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vitao: quick vegan eats in london
6March 2nd, 2011london, more restaurants (not LA)there’s no shortage of delicious vegan food in london, and one place that’s definitely worth a visit is vitao in soho. the small eatery has a sort of hippie vibe, and a very complicated menu depending on the time of day you’re dining.
we checked them out back in late 2010 at around 4:30pm on a weekday, during the tail end of their “asian fusion lunch buffet.”
when we arrived, we were told the lunch buffet was ending, but that it was a good deal and we should “get in on it” before dinner started. the deal was £6 per plate—only one trip around the food counter, no seconds, no sharing. while to me personally this scheme isn’t as lucrative as the one at 222 veggie vegan (£7.50 for all you can eat), we decided to give it a whirl.
one trip around, make it count!
₤6 per plate
being extra hungry, we splurged for three whopping plates piled high with all that vitao had to offer. we stacked the first one with warm comforting stews, lentils, and brown rice. the second was all cold: salads, chilled noodles, and crisp vegetables. the third was a mix of both.
taste-wise, the food was on point. all the flavors were excellent, and there was quite a nice selection. my only guff would be that some dishes were a bit cold. sure, we arrived at the end of the buffet…but i have a belief that if you are a restaurant, you should only serve stuff you are proud of, or else offer it at a discount. to leave inadequate food sitting out at normal prices is kinda rude. at least give us another trip around the buffet without having to pay for an extra plate, right? insult was added to injury when we saw them tipping away unwanted cold food, of the variety we’d just purchased…ouch!
inside, vitao is small but cozy. the food table takes up a good portion of the restaurant, and they also have a massive black board full of drinks to choose from…
aaah, so much information, i can't handle it!
despite a few minor setbacks during our visit, i think vitao rocks. it’s entirely vegan, it’s in a great location, and the food is relatively healthy. we could really do with a place like this in los angeles. we need more brown rice, flavorful curries, fresh vegetables, and noodle dishes in this town. not to mention the whole buffet thing!
vitao
74 Wardour Street
W1F 0TE, London
tel: 02077348986Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday 12 am to 11 pm
Sunday 12 am to 9 pmcheck out their crazy menus depending on when you’re there!
Tags: buffet, england, london, uk
6 responses to “vitao: quick vegan eats in london” 
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I really enjoyed Vitao. In fact I went twice the last time I was in London. It’s good, quick eats. It got super crowded at lunch time and you kinda have to squeeze yourself into a seat that is an inch away from the next person. So besides the cramped inside, I agree that Vitao rocks!
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And by the way, I recently read about a newer place called Vantra. It seems to be owned by the same people of Vitao. And I also read that there is more seating. Looks like it’s a similar, yet different menu.
http://www.vantra.co.uk/index.html
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Gauri Radha गौरी राधा March 2nd, 2011 at 23:29
Looks good and I totally agree with the last paragraph, a place like this in LA would be so welcome.
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This place sounds interesting apart from the strict rules! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a restaurant give a rule about not sharing a plate. And the line about the take out lid needing to be closed. Don’t overfill now! Ha ha. So many rules. I will give it a try but 222 Veggie Vegan is still the best buffet I have been to so far.
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There is clearly extra space visible- especially on the plate on the left. As you are my Maoz falafel stuffing hero, I expect every inch of plate to be covered…expecially in a one visit situation!!
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Miranda March 3rd, 2011 at 08:27
This is what I’m missing when I’m stuck in Stony… next time I’ll go to England with YOU!
Rachel March 2nd, 2011 at 20:25