the best plant-based menus in brighton

Eat + Drink

Yes, January has been a long month, but we’ve still got a few days left. We’ve been eating our way through some of the best plant-based finds in Brighton & Hove this month, so here are some of our favourites for you to try.

Baby Bao at The Pond
Known for their epic bao and house fries, Baby Bao are plant lovers too, dedicating Mondays at The Pond to a plant-filled menu for everyone. We love this about them. Don’t worry, they have plenty of plant-based joy on the menu every day – think their Tofu Classic or Panko Squash bao and vegan sides including that Roast Aubergine with sesame and soy dressing – but if you get a group of friends down there on a Monday you could try their specials and order everything on the menu!
Every Monday at The Pond
The Pond, 49 Gloucester Road, Brighton, BN1 4AQ

Kindling
A new addition to East Street just before Christmas, the Kindling crew have a land, sea and plant approach to their menu. We visited this month and ate from their plant options and every bite was delicious. We’d recommend the Jerusalem artichoke & almond soup with Sussex truffle, whole roast cauliflower with caramelised hazelnut, wild fennel and caper dressing and their Pickled carrot (pictured above) with star anise, carrot kraut, lovage and carrot jus. We also went for a side of their fries with tomato & fennel ketchup, for good measure. In fact, every plant dish on the menu was delicious, so you’re in safe hands. If you’ve got room for pud then go for their dark chocolate mousse with spiced orange, a little bit of festive in your January. Subscribe to their newsletter this month and you’ll get 30% off, too.
Open every day except for Tuesdays for lunch and dinner
Kindling Restaurant, 69 East Street, Brighton BN1 1HQ

Honest Burgers (Featured image)
We headed to Honest to try their Bacon Plant special and we’d recommend you do the same before the month is out. They have the best no meat burgers we’ve tried in Brighton, with their Beyond Meat patties leaving you seriously wondering how they get them so similar in flavour to their real beef patties. Their crispy rosemary and salt fries are thrown in with every burger (whoop) and from this month they’ve teamed up with This to bring you their ‘facon not-cheeseburger’ as we like to call it. Whether you’re plant-based or not, give it a whirl next time you’re in there, as there’s no way you won’t be satisfied with the stacked burger, ‘bacon’, vegan smoked gouda, shoestring fries, ‘no’ bacon ketchup, chipotle ‘mayo’, spinach and pickles. Still thinking about it now…
Open 11.30am – 11.00pm Mon – Fri, 11.00am – 11.00pm Saturday, 11.00am – 10.00pm Sunday
Honest Burgers, 8 Duke St, Brighton BN1 1AH

Bill’s Brighton
Bill’s have a pretty good vegan menu all year round, using each January to test our new dishes with a full Veganuary menu running for the month. Our favourite dishes on this year’s menu included the Miso Aubergine Fritters with a smoked chilli & soy dip which is topped with mixed seeds. YUM. The winning main was their Carrot, Cashew Nut and Mushroom Wellington with butterbean mash, long stem broccoli & rich vegetable gravy, so it was no surprise that this was their 2019 winner and it’s been on the menu since. We also tried their Mushroom and Tarragon Suet Pudding with a roasted mushroom, parsley & white bean cassoulet (pictured above) and an interesting Beetroot Steak, which looked pretty convincing, but our favourite thing on the plate were the fiery tiger fries served with béarnaise vegan mayo. Oh, that mayo…
Full Veganuary menu available this month
Open Monday – Saturday 8.00am – 11.00pm, Sunday 8.00am – 10.30pm
Bill’s, 100 North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YE

The Roundhill
Decent plant-based pub grub can be hard to find, but the team at The Roundhill on Ditchling Road have smashed it with their menu. Head there for lunch and you can choose from the likes of their Roundhill Burger, Buddha Bowl or FLT… yep, the return of the facon! By night you can expect to see other dishes added including their Roundhill Mac n Cheese and Sharing Board, which we’ve all seen a lot on Instagram. They have four plant-based roast options on a Sunday too, so there’s no reason to ever leave.
The Roundhill, Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 4SG
theroundhill.co.uk

Neighbourhood
In the heart of the North Laine, Neighbourhood is a cute plant-based cafe serving up organic goodness every day between 10.00am and 5.00pm. The perfect little spot for a solo coffee, brunch meeting or lunch with friends, you can tuck into their all-day brunch and lunch menu, with the added bonus of a vegan roast every Sunday from midday. Think Nut Roast with all the trimmings, including a vegan Yorkshire pudding. Yes, please! One of their signature dishes is their authentic ramen with hot Miso broth, udon noodles, roast squash, tamari mushrooms, homemade pickles and toasted Nori. The perfect warming bowl of goodness right now.
Neighbourhood, 95 Gloucester Road, North Laine, Brighton BN1 4AP
neighbourhoodbrighton.co.uk

Jaldee Jaldee at Bottom’s Rest
Heading over to Hove way and there’s no denying that Jaldee Jaldee is some of the best Indian street food you’ll find in a pub! Serving up their delicious dishes every Wednesday to Sunday, you’ve got the added benefit of all their food being meat-free, so if you follow a plant-based diet you can pick whatever you want off the menu. Their small plates are healthy but delicious, including the likes of Okra fries and cauliflower chilli, with their Thali offering a tapas feast served on a traditional large thali plate. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll be pleased to know they’ve for a vegan brownie on the menu too!
Bottom’s Rest, 16 Lower Market Street, Hove BN3 1AT

