Vanilla Black

Vegetarian Restaurant in The City
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7 / 10 from 3 reviews
Address
17-18 Tooks Court
The City
London
EC4A 1LB
Map
Telephone
020 7242 2622
Cuisine
Vegetarian
Region
The City
Nearest Station
Chancery Lane
0.12 miles
Opening Times
Monday Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30
Open 18:00 - Closes 22:00
Tuesday Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30
Open 18:00 - Closes 22:00
Wednesday Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30
Open 18:00 - Closes 22:00
Thursday Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30
Open 18:00 - Closes 22:00
Friday Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30
Open 18:00 - Closes 22:00
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Located in the heart of York city centre, Vanilla Black serves contemporary vegetarian cuisine. The trend for modern British food forms the basis for a unique dining experience. They also serve a selection of vegetarian wines, and options for vegan diners.

Vanilla Black Picture Gallery

Vanilla Black Picture

All In London Review

Fine dining vegetarian that’s a must for adventurous palates

You may have heard that Vanilla Black is the only vegetarian restaurant in London that’s mentioned in the Michelin Guide. It’s easy to see why they’ve earned their entry, with elaborate dishes like a grilled carrot cake, sweet but with savoury hints, a smear of sheep’s yoghurt, crunchy ginger-infused carrots and tart orange oil that resembles marmalade.

For the main a double baked Ribblesdale pudding is a creamy soufflé, served with a smoky potato croquette, a soft poached egg and grated pickled pineapple that’s been coloured a pretty purple. And it’s far from expensive, as these two dishes are from a set lunch menu for £18.50.

There’s a separate menu for vegans, with food that’s just as delectable. There’s fried sage bread with a red cabbage cracker and some moreish roasted chestnuts, and for the main course toasted cauliflower with mille feuille, which look like spring rolls, stuffed with raisins, tamarind paste, cashew nuts and potato.

Service is the right amount of friendly and we like their attention to detail, with little things like bringing out bread with salted butter for me, and bread with olive oil for my vegan companion. A must, not just for veggies, but anyone with an adventurous palate.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Aug 7, 2013


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Fantastic vegetarian food is on offer at Vanilla Black, with not a Quorn burger in sight. They’re also happy to accommodate guide dogs, the restaurant is wheelchair accessible and there are disabled toilets.

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Vanilla Black does the unthinkable: hearty British food minus the meat. Their glorious concoctions include things like poached egg with hickory smoked potato croquette and pineapple pickle. The restaurant also benefits from being ultra-stylish, and it's garnered the praise of food critics and veggies alike. In 2012 they opened sister site Orchard in Holborn.

London's best restaurants for vegans picture

London's best restaurants for vegans

Who knew vegan grub could taste so good?

Although Vanilla Black is a vegetarian restaurant, there is a separate menu for vegans. The only meat-free restaurant in London to be recommended in the Michelin Guide, this is the most haute cuisine option you’ll find in the capital.

User Reviews

Sooz

Nov 4, 2013

After visiting Vanilla Black a few years ago and really enjoying the experience, I was excited to revisit this weekend. Sadly it failed to live up to expectations; who spoils fudge by adding cardamom or adds an over-generous amount of salt to soup already salt-heavy with marmite? The tamarind paste totally overwhelmed the delicate Toasted Cauliflower Mille Feuille - what a shame!! Some positives did go some way to rectifying the situation; the setting is lovely, the bread was delicious and the Fried Mushroom Mousse and Rosemary Sauce was a real treat.. I hope I just caught it on an off-day.
Sooz

Mar 11, 2009

A smallish restaurant away from the busy street, on arrival this place was beautifully laid out with simple, clean lines. The food was imaginative and delicious and seemed to fully satisfy even my carnivor friends who were with me. My only criticism would be that the main course was fairly small whilst the pudding though very tasty, was quite heavy (this was also the case with the other dishes that my friends ordered) - i think maybe some re-balancing would be good. Otherwise though I would rate this very highly and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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