Veganuary 2023: 14 of Bristol’s best vegan spots to try this year

Having been named vegan capital of the world several times, Bristol’s thriving vegan scene makes opting for a plant-powered diet easier and tastier every year.

From dirty vegan-friendly burgers and a mock meat Chinese takeaway to a fully plant-based pub, our city’s vegan food scene continues to reflect the exponential growth of veganism.

Whether you’re a vegan veteran and have a plant-based diet 365 days of the year, or you’re simply trying to cut down your meat and dairy intake, keep reading – Bristol24/7 have drawn up a list of must-visit places for every Bristol dweller to try this Veganuary.

The Canteen

80 Stokes Croft, St Paul’s, Bristol BS1 3QY

This Stokes Croft hotspot combines cafe/bar/music venue to create an energetic hangout for vegans and non-vegans alike. They recently introduced an entirely plant-based and vegan restaurant, with creative dishes such as Pot sticker shiitake dumplings with miso tamari (£7) and Teriyaki tempeh w/ sriracha slaw (£7.5). The Canteen is also the first Bristol restaurant to trial ‘carbon labelling’, displaying the carbon footprint of dishes on the menu, in the hope of contributing towards more environmentally conscious food choices amongst their customers.

The Canteen serves vegan and plant-based options – Photo: The Canteen

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Read more: First Bristol food outlet to trial ‘carbon labelling’ on menus

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Root

Unit 9 Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol, BS1 6WP

Although not strictly vegan, Root puts vegetables at the heart of its dishes, earning it pride of place in vegan fine-dining. Dishes such as the Grilled Leek, Almond Sauce, Onion Crumb, Flaked Almonds (£8) and Grilled Celeriac Skewers, Satay Sauce, Pickled Red Cabbage (£6.50) celebrate the integral elements of veganism, proving that veganism can be both simple and sophisticated.

Root celebrates the simplicity of the humble vegetable – photo: Root

Koocha Mezze Bar

This colourful restaurant on Cheltenham Road brings a vegan twist to classic Persian mezze dishes. Our favourites include Turkish Chick’n Shawarma, with homemade crispy chick’n slices served on toasted flatbread with hummus, sumac red cabbage, red onion, saffron pickles & spicy tahini sauce (£10), a Persian Cheese Board with whipped feta & cream cheese with chopped olives, cucumber roses, cherry tomato halves, radish slices, fresh mint, sprinkle of zaatar (£10), and a Moroccan style tajine with pulled jackfruit, apricot, chickpea, potato, cinnamon and toasted almond flakes (£11).

photo: Koocha Mezze Bar

Garden of Easton

89 St Mark’s Road, Easton, BS5 6HY

Brought to St Marks Road by the same team behind Montpelier’s Bristolian, the Garden of Easton brings Instagrammable interior design to a whole new level. Sit among a jungle of green foliage and opt for vegan-friendly brunches, homemade cakes and lunchtime salads by day and tapas-style sharing plates and cocktails by night. Highlights of the menu include a small plate of patatas bravas with muhummara and smoked aioli (£4.50) and a dessert of vegan ‘Easton mess’ (£6.50).

The Garden of Easton has lots of vegan options to choose from – photo by Ellie Pipe

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Read more: The Garden of Easton: ‘Come for the style, stay for the sensational food’ – restaurant review

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Purezza

79-81 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AS

The 100 per cent vegan Italian restaurant flung open its doors to Gloucester Road in the autumn of 2020, taking over the site of a former butchers and a pork restaurant. Having opened its first restaurant in 2015 in Brighton, Purezza claims to be the UK’s first plant-based pizzeria. Completely vegan with lots of gluten free options too, try Purezza for a plant-filled experience of doughy deliciousness. Bold additions to the menu include a pizza called ‘the one that’s telling porkies’ (£11.50), a white base with molten cheese, wild forest mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes, BBQ pulled porketta and balsamic glaze, and ‘the one with the nduja’, a white base with melty mozz, yellow tomatoes, green chillis, nduja, crumbled sausages and chilli flakes’ (£11.50).

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Marlings Chinese & Fish Bar, St George 

1 Marling Road, St George, BS5 7LL

Marlings, an unassuming Chinese takeaway and fish bar in St George, has become a bit of a local legend in Bristol thanks to its plentiful vegan offerings. It might look run-of-the-mill on first glance, but the east Bristol takeaway has been hailed as one of the best vegan Chinese takeaways in our city, and possibly in the south west. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with a vegetable chow mein or stir fry, almost any dish on their overwhelmingly large menu can be made vegan using mock versions of duck, chicken, shrimp and beef. Hungry diners should try their vegan iterations of duck hoisin wraps (£8.50) and sweet and sour chicken balls (£5.50).

