London is one of the best cities in the world to eat vegetarian street food. Across the city’s food markets, pop-ups, and independent stalls, plant-based and meat-free eating is not an afterthought — it’s often where the most interesting cooking happens. Here’s what to look for and where to find it.
London’s Veg Street-Food Scene
Something changed in London’s street food culture over the last decade. Vegetarian and vegan food stopped being a compromise and became a preference. Stalls that started with one token veggie option now lead with plant-based food. Markets have dedicated veg zones. And the quality has gone up correspondingly — because when you’re not hiding behind the crowd-pleasing power of meat, you have to actually be good at cooking.
The reasons are layered. Environmental awareness. Health consciousness. The rising influence of South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, where vegetarian cooking has always been sophisticated. And the simple fact that once you eat a genuinely great vegetarian dish — a perfectly spiced dhal, a falafel that’s crisp and herby and fresh, a potato dumpling with caramelised onions — you don’t miss meat.
London’s street food markets reflect this. Borough Market has long had strong vegetarian options. Broadway Market in Hackney often feels majority plant-based. Camden has a huge range of vegetarian global food. And pop-up events across the city increasingly treat veg food as the draw, not the alternative.
Global Veg Options
The best vegetarian street food in London draws from traditions where veg cooking has always been central.
Indian street food. Arguably the strongest vegetarian tradition in London’s street food scene. Chaat (sour, spicy, crispy — usually made with potato and chickpeas), samosas, dosas (crisp rice and lentil pancakes from South India), aloo tikki (spiced potato patties), pani puri. All meat-free, all deeply flavoured. Indian street food is the benchmark for how interesting vegetarian cooking can be.
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean. Falafel is the obvious entry point — properly made falafel, green inside, crisp outside, with tahini and fresh herbs — and it’s genuinely excellent. But the range goes further: hummus in its proper form (smooth, lemony, drizzled with olive oil), fattoush, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, stuffed vine leaves. These are foods built to stand on their own without meat.
Ethiopian and East African. Ethiopian vegetarian food is one of the world’s most sophisticated plant-based cuisines. Injera — the sourdough flatbread — topped with misir (spiced red lentils), gomen (cooked greens), tikil gomen (cabbage and potato), and more. Fully satisfying, rich in flavour, and entirely meat-free on a vegetarian combination platter.
Japanese. Vegetable gyoza, inari sushi, agedashi tofu, miso soup, edamame. Japanese food offers some of the best meat-free options in London’s market food scene — clean, precise, and very good.
Mexican and South American. Bean burritos, mushroom tacos, cheese and jalapeño empanadas, guacamole with fresh tortilla chips. Mexican street food is inherently adaptable and many of the best items are already vegetarian.
Eastern European Veg Dumplings
This is the category that often surprises people. Eastern European dumplings have a strong vegetarian tradition — partly by historical necessity (meat was expensive and preserved for special occasions), and partly because the fillings that developed without meat are genuinely excellent in their own right.
Potato vareniki are the standout. Mashed potato filling — usually with a little butter, sometimes onion — inside a soft wheat dough. Boiled and served with fried onions and sour cream. It sounds simple. It’s deeply satisfying. Potato and onion is one of the great flavour combinations, and in a soft dumpling with cold sour cream against it, it becomes something genuinely special.
Cabbage vareniki. Braised cabbage filling, slightly sweet, slightly earthy. A proper Eastern European flavour profile that divides people who’ve never tasted it and converts people who have.
Mushroom vareniki. Sautéed mushroom filling — deeply savoury, earthy. Mushrooms bring umami in a way that makes this filling taste more substantial than you’d expect from a meat-free dumpling.
Cheese & Spinach vareniki. Ricotta-style filling with spinach. A more Mediterranean flavour profile within the Eastern European format — lighter than potato, still very satisfying.
Sweet cherry and strawberry vareniki. These are the sweet dumplings — filled with fresh or preserved fruit. Not dessert exactly, more of a sweet main. They’re served with berry jam and sour cream. If you’ve never had a sweet dumpling before, start with cherry vareniki. It’ll change how you think about the category.
At Varenik & Pelmen, our vegetarian vareniki are made just as carefully as our meat options. The same dough, the same handmaking process, the same six toppings included. Potato vareniki with sour cream and fried onions is a favourite — meat-eaters included.
Where to Find Them
Varenik & Pelmen operates as a pop-up bar in London. All six vareniki varieties — Potato, Cabbage, Mushroom, Sweet Cherry, Strawberry, and Cheese & Spinach — are always on the menu.
Note on toppings: Sour cream, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions, and berry jam are all vegetarian. Crispy bacon is the one non-vegetarian topping — and if you’d prefer to skip it, just leave it out. Your bowl, your choice.
Check eatpelmeni.com/find-us for our next pop-up date and location.
For a full breakdown of our vegetarian and vegan dumpling options — including which toppings work best with each — see our Vegetarian and Vegan Dumplings guide. For the complete menu, visit /menu/vareniki/.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find vegetarian street food in London?
London’s food markets are the best starting point. Borough Market, Broadway Market, Camden Market, and Maltby Street Market all have strong vegetarian options across global cuisines. For Eastern European vegetarian dumplings specifically — potato, cabbage, mushroom, and sweet vareniki — Varenik & Pelmen is one of the few places in London making them the main event. Find our next pop-up at eatpelmeni.com/find-us.
Are there vegan options at London food markets?
Yes — most London food markets now have multiple vegan options. Indian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, and Japanese stalls typically offer vegan dishes as standard. At Varenik & Pelmen, our dough and several fillings are vegan-friendly; get in touch for specifics on our current menu.
What veg dumplings can I try in London?
Varenik & Pelmen serves six vareniki varieties, all vegetarian: Potato, Cabbage, Mushroom, Sweet Cherry, Strawberry, and Cheese & Spinach. Potato vareniki with sour cream and fried onions is the classic starting point. Sweet Cherry with berry jam is the sweet version worth trying.
Are vareniki vegetarian?
Yes — all our vareniki are vegetarian. They’re filled with potato, cabbage, mushroom, sweet cherry, strawberry, or cheese and spinach. No meat. Five of our six toppings are also vegetarian (the exception is crispy bacon, which you can simply skip).