In the UK, around 1 in 10 people are either veggie or vegan, with many more trying to reduce their meat and dairy consumption.
However, choosing a climate-friendly diet shouldn’t exclude you from having great meals at restaurants. To help alleviate scrolling through menus searching for the little vg next to items, we have compiled a list of the best veggie and vegan-friendly places around East Oxford so the next time you are wandering down Cowley Road looking for your next plant-based meal, you won’t be left going hungry.
Green Routes, Magdalen Road
An all vegan (but serves dairy milk for the non-oat drinkers) brunch place that everyone will love. From fluffy pancake stacks to breakfast bagels and daily soups, the portion sizes will fill you up for the rest of the day. You can expect a bit of a queue at the weekend, so head over early if you want to avoid the wait.
The Oxford Blue, Marston Street
The pub-version of Green Routes, this time serving an all vegan menu of pizzas and seasonally rotating small plates that will leave you booking your next visit before you are out the door. Think smoked artichoke dip with fresh focaccia and crispy roast potatoes that would put your christmas dinner to shame. The drink menu offers great cocktails here too.
Coconut Tree, St Clements
Over on St Clements, the Coconut Tree has a whole vegan section of the menu, offering a taste of Sri Lanka with dishes like mango curry, jackfruit wings and creamy dhal. Unique flavours and combinations, this restaurant offers you a different meal to most, and with some great deals on drinks, this is a place you could eat and drink the night away.
Za’atar Bake, Cowley Road
This Arabic eatery transports you to the middle east with colourful mezze dishes made to share. With vegan and vegetarian dishes clearly marked on their menu, this place offers a good selection of plant-based dishes although you still feel like meat takes centre stage in their main courses. Though it doesn’t herald veggie dishes as much as some other places, it was worth a mention since the dishes they do provide are very good and this place makes you feel like you have left Oxford as soon as you walk through its doors.
Dosa Darlings, Cowley Road
This Southern Indian restaurant exudes tranquility and offers and oasis away from bustling Cowley Road. With the majority of their little plates, sides and dosa’s being plant-based, this new addition to Cowley Road’s food scene is worth the visit. Though most of the curries are not vegan, there are at least two to choose from which, with the rest of the menu leaning veggie, is not bad. The quality of the food is excellent and there are some interesting cocktails to boot.
Pan Pan, St Clements
This pan-Asian restaurant has a whole vegan menu to sink your teeth into, showcasing firm favourites like spring rolls and bao buns, this place is sure to be a crowd pleaser. With vegan mains consisting of Pad Thai, Bibimbap and Malaysian curry, a little trip to this St Clements restaurant will take you to every corner of Asia.
We hope this guide is helpful, and of course it’s not an exhaustive list so do let us know your fave spots for vegan and veggie dishes – we’d love to explore more!
Thank you! Can we give an honourable mention to Dosa Park? Loads of good vegan and vegetarian options, great value and good quality.