The all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet, available from midday to 3.30pm, is good value for money: £7.50 to eat-in or £5.50 for a takeaway box. There’s a selection of tasty raw salads and hot dishes to choose from.

The evening à la carte service starts at 6pm, when the small restaurant fills up quickly. With its minimal decor and candlelit tables, 222 Vegan Cuisine has a cosy, unpretentious atmosphere. The menu is equally down to earth. Starters include homemade soup, a bean and tofu pancake, and pitta bread with dips. The hearty mains include a roast, pasta basilico, pumpkin and pine nut risotto, a tofu veggie burger and the customers’ favourite, seitan stroganoff. Simple dishes, but full of flavour. There are also salads and a couple of raw dishes, if you fancy something lighter. Desserts include tofu cheesecake, ice cream and raw chocolate torte. To quench your thirst: hot drinks, fresh juices and smoothies, and wine and beer with affordable organic options.

The wholesome, satisfying food at 222 Vegan Cuisine is no doubt what makes the restaurant so popular among vegans and non-vegans alike. It’s a big hit with families too. Make sure you book ahead for dinner – the word is definitely out.

Outside, the cafe’s colourful stripes call for attention, but inside the atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious. You’ll find the menu, which changes daily, on a chalkboard behind the counter where you place your order.

There are three or four hearty mains, vegan versions of British ‘favourites’ that often include a tofu burger with chips; a curry; and a hearty, traditional meal such as shepherd’s pie with lentils, ‘chicken’ pot pie or fishless and chips.

There are also tasty pizzas, layered with vegan cheese and topped with soya, that you can buy whole or by the slice. The salad is a fancy, expertly dressed mix of vegetables, slaw and grains. It comes in two sizes and is served with bread (available gluten-free). There are also stacks of vegan sausage rolls and samosas to tempt you at the counter, if you’re after a snack, and a range of decadent desserts (cakes, brownies, meringue, ice cream) if you’re in the mood for something sweet.

Of a weekend, the cafe services brunch. Vegan croissants, pain au chocolat, and a big cooked breakfast of vegan sausage, tofu scramble, mushrooms, tomatoes, homemade beans and toast.

Drinks include delicious, flavoured soya milkshakes and a good selection of hot and soft drinks. Alcohol isn’t served, but you can bring your own for a small corkage fee.

As well as the food from the menu, you can also buy lots of vegan snacks and chocolates, tofu, tempeh, vegan cheese and other fresh food to take home.

Following rapid change in Hackney and an explosion of new bars and restaurants nearby, Black Cat’s popularity is growing. There may be fewer punks and more prams at the tables, but it’s a sign of the cafe’s success that it’s equally loved by both vegans and others alike. With such a range of appetising options, it’s no surprise.

The cafe’s popular all-day breakfast menu is extensive, with options to suit all appetites – from porridge to large cooked breakfasts complete with homemade baked beans. The chalkboard lunch menu offers a soup of the day, three sizeable salads and four hearty mains – usually a spicy chickpea stew, an expertly flavoured curry, a more traditional pasta dish and savoury pancakes. There are also tempting daily specials. And if you fancy something sweet, you have the choice of an old-school dessert like banoffee pie or fruit crumble, or one of the delicious cakes. All of the dishes are beautifully presented – the salads are topped with dainty fresh flowers – and they taste as good as they look.

There are several vegan options on the menu, including half of the cakes, and the majority of dishes can be made vegan on request. To drink, there’s tea, coffee, fresh juices and smoothies. The cafe also offers half-size, half-price food and drink for children, so it’s a great choice for families. It’s also a perfect place for catch ups with friends or quiet time with a coffee and a book, but not for working – laptops aren’t allowed at weekends or between 12pm and 3pm on weekdays, which helps to keep the atmosphere convivial.

East Dulwich is now one of the most popular places to eat out in South London, and the friendly Blue Brick Café continues to hold its own. Just to remember to bring cash as cards aren’t accepted.

Inside, the long, narrow cafe is light and tranquil; tables for two made out of reclaimed wood line one wall, and a small kitchen and counter line the wall opposite. There’s a larger table at the front of the cafe, under the window, and a few seats outside if you fancy watching the world go by.

Fresh flowers in vases, dried flowers in old food tins, soft lighting, scaffold shelving, vintage signs and quirky pictures give the cafe a style that’s part bohemian, part industrial. The music is low, making conversation – or working without distraction – easy.

The menu is concise but caters perfectly well for those looking for breakfast, brunch or lunch. There’s porridge, chia pudding, homemade granola, scrambled eggs on toast, veggie and vegan omelettes, and a larger breakfast consisting of two soft-boiled eggs, British cheese, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes and toast. Avocado on toast is served with chilli-coriander relish, watercress and dukkah (a mixture of nuts and spices), which turns a simple dish into an outstanding one.

For lunch, there’s a range of grilled sandwiches, an impressive vegan lentil and quinoa burger, and a ‘veganwarma’ served on flatbread with coleslaw, potato salad, tahini sauce and pickles. Daily specials include a fresh salad, a quiche and a soup. All of the food is served on vintage crockery, adding to the cafe’s charm.

You can find a good selection of veggie and vegan cakes at the counter, and Allpress coffee, which you can take out if you’re just passing by. But it’s worth staying a while, if you can – this place has something special.