640 East Brighton
The new site on Upper Gardner Street is the perfect place if you’re big on plants. Opening just before Christmas, they teamed up with local plant chef Gemma Ogston, author of the Self Care Cookbook, to bring some of her incredible bowls to their menu, with a twist from head chef Oliver Hassan. Their Buddha Bowl is delicious and has some gorgeous flavours, from miso sweet potato to crispy Cavelo Nero. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll probably find yourself becoming a regular pretty quickly. Other plant-friendly plates include their tasty sourdough with smashed pumpkin, spinach, pumpkin seed pesto, cavalo nero and caramelised onions. On Sundays, they have their firepit roast with sharing sides and their plant-based option will leave you full and happy.
640 East Brighton, 39 Upper Gardner Street, Brighton, BN1 4AQ

Sunbird Deli
If you’re over Preston Circus way, then head to the Open Market as it’s the home of two of our favourite plant-based spots for grabbing a quick lunch. As you head into the Open Market from London Road, Sunbird Deli is on the left-hand corner, so make sure you don’t miss the unassuming exterior before you head in for a box or bowl of joy. If lunchtime mezze is your thing, then pop in and choose from their huge mix of vegetarian and vegan dishes, making it the perfect pit-stop takeaway.

Smorl’s
Step inside the Open Market and you’ll find Smorl’s, a brother and sister duo that run the business that was started over founder Sarah’s obsession for houmous, believe it or not. She starting making houmous over 30 years ago, so she knows a thing or two about the stuff. If you haven’t tried it, get down there before your next night in and stock up on their tasty dips as they’ve worked hard to develop a houmous that puts Brighton on the map. Their vegan cafe is a great little spot to head to on your lunchbreak and soak up the atmosphere of the Open Market, or if you’re short on time, you can take away one of their tasty falafel pittas, salad boxes, Waffalafel (created by them!) and savoury Mezze Cake.
Unit 33-34, Open Market, Marshall’s Row, Brighton, BN1 4JU
smorls.com

We love Falafel
While we’re on the subject of the chickpea-based balls of joy, We Love Falafel on Sydney Street is a favourite of ours. Just look for the shop with the queue out of the door, if you haven’t tried it before. They have a daily special and you can choose from a salad wrap, melt wrap (if you’re not vegan), salad box or mixed falafel box. Depending on your mood, you can choose from their original, sweet potato or beetroot falafel. All delicious and full of goodness!
We Love Falafel, 37 Sydney Street, Brighton, BN1 4EP
welovefalafel.co.uk

Purézza
Plant pioneers Purezza opened the UK’s first vegan pizzeria right here in Brighton, serving plant-based versions of classic Italian dishes. Their sourdough pizzas are left to mature for a minimum of 48 hours, so you know they’re going to be extra light and fluffy. Their fresh artisan mozzarella is made in house, using a delicately crafted fermentation of organic Italian brown rice milk. Clever, ey? From a classic Margherita to a more interesting Here Comes Truffle, there are loads of interesting flavour combos to choose from. And do you want to know what makes Purezza even more wonderful? If you bring a non-vegan friend with you to show them what they are missing and they’ll get their pizza for free during veganuary. You’ve got a few days left!
12 St James’s Street, Brighton, BN2 1RE
purezza.co.uk

The Village
Nestled over in Hanover, The Village is a welcoming neighbourhood spot. Their vegan brunch is a cracker, with sourdough toast, avocado, grilled vine tomatoes, spinach, portobello mushroom, baked beans, home-made potato hash and harissa compote… yep, you get the works. It’s the perfect little spot to kick back and you kind of feel like you’re in a countryside pub in the middle of Brighton. The day menu runs from 9.00am to 4.00pm and then it switches to a Thai menu for the evenings until 10.00pm.
The Village, 129 Islingword Road, Brighton BN2 9SH
villagebrighton.com

V&H Cafe
A great go-to for weekend brunch, the team at the V&H cafe know how to serve up a plant-based breakfast. Their homemade baked beans are reason enough to visit and if you become a fan and keen to give them a go, they’ve even shared the recipe here. They work closely with local suppliers to make sure they are serving up the most sustainable and freshest ingredients throughout the seasons and there’s even a map on the wall to show where everything comes from. Their sourdough and granary bread is delivered fresh from Peal Patisseriehe and the V&H team are bloody lovely too. They also do a takeaway menu for sandwiches and salads if you have a lunch break in that part of town.
63B Holland Road, Hove BN3 1BA
vhhollandroad.co.uk

The Grounds
The old Hove Town Hall building never looked – or tasted – so good, with co-working legends Platf9rm opening The Grounds on the ground floor of the building last year. They have an incredible salad bar each day (which is mostly vegan-friendly) and you can fill up a box and take it away, or enjoy it in their impressive surroundings, with plenty of natural light, a great vibe and a good space to get your head down and do some work. They’re cashless, so make sure you’ve got your card on you.
The Grounds, PLATF9RM, Hove Town Hall, Church Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