One of the best things about the rise of vegan and plant based living, is that more and more restaurants are placing vegan/vegetarian/plant-based dishes on their menus.
Nowadays it’s disappointing if a menu DOESN’T have at least one vegan or veggie dish on their menus and it actually turns me off a place -which can be disappointing if it’s somewhere I’ve wanted to try. I’m always looking at menus for restaurants or pubs I want to go to before visiting so I know ahead of time what kind of dishes they offer and if I need to change up the dishes at all.
I like to be prepared and sometimes this pays off because there have been times that the pub hasn’t had anything suitable for me on their menus so in that case I just don’t go..sad but true! With that being said, Harrogate is VERY good for vegans, vegetarians and those with other dietary requirements!
Of course, all the regular chain restaurants here have dishes suitable for everyone, but it’s the independents here in Harrogate that I want to concentrate on (with the exception of Wagamama’s because well, they’re just amazing!), as I feel they do the most in terms of catering for a plant based/vegetarian/vegan diet.
Best Independent Restaurants in Harrogate for Vegans
We’re very spoilt in Harrogate with the amount of places to eat, you could definitely eat out every night and not eat the same cuisine twice in the same week!
I have my favourite places, like Farmhouse and Hustle that I frequent quite often, but I’m always on the hunt for somewhere new to try.
Domo Japanese Cuisine Cardamom Black So Bar + Eats Major Tom’s Social Konak Meze Mykonos Bar & Grill Lucia’s Wine Bar & Grill Taverna Harrogate I’ve been to almost all of these restaurants so I can attest to them all being extremely good for the vegans amongst us.
Different cuisines appealing to everyone’s different tastes and it almost allows us to travel around the world without leaving our hometown!
Domo Japanese Cuisine
I tried this restaurant recently, it’s fairly new but surprisingly busy. I was very happy to see that there were a fair few vegan dishes on their menu – which of course I checked beforehand! Everything is clearly labelled on their menus, which makes it really easy to navigate.
When I was there, I had Tofu Miso -fried tofu in a sweet miso sauce. Future Shock – deep fried tofu with peppercorn salt and some Hosomaki – sushi, I of course had avocado! It was all delicious and makes me want to go back again for sure!
Cardamom Black
Asian food at its best and I’ve tried their food three times in total and each time it’s been delicious!
The most recent experience was dining in their restaurant which in itself is stunning as it used to be a theatre and you can definitely see this inside as they’ve preserved the stage and dress circle aspect of the old theatre. My Mum and I actually shared the Special Vegan Tier.
Sharing Stand for 2 consisting of Bombay Pav Burger Sliders, Hara Bara Kebab, Aloo, Spinach & Carrot Pakoras, Seasonal vegetable Rolls, Lahsani Mushrooms & Sweet Potato Fries, Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, Red Chard, Beetroot Sticks & Pomegranate Kernels.
It was the perfect size for us and enabled us to eat as much or as little of what we liked. I highly rate this restaurant for vegans.
So! Bar & Eats
I’ve been to the Knaresborough restaurant before so I knew how good they were for vegans when I visited the Harrogate one on Valentine’s Day on a solo date.
The choice was slightly overwhelming, but I made good decisions and had Vegan Wings, Shaskuha and Chocolate Orange Tart.
All delicious, and this is definitely somewhere I want to go back to- especially when they have such good offers on during the week!
Major Tom’s Social
An independent cafe, beer bar and pizzeria based in Harrogate who specialise in sourcing and selling craft beer and real ale, especially dealing with local breweries in Yorkshire.
All complemented by their famous stone baked pizzas made fresh on site and baked in their trusty pizza oven. I can attest to this, having been there after lockdown with a friend.
It was a great atmosphere and is definitely somewhere I need to head to more often! If you’re after quality beer and pizza, then this is the place for you!
Konak Meze
This is a Turkish restaurant in Harrogate who are dedicated to bringing the authentic taste of Turkey to Harrogate. I’ve been here once and it was delicious!
Turkish food is good for vegans, there are plenty of dishes you can substitute for vegetables as well as there being vegetable dishes too.
I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant, the owners and staff were super friendly and enthusiastic about ensuring we all had a good time which of course all adds to the experience!
Mykonos Bar & Grill
An authentic taste of Greek cuisine through great service and a warm friendly atmosphere. I went here for the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised by the choice for vegans. It seemed rather a lot when it came as I had a set menu but rather more food than not enough!
Again, Greek/Mediterranean food is an easy cuisine to substitute out for a vegan diet so you needn’t feel like you’re missing out.
Lucia’s Wine Bar & Grill
A stylish Italian restaurant with show-stopping dishes and world-class ingredients ready for you to indulge in. It is the perfect setting for stylish drinks and dining in the heart of picturesque North Yorkshire, with the three floors of beautifully styled interiors and a luxurious courtyard.
With their restaurant open from morning to night you can relax in the morning with a coffee, savour a delicious lunch or dinner and join them for an evening of cocktails and Champagne in their vintage Italian Bar.
I’ve been here a few times and each visit has left me wanting more, with both food and cocktails. A high end, boujee Italian with fantastic Instagram worthy interiors!
Taverna Harrogate
The only place on this list I haven’t visited! Their aim is to create an amazing and authentic Greek cuisine experience to all of their customers. They originally started their restaurant to share their love of traditional Greek food with the people of Harrogate.
They are well known for their traditional Pitta Gyros which include gyros, chips, tzatziki, tomato and onion all wrapped in fluffy pitta bread. I can only imagine it’s similar to Mykonos Bar & Grill, but I’d have to visit to confirm this!
So, there we have it! A brief round up of a few of the best restaurants for vegans in Harrogate. There are of course, a whole host of other amazing restaurants in Harrogate which are suitable for vegans, vegetarians, those with a gluten free diet and of course, everyone else! I feel very lucky to live in such a wonderful town with so many options for vegans. If you’ve checked out my other post – 7 of the best vegan friendly cafes in Harrogate, you’ll know that even for day time there’s plenty of choice for vegans in Harrogate.
No doubt there’ll be a follow up post to this at some point, when I’ve checked out the other restaurants in Harrogate – we always seem to have new ones popping up all the time! So there’s even MORE choice for vegans in the restaurant scene in Harrogate. Have you ever visited Harrogate as a vegan? Would you want to visit any of these vegan friendly restaurants in Harrogate? Which one is your favourite? Sarah xoxoxox
