Eleven bars and restaurants in Belfast to check out this Veganuary
As more and more people choose to cut down on their meat intake or adopt a plant-based lifestyle, cafes, bars, and restaurants are adapting their menus to suit all diets.
With the beginning of the New Year comes Veganuary, where people choose to adopt a fully vegan diet for the first month of the year. This includes avoiding meat and dairy products for the month, and since the event began in 2014, participation has increased each year.
Whether you’re concerned about animal welfare, want to reduce your carbon footprint, or are intrigued by the apparent health benefits of lowering your meat and dairy consumption, there are plenty of reasons you may choose to turn vegan or veggie.
Nowadays, there are a whole range of vegan options meaning opting for a plant-based meal doesn’t have to mean missing out on flavour. In this spirit, the team at Dish Cult[3] have put together a guide to some of the best bars, restaurants, and cafes offering vegan options in Belfast.
Home Restaurant
The interiors at Home Restaurant (Image: Facebook/Home Restaurant)
Home Restaurant is an all-day café and bistro serving delicious dishes to suit all tastes and dietary requirements. Serving up fresh, local, seasonal food made using great quality and sustainable ingredients, Home is renowned for its innovative and inclusive menu.
With a dedicated vegan menu for both lunch and dinner, those following a plant-based diet will be spoilt for choice. From vegan mezze boards complete with falafel, hummus, veggies, pitta bread, and more, to five-spice salt and Szechuan pepper tofu, the choice here is remarkable.
Coppi
Tony O’Neill from Coppi in Belfast city centre. (Image: Justin Kernoghan)
Located in Belfast’s vibrant Cathedral Quarter, Coppi is a must-visit for fans of Italian cuisine. Serving cichetti, pizzetta, risotto, and more, alongside a range of delicious cocktails, this contemporary Italian restaurant serves up traditional Italian cuisine with a modern twist.
Italian food is often defined by cheeses, heavy cream-based sauces, and flavoured meats. However, Coppi deviates from the norm offering an array of tasty vegan and vegetarian dishes. Some favourites are the butternut squash ravioli followed by the steamed chocolate and orange pudding for dessert.
Cyprus Avenue
Cyprus Avenue Belfast (Image: Cyprus Avenue/ Facebook)
Located in the East Belfast[4] suburb of Ballyhackamore, Cyprus Avenue is a firm favourite among vegans and vegetarians across the city. This laidback all-day restaurant offers a range of delicious, seasonal dishes, and a dedicated vegan menu.
Working with the best producers from all around the island of Ireland, Cyprus Avenue create delectable dishes making the most of high-quality, local ingredients. With such an extensive range of incredible vegan and vegetarian options, Cyprus Avenue states on its website that “they have been known to turn even the most committed carnivores.”
Pizza Punks
(Image: Pizza Punks)
Pizza Punks is a lively pizza restaurant, known for their funky and inventive pizza and cocktail offerings. Colourful and neon decoration adds to the upbeat feel of this casual dining spot, making it the perfect stop with friends.
With over 50 custom topping options to choose from and your choice of sourdough or gluten-free base, there is something for everyone here. To start, we recommend the vegan mac and cheese.
When it comes to the main event, however, you may want to customise your own using their plant-based toppings menu, featuring BBQ pulled jackfruit, balsamic chilli beetroot, maple sriracha cauliflower, vegan ‘nduja, pepperoni, Tuscan sausage, and smoked aubergine, as well as the usual array of vegetables.
Actons Restaurant
Actons
Located in the heart of the city, Actons is perfectly nestled close to some of the top attractions in Belfast. This modern, relaxed restaurant accommodates those of all dietary requirements, whether it be vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or anything else.
The dedicated vegan and vegetarian menu features tasty dishes, such as a chickpea and spinach curry, a poke bowl, a veggie burger, and local vegan sausages. However, if none of these options appeal to you, many of the options on the main menu can be served as vegan alternatives.
Lavery’s
Lavery’s offer an extensive range of vegan and vegetarian food
This popular bar and restaurant has been a firm-favourite among Belfast locals for years. Surprisingly, however, despite the traditional appearance, Lavery’s offers a modern and innovative menu that caters for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Meat-free dishes include salt and chilli tofu served with sweet chilli sauce, and cauliflower bites or chickpea bites to start. For the main event, plant-based eaters can enjoy Buddha bowls, lentil shepherd’s pie, Mexican three-bean chilli, or a tasty vegan platter.
This is only a small selection of the vegan and vegetarian dishes offered here, making Lavery’s a must-visit for meat-free food in the city.
Millar’s Restaurant
Millar’s Restaurant
Located on the Upper Lisburn Road, Millar’s Restaurant is somewhat of a hidden gem when it comes to Belfast’s dining scene. Serving a creative and fresh menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, this is the perfect place to dine any time of the day.
