Vegan in Glasgow: Antojitos

Posted on September 7, 2026 by Jenny
A colourful plate with three different tacos on it

Our trip to the Commonwealth Games took us to the SEC in Glasgow for the morning shift, and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for the afternoon. With a fairly tight turnaround time, we weren’t totally sure where we’d get lunch, but fortunately there was a great vegan option a short walk from the SEC. The 78 is a pub with a fully vegan kitchen. When we were there, the kitchen was occupied by Antojitos doing a Mexican menu with a few items, including mix and match tacos, which is what we tried. We tried four different tacos across our group of three.

A taco with a chicken filling garnished with pickled red onions and chives

I was almost scared away from the chkn al pastor because it contains pineapple, but it was merely a refreshing bite in the taco and I’m glad I was undeterred. The chicken was nice and tender, and I think it was the least spicy of the tacos we tried. I really enjoyed the pickled onion on top.

A taco filled with crispy strips of meat with a sticky glaze, garnished with some pickled and fresh vegetables

We all enjoyed the soya carnitas. It contained soy strips that were beautifully crisped and in a fun sticky glaze. It was a citrus glaze and there was also a lime cream, so it all worked well. This was my favourite, it was really delicious.

A taco filled with mince, a chunk of potato, and avocado cream

The chorixo con papas should be named ‘papa’ singular, because there was only one bit of potato. But it was a fun texture to add in however small a quantity. The chorizo was a bit spicy, and it worked nicely with the refreshing avocado cream.

A taco filled with a large crispy slab of pineapple and garnished with sauces

Dr HH was the only one of our party to try the southern fried piña. This one had a large, delicious slice of battered pineapple at its core. It was sweet and sharp with good seasoning and crunch in the coating. The sauces added a nice punch too.

All in all, we were really happy with what we got, but not blown away. (To be fair, none of us is a Mexican food enthusiast.) It was fresh food and fun flavours. Service was really quick too, which was a big plus for us on a busy day.

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Vegan in Edinburgh: Sora Diana

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Jenny

Mother HH was the last of our party to make it to Edinburgh, joining us in time for dinner at this all-vegan Italian restaurant.

I don’t always find vegan Italian options so exciting, because in non-vegan restaurants they can be quite dull. But I love an ambitious Italian menu, and this one definitely qualified. No making do with boring spaghetti aglio olio, there were cheesy, creamy, and meaty options galore.

We were a bit worried that the pasta courses might be quite small, because pasta dishes in Italy usually are, but fortunately they were the size of a British main course, so we were thrilled and ordered the correct amount of food.

Two crispy looking arancini with a white dipping sauce and some side salad

We shared two plates of the Suppli Romani (Bolognese arancini) to start – there are two arancini per serving. The Bolognese was really tasty, and the coating was nice and crispy. There was some cheese in the middle, but it hadn’t melted at all – it could have been improved by some nice gooey cheese, but that’s a minor issue. We are a trio of arancini fans and we loved it.

A dish of carbonara with loads of grated cheese on top

I had the mezze maniche alla carbonara and it was delicious! I can never resist a carbonara. The portion was much heartier than I expected, it was very filling. The balance of pasta, sauce, and bacon was good too, there was no need for rationing or more boring bites. The sauce was delicious, really cheesy and rich with a bit of eggy flavour too. There was also plenty of black pepper. The bacon pieces were really savoury and tasty too. I love a carbonara and this was a very good one. 

A pinsa topped with tomato sauce, loads of melted cheese, and some fresh basil leaves

Mother HH had the Margherita pinsa. She loved that the base was light and crispy at the edges. The cheese was a good one, it was well melted and soft. But the tomato sauce was underseasoned, it needed a touch more salt and pepper.

A dish of ravioli in an orange sauce with white cheese sauce on top

Dr HH had the ravioli nduja e stracciatella. The filling and sauce were great and had plenty of flavour. The stracciatella added some nice creaminess too. He found the pasta a bit undercooked for his liking though, and the whole dish felt a bit tepid.

