It has become very apparent in recent years that veganism is, in fact, not just a passing trend. The growth of vegan restaurants and vegan culture has been extortionate, shifting from an unusual concept to a common norm for many people.
At Wellness Factory, we are thrilled to see this change! Veganism is great for the environment - an issue that we simply can’t ignore for any longer - and can also be very good for our health.
The city of Brighton is one of the most vegan-friendly places in the UK. When roaming the streets or browsing online for vegan restaurants in Brighton, we are spoilt for choice!
In this article, we will be narrowing down this vast selection of vegan restaurants to just a few of our top favourites. These 3 restaurants all sit in the mid price range, and are located right in the centre of Brighton.
Purezza - Vegan Italian Pizza and Pasta
Founded in 2015 in Brighton, Purezza was the very first vegan pizzeria in the UK. The restaurant has won multiple awards since then, including National Pizza of the Year, and scoring high in the World Pizza Championships.
Not only is the menu fully plant-based, but it’s also 95% gluten-free! The ingredients are mostly organic and locally sourced, plus, the restaurant interior is decorated with recycled and refurbished materials. It’s truly an entirely planet-friendly experience.
The restaurant has a warming and sociable atmosphere, with polite and friendly staff who are clearly well-trained. It’s perfect for getting together with friends, taking the family out for dinner, or a romantic date. Purezza is also available to order for collection or delivery.
Their wide range of pizzas are made with a delicious wholegrain sourdough base and plant-based mozzarella cheese that tastes and melts just like dairy. Not only is this excellent for vegans, but it’s also very gentle on the stomach – you can finish an entire pizza without feeling the wrath of a food-coma afterwards!
The menu consists of everything you’d expect from an Italian restaurant, but with the added quirk of veganism. You’ll find garlic bread, dough balls, pizzas, calzone, lasagne – everything you need to satisfy the whole family.
Oh, and how could we forget their delicious vegan desserts! It’s hard to believe that these are made with plant-based alternatives as the flavours are exceptional. Whether you choose the salted caramel brownie, the chocolate pizza, the strawberry cheesecake, or gelato, you’re sure to be extremely satisfied.
The Vurger Co. - Vegan Burgers, Fries, and Shakes
The Vurger Co. started in 2016 with market stalls, pop-up restaurants, events and festivals. They opened their very first restaurant in Shoreditch, London, in 2018. They started with a mission to revolutionise the fast food industry through the power of plants, and they have definitely done well to achieve that goal so far.
The Vurger Co. has collaborated with many incredible chefs including Chloe Coscarelli and Gaz Oakley – or Avant-Garde Vegan as you may know him. Gaz helped them to create the most amazing vegan burger, and is now a huge part of the Vurger Co. team as their executive chef.
The menu is, of course, 100% vegan. They use sustainable packaging that is made from plants and is fully compostable, and they aim to source ingredients locally as much as possible.
When browsing the menu at The Vurger Co, you can hardly tell it’s all vegan! It looks like any delicious burger joint – it’s very exciting to see so many vegan options available when, at most restaurants, you’ll be reduced to one choice of halloumi burger or a salad.
They make their own plant-based burgers - or vurgers - from scratch. After years of perfecting this recipe, they’ve done an incredibly good job. Their ‘beyond meat’ patties and ‘chicken’ patties are served in a delicious brioche bun (gluten-free buns are also available) with vegan mozzarella and some of the best vegan sauces, all made in-house. Their vegan sauces include baconnaise, ranch, and burger sauce – a wide range of cheesy sauces and vegan mayonnaises are also available to buy in jars on their website, in case you fancy getting vurger-y at home.
In addition to their exceptional range of vegan burgers, they also offer some delicious sides. This includes fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots (yum), ‘chicken’ strips, mushroom strips, and mac and cheese.
If you decide to visit The Vurger Co, you need to try their vegan shakes! With flavours spanning from strawberry and banana caramel, to oreo, biscoff, and salted caramel popcorn – they are truly incredible. If you’d prefer something with a bit of an edge, you can add shots of whiskey or rum to your shake. Beers, wines, and a range of soft drinks are also available.
What The Pitta - Vegan Döner Kebab
This family franchise was founded after one of the co-founders, Cem - a former renowned meat eater - made the switch to a plant-based diet. He noticed that, after dropping meat and dairy, there seemed to be a lack of choice for takeaways.
Co-founder, Roj, revealed that his Uncle in Germany had developed a tasty, top secret vegan doner kebab recipe that had proven to be very popular at his shop. After a trip to Germany and an incredible experience with the vegan doner, they decided this needed to be taken back to the UK. This is when What The Pitta was born.
What The Pitta is a cult favourite, loved by many well-known people including grime artist JME, vegan chefs The Happy Pear, and blogger fatgayvegan. The restaurant has also been nominated for a number of awards – they won Best Vegan Caterer at the Vegfest Awards in 2018, and they won Best London Takeaway at the Kebab Awards in 2020 (the first ever vegan winner!)
The entire menu at What The Pitta is super affordable, at just £7.95 for the most expensive item. The original vegan doner kebab is made with meat free doner pieces, delicious homemade vegan sauces, and freshly made flatbread. They also offer exceptional falafel wraps and their famous vegan gyros wraps, served in a fluffy handmade pitta bread.
You will also find loaded fries and mezze boxes with meat-free doner pieces, as well as loads of yummy sides including fries, waffle fries, chick’n nuggets, onion rings, and more. Plus, they offer kid-size portions of vegan chick’n nuggets and chips, or chick’n wraps so you can keep the whole family happy!
Lastly, they have a couple of quirky but very tasty dessert options. The Retro Skool Cake is a light sponge layered with thick vanilla ice cream and rainbow sprinkles – it really does take us back to happy lunchtimes in the school canteen! They also offer a vegan baklava, which is a sweet, heavenly layered dessert made with filo pastry and almonds.