When it comes to vegan options, you’ll be spoilt for choice with everything from Mustard Baked Celeriac with Charred Tenderstem, Baby Carrots, Squash and Sage Gnocchi, Carrot Puree and Sage Spiced Cabbage to Wild Mushroom and Spinach Pearl Barley Risotto with Herb Crumb.
The team here is passionate about creating fresh, delicious and creative dishes that ooze flavour and love, and the passion for their craft bleeds into the top-class hospitality and warm and welcoming atmosphere that permeates this incredible restaurant. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can even end your meal with a delicious vegan Chocolate and Coconut Torte served with Mango Sorbet.
Ben Madigan’s Bar & Kitchen
The vegan nut roast at Ben Madigan’s Bar and Kitchen (Image: Ben Madigan’s Bar and Kitchen/Facebook)
A friendly local restaurant located in North Belfast[5] just under the shadow of Cavehill, Ben Madigan’s Bar and Kitchen is the perfect place to dine with friends and family. Creating the finest meals from the simplest, locally sourced ingredients, you can expect fresh and creative dishes served all day long.
With an extensive menu of pub grub favourites from burgers to roasts, pastas and more, there’s something for everyone here. The vegan menu is one of the most extensive in Belfast, filled with flavour and creativity that you’ll forget you’re actually eating vegan. From crispy tofu to buffalo cauliflower wings, sweet corn ribs to a vegan falafel burger served with triple cooked chips, you’ll find something here for every mood.
Buba
Hummus and aubergine fritters at Buba Belfast (Image: Buba Belfast/Facebook)
Located in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter[6], Buba is a fun and lively restaurant that specialises in small plates, flame grill, burgers, and epic cocktails. The perfect place to dine with friends, it has plenty of options to suit all tastes and dietary requirements, from gluten-free to vegan, meat to vegetarian.
The vegan options are abundant and full of flavour with tasty small plate options like the fried cauliflower tacos with scallion, sesame and sticky Korean BBQ glaze. Want something more filling? You’re in luck. Choose from the delicious ‘Buba Spiced Beyond’, a vegan ragu with chilli jam, house sauce and fresh mint or the Beyond Buffalo Burger, a tasty vegan patty with buffalo glaze, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo served with skin-on fries. The sides are just as good with options like crispy skin-on fries and delicious BBQ seasonal veg with chimichurri and almond dressing.
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Freight
Freight Belfast (Image: Freight Belfast/Facebook)
A popular spot for breakfast and lunch, Freight is located on the bustling Lisburn Road and opens between 10am and 4pm from Wednesday to Sunday. Innovative and creative, the team here aren’t afraid to try new things when it comes to food.
You can expect everything from spicy Asian scrambled eggs with crispy chilli and black bean, peanut rayu and freshly baked sourdough toast to sweet and indulgent brioche French toast, featuring a generous slice of maple glazed brioche with summer berries, crispy bacon, granola and yoghurt.
Being so innovative and forward thinking, it should come as no surprise that there’s such a varied and delicious vegan menu. Those following a plant-based lifestyle can indulge in tasty dishes like the vegan breakfast bap, which features a classic Belfast bap that comes filled with vegan sausage, hash brown, avocado and Ballymaloe relish. Alternatively, we recommend trying the delicious huevos rotos or mushrooms on toast.
Chubby Cherub Restaurant and Deli
Inside The Chubby Cherub in Belfast city centre (Image: The Chubby Cherub/ Facebook)
In the mood for some delicious Italian cuisine? The Chubby Cherub Restaurant and Deli is the place for you. With two locations around the city, one in the city centre and one newly opened premises on the Lisburn Road, you’ll never be too far from a great spot to enjoy some tasty Mediterranean dining. It can be pretty hard to find good vegan options when it comes to Italian food, so you really have hit the jackpot if you dine here.
For starters, you can opt for tasty dishes like oven-roasted polenta fries or chilli hummus toast, the incredible truffle mushroom or eggplant bruschetta. When it comes to mains, you can enjoy an amazing vegan spaghetti, featuring courgette and butternut squash, rocket, toasted pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes and basil pesto or the delicious range of pizzas including a vegan margherita and a vegan Venetian, which comes topped with tomato, caramelised onion, spinach, red onion and garlic oil.
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References
- ^ Belfast street food market named second best in the UK (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
- ^ Lizzo enjoys Belfast junk food spot after failed mission to find ‘spice bag’ (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
- ^ Dish Cult (dishcult.com)
- ^ East Belfast (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
- ^ North Belfast (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
- ^ Cathedral Quarter (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
- ^ Click this link (chat.whatsapp.com)
- ^ Privacy Notice (www.reachplc.com)
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