About Time: You Ate London’s Best Vegan BurgersBy Alicia Grimshaw
We’ve discovered London’s best vegan pizzas, vegan hangover heroes, and now, it only felt right to list London’s tastiest vegan burgers. Because a good burger is a right, not a privilege. Across the capital, restaurants and street food outlets are cooking up some insane plant-based burgers, from crispy jackfruit patties to fried seitan and just about every topping under the sun. Here’s where to get your vegan burger fix in London:
1. For a Pulled Burger: Mooshies London
Order: Pulled Mooshie – jackfruit, Mooshies BBQ sauce and coleslaw (£7.50)
The Lowdown: Enter Mooshies London, a 100% vegan burger bar that has four plant-based burgers on the menu, all of which are stacked high and taste absurdly delicious. Their Brick Lane branch bang out some of the finest vegan creations in the capital, including the AT team favourite – the fillet-om-phish featuring battered aubergine, homemade tartare sauce, nori seaweed, vegan cheese and lettuce. They’re open till 11pm on Saturday – an ideal spot before sinking a few bevs in east London.
Where: 104 Brick Ln, Shoreditch, London E1 6RL
2. For a Spicy Burger: The Vurger Co
Order: The Auburger – cumin mayo, pickled cabbage and Tabasco chipotle infused patty
The Lowdown: We’ve watched The Vurger Co’s journey like a creepy lover; as it grew from a stall hitting various festivals in the capital and beyond, to their Christmas pop-up at Lululemon in Spitalfields, and now, the team are opening their first bricks and mortar site in Shoreditch later this year. We’ve been roooting for them, knowing they were onto something great. The Auburger was a one-off collaboration with Tabasco last summer, but proved so popular the burger has become a regular fixture on the menu. With cumin mayo, pickled cabbage and that spicy, smoked Tabasco patty – this is one mean vegan burger.
Where: Check where they’re popping up next
3. For a Classic Burger: Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Order: Dead Hippy – homemade and pan-fried bean patty, beetroot and mint hummus, avocado, piquillo pepper, salad and relish in a sourdough bun (£7.95)
The Lowdown: Say what you will about chain burger restaurants, but GBK are onto something with their vegan number. A bean patty is not the most adventurous, but the addition of the beetroot and mint hummus, avocado, and piquillo pepper really sets the whole thing off. Sides are also decent, throw in a portion of the sweet potato fries. Don’t fear the high-street, people, GBK is fantastic.
Where: Locations here
4. For Burger Toppings: VBurger
Order: Up-Beet – low roasted british beetroot and quinoa patty, served with smoked tomato relish, lettuce, tomato, dill gherkins, sliced red onion, and topped with a garlic and chive aioli (£7)
The Lowdown: VBurger is a plant-based burger bar in the heart of Camden Market, and it’s a real treat. The simple but playful menu features four burgers, and you can jazz up your patty with a variety of toppings too. The seitan schnitzel burger with chipotle mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, dill gherkins and red onion is legendary, but the Up Beet burger with its earthy beetroot patty and punchy smoked tomato relish will have you coming back time and time again.
Where: 215 – 216, Camden Lock Market, Unit 215 – 216 Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 8AF
5. For a ‘Chicken’ Burger: The Full Nelson
Order: Super Crispy ‘chicken’ fillet covered in garlic buffalo sauce, with lemon and black pepper mayo (£6.50)
The Lowdown: For vegan junk food at its best (and filthiest), The Full Nelson is a mecca of tasty treats. And by tasty we mean juicy fried ‘chicken’ burgers, chips covered in a mountain of pulled ‘pork’ with lashings of coleslaw and pickles, and deep fried Oreos. Surely some of the best vegan food in London? On Sundays, their brunch menu is what your hangover needs; vegan fry ups, fried ‘chicken’ and waffles, and stacks of pancakes.
Where: 47 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PH
6. For all the Burgers: Arancini Brothers
Order: BBQ Mushroom Burger – cheese, rocket, tomato and crispy onions (£9.50)
The Lowdown: Arancini Brothers are cooking up flesh-free burgers like nobody’s business – and their Old Street branch has gone completely vegan for January. All vegan burgers feature their famous mushroom zucchini risotto patty – think a rich sphere of rice spiked with summery Mediterranean flavours and deep fried to give it a perfectly crisp little shell. They’re dreamy AF. And absolutely sensational when you slap on some of their homemade vegan mayo.
