Following the sad closure of many vegan restaurants due to rising costs, there has been some good news this month as London’s The Railway Tavern confirms it is becoming permanently plant-based.
For the past three months, the Tulse Hill pub has been hosting a popup by En Root, a London restaurant group offering Indian-inspired vegan cuisine. The collaboration has proven such a success that En Root has permanently taken over The Railway Tavern’s kitchen, making it South London’s first fully plant-based pub.
“We have been on a journey towards operating a more ethical and sustainable business”
The menu features dishes such as crispy oyster mushroom burgers, Tandoori wings with chickpea batter, and a poppadom-based nacho-style dish. Desserts include mango lassi cheesecake and beetroot blueberry cacao brownies, while on Sundays a plant-based wellington is available. All drinks are also plant-based.
The venue adds to En Root’s existing locations in Brixton, Clapham, and Peckham, which are said to focus on “fresh seasonal vegetables, wholesome pulses, and aromatic Gujarati spices”.
“Match made in heaven”
The Railway Tavern joins what appears to be a growing trend of traditional pubs becoming vegan; The Queen Inn in Cwmbran, Wales, made headlines at the beginning of last year when it decided to remove animal products from all dishes following the huge success of its Veganuary menu.
This February, The Barn pub and restaurant in Warwickshire announced it would be trialling a fully vegan menu for a month. The trial appears to have been a success, as the menu remains entirely plant-based.
“At The Railway, we have been on a journey towards operating a more ethical and sustainable business for some time now,” said Pamela Dwyer, General Manager at The Railway Tavern. “En Root has been a match made in heaven for us from the beginning! We, of course, are not expecting our customers to become vegan; we only encourage them to try a delicious plant-based meal from En Root when visiting The Railway, South London’s first fully plant-powered pub.”
