Key Takeaways
- Bonsai Plant Kitchen cooks everything over a Japanese binchotan charcoal grill
- MOSHIMO in the Lanes runs the annual Great Moshimo Vegan Challenge and has a strong plant-based sushi menu
- Terre a Terre has been cooking inventive vegetarian food on East Street since 1993
- Purezza makes its own vegan mozzarella and has won national pizza awards
- North Laine has the highest concentration of plant-based spots in the city
A City That Doesn’t Treat Vegan as an Afterthought
Brighton was doing plant-based food before it had a hashtag. The city’s vegetarian restaurant scene stretches back decades, and when vegan food went mainstream, Brighton didn’t need to catch up. It was already there.
What makes eating vegan or vegetarian here different from most UK cities is that you’re not stuck scanning menus for the one token option. Entire restaurants are built around it. Some of the best food in town happens to have no meat in it, and the people eating there aren’t all vegan. They just like the food. That’s the real test.
This guide covers the places that do it best, from full sit-down restaurants to fast counter-service spots where you’ll eat well for under a tenner. We’ve focused on places where the plant-based food is the point, not a sidebar.
At a Glance
| Venue | Area | Cuisine | Price | 100% Vegan? | Booking? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terre a Terre | The Lanes | Inventive vegetarian | £££ | No (vegetarian, vegan options) | Yes |
| Food for Friends | City Centre | Med / Middle Eastern veggie | ££ | No (vegetarian, vegan options) | Yes |
| Purezza | Kemptown | Vegan pizza + pasta | £ | Yes | Walk-ins + bookings |
| Planet India | Hanover | Gujarati Indian | £ | No (vegetarian, ~50% vegan) | Yes (weekends essential) |
| The Chilli Pickle | The Lanes | Regional Indian | ££ | No (strong vegan options) | Yes |
| Bonsai Plant Kitchen | London Road | SE Asian grill | ££ | Yes | Yes |
| MOSHIMO | The Lanes | Japanese | ££ | No (strong vegan menu) | Yes |
| Beelzebab | City Centre | Vegan kebabs | £ | Yes | No (counter service) |
| Oowee Vegan | The Lanes | Burgers + fried chicken | £ | Yes | No (counter service) |
| Happy Maki | North Laine | Sushi burritos + bowls | £ | Yes | No (counter service) |
| Iydea | North Laine | Veggie canteen | £ | No (vegetarian, vegan options) | No (counter service) |
| We Love Falafel | North Laine | Falafel wraps | £ | No (vegan-friendly) | No (takeaway) |
| No Catch | Seafront | Vegan fish + chips | £ | Yes | No (counter service) |
| Foodilic | City Centre | Salads + plates | £ | No (vegan + halal options) | No (counter service) |
| Greens and Grains | Kemptown | Brunch + lunch cafe | £ | No (plant-focused) | No (walk-in cafe) |
| Boho Gelato | The Lanes | Gelato | £ | No (vegan options standard) | No (walk-in) |
The Sit-Down Restaurants
If you want a proper meal with a table and a menu and someone asking if you’d like another drink, these are the places to book.
Terre à Terre
Terre à Terre on East Street has been doing inventive vegetarian cooking since 1993, making it one of Brighton’s longest-standing serious restaurants of any kind. It took Best Restaurant at the 2026 BRAVO awards, and the food is creative without being fussy. Small plates and sharing platters let you work through the menu, and the wine list focuses on organic and biodynamic bottles.
The room sits in the Lanes, close enough to the seafront to walk off dinner. Lunch and dinner service, with afternoon tea on select days. This is where you go when vegetarian food is the occasion, not a dietary requirement.
Food for Friends
Food for Friends on Prince Albert Street opened in 1981. Brighton’s original vegetarian restaurant still draws crowds after four decades, which tells you something. The approach is simpler than Terre à Terre. Good ingredients, honest cooking, reasonable prices. The Sunday roast is famous. Brunch runs all morning. The location in the Lanes, opposite The Cricketers pub, puts it right in the middle of the shopping and wandering district.
