The Best Vegan Street Food in South London

Our favourite vegan street food in South London, including...

• Flawless (and eggless) cupcakes
• Some of the best falafels in London
• An Ethiopian masterclass in food generosity
• A Tooting Market crowd pleaser
• And more

South London seems pretty underrepresented online. Perhaps it’s not as popular with tourists. Maybe it’s too residential to catch on. Too diverse to start a scene, perhaps. Maybe it’s just because it isn’t so well-served by the underground. In the heat of summer, that’s a good thing by our reckoning. We’d love to get air-conditioned overground trains everywhere we go. And just because it’s left under the fold of a tourist map doesn’t mean it really lacks anything. Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to street food markets. With Greenwich and Borough Markets, there are some bigguns south of the river. And plenty of smaller, up-and-coming ones too. Like all good street food markets, those in South London are making sure they keep up with the V big demand of our age. The Vegan Thing. You might’ve heard about it. These guys below certainly have. It’s our guide to the very best vegan street food in South London.

Ruby’s of London, Greenwich Market

OK, so Greenwich isn’t off the beaten track. It’s the place where we measure time from, so I guess it is very much the track. And its market is one of the finest features of this historic part of town. But, did you know that it is packed to the rafters with amazing vegan street food? Well, now you do. And chief among these is Ruby’s of London, an incredibly popular vegan patisserie. Ruby’s concoctions include show stopping cakes, finely decorated doughnuts and incredibly delicate cupcakes. They deliver, you’ll find their wares stocked in caffs across London and, thank the lord, they have a stall here at Greenwich Market. Ruby set up the vegan patisserie after spending her childhood with a dairy and egg allergy. She learnt first hand just how dull ‘free from’ options were. And seems to have done everything humanly possible to rectify this. Her cupcakes are some of the finest in London. Pick up a selection box; you won’t be able to make your mind up otherwise. Greenwich Market, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 5.30pm [caption id="attachment_4762" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

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Gujarati Rasoi, Borough Market

OK, now that dessert’s done, let’s go for a curry. There’s a whole lot of history behind the Art Deco gates of Borough Market. There’s been a market on this site - in one form or another - for the last 1000 years. Yep, Borough Market celebrated its 1000th birthday a couple years back. But we’re not just here for history. We’re here for the now, now, now, now. Well...kind of. You see, one of the most exciting places to get vegan street food in South London is Gujarati Rasoi. And they aren’t interested in modern fads. They don’t karate chop rulebooks for the sake of it. In fact, they’re cooking from the rule book of Gujarati cuisine. But by doing this authentically and with passion, they are giving Borough Market diners a side to Indian cuisine they haven’t tasted before. You can tell by the size of the snaking line just what they make of it. This is the venture of one man and his mum, Urvesh Parvais and his mother Lalita. They use only whole spices and the freshest of ingredients to create their street food dishes, directly inspired by the unique flavours of Gujarati cuisine. Their thali can be made vegan and is served in generous portions. Their crispy samosas and bhujia are vegan too. Go all out. You won’t regret it. The son brings the flair, the mum the tradition. You just bring a tenner or so. Borough Market, Monday to Saturday, 9am - 5pm [caption id="attachment_4763" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

gujaratirasoi.com[/caption]

V Belly, Tooting Market

This place went through a name and image change recently. It has come back with a vegan vengeance. It sits in the recently refurbed yard area in Tooting Market. But its 100% plant-based menu is making its new name ring out far wider than the confines of the charming covered market. They don’t want vegans getting stiffed. So portions and flavours are big here. Case in point: the Shroom Bombs are three massive wild mushroom croquettes served with a punchy garlic cashew dip. Their Faux-Bab (vegan kebab) will bring tears to the eyes of vegan who’ve been missing one of civilisation’s greatest inventions. And it’s pretty hard to keep your dignity intact when eating their Beet the Meat burger.Meh. Dignity comes in many forms. And making a massive breadcrumbed patty; covering it in scratch-made burger sauce, melted vegan cheese and crispy onions; and then sticking it into a bun is one of those forms. So V Belly come out of this looking just great. As for you, reader...just take your photos before you tuck in. Tooting Market, Tuesday to Saturday (12pm - 10pm) and Sunday (12pm - 7pm) [caption id="attachment_4796" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

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Ethiopiques, South Bank Food Market

Now for a swift change of gears. There’s nothing junky about this Ethiopian street food stall. But this is colourful, fresh and healthy food that’s so flavourful it seems indulgent, even when it’s incredibly good for you and yours. The Ethiopiques team have been going since 2006, so they aren’t playing catch up when it comes to Ethiopian cuisine. This is the real deal. They now have enviable market pitches at Brick Lane Market and the South Bank Food Market. It’s the latter stall that makes it into this list of the best vegan street food in South London. Everything is 100% vegan here. They serve up amazingly fresh salads and stews, all ready to be mopped up by the classic Ethiopian flatbread known as injera. If you want to get the full show during your first visit, ask for the Mix Plate, which includes just about everything they serve at a snip. South Bank Food Market, Friday (12pm - 9pm), Saturday (11am - 9pm) and Sunday (12pm - 6pm) [caption id="attachment_4765" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

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Hoxton Beach, Maltby St. Market

Alright, so the name gives the game away. This was not originally a South London concern. But Hoxton Beach have been expanding faster than you can say falafel. And with falafels this good, Hoxton Beach simply had to make our list of the best vegan street food in South London. All of their food is 100% vegan. They reckon about 80% of it is Lebanese, with influences coming from Iraq, Morocco and India too. Their Maltby St. Market stall serves up freshly fried falafels, in a box or in a wrap. They come with plenty of fresh, tasty salads; some gorgeously smooth and tasty hummus; and a good amount of tangy pickled veggies to balance up the flavours and add some crunch. They see making good falafels as an art form worth spending time, energy and money on. You’ll be glad that they do as soon as you take the first bite. Maltby St. Market, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 5pm [caption id="attachment_4766" align="alignnone" width="1000"]

maltby.st[/caption] That's enough to keep you going for now. But let us know if you think of any more. Need something to wash it down with? Have a look-see here.