A little glass bowl filled with vanilla ice cream

I didn’t have room for pudding after my breakfast feast at Considerit, but my companions were ready for it. Mother HH had the soft serve. It’s available with sauces and toppings, but she just got it plain. It was very sweet and had plenty of vanilla. It was a generous portion too. It was a little grainy, but very enjoyable.

A small bowl of tiramisu, topped with a heavy dusting of cocoa powder

And Dr HH had the tiramisu, one of his favourite desserts, and thought it was delicious. The sponge was soaked and held its integrity, so it wasn’t just a pile of mush, as sometimes happens. There was a generous layer of cream that was nicely sweetened, with plenty of cocoa powder on top.

Service was really good and we enjoyed the experience. The front of the restaurant is really bright with huge windows, but we were seated in a much darker area at the back where the tables are crammed in so much that getting in and out was quite uncomfortable (and I am an average sized person). I’d request a table in the front section in the future.

Overall, I was a bit more satisfied with my dishes than my companions were – the arancini and carbonara were both absolutely delicious. Even with some small quibbles with their main dishes, Dr and Mother HH also enjoyed the experience and would happily go back for more. Carbonara for everyone, I say!

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Vegan in Edinburgh: Holy Cow

Posted on August 24, 2026 by Jenny
A big plate with a full cooked breakfast

I was one of a party of three for my trip to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (staying in Edinburgh), and all three of us were arriving from different starting points. I was first to arrive in the very early hours, and took my solo trip to Considerit.

The next arrival was Dr HH, whose train rolled in around midday. We immediately made the short walk to Holy Cow, a pleasant all vegan cafe in the city centre. There were a few burgers and other items on the menu, but we only had eyes for one: the full vegan breakfast. There are a few places in Prague that offer a variation on this dish, but they never live up to a proper British version. This is what I’d been waiting for!

There were two sausages, which is the appropriate number. It was a really nice meaty sausage. The menu said it was an Italian sausage. I’m not sure what the Italian aspect was, we didn’t notice any Italian herbs, but it was perfectly good!

The scramble portion was reasonably sized, but for us it needed more seasoning (ideally some black salt) and a bit less turmeric.

Tempeh bacon is a novelty for me on a cooked breakfast (at restaurants, anyway – it’s a staple in our home cooked version), so I was excited to see it here. This one had a nice flavour but the texture wasn’t perfect – it needed more crisping on the edges.

Another novelty was the potato scones, which were crispy and tasty like a fried potato pancake (to our Czech-influenced palates). This was perhaps the best component of the dish, we loved it.

A big plate with a full cooked breakfast

Again we appreciated the generosity of the mushroom serving. They were nicely cooked and juicy, but needed a lick more salt for us (there was salt, pepper, and ketchup on the table).

The tomatoes were a bit disappointing, as usual for me. There were just a couple of cherry tomatoes. They’d kissed the grill at least, unlike the uncooked ones you sometimes get.

The beans seemed like regular tinned beans, nothing wild to report there – there’s a reason they’re a classic.

Unfortunately, the toast was hit and miss. The bread was lovely, but Dr HH’s serving was extremely under toasted (only one side out of four appeared toasted). Mine was fine, so maybe it was just a miscalculation in the kitchen – lord knows it’s difficult to serve up this many components at the same time. There was plenty of spread for the toast, which we appreciated.

Alas, I almost thought I’d stumbled back into Europe when I saw the small serving of rocket on the plate. Salad doesn’t belong on a breakfast plate! At least there wasn’t too much of it.

Of course, it’s hard to get every element of a multi-component dish like this to be absolutely top tier. We were really pleased with the overall quality of this dish and found it a really enjoyable meal, with salt and pepper at the table to make any necessary seasoning adjustments. Service was great, and there was a very enticing looking cake counter, which we were too full to explore, more’s the pity.

I’m already looking forward to my next opportunity for a big cooked breakfast!

