Best Vegan Restaurants In Oxford
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12 months ago
A plant-based guide to the city of dreaming spires
Whether you’re a die-hard vegan, fancy giving Veganuary a go in 2024 or simply enjoy eating meat-free, Oxford has an abundance of great plant-based food to offer. The historic city has an impressive culinary scene, with a mixture of cheap and cheerful spots to satisfy the large student population, as well as fine dining options – plus endless cosy country pubs. This includes a good selection of fully plant-based restaurants and cafes, as well as plenty of vegan-friendly eateries. Read on for the best vegan restaurants in Oxford.
Best Vegan Restaurants In Oxford
Which Are The Best Places For Vegan Food In Oxford?
- Green Routes Cafe
- The Punter
- The Gardeners Arms
- Table 13
- Damascus Rose Kitchen
- Delhish Vegan Kitchen
- The Eden Cafe
Green Routes Cafe
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Routes may be most famous for its coffee, but it also serves one of the best vegan brunches in Oxford. Located on Magdalen Road, the friendly cafe is a collaboration between Routes Coffee and East London-based vegan catering company Green Box Food Co, which creates food for festivals around the UK. The menu includes all the brunch classics: breakfast muffins, bagels, pancakes and French toast – plus a big plant-based fry-up which is the perfect hangover cure. And on Thursday evenings, you can pop in for tacos and beer.
39 Magdalen Rd, Oxford OX4 1RB, routescoffee.co.uk
The Punter
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Pub food tends to be tricky for vegans, with menus usually focused on meaty roasts and burgers. Not The Punter though, Oxford’s idyllic pub perched on the banks of the river Isis which has an entirely meat-free menu. Plenty of dishes are vegan: from starters of miso glazed aubergines and herb gnocchi to mains of hasselback butternut squash, lemongrass tofu curry, and black bean burgers. For dessert, there’s an apple and blackberry crumble or a chocolate and hazelnut praline parfait. Visit for lunch after a riverside walk for the perfect Sunday in Oxford.
7 South St, Oxford OX2 0BE, thepunteroxford.co.uk
The Gardeners Arms
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This long-standing pub in Jericho has been around for over 200 years, but in 2003 it was transformed into a plant-based foodie hotspot. Everything on the menu is vegetarian, and much of it is vegan – but it still has that indulgent pub food feel. Think calzones with vegan mozzarella, garlic flatbread, spicy chilli and hot dogs, to be enjoyed alongside cask ales and a wide array of gins. The pub underwent a revamp this year too, so it’s sporting a fresh new look and a snazzy vinyl player.
39 Plantation Rd, Oxford OX2 6JE, thegardenersarms.com
Table 13
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Table 13 is not a restaurant per se, but a plant-based supper club running from the home of Oxford chef Georgia Gallacher. Despite not labelling herself as a vegan, Gallacher is keen to shine a light on the endless possibilities of veggies, proving ‘plant-based food can also be delicious, sexy, vibrant, beautiful, and consumed without compromise’. Open for bookings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the supper club offers a tasting menu format (nine courses on Thursdays, 11 on Fridays and Saturdays), paired with wines. Instead of nose-to-tail, Gallacher cooks seed-to-stalk, using all parts of the plant to create nourishing and creative dishes. At the moment, that includes the likes of pumpkin with cinnamon and cardamom, Brussell sprouts with cranberry and sage, and cauliflower with peanut and curry leaf.
Damascus Rose Kitchen
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This social enterprise is the brainchild of a group of refugee women from Syria, who joined forces to share their culture by preparing Middle Eastern dishes for the community. Located at the Old Fire Station, the cafe serves a vegetarian menu from Tuesday – Sunday, with lots of vegan dishes on offer. Pop in one morning to try the ‘ful medames’ breakfast, a traditional dish which involves fava beans topped with fresh tomato and herbs, served with bread. Alternatively, visit for lunch to be treated to colourful mezze bowls, aubergine moussaka, falafel wraps and vibrant salads, all while supporting a good cause.
40 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AQ, damascusrosekitchen.org
Delhish Vegan Kitchen
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Indian restaurants typically have lots to offer vegans, but you’ll have even more choice than usual at Delhish Vegan Kitchen, Oxford’s only entirely plant-based Indian restaurant. Following the success of her pop-up food stalls in Summertown and Headington, founder Jaya decided to set up a permanent venture on St Clement’s St. The restaurant serves home-cooked fare made with love, with dishes inspired by Aryuvedic traditions to support digestion, made with local ingredients where possible. Begin with samosas and pakoras ahead of hearty curries, chaats and wraps – or go for the Thali option, where you’ll be served a traditional Indian feast of 12 sharing plates.
19-20 St Clement’s St, Oxford OX4 1AB, delhish.com
The Eden Cafe
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After making the move to the UK, New Zealand-born Becs Hinds decided to set up a mobile trailer cafe focusing on vegan and gluten-free food. Then, in 2014, she opened a permanent venture, The Eden Cafe in Witney – which later expanded into a larger venue. Inspired by Antipodean food, the vegan cafe is now a neighbourhood favourite, serving everything from cooked breakfasts and pancakes to salads and toasted sandwiches, plus great coffee and an exciting selection of decadent hot chocolates and milkshakes.
6A Wesley Walk, Witney OX28 6ZJ, edencafe.kiwi
