Vegan Restaurants in Soho London: A Practical Guide for Plant-Based Diners
What you’ll find in this guide
Start with the route table, then compare four current Soho options, the best fit for lunch or pre-theatre dining, and the questions that matter when a venue is vegetarian rather than fully vegan. The guide also flags a former Soho recommendation that should not be carried forward from older listicles.
Updated 24 October 2026. Official restaurant pages and current menus were checked for the venue details below. Recheck the exact date, service, booking terms, menu, and allergen response before you travel.
Featured image: Soho London café street used as an illustrative planning image. Photo: Kate Strilchuk via Pexels.
Choose by route and occasion
Soho is compact enough for a food plan, but its restaurants do not all serve the same kind of meal. Mark the theatre, shop, gallery, or meeting point first, then choose the venue that fits the time you actually have.
| Your plan | Best starting point | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Early breakfast or a quick central meal | Govinda’s Soho | Opens at 7:30 daily, is a short walk from Tottenham Court Road, and welcomes walk-ins. |
| Reliable all-day plant-based dining | Mildreds Soho | Fully plant-based menus, breakfast and weekend brunch options, central location, and reservations. |
| Pre-theatre or special occasion | Gauthier Soho | Fully plant-based French tasting menus with a published service schedule on Romilly Street. |
| Shared mezze with vegan diners | Bubala Soho | Vegetarian restaurant with a current vegan menu and a Poland Street location. |
Four current Soho options
These are not interchangeable rankings. Gauthier is fully plant-based; Mildreds is a vegan-led venue whose current page labels it vegan/vegetarian; Govinda’s and Bubala are vegetarian venues with vegan food. The kitchen and menu questions are therefore different.
Mildreds Soho
Best for: dependable vegan-led lunch, dinner, brunch, or a casual pre-theatre meal. Mildreds’ official Soho page describes the restaurant as the original vegan pioneer, at 45 Lexington Street. The current page labels the venue vegan/vegetarian and lists Monday–Saturday 9:00–23:00 and Sunday 9:00–22:00, plus breakfast, weekend brunch, a pre-theatre menu, outdoor seating, and private dining. Its published menu includes plant-based dishes such as tofu scramble, full-English-style brunch plates, cauliflower uttapam, and meze brunch.
Use the official menu and booking page rather than assuming every Mildreds branch has identical hours or dishes.
Gauthier Soho
Best for: fully vegan French fine dining and a time-fixed tasting menu. Gauthier’s official menu describes a plant-based French dining experience with a five-course Petit Dîner and an eight-course Grand Dîner. The current schedule lists Saturday lunch from 13:00, dinner Tuesday–Thursday from 17:00, and Friday–Saturday from 17:00, with the Grand Dîner also available Saturday from 19:30. The restaurant is at 21 Romilly Street.
This is a reservation-led meal, not a flexible walk-in backup. Allow enough time before a theatre booking and check the current PDF menu before committing.
Govinda’s Soho
Best for: early Indian food, breakfast, and an affordable walk-in meal. Govinda’s official Soho page describes a vegetarian and vegan Indian restaurant at 9–10 Soho Street, about one minute from Tottenham Court Road. It lists opening hours of Monday–Saturday 7:30–22:00 and Sunday 7:30–21:00, with breakfast from 7:30, vegan and plant-based thalis, takeaway, and no reservation needed for ordinary visits.
Govinda’s is vegetarian rather than fully vegan. Ask which thali, dessert, or drink is vegan on the day, especially if you have an allergy.
Bubala Soho
Best for: vegan mezze in a mixed vegetarian setting. Bubala’s official Soho page lists 15 Poland Street, with service Monday–Friday 12:00–15:00 and 17:00–23:00, Saturday 12:00–23:30, and Sunday 12:00–22:00. The page links sample vegan lunch mezze and vegan “Bubala Knows Best” menus alongside vegetarian menus.
Choose the vegan menu deliberately and tell the team about allergies. “Vegan menu available” does not mean the restaurant is a vegan kitchen or that every shared surface is risk-free.
