Vegan Restaurants Brighton – Our top 5

Too often, commentaries on vegan or vegetarian food exclaim, ‘You won’t even miss the meat!’, a phrase tantamount to reviewing an Indian restaurant and assuring people that they won’t even miss the cheesy chips.

Aware that any open-minded food lover can appreciate different types of cuisine,  we present the We Love Brighton guide to the top restaurants in town that embrace veganism, not as a limiting factor, but as an alternative, sustainable and exciting way of eating in its own right.

These are restaurants where the ‘vegan option’ doesn’t mean ordering the veggie burger without the cheese. Never again shall a vegan apologetically order chips and an undressed side salad in lieu of a balanced meal. Our list of the Top Vegan Restaurants in Brighton will show you what’s possible with a plateful of plants and some creativity!

Terre A Terre

Terre à Terre has long been a hero of Brighton’s vegetarian scene and one of the lynchpins behind the city’s reputation as the best in the UK for vegans (although the official title was usurped by Glasgow last year).

Despite the slightly dated décor, the place is impossibly classy.  They have the kind of menu you need a culinary glossary to decipher; serving up dishes so elaborately presented they’ll turn you into one of those unbearable food bloggers. 

This is a restaurant even the most staunch of meat eaters will enjoy, not because it mimics meat, but through the buoyant flavours, so tender yet articulate that comparing anything on the plate would be a disservice. Like comparing Bowie to Brahms.

A large percentage of the menu is fully vegan and the restaurant is incredibly accommodating, with vegan options available for almost all other dishes and a largely vegan wine list. The Terre à Terre menu takes influences from all over the world. Taking inspiration from a range of cultures with East Asian, North African, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Mediterranean flavours all featuring heavily.

From the very first nibble of marinated sesame hoisin tofu to the crunch of a garlic potato rosti with sumac butterbean sauce, all the way to that parting mouthful of decadently boozy vegan chocolate truffle, you’ll lament the fact that at some point the meal must come to an end.

This isn’t just one of the best restaurants in the city for vegans, but one of the best fine dining restaurants full stop… and don’t they and the rest of Brighton just know it?

Address: 71 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ

Website: terreaterre.co.uk

Kusaki

Kusaki is an exclusively vegan sushi place. Everything on the menu is crafted to incredibly high standards, delivering truly high-class Japanese dining. You can tell this is a culinary experience that will remain with you for some time the second you stroll up to its see-through doors.

It is a truly gorgeous-looking restaurant, with a stunning mesh of striking, sleek décor, married to all the aspects of a traditional Japanese garden, complete with Sakura trees as if you were walking into a scene from a Miyazaki film.

But, of course, the most important part of any dining experience is the food, which not only well compliments the stunning décor through its taste, but also looks utterly delectable. The whole dining experience is a delight to all of the senses, the food here is nothing short of art.

Everything at Kusaki is marvellous and passionately prepared, but my recommendations would be the Ramen, complete with Daikon radish and a rousing broth, the fantastic selection of sushi, and of course the litmus test of any good Japanese restaurant, the katsu or ‘Kiiro’ curry.

Address: 5-6 Circus Parade, New England Rd, Brighton BN1 4GW

Website: kusakibrighton.com

Food For Friends

Food for Friends has been serving up vegetarian cuisine since 1981 and in some ways, its reputation as a Brighton institution overshadows the modern-day reality. By all accounts the contemporary incarnation of Food for Friends is unrecognisable from the original hippie haven. It’s now a chic yet relaxed, smart, unfussy restaurant with Farrow & Ball walls and pendant lights – the smart-casual of the dining room décor world.

The vibe may be different but the food is still exciting and unpretentious, and the sophisticated menu is vegan-friendly. The Middle Eastern influences are obvious in dishes like baked aubergine stuffed with bulgur wheat and pistachios. Or the sharing mezze starter platter piled with so many vegan dips, salads and fritters that you won’t have room for a main.

Reserve a little space for pudding whatever happens though; the doughnut-like coconut and black sesame arancini served with mango sorbet is the perfect example of a vegan dessert that makes no apologies for being dairy-free.

Address: 17-18 Prince Albert Street, Brighton, BN1 1HF

Website: foodforfriends.com

Wai Kika Moo Kau

Wai Kika Moo Kau is a vegetarian hotspot and one of North Laine’s friendliest cafes. Patrons’ artwork hangs on the walls and you’ll find you’re proud to count yourself as one of the regulars before you even realise you know the menu off by heart.

The place is always packed with a happy mixture of students sitting down to a mini vegan breakfast (an absolute bargain at £3.50), parents with pushchairs, day-trippers, and local workers grabbing a takeaway veggie soup or a spicy tofu wrap on their lunch break. You can try going in for ‘just a cup of coffee’ but you’ll never resist the selection of vegan baked goods supplied by Eden Homemade Cakes.

Wai Kika’s dinner menu manages to be both reassuringly healthy and satisfyingly hearty. With homemade sweet potato and soya bean burgers, nachos loaded with bean and lentil chilli, and vegan mezze or tapas platters with falafel, dips, marinated tofu and grilled peppers. If you have room for a sweet treat after your meal try the avocado and chocolate mousse – as velvety and indulgent as any cream-laden dessert.

Address: 11a Kensington Gardens, Brighton, BN1 4AL

Website: facebook.com/waikikamookau/

Iydea

It seems that every vegetarian and vegan in the city must have visited Iydea at some point, either the original café on Kensington Gardens or the new, larger Western Road venue. Both are counter service and you build your perfect plate or box of food from the (all veggie) options in front of you. About 50% of the main courses are vegan, with typical offerings including sweet potato lasagne, nutty vegetable crumble or Thai curry.

Once you’ve decided on your main you can select two sides – hot or cold – to accompany it, maybe sweet potato and garlic mash or balsamic tomato and onion salad. Finish with toppings such as coriander and garlic drizzle or toasted tamari seeds.

The line moves quickly and the stunning array of options can easily bewilder new initiates. You’ll likely find yourself crippled by self-doubt about your spur-of-the-moment choices: ‘Does Asian coleslaw go with gumbo roti? ‘DOES IT?!’ Luckily it doesn’t matter what you choose; no matter the order you’ll be handed a plate or box crammed with fresh rainbow goodness.

Address: 17 Kensington Gardens, North Laine, Brighton, BN1 4AL

Website: iydea.co.uk/Iydea_Vegetarian_Restaurant/Welcome.html