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.

Thankfully, Cookies and Scream had opened a bakery on Holloway Road in 2016, not too far from Highbury and Islington station. It’s a small, friendly place with a few tables and chairs, and retro bar stools you can pull up to the counter.

The glass display case that greets you when you walk through the door shows off tempting fresh bakes – all of which are vegan and gluten-free. What’s on offer changes daily and varies by demand, but the selection is impressive.

The cookies are big and filling, crispy on the edge and moist in the middle; varieties like chocolate chip, oatmeal and chocolate chip, double chocolate, and ginger. There are brownies, blondies (brownies without the cocoa), pies and oven-baked donuts, with winning flavour combinations such as peanut butter and chocolate, coconut and jam, and salted caramel and chocolate. The bakes taste even better when they’re warmed in the oven. Then there’s the signature cookie ‘sandwich’, which packs a creamy ice cream between two delicious cookies – definitely worth a try.

The bakery also serves coffee, tea and its popular ‘Scream Shakes’: a combination of ice cream, milk and blended brownie or cookie, served with a specially developed sauce or fresh fruit.

There’s something to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth at Cookies and Scream – it’s well worth a trip when you fancy a treat.

Inside, tables for two or four sit beneath dimmed pendant lights, creating a cosy, if simple, interior. Near the back, a spiral staircase leads upstairs to more seating. Enclaves in the wall house small statues and icons, and several gold-coloured textiles hang from the wood-panelled walls. If the surroundings are modest, the menu is a blazing contrast: a wide-ranging list of over 50 individual options.

To start, there are South Indian specialities such as: vada, a serving of lentil donuts soaked in warm soup or served on their own; samosas; and rice dumplings with spices, nuts and chutney. Along with other fried snacks and soups, you can find different types of puri, an unleavened bread served with vegetables or chutneys.

For mains, there’s a terrific choice of vegetable curries (over a dozen including bhindi bhaji, channa masala, saag paneer); thalis (huge platters of starters, sides, curries and desserts), and uttapams, a thick rice and lentil pancake similar to a dosa but topped, like a pizza, with vegetables and spices.

The dosa is perhaps Sagar’s signature offering; it’s stuffed with potato, onions and carrots, flavoured with different spices, and served with coconut chutney and soup. If you don’t mind upstaging those around you, try the impressive paper dosa, a table-sized crispy pancake.

Drinks-wise, you have the option of lassis (yoghurt and milk), soft drinks, vegan wine, beer and hot drinks. The dessert menu includes sweet puddings made with rice, raisins and nuts, and a selection of ice creams and sorbets.

Dishes on the menu are clearly labeled for allergies, and dedicated menus with lots of options are available for vegans and those wanting dishes free of onion and garlic. The standard menu doesn’t explicitly mention ghee (a dairy product), so ask your server if you’re unsure.

Its lively atmosphere, great food, and friendly, attentive staff, make Sagar the perfect spot for a relaxed lunch or dinner in central London, for tourists and Londoners alike.

The vegan market is a collaboration between Fat Gay Vegan (​vegan blogger Sean​ ​O’Callaghan) and EAT WORK ART, which runs Hackney Downs Studios. The stalls change each week – with the exception of a few regulars – but there’s always a good mix providing a range of tasty options. See Fat Gay Vegan’s website for details of who’ll be there next time.

You’ll find a good amount of ‘guilty pleasures’ among the healthier food options – and they really draw the crowds. There are cakes, donuts, cupcakes, ice cream and biscuits (Dough Society, Vegan Delice, Sourdough Mess, The Vegan Treaterie, The Sunny Spoon); gourmet burgers (Café SoVegan, Big V London); tacos and burritos (Club Mexicana); pie and mash (Young Vegans); Scotch eggless, sausage rolls (Food! By Lizzi); fried ‘chicken’ and ‘bacon’ (Temple of Seitan); and fishless and chips (Battered). Plus other stalls offering Vietnamese food, curries, waffles, mac ‘no’ cheese, salads and even a döner kebab.

The market is on from 11am to 5pm, but get there early as the most popular food can sell out in the first couple of hours when it’s busy.

And, don’t forget, it’s not all about the food: you’ll also find a vegan beer bar, refreshing gin cocktails, pop-up shops offering handmade vegan goods (such as soap and up-cycled clothing), and artists showcasing their work. The market is a brilliant addition to a new wave of vegan places in London and, hopefully, it’ll be the first of many.

Market stalls curated by Fat Gay Vegan are selected under an inclusive policy.

This popular vegetarian restaurant was opened in 1994 by Das Sreedharan, who had come from Kerala, India, to study in London. Dissatisfied with the quality of Indian food in London, he wanted to bring the authenticity of Keralan home-cooking to the city. The result is a menu steeped in the flavours of the region, with an abundance of dishes to choose from. Vegan and gluten-free options are available, as are dishes free from onion and garlic.

There are pickles, chutneys and pre-meal snacks to begin with: poppadoms, banana chips and crunchy seed sticks. Then starters such as lentil cakes, fried plantains and a selection of savoury street snacks popular in South India.

