Best Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in the South West
Toad Hall Cottages is joining in with the ‘Veganuary’ celebrations by serving up some of the West Country’s most popular vegetarian and vegan cafes and restaurants for you to discover and enjoy…
The Willow is a vegetarian restaurant set in the thriving heart of Totnes, South Devon. This friendly eatery has been serving delicious vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals, snacks, cakes and drinks for more than thirty years. Dishes are prepared by hand, while the restaurant’s popular menu changes with the seasons and its sunny, walled garden can be enjoyed during the summer months. All pulses, grains, flours, pasta & sweeteners are organic, as are many of the vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, dairy products, herbs & spices.
“We were three adults, with a dog, who popped in for a late lunch, mid-week. This is a great veggie place. The food choices are amazing. Well worth a visit and we plan to return every time we are visiting South Devon” – TripAdvisor
Enjoy a delicious Brixham crab corn fritter and a ginger beer and mixed berries slush, just one of the many mouth-watering combinations at The Curious Kitchen. With its classic frontage and old-style décor, this welcoming brasserie on Brixham’s Middle Street caters for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs, and is run by a pair of chefs who share a passion for exceptionally wholesome food. From pan-served brunches to homemade doughnut Sundays, if you’re discovering the famous port town of Brixham, be sure to drop in for some fine hospitality.
“Sensational Food! We love The Curious Kitchen, visited with our ten-month-old son; fabulous service and really tasty food. We don’t live in the area – but can’t wait to get back next summer” – TripAdvisor
Located right by the beach in the unspoilt South Devon fishing village of Hope Cove is The Cove Cafe and Bar. For ‘Veganuary’ the popular beach-style cafe has increased the number of vegan and vegetarian options on its menu. Adding to its current vegetarian dishes, The Cove now offers vegan cheese for their delicious pizzas, nachos and sandwiches, as well as tasty specials which have so far included a coconut milk panna cotta with mango and ginger salsa. *Stomach rumbles…*
“Had the vegan nachos just yesterday, they were seriously delicious! Great to see The Cove adding yummy vegan options.” – Facebook
The Riverford Field Kitchen is a vegetarian and vegan-friendly garden restaurant famed for its flavoursome fruits and vegetables grown only yards away in the working fields, arriving on your plate ‘quite literally’ fresh from the soil. ‘The kitchen’ prides itself on being able to use every part of the plant and creates gorgeous dishes from its range of fresh herbs, radishes, rocket leaves, tomato varieties, strawberries and raspberries and much, much more. Set in the rolling South Devonshire fields on Wash Farm, near Buckfastleigh, The Riverford Field Kitchen is a great place to rest and recharge after a reviving walk in the West Country.
“My first visit yesterday for lunch. The food was fantastic: vibrant, flavoursome, everything I’d hoped it would be knowing the quality and range of vegetables they grow. Then the puddings…. oh my god the puddings!” – Facebook
Situated on Mayflower Street in the historic maritime city of Plymouth, Samphire Brasserie is a showcase for innovative and stylish vegetarian and vegan cuisine. With its seasonal menus and fresh, organic ingredients, this ‘buzzing’ urban restaurant is sure to capture your imagination with its ingenious recipes and moreish dishes.
“This place was a gem” – Instagram
“Wow just wow! @VegSamphire” – Twitter
With its spectacular harbour views and fabulous locally-sourced breakfast and lunchtime menus, The Searoom is a popular bar and eatery located in the historic port town of St Ives. By day, a busy bistro with plenty of tempting options for vegetarians and vegans and a choice of gluten-free recipes, and by night, a swish cocktail bar. You can also choose from the delicious, homemade selection of jams, jellies, fudge, biscotti and bottled liqueurs and enjoy a tub of traditional Cornish ice cream.
“There are lots of cafes in St Ives, but make a beeline for this one. A varied and more unusual menu, tasty, filling and with nice servers […] Not just a cafe, but licensed too and with local gin a feature. I had a great pea tart with salad for lunch” – TripAdvisor
The Bean Inn has been listed as one of Britain’s top ten vegetarian restaurants by The Times Online and Channel4.com and is ‘something of an institution’ in Cornwall. Here, vegetarian and vegan dishes are made using only the best in quality ingredients, adding flavour to a menu that’s been designed to ‘inspire, comfort, indulge and delight’. All of The Bean Inn’s dishes have been approved by the Vegetarian Society and are either vegan or can be adapted. You can find The Bean Inn on Carbis Bay, St Ives.
“Highly recommend @thebeaninn in St Ives. Beautiful food and friendly service” – Twitter
With a long list of accolades to its name, Ben’s Cornish Kitchen, continues to attract rave reviews and remains one of Cornwall’s most respected vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants. Set in Marazion, the county’s oldest coastal town, to the stunning backdrop of Mounts Bay, this superb rustic bistro is sure to satisfy the wildest of appetites.
“I had heard of this famous restaurant while planning my trip to England from Canada, so I made my reservations way in advance and I’m so happy I did!! The food, the service, the ambience, everything is first class! Be ready to sit back and allow your taste buds to be entertained!!” – Facebook
Tierra Kitchen is one of Dorset’s foremost vegetarian restaurants. With its flavour-packed dishes and seasonal and organic produce, this much loved outlet can be found in the ‘cultural quarter’ of Lyme Regis on the impressive Jurassic Coast. Expect a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere as well as delicious brunch, dinner and a la carte menus which include some Mediterranean classics and embraces a Spanish, French and North African influence.
“If you like excellent food cooked in an imaginative way and served with unselfconscious style then you’ll love this place. If you happen to be vegetarian, you may never want to leave.” – TripAdvisor
If you’re out and about in Weymouth when hunger calls, then look no further than The HiVe Café on Park Street. This family-run eatery remains ever-popular among both denizens and visitors who continue to enjoy stunning vegetarian and vegan dishes in a cosy venue which also boasts a pretty garden courtyard. Keep an eye out for the delicious vegan falafels and divine vegie burgers, and also, the gorgeous Weymouth honey!
“Food is always amazing, and the staff are so sweet” – Happy Cow
“Fantastic little gem of a place with so much choice for vegans…” – Facebook
It’s not hard to see why Beaminster’s Brassica Restaurant has been listed in The Sunday Times Top 100 UK restaurants. This gorgeous grade 2 listed venue, set in the rolling West Dorset hills, caters for both vegetarians and vegans, where award-winning chef, Cass Titcombe, is keen to share his passion for seasonal and locally- sourced vegetables presented with a touch of Italian flare: one of Dorset’s most sophisticated dining experiences.
“The menu was (and remains) very much modern British renaissance, refracted through the kind of cosmopolitan good taste needed to make these dishes edible […] It is food for days of drizzle and chill winds” – Jay Rayner, the guardian.
Discover the West Country’s best vegetarian and vegan cafes and restaurants when you book a holiday with Toad Hall Cottages.