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Cheap, decent vegan food with some yummy deserts!

4 Posted on 09 / 08 / 2012

I used to eat and drink here all the time when I lived in Nottingham. They have a great range of sandwiches, which are good value, and a few decent mains. The smoothies are pretty tasty, too, but I am sure not very healthy! The deserts are REALLY good! Especially the regularly changing experimental vegan cheesecakes.
I agree with the negative comments, though... The place CAN get a fair few posers, and the ethics are a little questionable. I doubt they have changed their supplier since Swedish Glace was taken over by Unilever, either. The owner is a meat-eater in it for the money, not the ethics, after all.
If veganism to you means more than just a diet, you might have a better time at Aubergine Nottingham, but if you are stuck for a vegan snack or fancy a naughty treat in the middle of the day, the Alley Cafe is a good option.

Pros: amazing cheesecakes, good value yummy sandwiches, vegan cider
Cons: inconsistent ethics, not a veggie company

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Great bar

4 Posted on 07 / 29 / 2012

Super vegetarian bar with lots of vegan options. We were there on a Thursday night and there was awesome live music and a vibrant crowd. We had the char-grilled tofu steak with sweet potato mash and the hemp seed burger. Both were delicious. The workers were friendly and the atmosphere was lively. Top spot!

Pros: Great food, lots of vegan options, Great value, Lively bar

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An excellent find

4 Posted on 01 / 10 / 2011

The Alley Cafe was an excellent place for a Saturday afternoon lunch, very lively-feeling, and very full (which I took to be a good sign, considering it's hidden down a courtyard off the main road). I thought the tofu steak and root mash I ordered could perhaps have been a little bigger, but this was probably made up for by the large, quality salad it was served with, and I was certainly sated by the end.

Me and a friend also shared a brownie and a cheesecake as pudding, and these were both excellent - I've always been a bit dubious of the idea of a vegan cheesecake, but this one was better than most of the 'real' ones I've had in the past.

Overall, definitely recommended, and a little bit reminiscent of a shrunken, slightly cooler version of the Warehouse Cafe in Birmingham ;)

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FABULOUS SUBSTANTIAL MEAL - RECOMMENDED!

5 Posted on 01 / 10 / 2011

As regular visitors to Nottingham, we had given up hope of finding a genuine (still in existence) vegetarian restaurant, but with the aid of my trusty iphone map guidance we finally found The Alley Cafe, and what a find! Superb, tasty, wholesome imaginative vegetarian food freshly prepared by friendly staff. Laid back atmosphere. NOT PRICEY!!!! A real find, and will be our regular meal stop from now on.

Pros: Excellent Food, Friendly Staff, Laid Back Atmosphere
Cons: Difficult to Find, Unhelpfully Named?, Needs more seating!

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Nice little spot

4 Posted on 07 / 04 / 2010

My husband and I went to the Alley Cafe for breakfast on 2 July 2010 whilst on holiday. We both had the dinky breakfast, and it was plenty of food. We both liked it, though the tofu scramble was a little weird (too onion-y, and it probably could've used some nutritional yeast). It's conveniently located, very central, and it has a nice atmosphere (or did at 11 AM). The only problem we had was trying to get our check once we were finished. We had expected that we might want to order more but ended up not doing so (they didn't have much of a cake selection that early), and it took ages to get the check. But we'd definitely go back the next time we're in Nottingham.

Pros: good food, good location
Cons: slow service

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Fab place

4 Posted on 07 / 02 / 2010

My boyfriend and I stayed in here for 5 hours the other day! We had the vegan ice cream shakes, cakes, platters, more drinks, and more food when a friend arrived. He's not veggie but enjoyed it. It was a very laid back place and the staff were friendly and attentive - contrary to some of the comments on here. Great choice and range of food for vegans.

Pros: Good vegan choice, relaxed

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Pleasant little restaurant

4 Posted on 04 / 14 / 2010

Spent the Easter weekend in Nottingham. We asked a PSCO for a veggie place and he directed us to the Alley Cafe. They had just opened but still the food arrived quickly.

I had a yummy Hot Chocolate with Soy Milk and the tasty Tempeh Burger with potatoe wedges and salad, which was filling although I would have liked more of the salad. Staff said that I should say if I wanted more of the relish, and I had a second helping.

They guy behind the bar and the girl in the kitchen were both really welcoming.

There is a corner with some magazines and a handy guide about Veggie Guesthouses in the UK. Everything was well maintained and clean, incl the Ladies' restroom.

They played Reggae music which wasn't my cup of tea on that particular day but that's just me. A pleasant little restaurant. Go and visit!

Pros: friendly, tasty

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reminds me of Saturn Cafe in Santa Cruz CA

3 Posted on 04 / 07 / 2010

This is a place for hipster vegetarians to lounge around on lumpy sofas eating sandwiches and drinking beer while looking at works by local artists and listening to hip music.

The food is pretty tasty, the prices are a little shocking but the portions fill you up, the staff are indifferent, and the average age of the clientele appears to be about 24. It's the kind of place where you expect people gather to compare stories of their summer classes at the Sorbonne while readjusting their designer organic fiber scarves.

