Vegan Club: Vegan in Scotland

I want to preface this post by telling you
a) this is just focusing on Glasgow and Edinburgh or it would have been 40 pages long
b) I love Scotland, and
c) if you’re vegan, Scotland loves you (I mean, I’m not saying they don’t love you if you’re not vegan, but you’re DEFINITELY loved if you are vegan, know what I’m saying?).

Glasgow and Edinburgh are two of the best cities in the UK for vegans and the brief time I was in both cities I basically just ran around with my mouth open and crying about how good the meals were. What’s more, we’re all going to be back in Edinburgh next month aren’t we, arts boys and girls? See you at Fringe!

I’ve limited myself to my top 3 places in each city, and decided to frame this essentially as a list with pictures of food, because let’s face it – it’s a food post, whose reading the text?

1.  HENDERSONS

Oh dear lord, Hendersons is SO GOOD. There’s actually a whole chain of veggie/vegan Hendersons outlet but I’m cannily cramming them into one entry. I went to the deli for lunch, I hit the new vegan-only restaurant branch for dinner with Lucie and Jess for an incredible three course meal (see the dessert above, weirdly I forgot to photograph the other two courses so you know it was good), and then on my last morning I went back to Hendersons for cooked breakfast (in the top photo). They’ve got every meal and every occasion covered – go go go!

 

2. THE AULD HOOSE

Jess dragged us here to sample the insanely huge portion of nachos – this is probably the cheapest “sitdown” vegan eat in Edinburgh. They also have massive tables so a good place to go with a group!

3. PARADISE PALMS

Great atmosphere in this place as you can see from the crazy decor. Alongside an impressive vegan menu they have some excellent cocktail choices – and God knows I appreciate a place with a decent cocktail menu. Don’t forget to try the amazing ninja buns *cries with joy*

My other top places in Edinburgh include Novapizza, Brass Monkey, The Baked Potato Shop. I’m sure there will be more than a couple posts after I get back from the fringe..!

---

Over to GLASGOW….

1. MONO

Oh. My. Goodness. Jess had told us whilst in Edinburgh that she and James sometimes visit Mono and stay all day to take full advantage of the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. After one glorious meal there I can see why. Take me back! Fish and chips, caesar salad, cajun burgers – Mono has all your favourite foods made deliciously vegan. The wide layout and huge wooden tables makes it a great place for a meeting or working lunch as well. Would that I lived nearer..

2. STEREO

 

I visited Stereo with Sophie and Lis, both of whom I’ve been friends with online for ages (shout out to Lis’ amazing dress) who were kind enough to let me pick Stereo so I could compare with sister restaurant Mono. (You see what they did with the names?) The food is equally good at Stereo, although the vibe is a bit less chilled out and a bit more hanging out with pals – there’s a bar along the back, so I think it’s a better place for an evening meal/drinks rather than a lengthy lunch. We all ordered food – I had the gnocchi and garlic bread. Should also point out that whilst I don’t think the mark of a good vegan restaurant is that non-vegans can enjoy a meal… it’s always nice when that happens. :)

3. THE GREAT WESTERN SANDWICH CO

Although you can sit in here, I’m including this entry because I think one thing that can be a struggle for us vegans is finding places to eat on the go. London’s pretty easy because you’re never more than 5 metres from a Pret but if you’re out of London, or just fancy something more than a mediocre wrap then it’s nice to have options. I stopped in this place and despite not having any vegan options available (they’d sold out) they kindly made me a massive avocado, hummus and salad concoction which they then charged me half price for to make up for not having anything available originally! Kind staff make the world go around, seriously.

So those are my recommendations! Please add your own below and let me know if you’ve been to any of the above!

Planning a trip? Here are my other posts on Edinburgh and Glasgow…

Glasgow: Glasgow, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Victorian Greenhouse
Edinburgh: 24 Hours in Edinburgh guide, Edinburgh