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Vegan in Edinburgh: Considerit

Posted on August 17, 2026 by Jenny
A mug of hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallows, and a cinnamon roll

We recently had a trip to Edinburgh and Glasgow to see a bit of the Commonwealth Games – the Games themselves were in Glasgow, but accommodation was cheaper in Edinburgh, so we made that our base. For me, it was like a weird journey back in time. I went to university in Edinburgh, but I’ve only been back once since then for a visit, and even that was a good ten years ago. I had a stroll around the University buildings, which looked exactly as I remembered, and walked a few well-trodden routes from my late teens/early twenties and found everything just a little bit off from what I remembered. It was also wild to see all the young people around and remember myself as a silly youth galavanting around the city. Oh, the passage of time!

In tribute to my younger self, I wanted to treat myself to a luxurious hot chocolate because they were extremely important to me in my younger days. Considerit, an all vegan cafe and chocolate shop, seemed like the ideal spot for me (it was not knocking around twenty years ago, unsurprisingly).

A mug of hot chocolate topped with a large swirl of whipped cream on top and several large marshmallows in and around the mug.

I ordered the hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream. The drink did not stay very warm, but that’s the name of the game when you put a load of cream on top. The cream was delicious and it was a generous serving of marshmallows. It was a really filling and delicious drink, and it made me wish I had more opportunities for decadent hot chocolates now – I can’t think of anywhere in Prague that pushes the boat out on that front.

A cinnamon roll with a swirl of whipped cream on the side

I was overwhelmed by the doughnut choice and mindful of how much my drink would fill me up, so I went for a cinnamon roll. I was offered it warmed up with cream, so I said yes – this did of course make it more filling anyway! The roll was really nice, soft and sweet. Maybe it could have done with a crisper edge, but that’s a small issue. I don’t think it needed the cream, but it was definitely good to have it warmed up. I wish I’d had space for some donuts and chocolates too.

There is not a lot of seating in this little cafe, only four tables, but there were plenty of free seats when I arrived on a Saturday morning, and it’s right by the Meadows, a big green space with plenty of benches and grass, so it’s a suitable spot for takeaway. There are also a few savoury dishes on the menu which smelled delicious, but I stuck to the sweets.

I hope to return to Edinburgh soon enough that this place is still standing. Its nice to have a belly full of sweetness on a nostalgic trip!

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Vegan in Berlin: Gemello Vegan Pizza

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Jenny
A pizza with lots of cheese and a yellow sauce

A few years back on a trip to Berlin, our train arrived after most restaurants had closed so turned to the food delivery apps to see what we could get delivered to put hotel. We ordered pizza that was very tasty – but it was also not sliced and we didn’t have any cutlery with us. We had to rip it into pieces with our hands, which was a big old mess. Finally this year I was ready to try pizza in Berlin again, at a different spot and dining in. And look – this time it came with scissors for slicing! Are Berliners just opposed to pizza cutters? Are they banned in the city?! Fortunately, the pizza itself raised fewer questions.

Gemello has quite a small menu, with only a handful of different pizzas. But there were some really unusual and fun options on there.

A pizza topped with tomato sauce and aubergine

Dr HH had the rosina, which was topped with aubergine, salami, tomatoes, chilli, rose, and mint. It felt stretched a bit too thin for his liking, to the extent that the base in the middle felt almost non existent and it was very difficult to pick up. Taste wise, no complaints though. There was a nice heat from the chillies and good flavour from the tomato sauce. The aubergine slices were big and well cooked. The salami was nice, though it felt like a pretty standard vegan meat topping. The mint added a nice bit of freshness and he didn’t notice the rose flavour too much, which is probably a good thing – it’s better to have too little rose flavour than too much.

A pizza with lots of cheese and a yellow sauce

I got the Sunday, which is excitingly billed as a carbonara pizza with egg yolk sauce, parmesan, and bacon. This restaurant got onto our itinerary the second I saw this option on the menu during my pre-trip research. Honestly, I had to double and triple check that it was a vegan restaurant because it seems ambitious to take a dish that’s all egg, cheese, and meat and make it vegan. But the vegan scene in Berlin is nothing if not ambitious! The egg yolk sauce was so rich and flavoursome – and it was a much more generous serving than I was expecting. It was really the star of the show. The meaty chunks were tasty and the cheesiness was great too. The base held its integrity, I didn’t experience the same sloppiness as Dr HH. This pizza was really sensational, but perhaps a bit too rich to eat in one sitting for me. Dr HH was more than happy to tackle the leftovers though!