Open all day from 10am, which makes it useful for more than just dinner. The clientele spans tourists discovering it and locals who’ve been coming for years.
Purezza
Purezza opened on St James’s Street in Kemptown in 2015, making it the UK’s first vegan pizzeria. They make their own dairy-free mozzarella in-house, and it’s won national pizza awards. The menu is entirely plant-based but this isn’t a restaurant that feels like a health food shop. The sourdough bases are good. The toppings are creative without being weird about it. Pasta and desserts too.
The Kemptown location is casual and dog-friendly, with outdoor seats for when the weather cooperates. Open daily from noon. Fridays and Saturdays run until 10pm.
Planet India
Planet India has been serving meat-free Indian food in Brighton for years, and the locals who fill it most evenings know exactly what they’re doing. Gujarati-influenced cooking, about half the menu vegan, and a clever half-portion system that lets a table of four try everything without ordering the kitchen dry. The room is small, colourful, and packed tight. Richmond Parade in Hanover, a few minutes from the Level.
Book ahead for Friday and Saturday. Planet India doesn’t take walk-ins well at the weekend. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, evenings only.
The Chilli Pickle
Not a vegetarian restaurant, but The Chilli Pickle deserves a place here because its vegan and vegetarian dishes are some of the best things on the menu. Order the Grand Thali: a silver tray loaded with rotating curries, dal, chutneys and pickles that changes with the seasons. The cooking is regional Indian rather than the standard curry house formula. Meeting House Lane in the Lanes. Loud, colourful, and excellent on the drinks list too. The cocktails are designed around the spice levels, which is a nice touch.
Bonsai Plant Kitchen
Bonsai Plant Kitchen on Baker Street, just off London Road, is a multi-award-winning Tokyo-inspired kitchen. It runs a traditional binchotan grill, which is Japanese white charcoal, and everything that comes off it is plant-based. The menu is South-East Asian. Gyoza, banh mi sliders, tempura, sticky skewers, curries. Homemade kimchi and pickles. The cocktails are better than they need to be.
Bookings are taken on the website, which is worth doing because the space is small and fills up fast at weekends. Monday to Thursday and Sunday it runs evenings only, 5pm to 9:30pm. Friday splits into a lunch service from noon and dinner from 5pm, and Saturday runs straight through from noon to 10:30pm.
MOSHIMO
MOSHIMO on Bartholomew Square in the Lanes has been Brighton’s original conveyor-belt sushi restaurant for over two decades, and it takes plant-based food seriously. The annual Great Moshimo Vegan Challenge sees Brighton’s independent restaurants compete to create the best vegan dishes, and the restaurant’s own plant-based menu is extensive. Over 100 dishes rotate past on the belt, with dedicated vegan sushi, tempura, and noodle options. The Hiroba deck opens up on warm days for outdoor dining.
Open daily from noon, to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. Members get 50% off their food bill on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Fast Vegan Food
Brighton has a strong roster of places doing quick, filling, entirely plant-based food at prices that won’t make you wince. These are counter-service spots. You’ll be eating within minutes.
Beelzebab
Beelzebab operates from a caravan kitchen inside The Hope & Ruin on Queens Road, near the station. It started as a street food stall and won Best Vegan Kebab at the British Kebab Awards 2023. The seitan doner is the main event, well-seasoned and loaded into pitta. Also does hot dogs, loaded fries, and brownies. Available on Deliveroo, UberEats, and JustEat if you can’t make it in person. Open seven days a week.
Oowee Vegan
Market Street, near North Laine. Oowee Vegan serves plant-based burgers and fried chicken that’s built for people who miss junk food, not people who want a salad. The portions are big and the menu doesn’t apologise for the calories. Milkshakes too. The crowd is a mix of vegans and non-vegans who just like the food. If you want a dirty burger without the meat, Oowee does it with conviction. Open daily, late on weekends.