The restaurant is a long narrow room, usually packed full, colorfully decorated, pleasant enough to be in. Love the fact that they promote local artists.

There's a Middle Eastern-style appetizer plate w/ hummus and such that is quite delicious, once you manage to get the staff to pay attention to you long enough to place your order.

Pros: all-veg food, tasty, good portions., Supports local artists in the community., Interesting stuff to look at while there
Cons: Indifferent staff., Crowded, can get quite noisy., Prices are a little steep.

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Cool Place

3 Posted on 09 / 06 / 2009

Funky cafe bar restaurant serving great beers and veggie food in the centre of Nottingham. Good vegan choice and plenty of variety for all tastes. Can get a bit cramped (we had to have our vegan breakfast sitting at the bar) but the atmosphere was still great. They've got a great web site which makes the place look better than it actually is (a bit like Biosfera in Warsaw) but that's no criticism. I would highly recommend this place if you happen to be in Nottingham.

Pros: food, beers
Cons: size

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First visit

4 Posted on 04 / 07 / 2009

Great value for money. Good food. Photos on website are a bit flattering and space is limited but hell you go there for the food don't you?!

Pros: Food, Friendly
Cons: Surroundings

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What's all the complaining?!?

5 Posted on 05 / 20 / 2008

I honestly do not understand the complaints about this place, they serve amazing food, the Happy Hemp burger is soo good!! and Huge! i often can't finish one; you get potato wedges and Alley's salsa included in the price. As for it being small, it is called the 'alley cafe', it doesnt claim to be a restaurant. Also, if you dont like waiting around for your food, i'd recomend phoning them before you get there to order it early as you could be waiting up to 45 minutes when you get there (although it's made fresh!). I often order it half an hour before i get there and it's always ready on time! I dont know many place that let you do that.
The pizza is also very very nice! You need to make sure you ask for vegan cheese though as it comes with Vegetarian cheese normally.
i go here all the time, i do admit it's pricey but if you want good food then you'll be willing to pay it.
I love the Alley Cafe!

Pros: amazing food, non smoking, wide variety

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I agree with Skinnydog

2 Posted on 05 / 05 / 2008

If your idea of ethical is buying ingredients from ASDA, your idea of a fresh fruit smoothie is concentrated tetrapac juice blended with ice, jam and a few frozen berries, and your idea of a salad is masses of iceberg lettuce, dried-out cucumber and grated carrot, you'll love it here. It's always busy though, due to the central location and the lack of any other veggie places nearby.

Pros: Easy to get to by bus/train, Lots of vegan options
Cons: prentends to be ethical, Everything microwaved, Unfriendly, 'cool' atmosphere

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cool people GET OUT!

2 Posted on 01 / 20 / 2008

Limited space taken up by "cool" people with one drink. Food use to be great for vegans but isn't as good now. Maybe us food loving vegans should just leave it to the posers who don't want to eat anyway

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I'm so surprised...

4 Posted on 10 / 25 / 2007

I honestly thought everyone would love this place as much as me. Yes, you do have to wait a while for your food, but I have always found it to be worth the wait. The staff are always, in my experience, friendly and polite, greeting you when you arrive and making sure to say goodbye. My particular favourites are the sandwich with the artichoke, any of he burgers but especially the hemp burger, garlic bread with caramelised onions and the sweet potato cakes. I always have a fresh fruit cocktail, and have never noticed them to include any ice! I go there whenever I want lunch in town.

Pros: good value, good drink choice
Cons: waiting time, crowded

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Alley Cafe, Nottingham

4 Posted on 08 / 07 / 2007

Lot's of good things about this place.

Firstly if you are vegan vegetarian then over 90% of the menu is for you. Vegan veggie items are clearly marked. They also offer products that are locally sourced, organic, fair trade and if you so desire gluten free. Staff were very pleasant when I was there.

With the ban on smoking in indoor public places with this place is now smoke free.

Pros: Nearly all vegan veggie, Helpful staff
Cons: Closed Sundays

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Alley Cafe

2 Posted on 05 / 14 / 2007

Well, the website looks great ! So we thought we'd give it a go...spent nearlly two hours trying to find the place..Everyone ( even the guy in the tourist info !)we asked told us the wrong alley ! It turned out the be the next one along ! It is loud and smokey as stated above, the portions are REALLY small ! Good job the hunger had warn off by the time we got there ! Very expensive, very noisy and very small ! Service was rather slow also !

Pros: pleasant decor
Cons: hard to find, noisy and super expensive, slow service

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Don't get much for your money

2 Posted on 02 / 18 / 2007

Went for a sandwich here. I thought that the one with brie, grapes and blueberry jam sounded great. When it came (after over 30 mins wait!), it looked huge on the plate, but on closer inspection it consisted of thick sliced bread packed with iceberg lettuce, grated carrot, supermarket tomatoes and cucumber, along with about 4 grapes cut in half, a thin spread of jam, and 3 tiny slivers of brie. Not exactly good value, at over £3!

Pros: city centre, fair-trade coffee
Cons: poor value, long wait for food, noisy and hectic