try something new

By Chloe, they’ve done it

By Chloe has a cult following in the US, so when the brand announced it was crossing the pond to open up in London, vegans (and non-vegans) rejoiced all over the city.

Vegan food has made amazing progress in the last few years, but remains a mainly healthy affair. Temple of Seitan is one of the only completely vegan fast food places in the city, but By Chloe offers a great choice of burgers, fries and tofu “fish” and chips. A classic English menu with an American twist and all totally plant-based.

With one restaurant in Covent Garden and one at Tower Bridge, By Chloe is the perfect place for lunch, whether it be quickly grabbing a burger or meeting friends for a sit down affair. And the queues out the door prove how much of a hit the new addition to the vegan food scene is.

The restaurant itself screams New York hipster, with caged chairs hanging from the ceiling and neon signs paying homage to the London’s beloved avocado. It’s light, airy and welcoming – an overall pleasant place to spend a few hours at the weekend or a working lunch.

Being a vegan restaurant, there are of course healthy options. The four salads on offer are much more exciting than many others out there, with the quinoa taco consisting of romaine, spicy seitan chorizo, black beans, sweetcorn, avocado, tomato, tortilla strips, tofu crema and agave-lime vinaigrette.

The spicy Thai with apricot-sriracha glazed tempeh, edamame, scallion, crispy wontons and peanut dressing is definitely worth a try too.

And for those who want some comfort food, try the mac and cheese with shitake bacon and almond parm or the royal roast – sea salted roasted celery root with glazed carrots, green beans, thyme potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and rosemary gravy.

The pesto meatball burger is one of our personal favourites, with Portobello mushroom and veggie balls, marinara, sweet peppers, basil pesto and cashew mozzarella on a potato sub roll.

The weekend brunch is available until 4pm and offers pancakes, smoothie bowls, and a range of English breakfast alternatives, such as the mornin’ glory with scrambled tofu, maple sausage, walnut, avocado and sriracha on a potato bun.

There are also a range of pressed juices and smoothies, as well as pastries and iced push pops, making By Chloe the new go-to place for vegan summer treats.

And the staff are all friendly and helpful – they have all of the US sunshine without the cheese. By Chloe has translated perfectly to our wee island and we expect to see more of these happy vegan spots popping up all over the country.