Match the venue to the meal
| Need | Look for | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Early start | Published opening time and a breakfast or walk-in service. | That a dinner-led venue can serve before a morning tour. |
| Pre-theatre dinner | Distance to the theatre, fixed booking time, and a realistic meal duration. | That central location means fast service. |
| Mixed group | A venue with clearly separated vegan and vegetarian options. | That a vegetarian tasting menu is automatically vegan. |
| Allergy-sensitive meal | Direct staff confirmation and an allergen process. | That a vegan label alone guarantees no cross-contact. |
A former recommendation to treat carefully
Older Soho vegan lists may still recommend Club Mexicana’s Soho restaurant. That location closed in February 2026, so do not send readers there without checking a current official location first. A closure is exactly why this page favours current first-party menus and booking pages over undated “best of Soho” lists.
Closure reporting: Time Out London and Fat Gay Vegan.
Plan a pre-theatre vegan meal
Start with the theatre’s exact address and curtain time. For a special occasion, reserve Gauthier and leave a generous buffer. For a more flexible meal, Mildreds or Bubala may be easier, but still book when your timing matters. Govinda’s is useful as an early or casual option, not as a guaranteed late-night theatre booking.
Two-hour buffer
Use this for Gauthier’s tasting menus or any meal where you want to eat slowly. Check the theatre route before booking, not after.
One-hour flexible stop
Choose Mildreds, Bubala, or Govinda’s only after confirming the current service and your group’s dietary needs. Keep a nearby backup address.
How to verify the menu
Read the restaurant’s current menu and booking page, then ask the venue directly when the answer affects safety or timing. Say that you are vegan and separately mention any allergy.
- Is the dish vegan today, including sauces, bread, garnish, and dessert?
- Is the menu fully plant-based, vegetarian with vegan dishes, or mixed?
- Are shared fryers, grills, utensils, or buffet serving tools involved?
- Can the kitchen handle the specific allergy, and what is the cross-contact policy?
- What is the cancellation or late-arrival policy if the meal is tied to theatre tickets?
A practical Soho food day
For an early start, begin at Govinda’s, then walk toward Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, or the West End. For lunch or brunch, use Mildreds as the dependable all-vegan anchor. For a special evening, make Gauthier the fixed booking and keep Bubala or Mildreds as alternatives only if the timing and menu fit. Soho works best when the meal supports the route instead of becoming a cross-city detour.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fully vegan restaurant in Soho London?
Mildreds is the most flexible vegan-led starting point because it publishes breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and booking information. Gauthier is the clearest fully plant-based choice for fine dining and a fixed tasting-menu occasion.
Is Govinda’s Soho fully vegan?
No. Govinda’s is a vegetarian restaurant with vegan food, including plant-based thalis. Ask which dishes and desserts are vegan on your visit.
Does Bubala Soho have a vegan menu?
Yes. Bubala’s current Soho page links sample vegan lunch mezze and vegan set-menu options, but the restaurant is vegetarian rather than fully vegan.
Do I need to book a vegan restaurant in Soho?
Book Gauthier in advance and reserve Mildreds or Bubala when travelling at peak times or before a show. Govinda’s says ordinary walk-ins are welcome, but groups should contact the restaurant first.
Is Club Mexicana still open in Soho?
No. Its Soho location closed in February 2026. Check the current official site before travelling to any former recommendation.
Useful sources and verification
Primary checks: Mildreds Soho, Gauthier menus, Gauthier bookings, Govinda’s Soho, and Bubala Soho. Competitor and context checks included Vegan Anj, Plant Based Sis, and the localized Valentin.app result set. Recheck menus, hours, reservations, closures, and allergens before booking.
Related guides
Verified 24 October 2026: Mildreds Soho official page and menu (address, hours, breakfast, weekend brunch, pre-theatre and booking); Gauthier Soho official menus and bookings (fully plant-based tasting menus, service schedule, address); Govinda’s Soho official page (vegetarian and vegan Indian food, breakfast, hours, walk-ins, address); Bubala Soho official page (address, hours, vegan sample menus, booking); Time Out London and Fat Gay Vegan closure reports for Club Mexicana Soho; Vegan Anj and Plant Based Sis used for competitor/context comparison. Recheck menus, hours, reservations, closures, and allergens before booking.
