Veganuary is now upon us, with Glaswegians across the city throwing out the steak pie in 2024 for a more plant-based diet as Glasgow enters a new year.
There's plenty of reasons to switch to a vegan or vegatarian diet - be it ethical, environmental, or for health reasons - even just taking a month to try out a new lifestyle can do great things for not just yourself, but the planet.
Just over 10 years ago, back in 2013, Glasgow was named the most vegan-friendly city in the UK - and with good reason too. The city has an abundance of ever-evolving vegan eateries – from up-market, award-winning restaurants to hip and chilled-out vegan cafés, you won’t have to look far for a good vegan spot.
Whether you’re looking for something light and fresh – think smoothie bowls and avocado toast – or something a tad more indulgent, we’ve got you covered when it comes to vegan restaurants in Glasgow.
This list was provided by the good folks over at Dish Cult - which catalogues the very best food and drink institutions across the UK - for more info about restaurants across Britain, be they vegan or not, check out their website.
5. Hooligan Wine
A modern and relaxed wine restaurant, Hooligan Wine is nestled in an old tenement flat, between Glasgow’s bustling city centre and west end. The menu champions bright, bold flavours with a Mediterranean influence, using seasonal produce and low intervention wines. As well as being vegetarian and vegan-friendly, it’s also gluten free-friendly too. | Contributed
6. Stereo
If you like Mono, check out Stereo, its sister venue. In Glasgow there seems to be somewhat of a symbiosis with live music and vegan food, as many of the venues we’d recommend to see bands and solo singers are also proud proponents of plant-only menus (Hug and Pint is another one worth checking out). While Stereo’s Renfield Street home was designed by none other than local legend Charles Rennie Mackintosh, its interior has an urban industrial feel that suits its contemporary menu. There’s no meat or dairy to be seen, so you don’t need to be selective about what you order and there’s an entire menu dedicated to gluten-free food too, which is handy as we know the Venn diagram of gluten-free and vegan restaurants can be limited. Asian flavours feature heavily, sometimes fused with French or Scottish influences. And there’s always a fair dollop of comfort food to be had, in the form of burgers and chip suppers. The cocktails are enticing too, with creamy options that haven’t been anywhere near a cow. | Contributed
7. Sylvan
The dishes change daily at this cool little joint in Woodlands, making every visit a new experience. Serving dinner from 5pm Monday to Saturday and lunch from noon Wednesday to Saturday, it offers a very creative menu of highly nutritious ingredients that celebrate the fruits of the earth. To give you an idea of the sort of thing you can expect, past plates have included chicory salad with orange dressing and hazelnuts; pea soup with olive oil and fregola; tofu with spinach and fenugreek; shredded potatoes with Sichuan pepper oil; and roast pears with fried bread and stilton custard — is it sweet? Is it savoury? Who cares, it’s delicious! Pair your meal with a naturally fermented biodynamic wine; Sylvan serves 30 of them by the glass. | Sylvan
8. Chinaskis
Be aware that this isn’t an exclusively vegan eatery, so don’t go rogue when ordering from the menu (look out for the vg icon next to the dishes to be safe). This is modern pub food, so burgers and pizzas are big features on the hearty menu, along with Asian-inspired spicy treats. Or opt for something from the “classics” section, such as lentil daal with coconut, batata harra and pitta. If you’re here mainly for drinks and just want a snack, Chinaski’s has you covered too, with bowls of vegan nibbles and small plates, such as cauliflower shawarma with chermoula and pickles, and sweet potato with chickpeas, laban and zhoug. And there’s a roast, from noon till it’s gone, every Sunday. The bar has a whole new drinks menu to try, which is a great excuse in itself to book yourself a table. | Contributed