It was a very busy spot, packed to the rafters on a Sunday evening, so a reservation is strongly recommended. Service was very fast though. Diners are allowed their table for two hours, and we didn’t need nearly that long. I will definitely be keeping an eye on their menu for future visits. Between this spot in Berlin and Purezza in the UK, I feel like I’m living in a golden age of vegan pizza options. Just not in my own city, unfortunately…

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Vegan in Berlin: Brammibal’s Donuts

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Jenny
Two plates of donuts and two mugs of milky hot drinks

I always make sure to go to Brammibal’s on every trip to Berlin. The donuts are always excellent and the range of flavours is really exciting – much more enticing than the standard Biscoff or fruit ones I usually see. I love the Potsdamer Platz branch in particular. There’s a lot of seating, both inside and out. There’s no table service, so you order either at the counter or using one of the screens. This is what we tried on a trip in July.

Two donuts on a plate, one a ring glazed with chocolate and topped with a blob of cream cheese ice cream and some biscuit crumbs, the other a filled donut topped with chocolate.

At the top of this picture is the zupfkuchen, a monthly special in July. It was a ring donut topped with chocolate ganache, a blob of cream cheese icing, and some chocolate biscuit crumb. Every individual element was delicious, and together they were an absolute dream!

The other donut in the picture is a Boston creme, which is a classic for a reason. The dough is soft, the ganache is rich, and the vanilla custard is light and sweet. This is a permanent fixture on the menu, and deservedly so. I think I get one every time we visit.

Two filled donuts on a plate. One is topped with green icing and chopped pistachios and pink raspberry cream. The other is topped with chocolate.

This bright pop of pink and green is of course pistachio and raspberry. Dr HH thought this was delicious! It was bursting with jam that was sharp and not too sweet. This balanced really well with the sweet pistachio icing.

A ring donut with white icing barely visible under a chocolate biscuit crumb coating.

We brought a few back to Prague with us too, of course. The cookies and cream was a lovely sweet donut with vanilla icing and a delicious cookie crumb. This isn’t a flavour combination that will change the world, but it’s simple and well executed here.

A filled donut topped with sugar and a blob of chocolate hazelnut cream

The bomboloni, however, might actually change the world! I’ve had this one several times over the years and always forget quite how good it is. The chocolate hazelnut filling is so thick and flavoursome, it’s incredible. I’ve had this kind of nutella-filled donut in various places over the years, but never as decadent as this one. The filling feels less like chocolate hazelnut spread from a jar, and more like melted Gianduja.

A ring donut topped with a sticky looking caramel glaze and chopped nuts, with a blob of cream cheese icing in the middle

Dr HH also tried the macadamia cheesecake. It was a ring donut topped with a great caramel glaze. The macadamias added some salt and crunch which worked very well. The cream cheese swirl was delicious too.

I always like to rank every dish I try in a restaurant, much to the delight (?) of my dining companions. But this is one of the rare occasions where I want to award everything joint first place because everything is simply delicious!

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Vegan in Berlin: Li.Ke

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Jenny
Six small sharing dishes of Thai food

After a really delicious Thai meal at a fully vegan restaurant earlier in the year (read about Mali Vegan Thai here), we were champing at the bit to get more vegan Thai food in Berlin a few weeks ago. I’d seen Li.Ke recommended online many times, and it seemed like our best bet. It was absolutely jumping on a Saturday evening, so reservations are definitely recommended (though it took a few days for our online reservation to be confirmed). It was busy and noisy and quite casual, with really fast service, so not necessarily the spot for a quiet conversation or fancy affair. The menu includes small and large plates, but generally it seemed to have a Thai tapas vibe to it.

You place your order by filling in a form marking which dishes you want – I love this way of ordering! We got six dishes to share, which was plenty because I was not hungry at all.