Where: 42 Old St, London EC1V 9AE
Photo Credit: @yesitsallvegan
7. For a Posh Burger: Wulf and Lamb
Order: The Wulf Burger – seitan burger, topped with tomato, baby gem, pickle, red onion and cashew aioli in a brioche bun with house sauerkraut and wedges (£14.95)
The Lowdown: ‘Fiercely Kind Food’ is the mantra at this new casual-dining outlet nestled behind Sloane Square. The menu is all plant-based, but that doesn’t mean you’ll go hungry because Wulf & Lamb is a haven for everyone with a healthy appetite for fresh, wholesome food. Since opening last year, the restaurant have had the Made in Chelsea cast flocking in their droves to get their hands on their meat-free creations. If it’s good enough for Tiffany whatsherface, it’s good enough for us.
Where: 243 Pavilion Rd, Chelsea, London SW1X 0BP
8. For a Cheeseburger: Big V London
Order: The Holy Smoke – classic v plant meat patty with smoked cheese, smokey house BBQ sauce, house maple facon, house chipotle mayo and caramelised onions (£7.50)
The Lowdown: Oh boy, oh boy. The Big V are the burger maestros, dishing up some of the finest vegan patties across the capital. You’ll find them at various London markets – just look out for the queue. It’s hard to replicate a sloppy, beef burger that needs a fistful of napkins, but Big V’s creations come pretty close. The classic cheeseburger gives a Big Mac a run for its money and features a classic vegan patty with house tomato relish, house burger sauce, pickles red onion and vegan cheddar.
Where: See locations here
9. For a Bean Burger: Mildred’s
Order: Polish – beetroot, white bean and dill in vegan brioche bun with iceberg lettuce, red onion, mayonnaise, pickled cabbage and gherkin (£8)
The Lowdown: Mildred’s is a veggie institution, and they’ve been flogging their meat-free wares since 1988. There’s now four restaurants in the capital, with the menu full of internationally-inspired vegetarian food which is made daily on the premises, with serious style and sass. The menu offer bother vegan and veggie options, and all dishes can be made vegan upon request. Filling, delicious and reasonably priced – the Polish burger is a winner .
Where: Locations here
10. For a Traditional Burger: The Gallery Cafe
Order: The Gallery Cafe Burger – super-secret burger recipe topped with cheese and red onion jam with homemade mayo, crisp lettuce and tomato in a toasted bun; served with homemade fries (£9.25)
The Lowdown: The Gallery Cafe caters for all the vegan and veggie queens. This east London hot spot has grown a cult following thanks to their meat-free wonders, purse friendly prices and glorious outdoor seating area (just you wait until summer). We don’t know how they do it, but their ‘super secret burger recipe’ is a little bit spicy, sweet and tasty in equal measures.
Where: 21 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PL
11. For a Limited Edition Burger: The Blues Kitchen
Order: The Morrisey – buffalo fried okra, cashew remoulade, tomato, avocado and grilled Portobello mushroom on a sesame bun, served with sweet potato fries and mustard slaw (£12.95)
The Lowdown: Blues Kitchen and vegan burgers don’t really go hand in hand. The restaurant is known for their American-inspired menu featuring slow and low cooked meats. But, friends, the kitchen team have come up with a burger for Veganuary, and it’ll keep your beef pangs at bay. Behold, The Morrisey, a tower of pure plant-based indulgence. This place requires you to get down and messy, so tie your hair back and take down a mountain of buffalo fried okra (so good), mushroom, avo and cashew remoulade.
Where: Locations here
12. For Fried Greatness: Temple of Seitan
Order: Crispy fillet, cheese, coleslaw, jalapeños, with hot sauce and chipotle mayo (£6)
The Lowdown: Street food stalwarts, Temple of Seitan are behind Temple of Hackney, London’s first vegan ‘chicken’ shop (they’re also opening a new gaff in Camden very soon). The team are the real meat-free heroes; providing hungry punters some of the most obscenely delicious vegan food in London. Take a bite of their crispy, fried seitan doused in cheese, coleslaw, jalapeños, with hot sauce and chipotle mayo nestled in a fluffy bap, and tell us that it doesn’t taste good. This is a mecca for decent vegan food – and we’re lapping it up.
Where: 10 Morning Ln, London E9 6NA
13. For a Filthy Burger: Biff’s Jack Shack
Order: The Jack Bauer Tower – crispy fried Jackfruit patty, hash brown, cool mayo, iceberg lettuce, burger cheese and ketchup (£8)
The Lowdown: The team at Biff’s Jack Shack are wizards – because what they’re knocking up is pure magic. If you think vegan food is dull, you need to get your chops round their vegan junk food: it’s knock your socks off, filthy. They’re dishing up some of the best vegan food in London, no doubt about that. Jackfruit is doing the rounds on many vegan menus now – and their jackfruit burgers, fried into a sphere of crispy goodness, is a flavour explosion. Burgers are served with a range of different toppings like hash browns, katsu curry sauce and onion rings. Tasting is believing.
Where: Haunt, 182 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7UY
Photo Credit: Kim Burrows Photography
