Table 13, Wheatley

Plant-based foodies will love culinary experience Table 13, squirrelled away down a residential road in Wheatley. Created by Georgia Gallacher, former general manager of Michelin-starred London restaurant Pidgin, Table 13 is a ‘social dining experience’ that seats all its 10 guests on one large table to serve them inventive ‘seed-to-stalk’ cooking. As you can imagine, booking is required, so get in there pronto.

BINN, Buckingham

Who says plant-based has to be all salads and smoothies? If you’re craving junk food, hotfoot it over to mad, neon-filled pub BINN Smokehouse in Buckingham for your carb fix. The extensive vegan menu includes Korean BBQ seitan tacos, cauliflower wings, not-chicken nuggets and vegan chilli cheese fries. Excuse that sound, it’s just my tummy rumbling…

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Great Milton

Like your vegan grub to carry a Michelin star or two? You’re in luck as Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir offers an exquisite, fully vegan tasting menu, available with seven courses for lunch (£215pp) or eight courses for dinner (£230). Dishes include Jerusalem artichoke with chargrilled leek and puy lentils and wild mushroom with pickled onion and mushroom tea.

Gusto, Oxford

Vegan Italian food? It can be done! Swish new eatery Gusto opened at the end of 2022 and is serving up some excellent plant-based options alongside their traditional meat and fish dishes. Start with Gusto Dough Petals with tomato, crispy shallots, and homemade Romesco vegan mayonnaise dip, before tucking into slow-cooked vegan meatballs, San Marzano tomato orzotto or a vegan pizza before finishing with Biscoff cheesecake. Buon appetito!

Buddha Bowl, Aylesbury

A guilt-free doner kebab? Sign me up! This 100% vegan takeaway has a massive menu, ranging from curry Buddha bowls (the Thai Mountain Red is the most popular) to ‘chickun’ burgers served with rosemary fries and pulled jackfruit BBQ wings. There are even vegan brownies, cheesecakes and ice cream to finish with – if you have room, that is.

Taste Tibet, East Oxford

From its roots as a stall on Gloucester Green Market in Oxford to a bricks and mortar restaurant on Cowley Road, there’s been a buzz around this ‘Himalayan soul food’ restaurant since it opened (you may have seen the owners on Saturday Kitchen or features in The Guardian, Time Out and BBC Good Food Awards). And it’s easy to see why when you taste the small yet perfectly formed menu offering – namely the vegan momos, a warming Tibetan dumpling (pictured).

Riwaz, Beaconsfield

Atul Kochhar’s Beaconsfield outpost offers fine dining Indian dishes with plenty of vegan options – so many in fact that my advice is to go for the vegan tasting menu to sample it all. The seven courses (for a very reasonable £62 per person) include Chowk Ki Balla Papri Chaat (Lentil Dumplings, Wheat Crisp, Date & Tamarind Chutney), Baingan Aloo (Aubergine Steak, Peppers, Kadhai Sauce) and Tandoor Khumbi (Tandoor Grilled Mushroom, Red Onion Salad). Add vegan wine parings with each course for an extra £52pp.

The Punter, Oxford

Sister restaurant to meat haven The Porterhouse Grill, you’ll find The Punter a few minutes walk from central Oxford, perched of the banks of the River Isis on Osney island. The quirky pub relaunched in summer 2020 with a fully veggie and vegan menu inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours with produce sourced from local suppliers. The foodie offering changes seasonally but expect nibbles like harissa & almond hummus pitta and mains including vegan feta salad, pear, chestnut, and dressed spelt.

The Giggling Squid, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Henley, Jericho

Starting life in a tiny fisherman’s cottage in Brighton back in 2002, Giggling Squid began with a simple idea: to cook ‘simple, rustic, fresh Thai food’ and now has outposts across the country, including four in our area. The restaurant has a special evening vegan menu which includes a selection of stir fries and curries (the Massaman is mouthwatering), plus a very reasonable set tapas lunch.

Mowgli, Oxford

Gorgeous interiors – think fairy lights galore and swing seats – and plenty of plant-based options at this Indian street food restaurant on the Westgate Oxford rooftop. Vegans aren’t an afterthought here with a separate menu including treacle tamarind fries (*seriously* moreish), holy chow chickpea and potato curry served in a loaf (a ‘vegan showstopper’) and a vegan version of restaurant favourite, yoghurt chat bombs. Can’t decide? Then try the vegan school tiffin with a selection of dishes selected by the chef.

Fego, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross

Influenced by South African hospitality and design, this buzzy mini café chain has three outposts in Bucks & Oxon, all of which offer a separate vegan menu to please your plant-based needs (it’s all pretty low cal too, if you’re going PB for health reasons). For breakfast get your fix with a smashed avo or a Maca berry smoothie, and for lunch choose from superfood salads, teriyaki tofu wraps and meatless patty burgers with all the trimmings.

The Coconut Tree, Oxford

Serving good vibes, tasty cocktails and small sharing plates, this Sri Lankan restaurant isn’t strictly vegan but the menu offers plenty of options with half of the 20+ mains fully plant-based, plus even more vegetarian options. No brainer dishes include hot battered mushrooms (also GF), Parripu (red lentil dahl) and the Fat Sister (not an insult, but a pumpkin curry!). The staple Hopper – a coconut pancake with Sri Lankan condiments – is also a must-try. Kids eat free until 31 March.

The Gardener’s Arms, Jericho

This longstanding Oxford pub (it’s been around for over 200 years) may look like your traditional friendly local at a glance, but instead of your usual pub grub, the kitchen cooks up a hearty menu of 100% veggie and vegan comfort food including mushroom pie, dirty fries (hello tofu rashers, vegan mozzarella and fried onions) and an excellent selection of calzones.

Plant power! 13 vegan & veggie eateries in Oxon & Bucks

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