Three battered prawns on top of a small bowl of stir fried vegetables

I almost overlooked the prawn dish on the menu, but fortunately Dr HH spotted it in the description of the thod gratiem. This was battered prawns with stir-fried vegetables. The prawns were tasty, but the batter was a bit too thick and lessened their impact. The stir fry was really flavoursome and well seasoned.

Four crispy coated balls with peanut sauce

Dr HH had actually been to this spot before on a solo jaunt and recommended the tau hu thod, which was tofu in a crispy coating with peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was tasty, but the tofu was underseasoned. The crispy coating was great. It was a fun little morsel.

A bowl of yellow curry with vegetables

I personally didn’t try the gari fak thong (yellow lemongrass curry), but Dr HH was a bit underwhelmed by it. The sauce was not as flavoursome as he had hoped. There was some lemongrass coming through, but the overall flavours were not strong enough for his liking.

Two crispy rice cakes with dipping sauce

We gambled on the gui chai, which is something I don’t think I’d really seen before: baked rice cakes with spring onions and soy chili sauce. The rice cakes had a lovely gelatinous texture, with a crisp edge too. The dipping sauce brought some lovely flavour.

A bowl of curry with large vegetable chunks

Dr HH’s favourite dish was the Matsaman curry, which involved coconut milk, carrots, tofu, jackfruit, potatoes, onions and peanuts. He thought it was a lovely rich sauce with lots of flavour. The vegetable chunks well cooked and there was a good amount of tofu and jackfruit, so it felt quite substantial.

A red cabbage leaf filled with crispy salad

And I never thought I’d say it, but my favourite dish was…a salad! The kao nem was billed as a crispy baked curry rice salad. The rice had a nice crispy texture in the places where it had caught. The dish was really tasty from the fresh herbs and had some zingy citrus flavours too. I might have to find a recipe so I can make this at home!

We had such a great time at this restaurant. I love a menu that enables you to try lots of different dishes, and just getting some good quality Thai food was a real treat.

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Vegan in Berlin: Shisomen

Posted on July 20, 2026 by Jenny
A bowl of ramen with a creamy broth, some big thick slices of vegan beef, a piece of baby sweetcorn and a large pak choi

Trips to Berlin and London always bring me so much joy because the vegan food is top notch and there are so many different cuisines to try. As the Prague vegan scene struggles a bit, it’s a real treat to visit cities with such a diverse range of eateries. Along with revisiting some of our favourites, we also found a few new (to us) spots on our latest weekend in Berlin, starting with Shisomem. This is an all vegan Japanese restaurant, and we really enjoyed our visit. It was quite busy on a Saturday lunchtime, so booking is recommended.

Two skewers with large mushroom pieces, served alongside a salad

We shared two starters. The yaki shimeji were mushroom skewers with yakini sauce. The mushrooms were so tender and juicy and had a lovely savoury flavour. They worked with and without the sweet chilli sauce.

Slices of silken tofu topped with a brown sauce and garnished with greens

The hiyayako was slices of silken tofu with a topping of enoki mushrooms, chilli oil, garlic oil, spring onions, sesame seeds. The topping was nice and had a slight curried taste. It was really nice but if it were served in a bowl it would have been easier to catch all the sauce and really maximize the flavour.

A bowl of ramen with a creamy broth, some big thick slices of vegan beef, a piece of baby sweetcorn and a large pak choi

Then we each had a ramen. I tried the tonkotsu ramen, and it was the most garlicky broth I’ve ever had! It was delicious and really packed a punch. The beefy slices had an enjoyable meaty texture, but I thought they tasted a little bland compared to some meat substitutes I’ve had. The accompanying vegetables were cabbage, baby sweetcorn, and pak choo. The cabbage was fine and the baby sweetcorn was nice but I would have liked more. The pak choi was massive and unwieldy and hard to eat. Does anyone actually enjoy having this in a hot bowl of broth?! How do you tackle it?!

