The UK is now home to several million people who do not eat meat, and yet it can sometimes still be tricky for vegetarians and vegans to find a decent place to eat. If you find yourself hungry in Cardiff, we'd strongly recommend the following veggie-friendly eateries, all of which are conveniently located in/near the centre of the Welsh capital...

Note: No list of outstanding veggie restaurants in Cardiff would be complete without a mention of the Vegetarian Food Studio on Penarth Road. However, in the interest of fairness, we've decided to omit them from our top 3 today; the VFS is very popular among local herbivores, and their food is undeniably delicious, but we featured them on our list of Cardiff's Best Indian Restaurants just a couple of weeks ago - today, we'd like to pay tribute to three exceptional meat-free establishments that we haven't talked about before!

Milgi
213 City Road, CF24 3JD

Milgi Cardiff

Image source: @milgicardiff

This 'plant-based restaurant and bar' can be found on Cardiff's bustling City Road, a brief 15-20 minute walk from Queen Street. They serve a colourful array of natural, meat-free dishes, and their very seasonal menu makes this place worth returning to again and again. They do a great variety of cocktails, too!

 

Atma
9-10 Church Street, CF10 1BG

Café Atma Cardiff

Image source: facebook.com/cafeatma

Atma is handily located slap-bang in the middle of central Cardiff. This vegetarian/vegan café is operated by members of the Hare Krishna movement, and the menu encompasses a wide variety of cuisines; whatever you're in the mood for, you'll find it here!

 

Crumbs Kitchen
33 Morgan Arcade, CF10 1AF

Image source: @CrumbsKitchen

Tucked away in one of Cardiff's much-loved Victorian arcades (not far from Spillers Records, famously the 'oldest record shop in the world'), Crumbs Kitchen offer a great selection of light meals for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone else who just fancies a break from meat dishes. On the local scene, they're best known for their legendary vegetarian salad bowls, which you can fill to the brim with your choice of foods. If you're shopping in Cardiff and need a place to stop for lunch, Crumbs will do very nicely indeed!

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Indian cuisine doesn't begin and end with fiery curries - it's a rich, diverse thing, with all kinds of different dishes to choose from. Truthfully, it's not really even fair to lump it all under the same heading; each region of India has its own unique culinary experience to offer, from the tropical spices of Goa to the delicate flavours of Odisha.

Indian flag

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

British people who aren't aware of this diversity often fall into the trap of associating Indian food exclusively with cheap and nasty takeaways, seldom venturing beyond microwaveable chicken kormas and the occasional cheeky vindaloo. Still, it's never too late to broaden one's horizons - if you're in Cardiff and you fancy trying something a little more exotic than the standard Indian takeaway, here are 3 local Indian restaurants that we think you'll enjoy:

 

Mint and Mustard

134 Whitchurch Road, CF14 3LZ

The Mint and Mustard team describe themselves as having "pioneered the British new wave of Indian cuisine". Built upon the flavours and philosophies of Kerala (a state in South West India that's known for fresh, healthy foods), Mint and Mustard's delicious dishes are wonderfully presented and critically acclaimed.

 

Vegetarian Food Studio

115-117 Penarth Road, CF11 6JU

 Vegetarian Food Studio

Image source: @VegFoodStudio

 India reportedly has the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world, with some estimates suggesting that as much as 40% of the total Indian population is vegetarian. As this restaurant's name suggests, they don't serve any meat, but meat-eaters shouldn't be put off - owner Neil Patel and his team serve up a huge variety of veggie dishes from India and elsewhere in Asia that may well have you wondering if you even want to go back to meat.

 

Purple Poppadom

185A Cowbridge Road East, CF11 9AJ

 Purple Poppadom

Image source: @Purple_poppadom

Purple Poppadom purports to be the "home of New Indian Cuisine in Cardiff", and the many awards that have been heaped upon Chef Anand George's restaurant suggest that this boast may not be misplaced. This establishment on Whitchurch Road takes a fresh, innovative approach to traditional Indian meals, and this - combined with the restaurant's colourful decor - makes for an authentic yet very modern dining experience.

For more local foodie insight, be sure to follow Kitchen Economy on Twitter!