We’ve tried more than a few pizza places and can tell you this: Alley Cats for the win.
The VEGAN ‘N’ FIRE brings the flavor and the heat. It’s a-spicyyyy. And we love it. They put their sauce on top of the cheese and it was damn good. Note: They have their own vegan cheese so you can pick almost any non-animal pizza and sub it in. Note 2.0: They pies are huge. HUUUU-GE. We had half, took the other half home and had lunch for the next two days. Bonus points for super friendly staff.
Go get you our some pizza at our fave place in London.
Address: 84 Westbourne Grove, London (multiple locations – check website)
This place was – and is – our go-to for all things burger and fries delicious. We are old school Native Foods fans all the way back to the original owner Chef Tanya, so trust us when we say: GO EAT HERE.
Jim’s Choice: TWISTER WRAP – crispy chicken, avo, cucumber salsa, lettuce, ranch sauce all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla. And I love both the STUFFED OATMEAL COOKIE and the PEANUT BUTTER PARFAIT enough to marry either or both of them or just have them for dessert.
Steve’s Choice: This is my Sophie’s Vegan Choice moment – how do you choose when you love it all? From the DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER to the GASTRO PUB BURGER to the CHICKEN RUN RANCH – it’s all good in the vegan hood. Ask for extra sides of sauces.
Pro-Tip: GET. THE. FRIES. Get a second order even. You deserve it.
Address: 1775 E. Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs (more locations – see website)
Blue Owl is one of our favorite places for all kinds of tasty eats. And bonus – your omnivore friends can come with you and order off the regular menu. They have a great outdoor seating area right outside in front. And we’ve had so many items off their menu we’ve lost count. It’s also right off State Street, the main place for window shopping that leads right down to the beach and the pier.
Top Faves:
MISO KALE – crisp, bright, refreshing
VEGAN GRILLED CHEESE – makes you feel like a kid again so yummy
SWEETHEART BURRITO – tons of flavors coming together in perfect harmony and it’s the perfect size – not over-sized like most burritos
FYI: They feature live performances, singers, bands – it’s a good time party at Blue Owl.
Address: 5 W Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara (public parking lot directly across the street)
Steve here: Every time I go to see my mom and sister in Phoenix I ask, ‘Hey, can we got to Wild Child?’ And they will each – and sometimes both if they are together – say – in unison when they are together, ‘FLOWER CHILD. Basically, I change the name of places to suit my own needs and/or tell you a little bit more about myself, ie ‘Wild Child’ instead of ‘Flower Child.’ Now that we got that outta the way…
LOVE this place. So many delicious options, so many incredibly tasty vegetable-centric creations, and like some of the other places we’ve previously mentioned here there are plenty of vegan and omnivore options. Bonus is you order at the counter and there’s no fighting over the bill at the end (and/or your friends and fam not chipping in enough of their share – don’t act like you don’t know what and who we are talking about).
Jim & Steve Choice: All together now…THE MOTHER EARTH BOWL (pictured above). Eye-popping colorful veggies and grains, it’s an absolute feast. Add in tofu as your protein if you choose and if you like spicy, ask for extra sweet potatoes – the glazing (‘Gaaaa-laaaa-zing’ said like Kathy Griffin imitating Mariah Carey, #IYKYK) they use on them is damn good.
Get you to Wild Child (and/or Flower Child)!
Address: 10460 N 90th St, Scottsdale (multiple locations – check the website)
Let’s be honest, not everything vegan is healthy (see how many things are fried or on a bun). So if and when you’re craving a nice salad, The Salad Project has got you more than covered. With multiple vegan, vegetarian and omnivore options to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
Jim’s Choice: FALAFEL PROTEIN BOWL is the perfect blend of flavors.
Steve’s Choice: THAI ME UP SALAD is crispy, crunchy, spicy and damn tasty.
There’s also a matcha/coffee side at the Nottinghill location.
Pro-Tip: Ignore the menu on their website which looks like it has two vegan options. When you go to the actual location, more than half the items are offered vegan and the rest you can easily substitute proteins.
Address: 110 Westbourne Grove, London (multiple locations – check website)
Tucked away on a side street in Stow-on-the-Wold you’ll find Cotswold Baguettes, a step-in, order-at-the-counter, breakfast and lunch deli (as we call them back in the U.S.). Opened in 2012, this tasty little spot offers vegans their own lunch board or you can opt to build your own sammy. There are plenty of options for your omnivore friends & fam joining you.
