Where to get the best vegan junk food in London

For all newbie vegans, this might just be the week you realise that Veganuary is a really, really long time without cheese.

If you’ve been the pinnacle of foodie piety over the last three weeks (or even longer for you long-term vegans), then you deserve a little indulgence.

Treating yourself, however, doesn’t mean going to the dairy-filled dark side, especially not in London. The capital is courting an increasing number of vegan friendly junk food outfits, happily serving up food-coma-worthy guilty pleasures without an animal product in site.

Craving a kebab or crying out for fried goods? These lot are here to help.

For kebabs: What the Pitta

Let’s start with perhaps the guiltiest of all pleasures. There’s nothing quite like carrying a warm takeout box of pitta and meat – except for cradling a box of What The Pitta’s vegan doner kebab. These totally vegan kebab purveyors wrap their freshly made bread around spiced soya chunks, soya tzatziki, homemade hummus, chilli sauce and salad. They currently have outlets in the Croydon and Shoreditch Boxparks and will soon be opening up in Camden too. To indulge moments of peak lethargy, they even deliver too.

CR0, E1, whatthepitta.com

For pizza: Picky Wops

If you’re missing the signature squelch of satisfyingly stretchable mozzarella, than you can get pretty close to it at vegan pizza joint Picky Wops. You can, in fact, choose from a mammoth list of eight different vegan cheeses to top your pie at this Fulham restaurant – from coconut mozzarella to cashew nut camembert – alongside four different types of seitan meat substitutes and an awful lot of veg. Picky Wops are happy for you to even be choosy with your base, offering alternative flour bases, from spirulina to turmeric.

7, Shopping Palace, North End Road, SW6 1NN, pickywops.com

For fried jackfruit: Biff’s Jack Shack

Sometimes, you just want deep fried something. If you’re a vegan who's ever looked into a fried chicken shop and wished it just had, well, less chicken, then Biff’s Jack Shack is for you. Biff deals in jackfruit, arguably one of nature’s more peculiar offerings. It is a fruit and looks very like fruit when raw, but when cooked, it has a taste and texture more akin to pulled pork. At vegan markets and residencies around the capital, pick up jackfruit “wingz” on a sugar cane spear, drenched in the likes of bourbon BBQ sauce, blue “cheese” and cinnamon sweet chilli, or go for a full jack burger like the “The Samuel Hell Jackson” – a jack patty with chipotle slaw, jalapenos burger cheese and two types of sauce.

Various locations, biffsjackshack.com

For tacos: Club Mexicana

​Meriel Armitage has been working on turning vegan eating from disaster to fiesta for Londoners. At Club Mexicana’s various locations, she’s been serving up meat-free, dairy-free tacos and other Mexican-inspired treats to hungry punters since 2013. Now, the South American eatery boasts three locations in Shoreditch, Camden and Homerton – the latter of which is based in London’s very first entirely vegan pub. Head to The Spread Eagle for jackfruit carnitas and baja tofish tacos, or feast on loaded cheezy nachos, “chorizo” quesadillas, pan seared “scallops” with corn esquites, all accompanied with lashings of vegan beer.

EC2, E9, NW1, clubmexicana.com

For burgers: The Full Nelson

When you’ve got a big craving for a vegan Big Mac, London has your back. There’s no need to hold back at The Full Nelson, where their range of burgers come fully stacked with a few tons of topping – just specify whether you want to eat veggie or vegan and they will point you in the right direction, as vegan alternatives are available for everything. Go for crunch with the Colonel and try their super crispy coated “chicken”, smothered with garlic buffalo sauce, lemon and black pepper mayo.

47 Deptford Broadway, SE8 4PH, thefullnelsondeptford.co.uk

For fried seitan: Temple of Seitan

The website of this Hackney fast food joint sports a very important FAQ: “Are you a cult? No.” Seitan may sound like it has macabre intents, but it is in fact merely a meat substitute made from wheat – no soul-stealing here, we’re happy to report. This high protein food stuff has been compared to chicken or Portobello mushroom when left to its own devices, making it perfect for deep frying and decking with goodies. Temple of Seitan specialises in just this, with a menu featuring crispy fillet burgers, hot wings and twist wraps, as well as vegan mac and cheese, popcorn bites and lots of chips. They currently have a wildly popular location in Hackney and are soon to be opening one in Camden too.

10 Morning Lane, E9 6NA, templeofseitan.co.uk

For pie and mash: Young Vegans

For all the thriving foodie variety to be found in the capital, Brits still can’t resist good old pie and mash. Camden Market outfit Young Vegans are no exception, serving up meat and dairy free takes on the national treasure. Pick from seitan and ale pie, curry pie, sweet potato pie and a very British all day breakfast pie and enjoy them with a decent squelch of creamy mash. Your winter just got a whole lot warmer.

60 Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF, youngvegans.co.uk