A Vegan's Guide to Dundee Restaurant Week

Monday 26 June 2023

Dundee Restaurant Week is nearly here! For 11 days from the 29th June - 9th July, there’s a whole host of venues to visit and enjoy dining discounts at. Simply sign up and get your free digital pass here, have a wee browse of the participating restaurants and get planning.

Dundee Restaurant Week sent us to Mexican Grill* to see what they had on offer. Their Restaurant Week deal is 2x courses for £17.95 or 3 x courses for £20.95. We opted for a pineapple mocktail and a deliciously refreshing virgin mojito. Sadly there weren’t any vegan starters for us to try, but we thoroughly enjoyed our main courses. The staff were clued up on what could be made plant-based and told us they could make their burrito and fajitas vegan (without cheese). These were both so flavoursome and I loved the dramatic sizzling plate of veggies for the fajitas. The portions were very generous, so we shared a lovely orange sorbet for dessert.

Mexican Grill is taking part in Dundee Restaurant Week

Mexican Grill might not be the most obvious vegan-friendly dining choice, but it just shows how many plant-based options you can find these days. The good news is, I’ve done the research for you to create an A-Z of the vegan-friendly Dundee Restaurant Week venues. There may well be more, but these are either eateries we’ve previously visited, or have clearly marked vegan options on their online menus.

Andreous

(20% off)
Andreou’s have lots of vegan options including roast veg gyros, and hot and cold meze such as vegan halloumi fries, patatas bravas, chickpea stew, falafel and grilled veg skewers.
118 Nethergate / @andreousdundee

The Barrelman

(brunch and mimosa for £13)
There’s one delicious sounding option on their brunch menu - black bean chilli tacos with bean chilli, sweet potato, chipotle mayo, pico de gallo, avocado & pickled slaw. Yum!
100-108 Commercial Street / @thebarrelmanbar

Brewdog

(pizza and a pint of beer or any medium glass of wine for £14.50)
Their pizza options include vegan spicy meaty (Temple of Seitan strips, wild mushrooms, chilli fl akes, fresh red chilli, smashed Napoli tomatoes & vegan mozzarella) or the hero (Wild mushrooms, courgette ribbons, pine nuts, smashed Napoli tomatoes, rosemary).
Chamber Building, Panmure Street / @brewdogdundee

The Cannon

(any sandwich/wrap/toastie and soup for £7)
There’s an old school vegan option on their menu - avocado, red pepper hummus, tomato and rocket sandwich or wrap.
11 Union Street / @thecannondundee

EH9 Espresso

(bagel and coffee for £6)
They have a lovely vegan bagel named “The Betsy”; hummus, sun-dried tomatoes, carrot ribbons and rocket. If you’re in making the most of this offer look out for the cinnamon scrolls too.
248 Perth Road / @eh9.espresso

FIKA

(Large hot drink & cake for £6)
Vegan cake is usually available along with plant milk.
75 Perth Road / @fikadundee

Frankie & Benny’s

(family meal deal for 4: £35.99, or pasta meal deal for 2: £21.99)
They offer plant based pasta, pizza, salad, burger, hot dog and sides.
Overgate Centre / @frankienbennys

Gallery 48

(£18 for 3 x tapas of choice or £25 for 3 x Tapas & Glass of Sangria - Saturdays until 6PM)
Vegan tapas options include chickpea stew, tenderstem broccoli and chargrilled vegetables - though these are actually less than £18 for three anyway.
48 West Port / @gallery_48

Giddy Goose

(any pizza or pasta for £9)
Choose from two vegan pizzas: Margherita or Garden Heat (peppers, shallots, jalapeños & sweetcorn)
2 Perth Road / @thegiddygoosedundee

Innis & Gunn

(£35 for 2 - 2 starters, 2 mains and a drink each)
Starters are KFC cauliflower or butternut squash hummus, and choose from moving mountains burger or vegan shepherd pie for your main.
10 South Tay Street / @innisandgunndundee

