Vegetarian and vegan in Soho: where to book and what to order

Soho has always been good at feeding people who do not eat meat, but the choice is easier if you sort it by occasion. Here are four doors we would stand behind: one for a long, formal dinner, one for an easy Tuesday, one for sharing plates, and one for when the group cannot agree.

Gauthier Soho, 21 Romilly Street

This is the fully vegan address to book when it matters. The restaurant sits in a Regency townhouse, and Michelin notes that you ring a doorbell to be let in, and that the room has a formality rarely found in vegan restaurants. Alexis Gauthier, who won a Michelin star in 2011, turned the restaurant fully plant based after deciding to go vegan himself. Time Out calls it a classy Soho townhouse for plant evangelists and fans of Gallic gourmandising alike.

It is open Tuesday to Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday. The restaurant's own site lists two set menus: the eight course Grand Dîner and the five course Petit Dîner. The Petit Dîner is the one for a lighter evening: Tuesday to Thursday it runs from 5pm to half eight, and on Friday and Saturday it is offered at 5pm only. The Grand Dîner starts at 5pm midweek and half seven on Friday and Saturday, and on Saturday there is a lunch sitting from 1pm. Menus change with the season, so check the live site before you go.

Booking is essential, and the number is 020 7494 3111. As for the room, reviewers have described it as serene and minimalist, and one found it too quiet, so this is a dinner for conversation rather than a loud night. Order: the tasting menu, and say yes to the wine or non alcoholic pairing. A sample dish from past menus is brioche feuilletée with lovage and plant feta. Go: early, at 5pm for the Petit Dîner, if you want a civilised evening and still have the night ahead.

Details are on the restaurant's own menu page, and Michelin has a write up of the room.

Mildreds, 45 Lexington Street

Mildreds is the one for a relaxed meal with a mixed table. It is fully vegan, runs over three floors, and the brand describes Soho as its original restaurant, opened in 1988. Time Out says the pan global menu is always fun, and it turns up on most of the vegan lists worth trusting, including SquareMeal and Vegan Food & Living. TheFork gives an average spend of £38 per head.

The menu moves from small plates to burgers to dessert without much fuss. Dishes listed on its Tripadvisor page include Delica pumpkin hummus at £9, shiitake whipped silken tofu at £9.50, sourdough at £5, kimchi gyoza and chorizo arancini. For something bigger there is a Chick*n Caesar burger and a Korean fried chick*n burger. Order: the pumpkin hummus and the whipped tofu to start, then the white chocolate tiramisu. Opening hours vary between listings, so check the restaurant's own site on the day. It is open seven days, and it is good for a late lunch when the dinner crowds have not arrived.

Bubala, 15 Poland Street

Bubala is vegetarian rather than vegan, so the table can have cheese, and it is better for it. Time Out places it as one of three branches, alongside Spitalfields and King's Cross, serving vegetarian Middle Eastern sharing plates. The Nudge calls it one of the best restaurants in London and scores it 8.5.

The kitchen is built for sharing, so go with two or three people and order widely. Time Out points to the brown butter humous, mushroom kebabs, halloumi with fruity jam and latkes. There is also a sharing menu called Bubala Knows Best, which includes the pickle plate and labneh with confit garlic and za'atar. That's Up mentions oyster mushroom skewers and smacked cucumbers, and says the menu changes, so treat the list as a guide rather than a promise. Absolutely Magazines gives a starting price of £27 for the tasting menu. Order: the brown butter humous, the mushroom kebabs and the halloumi with jam. Book ahead for the evening, when the room fills quickly.

Time Out's guide to London's best vegetarian food is a good place to read up on the dishes.

Dishoom, 22 Kingly Street

Dishoom is not a vegan restaurant, and does not pretend to be, which is exactly why it works for mixed groups. The Soho London website describes a full vegan menu from breakfast onwards at the Kingly Street branch, and The Nudge lists Dishoom in its vegetarian guide too. The highlight on the vegan side is the Vegan Bombay.

The point of Dishoom for a plant based diner is that nobody at the table has to compromise. A meat eater can order from the main menu while a vegan has a whole menu of their own, and nobody sulks over the pudding. Order: the Vegan Bombay, and go at opening or in the mid afternoon if you want to avoid a queue. The Soho London guide to the vegan scene lists more places with vegan dishes.

Which door, when

• A proper occasion: Gauthier Soho, Romilly Street, the Petit Dîner at 5pm.
• A mixed table, any day: Mildreds, Lexington Street, with the pumpkin hummus.
• Sharing with cheese allowed: Bubala, Poland Street, with the brown butter humous.
• Vegans and meat eaters together: Dishoom, Kingly Street, with the Vegan Bombay.