Lewes, Vegan Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “A fire before lockdown, followed by Covid restrictions, mean it's been a tricky time for this well-loved Brighton institution”, but the “fabulous” North Laine veggie and vegan café is happily once again back in business. “Beyond-delicious food, lovely people and a great atmosphere” ensure that it's “definitely worth a visit even if you’re not vegetarian”.

This Lanes institution of almost 45 years’ standing has a national reputation for its “creative” vegetarian and vegan cooking, which is both “good quality” and “very good value for money”. There’s a “wide choice of dishes” inspired by European and Asian cuisines – and a dessert menu that pulls no punches. These days it has an offshoot in Hove, Botanique.

“Not usually a fan of straight veggie anything, but absolutely loved our meals here!!!!” – this intriguing two-year-old grew out of a pop-up called BangBao and nowadays occupies a funky, stripped-down canteen-style space off the London Road (not a million miles from the station). It serves an eclectic mix of Asian-inspired, plant-based dishes, often using fake meats to excellent effect. (The Guardian’s Grace Dent gave the place a big boost in her November 2023 review – “One of the biggest compliments I can give any restaurant is to say that it is like nowhere else”.)