A 2018 study by comparethemarket.com found that approximately 7% of British people were vegan, while 14% were vegetarian. That’s almost a quarter of the population who don’t eat meat. But how well are these people represented in restaurants? There are a lot more vegetarian options now, than say 10 years ago as the number of vegetarians have increased but the vegan options are still, in many places lacking. This is unfortunate as in many cases it would, with a couple of changes, be quite simple to change a vegetarian meal into a vegan one. For example, a halloumi vegetable stack could be made vegan by replacing the cheese with a plant based one. 

There aren’t vegan restaurants all over the country and many vegans, like meat eaters, enjoy going out to eat. But having a vegan diet can make the restaurant options quite limiting even though they are slowly starting to improve. I’m on a mission to find restaurants that cater for vegans and not just with a green salad or bread and olives. I’m looking for restaurants that have made an effort to be inclusive and are embracing veganism. 

I’m looking to rate restaurants from between ✅and ✅✅✅✅✅. The green ticks will be based on:

The menu options 

The meal itself 

The ambience 

The attitude and knowledge of the staff 

How often have you gone to a restaurant claiming to be vegan friendly only to find that bread and olives are the only vegan option? 

How many times have you been to a restaurant that has a wonderful vegan meal on their menu but don’t shout about it?

All restaurants aren’t going to have half their menu vegan, they have to make a living after all. Some restaurants, like a steak house for example, are unlikely to have any vegan options and as a vegan you probably wouldn’t want to eat in a steak house anyway.

Is dessert an option for vegans? How many restaurants are there who have a vegan main but don’t have a vegan pud? Lots methinks.