at Food For Friends might be described as fine dining, the atmosphere is relaxed and reflects the name of the restaurant. It is a place to go with friends and loved ones to share conversations over great vegetarian and vegan food. The chefs at Food For Friends really know what they’re doing with vegetables, proving with every dish that a plant-based meal can contain flavours and textures to surprise and delight.
Vegan Recipe Boxes In Brighton And Hove
Don’t feel like eating out but want hassle-free home cooked vegan dinners? Try our new recipe boxes for everything you need to create restaurant-quality cuisine in your kitchen. Our boxes come with all you need to whip up the recipes designed by Brighton-based healthy eating advocate and chef, Suzanne Goldenberg-Shove of Happy Gut Co.
