The signature Buddha Bowl is a box filled with all kinds of goodness: massaman curry with new potatoes, pineapple and soya chunks; carrot and homemade kimchi pickle; steamed seasonal greens (usually kale); organic brown rice; organic omega seeds; and grilled halloumi (optional). The Buddha Bowl is vegan (if you skip the halloumi), wheat-free, gluten-free – and very, very tasty. It’s not surprising that it won Best Main Dish at the British Street Food Awards.

Wife and husband Charlotte and David Bailey, founders of Wholefood Heaven, run the Buddha Bowl Van – with enthusiasm and big smiles. David, a classically trained chef, became vegetarian in 2005 and hasn’t looked back since, while Charlotte, a lifelong vegetarian, spent many years working in the natural health industry. Their ethos is that no matter where you are, you should be able to buy high-quality, nutritious, healthy, ethical and tasty fresh food. If you’re around Old Street on a Thursday or Friday at lunchtime, you’re in luck.

When you arrive, staff ask you about your dietary requirements, so they can recommend suitable dishes. If you’re dining before 7pm, you can opt for the three-course set menu – at £13.50, it’s good value for money. Otherwise, with starters reaching £7.25 and mains at £13.50, Carnevale may be more expensive than expected, but the food is reliably good and substantial in size. All dishes are prepared to order with fresh, flavoursome ingredients.

Alongside veggie dishes, there are plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. The starters include savoury pancakes filled with spinach and ricotta; and young artichokes stuffed with walnuts, lemon, parsley and breadcrumbs. The most popular mains are potato cakes with fennel, lemon and basil, served with a provencal vegetable casserole; a falafel, aubergine and red pepper harissa casserole; and a chickpea, lentil and spinach curry served with marinated halloumi and fig kebabs.

There’s a selection of desserts (the vegan chocolate roulade is a big hit), sweet wines and digestifs. And there’s all the tea, coffee, organic wine, spirits and soft drinks you need. There’s also a small deli at the front of the restaurant, selling pasta, grains and other Mediterranean foods to take home.

If you’re in the mood for hearty food in a homely setting, give Carnevale a try. Given the size of the restaurant – and the fact it’s just down the street from the popular Barbican Centre – it’s worth booking ahead to avoid disappointment.

That’s not all from Carnevale: if you’re passing on a weekday at lunchtime, check out its popular market stall, Saladin, just outside.

The restaurant first opened in 1985 under the name Bhelpuri House. Inside, the room is divided, with some tables near the buffet and others set up on a lower level. The finer details might escape you at first as your attention will likely be on the restaurant’s defining characteristic: wall to wall posters, newspaper articles, celebrity photos and pseudo-facts (‘carrots keep you younger!’) about the benefits of living a vegetarian lifestyle. It’s well-intentioned and sincere – done, in their words, to ‘inform, amuse and inspire’.

The buffet changes daily, but you’ll usually find a selection of half a dozen hot dishes (vegetable curries, dhal, rice), fried onion snacks, bread, cold salads (onion, carrot, beetroot, red and white cabbage) and fresh pear and mango sides. Staff can answer any questions about the dishes and their ingredients, and point out what meets different dietary requirements (most of the buffet is vegan). A long refrigerator along the wall has a selection of soft drinks. And there’s a table menu with Indian desserts, and dairy or soy lassis.

While the price of the buffet has risen to £7.95 (half price for a takeaway box), Indian Veg remains a reasonably priced option for great-tasting vegetarian and vegan Indian food in London.

Indian Veg offers free food to anyone who is homeless, during normal opening hours.

Housed in a boxy modern space with windows on three sides, the interior of Mildreds Kings Cross is a mix of modern retro and industrial chic. Canteen benches that comfortably seat 18 run down the middle, with smaller tables along the sides. It’s stylish and colourful with its posters, and its retro pink, plastic lampshades. Given the wooden surfaces and lively crowd, you might expect more noise, but the acoustics are good and it’s easy to have a conversation.

The menu offers a variety of cuisines and includes both healthy, creative dishes and more traditional comfort food. Nearly all the dishes are vegan or can be made vegan on request.

There’s a range of starters and small plates that are perfect for sharing, including watermelon, mint and tomato salad; hoummus with rose harissa and chargrilled flatbread; and roasted miso aubergine with ginger and spring onions. Of the mains you might enjoy a smoked tofu burger with cheese, a Tokyo bowl, a mushroom and ale pie or a Sri Lankan sweet potato curry, to name a few. If you have room for pudding, there’s plenty to tempt you, including a chocolate and hazelnut brownie, and a peach, strawberry and apple polenta crumble.

Bookings are only accepted for parties of 10–14, but there’s room to stand at the bar while you wait for a table. There’s a good selection of organic wines and beer, and an inventive cocktail menu. At busy times, the queue tends to weave around the tables and you can expect to wait 20 minutes or more, but it’s a testament to the quality of the food and the restaurant’s popularity. A high turnover of tables means staff are attentive and food is served quickly.

It’s hard not to compare Mildreds Kings Cross to its Soho sibling, but with the same reliable choices and welcoming attitude that has kept the original running for over 25 years, it’s doing well to live up to the well-deserved reputation.

The salad boxes come in two sizes: small and large, which are £4.50 and £5 respectively. The ‘small’ box is by no means small – it’s a miracle it closes given the amount of salad that’s packed in.

You can choose from a range of vegan and veggie salads that are expertly seasoned and dressed. There’s pasta, carrot, Greek salad, beans, mixed greens, tabouleh, new potatoes, broccoli, beetroot and stuffed vine leaves. For an extra 50p, you can enjoy a generous helping of hummus.

The falafel wrap is served with baba ganoush and salad for £5. You can add halloumi for an extra £1. Like the salad boxes, the wrap is a good size and a satisfying lunch.

There are two queues at the stand – one for wraps, the other for salad boxes. They can get long, but thanks to the speed of the friendly staff, you’ll be enjoying your lunch in no time.

With enormous bay windows that stretch to the high ceiling and an airy interior, the restaurant is surprisingly large in size. Tables are set closely together under low-hanging filament lights, and the arrangement generates a lively hum of conversation.

The seasonal à la carte menu acknowledges what the brothers describe as their ‘Indo-Iraqi Jewish’ heritage, threaded through Italian and French cuisine. The dishes are every bit as diverse as that implies. To start, you might find artichokes, halloumi, sesame-coated smoked tofu and a mezzo platter. The mains, to name a few: wild mushroom risotto cake, Malaysian curry and aubergine schnitzel. Make the most of the chunky polenta chips and other sides, and try a dessert if you can – they’re pretty special. There’s sticky toffee pudding, strawberry eaton mess, raw basil strawberry tart and more.

Alongside the à la carte menu, there are lunch options that celebrate Spanish and Arabic tastes, Sunday roasts and a children’s menu. Keep an eye out for special seasonal menus dedicated to a particular theme, such as The Gate’s annual wild mushroom festival.

There’s a good range of organic and vegan wines available, and a full cocktail menu.

On a typical weeknight, there’s rarely an empty table at The Gate. Book ahead to miss the waiting list and guarantee yourself a table at what is deservedly one of London’s most popular vegetarian restaurants.