All Cafes in London

The Bonnington Café is a co-operatively run vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Bonnington Square Community Centre in the heart of Vauxhall. One of South London’s best-kept secrets tucked amidst the beautiful community gardens of the square, the Café has been open since the early 80’s when it was started as a squat Café to provide a good cheap meal for the community. Much has changed in the years since we opened, but not the sense of community. No single person runs the restaurant, rather it’s maintained by an active collective of member cooks who also contribute to the overall running of the venue and who are still committed to providing excellent vegetarian home-cooking at great prices in a laid back and friendly bohemian atmosphere. Some history Initially the café wasn’t open to the public. It was an eating place run by squatters for squatters, because the local houses were in such a bad state and didn’t have gas or electricity or sometimes even water. It was a communal space where food could be made for people from the community, and if they had nothing they paid nothing, or whatever they could afford. At the very beginning people would go to the market at New Covent Garden and pick up the throw-away vegetables. It didn’t really cost anything, but was still perfectly good food that was just thrown away in our wasteful society. From squat to community centre By the mid-80s, many of the squatters had moved and so there was less need for a squatters’ kitchen. One of the squatters who had lived upstairs turned the building into a community centre. It was decided to turn the kitchen into a café, but still to keep it as a communal space for both cooking and eating. Because it is a very popular café there is always a lot of pressure to go upmarket, but we don’t want to and we aim to keep prices low – we always keep the room slightly bohemian. That might be off-putting to some people who think ‘Oh God there are holes in the floor’ or something like that. But it is deliberate; we want to keep the café as an affordable place within a thriving community. A different chef every night The café is run on a co-operative basis. That means that people are members and every day of the week somebody different cooks. There are blessings in that, but there are problems as well. If someone forgets that it is their night to cook, then the café is shut. That has happened many times (in the past). The nice thing is that there is a huge variety. Each person that cooks has the responsibility to pay rent to the community centre and also to put something in the café kitty to replace things like plates and pots. After that, whatever they make is theirs to keep. The cook is responsible for buying the food, preparing and serving it, and cleaning up at the end of the day.A community-friendly place We have monthly meetings where we talk about the maintenance of the café, how we might want to develop in the future and any other issues, like complaints or requests to put on exhibitions, fundraisers, events and now as a “food hub” with more focus social enterprise. Cuisine from around the world The philosophy behind the café is to have a community-friendly place where people can come in, sit down and meet people. It is also a place for people who like to cook vegetarian food to be able to do it without the risk and investment involved in opening a café of their own. We want to have as many different cuisines as possible, so we have people from Japan cooking here, people from Malaysia, China, Greece, Italy, and France. There is a huge variety of food. Many make an effort to use local produce, such as from allotments, farmers markets and UK farms. Everyone though has a different angle so while some focus on seasonal food and organic, others focus on raw foods and for some its all about exotic ingredients from around the globe. As a different person cooks each night the atmosphere changes from day to day. Sometimes there is live music. Traditionally musicians have gathered here, brought along their instruments, and just jammed and we’ve had cabaret performance, spoken work nights… were always keen on new ideas! Just to add that although and inevitably there have been ups and downs, the café is more popular now than it ever was. And that’s testament to its history, the community it sits in, the cooks and all our friends who eat there!

Vegetarian Cafe in East Dulwich. Open for Breakfast and Lunch! Instagram @bluebrickcafe

Welcome to Wild Food Cafe – London’s gourmet raw food, vegan, vegetarian plant-based restaurant in Covent Garden with a focus on fresh, wild, mineral-rich foods that taste delicious and that nourish your body, mind and soul. Wild Food Café is a leading-edge café created around the art of feeling great – what we consider the central pillar of vitality, wellbeing and success, combined with environmentally and ethically enriching policies in all aspects of our business. Wild Food Café is a “High-Vibe” enterprise, whose chief principles are appreciation and celebration. In our relaxed, fun, inspiring, and classy premises we offer an innovative and fairly priced menu of raw-centric gourmet Wild Food world cuisine, smoothies and juices, soups and snacks, coffee, tea, confectionery and desserts, as well as fresh-from-the-tree chocolate and coconut delicacies and drinks. Our team is committed to outstanding and enthusiastic service, providing the customer an uplifting eating experience in line with our passion for embodying Vitality, Enthusiasm and Wellbeing. So, what are we into and what are we creating for you: • Vibrant Wild Foods honoured by the ancient cultures and revived into carefully crafted alchemical dishes ∞ • Heart-opening fresh from the tree coconut and cacao innovations ∞ • Sexy smoothie blends to make you feel orgasmic created by our own experienced vitality alchemists combining deliciousness and well-kept longevity secrets from around the planet ∞ • Happy seasonal and local foods grown by radiant farmers ∞ • Ever changing all-inclusive raw-centric menu to continiously surprise you ∞ • More importantly, food that makes you feel good (pssst. ‘orgasmic’) from inside out ∞ Wild Food Café is also a public platform for an exciting project Worldwide Wellbeing. Worldwide Wellbeing is a NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) which is acknowledging that we are best served as a species, culture, civilization and planet by placing our focus on appreciating and celebrating the 99% of Wellbeing on Earth, as this is the nature of reality and existence. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Worldwide-Wellbeing/187420187975500 HOW DOES IT GET EVEN BETTER THAN THIS?………….:o)

Our recently launched vegetarian restaurant “RAW” at La Suite West offers a tastefully designed, contemporary new health focused option. From chic alcohol free “mocktails” to a meat free restaurant with a capacity of 50 seats ,”RAW” is the new alternative lifestyle choice open to hotel guests and the public alike for all day dining. Nik Heartland, our Chef has designed a menu to provide some of the best that nature can offer, with a selection of vegan friendly, dairy free and raw dishes. Also serving proper British afternoon tea–Vegan Style! RAW at La Suite West is proud to introduce our healthy, plant-based dining concept in cool contemporary surroundings. The menú is a balance of traditional veganised dishes and original vegan cuisine. We are allergen and gluten free friendly and offer a range of freshly made mocktails and smoothies to complement the meal.

Bringing beautiful Union Hand Roasted Coffee to the caffeine heads of Deptford on a daily basis. Vegetarian/Vegan food ranging from Brick Lane Bagels to freshly made sandwiches to falafels to Veggie Burgers. Come and check out Deptford’s Diamond in the Rough!

This unique vegetarian and vegan restaurant is proud of its home-made menu made up of raw and cooked vegan, gluten-free cuisine. Perched by the side of the scenic Regent’s Canal in the centre of buzzing Camden Town, this venue hosts a health food cafe and juice bar which turns into a vibrant music venue in the evenings, featuring the best acts in acoustic, electronic music and jazz. With a broad selection of healthy treats, superfood smoothies and fresh juices, there is plenty to choose from.

26 Grains That’s how we roll London’s finest porridge pop up