Happy Maki
Sydney Street in North Laine. Happy Maki does vegan sushi burritos and bowls from a small shopfront with a loyal following. Sushi fillings wrapped in a burrito-sized roll or served in a bowl. Everything is plant-based and the portions are filling. It’s fast, it’s colourful, and it works as a quick lunch between North Laine shops. Independent. Dog-friendly. Open daily from noon to 8pm.
North Laine & the Market
North Laine has the highest concentration of meat-free food in Brighton. You can walk five minutes in any direction and find something plant-based that’s worth eating. A couple of these spots are inside or near the Open Market, which is worth knowing if you’re in the area around lunchtime.
Iydea
Status note (September 2026): Iydea’s Western Road branch has closed. The original branch at 17 Kensington Gardens is still trading, seven days a week.
Iydea on Kensington Gardens has been serving vegetarian and vegan food for years, and the queue outside at lunchtime tells you everything. The format is canteen-style: hot dishes and salads displayed at the counter, ordered and paid before you sit. The food is fresh and the portions generous, at prices that feel fair. If you eat no meat and want a proper lunch rather than a token salad, Iydea is where Brighton’s vegetarians actually go. Open daily, 11am to 5:30pm.
We Love Falafel
Tiny falafel takeaway on Sydney Street doing one thing well. We Love Falafel wraps are stuffed, the salads are fresh, and you’ll be eating within a few minutes of ordering. Most people grab and go, heading towards the seafront or finding a bench in North Laine. Portions are generous for the price and the sauces have actual kick. They do classic, sweet potato, and beetroot falafel variants. Open daily until 5:30pm. Also features in our Middle Eastern food guide.
On the Seafront
Brighton is a seaside city and fish and chips are part of the identity. But what if the fish isn’t fish?
No Catch
No Catch on King’s Road is a fully vegan fish and chip shop, which in a seaside city is either bold or inevitable. The battered ‘fish’ is a plant-based fillet and the chips are good. The interior is small and bright. The concept works better than you’d expect and the crowd is a mix of committed vegans and the curious. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12:30pm, to 8pm most days and 7pm on Sunday. It sits right on the seafront near the i360, so you can eat your chips looking at the sea and pretend you’re being traditional.
For more on Brighton’s restaurant scene including some of these places, see our restaurants guide.
Veggie-Friendly Cafes
Not everything on this list is a dinner destination. Brighton’s cafe scene does plant-based food well at breakfast and lunch too, and a few of these places are among the best daytime eating in the city.
Foodilic
Western Road, between Churchill Square and Hove. Foodilic does colourful, salad-led plates and lighter food in a counter-service setup. You see what’s available, pick what you want, and sit down. Vegan, vegetarian and halal options are all present. It’s not a restaurant in the usual sense. More a canteen with good ingredients and a bright, relaxed space. Open from 9am to 9:30pm Monday to Saturday and to 8pm on Sunday, which gives it longer hours than most similar places. Useful for a healthy lunch without any fuss.
Greens and Grains
St James’s Street in Kemptown. Greens and Grains is a plant-focused cafe doing brunch and lunch with an emphasis on vegetables and organic ingredients. The food is colourful without being precious about it. Good for a late morning brunch or a healthy lunch between Kemptown shops. Gender-neutral toilets, dog-friendly, wheelchair accessible.
Sweet Stops
You can’t do a vegan food guide in Brighton without mentioning where to get dessert.
Boho Gelato
Pool Valley, just back from the seafront. Boho Gelato makes everything on site in small batches, with the range rotating often enough that you’ll always find something new alongside the classics. Vegan and dairy-free options are standard here, not an afterthought. Independent. The scoops are generous and the flavours are inventive. It’s the kind of gelato shop where you taste two samples and then order a third flavour you hadn’t planned on. Open daily from 11am.