Little Things Cafe

(Hand-crafted drinks and a cake for £5)
You’ll usually find vegan cupcake options, and a vegan and gluten free salted caramel brownie to go with your hot drink.
35 Reform Street / @littlethingscafe

Loco Ritas

(Any 3 dishes for £15)
Fully vegan Mexican Cantina! You can read our previous blog post here. Shout out to the cheeseburger loaded fries.
Old Hawkhill / @loco_ritas_dundee

Malmaison

(2 x courses for £22 or 3 x courses for £27)
Starters are cauliflower & coconut soup and Cobb salad, or Cobb salad can be had as a main. There’s also a black bean burger.
44 Whitehall Crescent / @malmaisonhotels

Mas Mexicana

(4 dishes for £16 - usually £26)
Choose from vegan quesadillas, tostada and tacos. They also have apple pie tacos with vanilla ice cream for dessert!
304 Perth Road / @mas_mexicana

Mexican Grill

(2x courses for £17.95 or 3 x courses for £20.95)
See above, items can be made vegan.
24 Castle Street / @mexicangrilldundee

Parlour Cafe

(10% off)
Soups, salads, sandwiches, mezze - lots of seasonal produce means the menu changes but there’s always vegan options.
58 West Port / @parlourpeople

Reboutique 

(Cup of Tea & Cake £4)
Cakes are all vegan! Usually lots of choice too.
Reboutique: 33 Castle Street / @reboutique_dundee

Serendipities

(Cup of tea & cake £4, iced tea or spritzer £2, homemade pie, wedges & house salad £5.50, quesadilla, homemade cake & any drink £11)
Fully vegan!
Serendipities: 12 Union Street / @serendipities_dundee

Tahini

(15% off before)
Lebanese small plates set menu, tell them you’re vegan when you book and you’ll be in for a treat!
11 Bank Street / @tahinidundee

Taza

(15% off, excluding drinks)
Lots of vegan options including traditional curries, and even naan breads.
City Quay / @tazadundee

The Flame Tree Cafe

(Rainbow bagel BLT and coffee for £7)
Bagel can be made with vegan Sgaia rashers for £1.50 extra. Alternative milks available for coffee.
20 Exchange Street / @theflametreecafe

The Selkie

(3 tapas for £10)
Lots of clearly labeled vegan tapas options including vegan meatballs, seared sweet chilli tofu and homemade veg chorizo in red wine.
27 Exchange Street / @theselkiedundee

The West House

(2 main meals for £17.50)
They have a couple of vegan pizzas including a Margherita and Verdura (tomato, not-zarella, spinach, onions, peppers, chillies and mushrooms), as well as an arrabbiata pasta.
2 West Port / @thewesthouse

Lots to choose from! If you’re feeling inspired to visit some local restaurants make sure you sign up for your free pass today. You can also make a donation to pay it forward to one of Dundee’’s community cafes.

Remember to mention restaurant week when booking and tag @dundeerestaurantweek to share your favourite foodie finds.
https://www.dundeerestaurantweek.co.uk/

*This post is in partnership with Dundee Restaurant Week. All opinions are my own.

Angus Grill & Larder

Tuesday 20 June 2023

Angus Grill & Larder recently launched their new summer menu and kindly invited* us along to see what vegan treats were on offer for lunch. Just off the A90 before Brechin, Angus Grill & Larder serves fresh food with an emphasis on locally sourced produce. With plenty of seating (indoor and out), a wee doggy park, and to-go service, it’s a handy stopping point - but worth making the trip just for a visit too.

We’d actually been here before when we got a flat tyre on our drive back from the Blue Door Walk in Edzell. Luckily for us, we were able to wait for the recovery vehicle from the comfort of the outdoor area with a coffee by the fire pit that day. It was great to come back under nicer circumstances and actually enjoy a meal this time.

