Daniella Shreir

The burger might be the trend that never dies, but London’s seen an explosion of vegan and veggie eating over the past couple of years – and with that an increase in creativity when it comes to meat-free junk food. Sure, dry bean burgers and soggy mushroom patties still abound – but there are tons of creative veggie options to convert even the most committed carnivore. See below for our pick of London’s 11 best.

Located on an unassuming block of North Avenue just west of the Kennedy Expressway, @North Bar can be easily overlooked. Between its barely off-the-beaten-path locale and the Googlephobic name, it’s not surprising if you’re unfamiliar with this hidden gem, which regularly hosts shows from innovative and experimental touring stand-up comedians, like local headliner Jeff Scheen (September 29), Comedy Central’s Geoff Tate with Emma Arnold (October 15) and Junior Stopka of Last Comic Standing (October 17).  Jim Weber, @North Bar’s manager, is a longtime comedy fan, with roots in the early 2000s Minneapolis rock scene, managing pyrotechnic-addled rockers Detroit, whose over-the-top stage shows and comedy-savvy fanbase helped land them spots playing alongside then up-and-coming comedians like Sarah Silverman, Todd Barry and Nick Swardson. Weber was an early champion of commingling DIY-leaning bands and comedians, regularly booking a mix of both at a variety of venues, from rock clubs to warehouse spaces.  His cred as a savvy comedy fan is undeniable: He was a regular from 1993 to 2007 at Minneapolis’s Acme Comedy Club, known among comics and fans as one of the best clubs in the country. He also happened to attend summer camp as a child with twin comedy duo the Sklar Brothers, with whom he collaborated to book underground comedy shows at a variety of venues in Minneapolis.  Since Weber became the manager of @North in 2013, the bar quickly developed a reputation among touring and loc

Karl Marx and Tom Hiddleston liked it so much they chose to call it home; Mary Shelley described it as an ‘odious swamp’. Yes, Kentish Town splits opinion. But its high street – relatively unchanged despite an influx of young professionals, as well as hordes of French families who’ve come for the local francophone schools – is well worth a visit. Posh and down-to-earth versions of shops cohabit nicely: the Mediterranean food hall is still thriving, despite a health food supermarket moving in a couple of doors down, and though a couple of familiar chain cafés and restaurants have arrived, Londoners from far and wide still love the local BYOB spots. Stretching down from Kentish Town to Camden Road tube, the street crosses a whole range of classic London streetscapes: pretty mews, a canal, some grimy railway tracks and a pocket park. It’s lined with Victorian redbrick gems and the odd ghost sign to reward those looking upwards. It even has a disused tube station – South Kentish Town, immortalised in a John Betjeman story about a man trapped inside – and a late Victorian church that’s now a Grade II-listed Greek Orthodox cathedral. The charity shops here are full of high-end treasures, too. It may look like a typical, run-down London high street, but that’s not the half of it. Eat this   A post shared by Anastasia Ivanova 🇬🇧🇷🇺 (@anastasiaova) on Feb 9, 2016 at 3:29pm PST A nightly changing three-course meal at intimate BYOB Anima e Cuore. It doesn’t look like much, but t