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.

The lunch and dinner menus change every week, but you’ll find creative dishes such as a beetroot burger served with beetroot chips and slaw; jackfruit and aubergine shawarma; vegan mac ‘n’ cheese; lentil bolognese on penne; and jerk plantain with mango salsa and turmeric cous cous.

On the tantalising Saturday brunch menu: huevos rancheros with homefries and smoky black beans; jerk plantain with scrambled tofu; a full vegan ‘traditional’ cooked breakfast, and more. The Sunday menu holds its own too, with a nut roast wellington served with roast vegetables and gravy. The food is always tasty and the portions generous.

When you enter the cafe, vibrant Van Gogh prints and impressionist murals welcome you into an airy room that opens up onto a large courtyard with seating. Colourful fairy lights lead the way up a spiral staircase to a charming room with many angles, many small windows and ‘The Starry Night’ painted on the ceiling.

There’s nothing pretentious about Café Van Gogh – with its chequered tablecloths and bric-a-brac on the shelves – and that’s probably why it attracts a good mix of people. It’s the type of relaxed place you can enjoy with a group or on your own. It’s the norm to see people reading the weekend papers or working with a coffee. So, if you’re looking for a quirky, arty cafe with great food and friendly staff, you’ve found it.

Inside, you’ll find a room of high contrast: a Scandinavian-esque decor of sharp blacks and white brick, marble tabletops and leather seats. Among the booths and tables stand a dozen birch trees – a surprising and striking addition that creates the atmosphere of an upmarket outdoor cafe. It’s a carefully crafted aesthetic that’s contemporary and minimal, with just enough low lighting and colour for warmth.

The food at Ethos is served buffet style. In the evenings, a table service is offered; a server will seat you and bring a menu with additional starters, drinks and desserts. Otherwise, the buffet is spread across three serving areas: cold salads, hot food and desserts. You help yourself and pay at the till; the weight of your plate will determine the cost.

All of the buffet dishes are made on the day and refilled until they run out (sometimes earlier than may be expected). The last top-up is 30 minutes before closing time. As with most buffets, the selections change depending on the time of day. In the evening, you might find Middle Eastern cuisine (baba ganoush, falafel, pitta), Italian (gnocchi, ricotta marinara, arancini), Asian stirfry, Thai corn fritters, sweet potato shepherd’s pie, and an impressive array of spinach dishes. And each week there’s a new ‘chef’s special’.

Breakfast is served on weekdays, brunch on Sunday, and takeaway is available daily. There’s even afternoon tea, with a changing selection of sandwiches, cakes, scones and clotted cream.

Ethos’s particular offering – a variety of healthy, tasty food and sophisticated presentation – has proven to be a popular combination. There’s often a queue, so get in early. It’s worth the wait.

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.

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 restaurant’s setting perfectly complements its raw-food menu: the abundance of light, plants and wooden furnishings effectively brings the outside in. It’s a stylish, comfortable place that’s perfect for intimate catch-ups with friends and family.

If you’ve never tried raw cuisine before, it’s likely that Tanya’s will convince you of its merits. The dishes are original and elegant, designed both to nourish and energise. Brunch is served from 11am to 3pm, with options including ‘avo un-toast’ (soft, dehydrated onion bread with squashed avocado and chili flakes) and cinnamon chia (chia seeds in homemade almond milk with cinnamon, vanilla and seasonal fruits). There’s a variety of cold-pressed juices and nut-milk coffees to quench your thirst.

After midday, the menu widens. You can choose from a range of salads, inspired by different cuisines, and ‘living mains’ including Thai curry kelp noodles, a nori wrap and lasagna (layers of herbed almond and cashew ricotta, sundried tomato marinara, walnut mushroom meat and basil pesto, between sheets of courgette pasta). There’s also a good selection of tasty sides and dips. The treats – ‘cheezecakes’, mini slices and raw chocolates – are just as delicious as their traditional baked counterparts. And then there’s the cafe’s speciality cocktails made with ethically sourced alcohol, fresh fruits and so-called ‘superfoods’. The combinations include hazelnut-infused vodka, cacao, acai berry, fresh raspberries and maple syrup – a cocktail aptly named ‘Filthy Rich’.

The popularity of raw-food eateries is growing in London, and Tanya’s, with its fine food and excellent service, demonstrates why.

Attached to the grand St Margaret’s House, the cafe is large, with high ceilings, a wooden parquet floor, local artwork on the walls, and a conservatory at the back, which allows light to pour in during the day. In the evening, low lighting and fairy lights create cosiness and warmth. The tables comfortably seat four, and there’s plenty of outdoor seating too.

Inside, low music is drowned out by the sound of lively conversation. Despite being busy, and at times noisy, the cafe has a relaxed atmosphere. It’s common for people to drop by to work or read a book while having a coffee or a bite to eat.

The cafe serves breakfast until 12pm, with options including a full English, potato pancakes, a superfood breakfast bowl and avocado on toast. The lunch menu is then available from 12pm to 5pm, which includes a roasted veggie wrap, falafel wrap, classic burger, stir fry, and three seasonal daily specials.

Also on offer are fresh focaccia sandwiches with fillings like vegan sausage or avocado and pesto; cupcakes (occasionally from Ms Cupcake); cookies and pastries. There’s the usual hot drinks, soft drinks and fresh juices to choose from, plus wine and beer.

Events are held throughout the week at St Margaret’s House and in The Gallery Cafe itself. There are film screenings, live music nights, yoga sessions, arts projects and a book club – many are free.

The Gallery Cafe and St Margaret’s House have a lot to offer, and as all of the cafe’s profits go straight back into the charity, you’re not the only one who’ll benefit from your visit.