After being shown to our table by the friendly front-of-house team, we found there were lots of Scottish brands on the drinks menu, like Bon Accord and Nuisance. I chose a refreshing Summer House raspberry lemonade which was perfect for a hot day. We were very excited to see that they offered a vegan milkshake; made with vanilla ice cream, oat milk and Oreos. It was served in a traditional steel malt cup and was deliciously thick.

To eat, we decided on the vegan dog and club sandwich. There were also vegan wings and a falafel burger which could be made vegan on the menu. The food was quick to arrive and the portions were very generous.

The herby vegan dog came grilled, in a pretzel bun with freshly fried onions and fries. David really enjoyed this, though it was missing the mustard which would have made it even better. We both agreed that the club sandwich was our favourite. Toasted ciabatta, stuffed with vegan bacon and chicken, plant-based cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato and vegan mayo. It was such a tasty combo and great to see something a bit different. I opted for fries but you could have this with the house salad instead, which might have been a better idea as we were both so full.

Angus Grill & Larder has quite a minimal but modern interior vibe, so it’s a fun surprise to find the colourful art gallery toilets (“lavatoriums”). There are three, each painted by a different local artist, and finished with eco-friendly products. Pictured here is Arbroath Adventures by Laura Darling, the other two are Fields of Forfar by Louise Kirby and Pamela Scott’s Bonny Brechin.

As well as using local suppliers in their kitchen, you’ll find some fab products in their larder area. These shelves are filled with goodies such as drinks (I spied Angus Alchemy!), jams, candles, coffee and soap. We picked up a jar of Dip Club Rasp-beret Chipotle salsa which I’m very much looking forward to opening soon.

One thing worth noting is that although Angus Grill & Larder is dog-friendly, dogs aren’t allowed inside the restaurant. There’s Hallie and Maple’s doggy play park which is a secure area for letting them off the lead, and you can have them in the outside seating area too.
You can find Angus Grill & Larder at Balnabriech, Brechin, DD9 6RN
https://angusgrillandlarder.co.uk/
@angusgrilluk

*Angus Grill & Larder gifted us our lunch, all opinions are my own.


Dundee Espresso Lab

Friday 2 June 2023

Dundee Espresso Lab opened on Commercial Street towards the end of last year. We’d been meaning to visit, and after messaging to see if they had vegan food options, we popped in for a light Sunday lunch after wandering around the waterfront with guests we had staying for the weekend.

The coffee shop is bright and welcoming with exposed brick walls and tungsten-style bulbs - a mix of vintage and industrial aesthetics that works nicely in the space. The window seat was taken when we arrived but it looks very inviting, I do love a people watching spot and it would be ideal for that - or cosy to look out from on a rainy day. Espresso Lab is dog friendly so we brought our two along (spot Izzy peeping out on that last photo!).

We ordered a selection of coffees and some fresh orange juice which is squeezed to order - delicious and refreshing. The mocha (or hot chocolate) can be made vegan if you order with plant milk which is always good to know, it’s disappointing when places only stock a chocolate powder with milk in it. I had an oat flat white which is always a great way to test the coffee and I can confirm that it was perfect. They also sell coffee beans by the bag if you want some Espresso Lab blend for home.

The lunch options are labelled vegan on the chalkboards, there was a choice of greek pies or soup of the day. The pie options were olive, tomato and pepper, or herby leek - we had one of each and they came with side salads. The flavours were great, very rich and Mediterranean, it was nice to have something a bit different to the usual offerings.

They did have one vegan cake which was an apple and almond one, it was on the crumbly side as it was also gluten free but tasted lovely. I’ve had a brownie from here since, and that was nice and sticky. I would absolutely love to see vegan cannoli - we had at Purezza in Manchester and wish there was somewhere that sold them locally!


If you’re looking for something to do on a Thursday evening, Dundee Espresso Lab has been opening from 6-8pm for a craft club. It’s fab to have more options for week night hang outs, especially for a creative get-together. 


Find Dundee Espresso Lab at 31 Commercial Street, DD1 3DG
https://www.dundeeespressolab.co.uk/
@dundeeespressolab 

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