If you’re after vegan-friendly coffee spots too, check out our coffee shops guide. Brighton’s street food scene is also strong on plant-based options — our Best Street Food in Brighton is worth a look if you want to eat well outdoors.
Practical Tips
Brighton Insider tip: Book the sit-down places and walk into the rest. Terre a Terre, Food for Friends, Planet India and Bonsai all fill at weekends, while Beelzebab, Oowee, Happy Maki and We Love Falafel are counter-service and never need a table booked.
Booking
Planet India, The Chilli Pickle, and MOSHIMO fill up on weekends. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday nights. Bonsai takes bookings online and is worth reserving. Most of the counter-service spots don’t take reservations and don’t need them.
Budget
You can eat well at most places on this list for under fifteen pounds a head. The fast-food spots (Beelzebab, Oowee, Happy Maki, We Love Falafel) are all under ten.
Best for Groups
Iydea works for groups at lunch. The Chilli Pickle’s sharing plates suit bigger tables. Planet India’s half-portion system is designed for groups of four. Bonsai’s small plates format works well for sharing.
Lunch vs Dinner
Several spots on this list are daytime only. We Love Falafel shuts at 5:30pm. Greens and Grains is a brunch and lunch place. If you want evening food, Purezza, Planet India, The Chilli Pickle, Bonsai, MOSHIMO, Oowee, and Beelzebab all serve dinner.
Accessibility
Purezza, Foodilic, Oowee, Happy Maki, and No Catch all have wheelchair access. Check individual place pages for full details.
Getting There
North Laine is a ten-minute walk from Brighton station. Kemptown is about fifteen minutes east along the seafront. The Lanes are in between. Bus routes 1, 1A and 7 cover most of the areas mentioned here.
Allergy Info
Most fully vegan places will be nut-free or able to accommodate allergies, but always check directly. Cross-contamination risk varies between kitchen setups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which vegan restaurant should I book in Brighton?
Terre a Terre has been doing inventive vegetarian cooking since 1993 and took Best Restaurant at the 2026 BRAVO awards. Bonsai Plant Kitchen grills everything over Japanese binchotan charcoal. MOSHIMO has been a Lanes fixture for over twenty years and takes vegan food seriously, with a dedicated plant-based sushi menu and the annual Great Moshimo Vegan Challenge. All three are exceptional for different reasons.
Is Brighton good for vegans?
Brighton is one of the best cities in the UK for vegan food. Entire restaurants are built around plant-based cooking, not just token menu options. North Laine has the highest concentration of vegan spots, and you can eat well at every price point from We Love Falafel wraps to a full dinner at Terre a Terre.
Where should I go for vegan brunch in Brighton?
Food for Friends on Prince Albert Street runs brunch all morning and has been Brighton’s original vegetarian restaurant since 1981. Greens and Grains in Kemptown does plant-focused brunch with an emphasis on organic ingredients. For more brunch options, see our brunch guide.
Which Brighton restaurants are fully vegan, not just vegan-friendly?
Purezza is entirely plant-based, including house-made vegan mozzarella. Bonsai Plant Kitchen is 100% plant-based with a binchotan grill kitchen. No Catch does vegan fish and chips. Beelzebab and Oowee Vegan are also entirely vegan.
Can I get vegan fish and chips in Brighton?
Yes. No Catch on King’s Road is a fully vegan fish and chip shop on the seafront. The battered ‘fish’ is a plant-based fillet and the chips are good. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12:30pm. It sits near the i360, so you can eat your chips looking at the sea.
Which Brighton cafes are reliably vegan-friendly?
Iydea on Kensington Gardens is a North Laine staple with canteen-style vegetarian and vegan food. Foodilic on Western Road does colourful, salad-led plates. For vegan-friendly coffee, check our coffee shops guide. Laughing Dog Brighton at the Marina is another strong option with outdoor seating.