Steve here: I ordered the top sandwich choice and let me tell you, the tomato chutney slams.
Big bonus: Check out the prices. Pretty brilliant, right?
Grab a sandwich from Cotswold Baguettes and enjoy it on your walkabout of the main square.
Address: 2 Church St, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham
Les Filles is one of our favorite places to drop in for a coffee, a quick snack and/or a tasty meal. Maria the manager is a delight and so is her dog, Bella, who struts around the place like she owns it. They have multiple sweet treat offerings from vegan carrot cake to 2 different banana breads to lemon infused cookies (which are more like mini-cakes with icing and fresh blueberries on top). The vegan lemon pancakes are outstanding. And they always deliver a solid cup of coffee including some seasonal favorites like peppermint mochas and pumpkin spice lattes – both of which can be made vegan, just ask them to use oat or almond milk and they will happily oblige.
Steve note: They have a vegan chocolate protein + peanut butter + date-infused shake = AMAZING. Ask them to add a little bit of ice when they make it for you. That’s the secret tip.
Two locations, both in Bayswater, not too far from one another.
Address: 31 Moscow Rd, London (2 locations – check website)
In need of bowls, bowls, bowls and some amazing smoothie choices? Wild & The Moon’s got you covered. It’s the perfect healthy alternative/fix to all those croissants you’ll be downing while in Paris. They also have sandwiches and pasties so, yeah, there goes your whole “I’m gonna skip a croissant today” mantra. Liar.
Jim’s Choice: Granola Bowl for me – you get to pick which granola you want in it. Crunchy and sweet and fruit on top. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Steve’s Choice: Fall Protein Bowl with quinoa, vegan meat kabab, red beans, sweet potato and more was so fresh and they gave me a side of dressing that went with one of the other bowls but I can’t remember which one it was other than to say it was perfect. So ask for that. Ask for the perfect drizzle on the side. See what happens. Live crazy.
They have seating outside and hilariously it started pouring rain both times we went to eat there so we brought it back to enjoy in our hotel. Still bien. See what we did there?
Address: 3 locations in Paris (as well as other countries) – check the website
OK, people, have to tell you about our amazing quick getaway to the Cotswolds in the English countryside. Jim found us the coolest place to stay at Feldon Valley. It’s modern and rustic and basically in the middle of nowhere with a massive golf course attached to it. We don’t play golf, but if you do, you will be in heaven or wherever you golfers go and/or call it.
Breakfast is included with your stay and yes, there is a giant buffet table filled with fruit and cereal and such but there’s also a full menu of hot items including a vegan English Breakfast which Steve had you must have yourself. It came with this tofu scramble that was easily the best we’ve ever tasted.
For dinner, they offer a few items on menu plus the chef has a few more daily vegan specials. Jim chose the falafel burger with fries right off the menu and Steve went with the vegan mushroom risotto which he can not stop talking about. So so SO DELICIOUS. The staff are super friendly and happy to help with any special requests.
Big bonus at Feldon Valley is the walkable trail that loops you through all these farms. You walk right around the goats and sheep as some of them stand directly on the path you are asked to stay on (they don’t care, it’s their property). We landed at The Cherington, a delightful pub run by the equally delightful Helen, enjoyed ourselves some spirits and then trekked our way back in the almost dark (bring your phone, the light on it will come in very handy).
Feldon Valley is an amazing getaway, about 20 minutes outside of the main town of Banbury, and easily accessible to Buorton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold (both must see charming villages) and more. Go take in the English countryside and rest assured vegan options are a-plenty.
So Jim comes home and says, “I walked by this place that says vegan fish & chips – is that possible?” And I respond, “Um, yes. Remember we used to buy vegan fish at Trader Joe’s in California?” And he goes, “Ohhhh yeah. What do they make it out of?” And I go, “Sometimes banana blossoms, sometimes mushrooms, sometimes artichoke hearts – vegans be crazy.”
And off to Hobson’s we went where, yes, there is a giant sign on the wall that says ‘Vegan Fish & Chips.’ Basically you order everything a la carte and mix and match. So you can order whatever main you like, then sides like chips and coleslaw and salad, etc., etc.
The vegan fish is breaded and fried and crispy and damn delicious. They even come with a vegan mayo to dip in. The fries are also way tasty. And the price is super reasonable.
Hobson’s is a great place for vegans and our omnivore friends to get our fish & chips on together in harmony.
Address: 9 Porchester Rd, London (multiple locations – check the website)
Do You Have Anything Vegan? 