A bowl of ramen with a creamy broth and chilli oil, a mound of vegan mince, a piece of baby sweetcorn and a large pak choi

Dr HH had the tantan ramen, which he thought was fine…until he had a taste of the tonkotsu broth and realised his was a bit bland in comparison. Still, the broth was tasty with a good amount of chilli oil. The mince topping tasted like a nicely cooked Beyond mince with bits of diced mushroom in there too. He enjoyed the crunch from bean sprouts and cabbage, but shared my disapproval of the unwieldy pak choi.

A tall glass filled with a creamy strawberry drink

I also have to give a mention to the non-alcoholic drinks menu, which had some fun and creative options. The strawberry drink was delicious!

Pak choi not withstanding, we really enjoyed our meal here. Ramen options in Prague are not very impressive these days, so this was a real delight for us and made me long for another trip to Japan!

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Vegan in Manchester: Pie Minister

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Jenny
A pie sitting on top of a pile of mashed potato, with a gravy boat on the side

We’ve been to Pie Minister a few times over the years, but always forgotten to make notes and write a review. Writing this review now will remind me that while I love a pie, I might be better off trying somewhere else for a meal in Manchester.

A pie sitting on top of a pile of mashed potato

There were two vegan pies on the menu this time, and we both chose the mooless moo, which is a steak and ale pie. I liked the pastry a lot, it was crisp and flaky. The meat chunks were nice and there was enough flavour for me. It had a nice gravy too, though it could have been richer.

The mash felt a bit underwhelming to me, and I assume the non vegan one is better. It was tepid, and very underseasoned, so it just felt cold and bland. It really needed the gravy pouring on to give it any semblance of flavour – fortunately, there was a good gravy boat included with the pie.

A pie on top of mashed potatoes, topped with mushy peas and grated cheddar

Dr HH upgrades to the ‘mothership’ deal, which included a side and cheese as well. The minty mushy peas were pleasant, you could taste the mint in there and the texture of the peas was about right as they weren’t complete mush. The vegan cheddar didn’t really add anything noticeable.

If you really want a pie, this is a good option, and I’m not sure there are many other vegan pies knocking around Manchester city centre these days. But if you want a really good vegan meal, I’d look for a better option.

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Vegan in Manchester: Moose Coffee

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Jenny
A burger along with a portion of potato hash and some sauce

We usually end a trip to Manchester with breakfast at Dishoom, which I consider one of the top breakfast menus in the UK. We bucked that trend on our most recent visit and tried Moose Coffee instead. This was a very popular spot for Sunday brunch. People were queuing outside and we couldn’t even get a reservation at the time we wanted – though I would recommend attempting to make a reservation nevertheless. The menu includes quite a few clearly labelled vegan options, though sadly none of their pancakes are vegan, which is a shame as they were clearly popular and looked very good indeed.

A burger with two patties, one slice of cheese and some salad, along with a portion of potato hash

I ordered the yelamu, which is a brioche bun with two burger patties, a slice of smoked applewood, tomato and rocket. The bread was delicious! The patties were quite tasty, with a good meaty flavour. The cheese gave a good smoky flavour too. It was tasty, but besides the bread it felt like something I could assemble myself at home for no real trouble (shop bought patty, shop bought cheese). The hash on the side had a nice chunky texture, but was too heavy on mustard (for a mustard hater like me).

A plate with tofu scramble, two sausages, bread, butter and salad

Dr HH had the verazzano, which was a tasty scramble. It had plenty of crumbled tofu and (we think) some silken tofu to give it a bit of a wetter texture. It had some good chunks of artichoke and sun dried tomato in there for some different flavours and textures. It was a bit sharp and mustardy, which worked quite well for him. A bit of black salt would not go amiss to give it more of an eggy taste. It came with a couple of sausages, which were perfectly fine, and some sourdough that was meant to be toasted but didn’t look or feel it. Overall, it was a hearty and tasty plate.

A side plate of potato hash with some chunky crispy bits

He also ordered a side of hash as he wanted a potato fix. He quite liked the mustard flavour in there. It felt like not enough of the potatoes had caught and crisped in his portion, so it lacked a bit of texture.

We would certainly like to go back to try the French toast, but we won’t be beating down the door for the savouries – they were pleasant, but not the best vegan breakfast in Manchester for us.

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