The mains are split into dosas and curries. Dosas, a type of crispy pancake made of rice flour and stuffed with vegetables, come in different styles with fillings such as potatoes, beetroot or onion. The menu lists almost a dozen curries: from tangy tomato dishes to spicy aubergine to paneer and spinach. To compliment the mains there’s a range of rice dishes, side dishes, soups and breads. And to follow, a choice of sweet treats – many of which are made with fruit and flavoured with cashews and raisins.

The ‘Kerala Feast’ is a great option if you’re tempted by more than one dish. At £17 a person, it samples from the entire menu: it really is a feast.

There’s a lively yet relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant. Due to its relatively small size, the tables are set fairly close together, but the music volume is low and acoustics are good, so conversations feel intimate. The service is friendly and attentive, and the staff are happy to recommend dishes based on your likes or dietary requirements.

There’s now a chain of Rasa restaurants in London and India that, unlike Rasa N16, serve omnivorous options as well as vegetarian food (one of which, Rasa Travancore, sits across the street). But Rasa N16 was the first of them and, for veggies and vegans, it remains the best.

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.

Head chef Andrew’s combination of ingredients is often quite unexpected – a melon amuse-bouche with seaweed, or roasted white chocolate with mushroom custard and cream cheese – but it works surprisingly well. And the presentation of each dish is as creative as its pairing of flavours.

The menu is a la carte, with dishes priced individually or available as part of a two- or three-course meal. For starters, you might find a sweet potato and puy lentil dhal, or iced avocado served with olive crumbs. Mains include dishes like fried shiitake, pine nut purée and couscous; or smoked poached egg, black sesame and fried gram flour. The desserts are rich and sweet, with gems such as honeycomb panna cotta and chocolate hazelnut brownie.

The restaurant offers an extensive wine list – nearly 50 different bottles, categorised by colour, body and flavour – as well as champagne, cocktails, mocktails, spirits, liqueurs, beer, and the usual hot and soft drinks.

As you would expect of a fine-dining restaurant, the interior is chic and the service excellent. The spacious dining rooms are loosely divided by partitions and corridors, with wooden tables positioned a good distance from each other, allowing you some privacy as you dine. Old drawings, photographs, paintings and other antique reproductions adorn the walls, adding warmth and character. The atmosphere is formal, yet not too serious.

The staff at Vanilla Black are attentive, knowledgeable and happy to give recommendations. Menus are available with vegan or gluten-free options, and special dietary needs can be catered for if you request this in advance.

With its imaginative, quality fare, Vanilla Black is the perfect choice for a special occasion – or when you feel like trying something different. There’s a number of restaurants in London dedicated to creating gourmet vegetarian cuisine, but Vanilla Black could be the most experimental of them all.

A change in post-war living and the counter-movements of the 1960s led many people to adopt vegetarianism. Manna is credited as leading the way from early on by promoting healthy and sustainable eating through a vegetarian diet. Today, the restaurant follows an animal product-free philosophy, providing a menu that is entirely vegan.

The food at Manna is international and varied with lots of interesting starters and sides. Menu items are often seasonal and there are daily specials, but on the starters list you might come across a cannelloni bean slider, cashew cheese croquettes or vegetable tempura. There’s also a mixed mezze (a choice of three starters), salads and sharing plates.

For mains, you might find fennel and pumpkin seed bangers and mash, Thai curry, an enchilada bake and a pasta dish, to name a few. The pasta is served with Manna’s signature ‘veatballs’. Chef’s specials are available, as well as a ‘build your own meal’ – a selection of four sides served as a main. To follow, there’s a selection of decadent desserts made with cashew cheese and ‘vice’ cream. There’s a good selection of organic and vegan wines and beer in-house, as well soft drinks and spirits.

The restaurant is cosy but not crowded, with a comfortable number of tables and a small conservatory at the front. The dark wooden furniture is contrasted by the white walls and accentuated by candles and decorative ceiling lights. As the acoustics are good, it’s easy to keep conversation.

After half a century in business, Manna still has a unique offering and is as popular as ever – something that many of London’s new veggie and vegan places will aspire to.

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 is housed in an 18th-century townhouse on Lexington Street: a small building, but one filled with character. The owners have always had a ‘no bookings’ policy, which means a healthy crowd inside and out. Tables, mostly set for two, are placed closely together. With a bar at the front (the best place to bide your time before being seated), the narrow space is lively and full of chatter, but not uncomfortable or too loud.

The daily specials chalkboard has been replaced in a recent refurbishment, but the menu continues to offer reliable, hearty mains like a mushroom and ale pie, Sri Lankan sweet potato and green bean curry, and smoked tofu burger. Most of the dishes are vegan or a vegan option is offered. The starters take inspiration from different cuisines; you’ll find small plates such as gyoza dumplings, pan-fried manouri cheese, artichoke crostini and pizzetta. There are also ‘superfood’ salads, and plenty of sides and desserts to choose from. A few options on the menu change seasonally.

The bar serves organic wines, beers and ciders alongside cocktails and mocktails. Most alcoholic drinks are suitable for vegans. There are fresh juices and soft drinks as well. At lunchtime, a takeaway bar offers salads, soups and quiches.

Mildreds is often said to be as popular with those who aren’t vegetarian or vegan as those who are, and it shows at the door. It’s always warm and friendly, with a busy cafe ambiance. The owners are now applying their winning formula elsewhere: a second Mildreds opened in Camden, and a third in King’s Cross.