As a Londoner, Brighton was a place where I occasionally took my son on day trips to the seaside while he was growing up. He’s in his late 20s, and I hadn’t been there since he was 10, so, spurred on by reports that Brighton is the vegan capital of Britain, it was time to pay another visit.
It was midwinter and, much as I love the sea, this cold and rainy trip was the kind of visit where food was the focus rather than staring wistfully out at the waves. There are currently around 25 dedicated plant-based eateries in the city, so during a two-night stay I dined at only a few.
The first place we stumbled on by accident, waiting for check-in time at our accommodation for the weekend. We were hungry and tired – no, let’s be honest, we were on the verge of hangry – when the Vurger Co appeared mirage-like as we stumbled round one of the corners in the maze that constitutes the jewellery section of The Lanes.
We’d been on the hunt for tea and cake, but it turns out what we really needed were burgers, wraps, and truly amazing chips. For me, the absolute star of the show was the nuggets, which you could have with an extra spicy seasoning, and I did. I’m not normally a fake meat fan, but these were addictive, and if you include a Deliveroo, we ate there a few times.
That evening we had a table booked at Purezza, a place I have heard so many good things about. I tried one of their pizzas at the Vegan Camp Out festival in 2021, and loved it, so I couldn’t wait to visit one of their restaurants. Purezza was the country’s first dedicated vegan pizzeria, and Brighton was its maiden branch.
This was my birthday meal, and the place itself is suitable for a special occasion or just a casual night out. The service was top notch; we had a really friendly waitress who sprinkled positive vibes wherever she went (even my oftentimes cynical companion was totally charmed).
And the pizzas, with their soft and chewy crusts and the perfect balance of crispness, were as excellent as I’d hoped. I had the black truffle pizza, and Martin had the four cheeses, with a shared side of macaroni cheese. The toppings were good, with none of that semi-transparent glossiness that you sometimes get with melted vegan cheeses. Desserts – cheesecake and tiramisu – were equally delightful. Tiramisu seems to have caught on in restaurants lately, so I’ve had a few, but this was flavoursome, rich and creamy, putting it right up there at the top.
I went rogue and chose a limoncello spritz as my cocktail to end the meal, which was a bad move on my part, tasting as it did like a sort of alcoholic washing-up liquid. But we live and learn, and in fairness to the drink, I did find within me the gastric fortitude to quaff it down.
The other place I was excited about going to was the No Catch Co. Exactly as it says on the tin, it’s a proper old-school vegan fish and chip shop. We were there when the doors opened at 12:30 and we weren’t the only ones. Inside it’s exactly what you would expect a chippy to be, except that there was nothing on the menu that we couldn’t eat.
I’ve never quite grown into vegan fish, so I had the large battered sausages and chips, while my date had the jumbo battered saveloy. Both meals were great, with perfect chippy chips and an overall heady blend of grease and crunchiness, but we agreed that mine took the slight edge, even if it was just on quantity. They had a deep-fried Oreo dessert on offer, but to be honest we were totally stuffed. One to try another day.
Later that afternoon, however, we did experience the kind of slight… not hunger, perhaps, but space in our stomachs that means you can indulge the sweet tooth a little… and at this point, we got a couple of takeaway desserts from Hunglish that really hit the spot. I particularly loved the nutty, chewy, granola-style flapjacks, but there were some more traditional vegan cakes there too.
Brighton has an amazing vibe as well as a pair of welcoming arms for peckish vegans. I could’ve wandered around the city for another two days and eaten in a different place for every meal, before waddling home for a few days on kimchi and Huel, but I’ll save the remaining venues for next time.
Bardo Burner 