Mildreds Soho

Mildreds at 45 Lexington Street in Soho W1 is London's most beloved long-running vegetarian restaurant, open since 1988 on this site near its original location. Hardens has praised it for decades as the benchmark for London vegetarian cooking. The all-day menu includes vegan kofte, curries, burgers, mezze plates and weekly specials, with a lively, always-busy atmosphere and no-reservations policy at lunch. The restaurant helped define how London eats vegetable-forward food long before it became fashionable — Mildreds was doing it before it was called plant-based. There are now branches in Camden, Dalston and King's Cross, but the Soho original remains the spiritual home. The Infatuation has featured it as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in London.

Available for walk-in dine-in at 45 Lexington Street, Soho W1F. Open from 11am daily. Own website: mildreds.co.uk.