It’s a student’s favourite pastime – avoiding cooking. What better way to do that than by treating yourself to a healthy and budget-friendly meal with all of your favourite foods?
Being vegetarian in a restaurant is often a difficult and limited experience – most restaurants that I have been to that cater for both veggies and non-veggies offer far more meat or fish-based options than vegetarian dishes. But more people now than ever before are eating partially or wholly plant-based and restaurants are taking notice. Birmingham is home to a diverse food culture and has many vegetarian restaurants to cater to all tastes and other dietary needs. This is your guide to some of the best vegetarian restaurants in Birmingham.
1. Earth’s Kitchen
First up, a Digbeth classic. Digbeth is known for its alternative scenes, with the Digbeth Dining Club famous for its unique street foods. Earth’s Kitchen (Digbeth High St) is a great place for new and seasoned vegetarians alike, as it offers a range of healthy meat alternatives like lasagne, pasta, barbeque ribs and flatbreads. All these options mean that, if you are nervous about trying vegetarian food for the first time, you’ll find something you like on this menu.
2. The Veggie Chippy
A twist on a classic, The Veggie Chippy of New St John Street makes soy and plant-based fish and chips, as well as other chip shop classics like curry sauce, mushy peas, battered sausages, burgers and pies. They might not be open late enough for a post-club chicken nugget run, but they’re perfect for a light snack when you’re on the go or for a pre-club meal with friends. Finding comfort food can be hard as a veggie, but this is the definition of filling, warm comfort food and is a favourite among Birmingham’s vegetarian restaurants.
3. Mr Singh’s Pizza
Speaking of comfort food, sometimes, you can’t beat a night in with a takeaway. Mr Singh’s Pizza (Cornwall Road) has you covered, serving a huge range of vegetarian pizzas, as well as burgers, wraps and sides. The Handsworth Wood site currently offers 18 vegetarian pizzas and 8 burger options, all meat-free and affordable. They cater for any taste, with spicy and mild options, vegan options are available and their menu states that it is ‘100% vegetarian and does not contain any fish or eggs’. This is a great place for if your friends have a variety of dietary needs, as they also cater for certain allergies and have a great range of choices and flavours.
4. Land
If something a bit more formal is your thing – perhaps the parents are visiting – then try Land in the Great Western Arcade, a lovely vegetarian restaurant that takes inspiration from experimental cooking. There is always something new to try here – their current menu includes charred cucumber, plum clafoutis and coconut mousse dessert! They have a great atmosphere, unique food and something for everyone. The menu is small but select – definitely one for the diary.
5. The Button Factory
The Button Factory (Frederick St) is a fascinating place and rightly deserves a place on our list. Not only do they serve pretty much every meal imaginable – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, brunch and Sunday lunch – they are a great place for a chilled evening out with friends. They serve an amazing range of local beers, wines and spirits. I include them not for being entirely or even majority vegetarian, but for their incredible range of meals and menus, all of which have plenty of vegetarian and vegan choices.
6. The Wilderness
And finally, whilst not a veggie restaurant entirely, The Wilderness of Warstone Lane aims to provide the same number of meat and plant-based options, breaking up its menu into ‘meat’, ‘pescetarian’ and ‘vegetarian’ sections. With a culture based in rock and roll, they encourage visitors to ‘take a walk on the wild side’ with their adventurous choices – topping traditional grilled melon with almonds, cucumber, dill and wasabi! The Wilderness shows that it is possible to cater for lots of different tastes of dietary requirements – a perfect place for a day out with friends, particularly if you enjoy a bit of adventure whilst eating.
These are just some of the vegetarian or veggie-friendly restaurants in Birmingham. With vegetarian diets on the rise, particularly among students, I would urge anyone to try out these restaurants. They are varied and have plenty of delicious things on their menus, so there really is something for everyone. Certain meals and occasions can be difficult on a plant-based diet, but these places have got you covered, whatever you fancy!