Marlings has an incredible variety of mock meat, and the real thing for meat-eaters too – photo courtesy of Marlings

Yafo

Yafo, 238 North Street, Bedminster, BS3 1JD

The newest kid on the falafel block since December last year is Yafo. Diverting from most other falafel-based emporiums in Bristol which offer take-away and casual dining, this cafe-cum-restaurant brings the cuisine up a notch by pairing an array of falafel and hummus-based dishes with local craft beer, gin and wines.

Yafo’s falafel box has a wonderful flavour and textural balance – photo by Betty Woolerton

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Read more: Yafo: ‘A boozy addition to Bristol’s flourishing falafel scene’ – restaurant review

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Eat Your Greens

156 Wells Road, Totterdown, BS4 2AG

Brunch and Sunday roasts are tasty in every morsel at Eat Your Greens, Totterdown’s homey neighbourhood cafe. It hosts a supper club on Fridays too, with a constantly changing menu showcasing seasonal ingredients. After receiving rave reviews since opening in 2018, owner Babs Greaves is taking a well deserved break until February, so keep your eyes peeled for its 2022 opening.

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Oowee Vegan

65 Baldwin St, City Centre, BS1 1QZ

Since opening a small takeaway on Picton Street in Montpelier, this burger business has become a firm Bristol favourite. Offering vegan junk food in its dirtiest and most delicious form, Oowee Vegan’s food is so popular that police had to be summoned to their chaotic event on College Green in 2019 giving away free burgers. Choose between an eclectic menu of fried ‘ch*cken’ and Beyond Meat burgers, dirty fries and plant-based milkshakes.

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Future Doughnuts

26 Oxford Street, St Philip’s, BS2 0QT

Bristol’s first all-vegan doughnut cafe opened last autumn in a refurbished railway arch near Temple Meads station. Opened by a couple who also own a record shop in Old Market, the doughnuts at Future Doughnuts are all plant-based, and the coffee is roasted by female roasters. Top picks this month of their fluffy creations is a peanut butter and jelly doughnut, filled with strawberry jam and topped with a peanut glaze and crushed salted peanuts.

Some of Future Doughnut’s previous creations include a lemon meringue doughnut – photo by Martin Booth

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Read more: Welcome to Bristol’s new doughnut quarter

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The Bristolian

2 Picton Street, Montpelier, BS6 5QA

Nestled in one end of Picton Street in Montpelier, the Bristolian might be the only cafe you can find aubergine fritters, crispy potato cubes and sesame infused spinach on a full english. One of its best features is its cosy outdoor seating area, with plenty of tables protected by a canopy and warmed by heaters.

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Cafe Kino

108 Stokes Croft, Cotham, BS1 3RU

Serving the Stokes Croft community for the past decade, Cafe Kino is a vegan staple for Bristol dwellers. Not only does it serve thoughtful, hearty food, including a small Kino breakfast, and a date caramel and pecan slice, you can feel good about supporting a not-for-profit and ethically-minded cooperative. The cafe’s workers own and run the business together with a flat management system, meaning there is no hierarchy and everyone is paid the same.

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Biblos

62a Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3QU

For a fusion of Middle-Eastern and Caribbean cuisines, head to Biblos. Visit their diner in Stokes Croft to be treated to unique flatbread sandwich wraps combining marinated vegetarian and vegan fillings with salads, pickles and homemade sauces. Owned and operated by Ariel Czaczkes and William Clarke, the company was established in 2010.

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The Coconut Tree

2 Byron Place, Clifton, BS8 1JT/ 237, 239 Cheltenham Road, Bishopston, BS6 5QP

A slice of Sri Lanka on Gloucester Road and Clifton, the Coconut Tree is an award-winning restaurant that delivers street food and ‘cocotails’- fiery cocktails served in hand-made Sri Lankan ceramics. When food critic Jay Rayner stopped by to review it, he wrote that the Coconut Tree “manages that rare trick of being totally laid-back and completely on point at the same time”.

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Read more: The Coconut Tree: Cheltenham Road – restaurant/ bar review

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Main photo: The Canteen

Read next:

• The best things we ate in Bristol in 2022
• Bristol’s best new food and drink openings of 2022
• Vegan deli opening soon

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