Alara Health Store

I really like the food bar at Alara - the falafel and hummus are really good and the salad is always fresh and tasty, and their ready made salads, vegan sandwiches and tofu spinach bites are convenient and yummy. Prices and range of health food brands varies so much between stores - Alara seems to have good prices and ranges of some such as Yogitea and Of The Earth. I was working around the area for a while and I was really glad it was nearby. It's a shame they have stopped stocking Laura's idea sushi and replaced with their own white rice sushi (both vegan products) - it's so hard to get brown rice vegan sushi! I have to admit I'd like to see more vegan sweet treats too, but I suppose they are helping my health! And of course, the food bar should be all vegan, not just veggie ; )

I was after a vegan probiotic and multivitamin two in one for a trip I was about to do and I went in to Alara. I was stunned by all the info the staff knew about how these products are manufactured. They could so efficiently direct me towards vegan products and when a doubt sprang up, they took the bother to call the company and call me back at home to inform me that the product I had eyed up was not in fact vegan.
Alara is an independent health food shop with decent prices and a really good selection given their space. In the spirit of supporting independent businesses, this place really deserve your custom!

I popped in here after getting a train to Euston to pickup some food, possibly would have eaten in there too but the shop just felt dead. Staff weren't particularly friendly. Well stocked though but expensive. Only take away foods were in standard plastic containers and I'm fed up with plastic.

Tasty and varied hot and cold buffet lunch within this health store. Excellent range of vegan options plus a few vegetarian. It's mainly vegan though. Definitely not bland - careful use of herbs and spices ensures food is interesting and varied. Cost is assessed by weight of plate. Only drawback is that only outdoor seating is available, so in wet weather backpackers and other itinerants might be deterred from going there.

In the heart of Bloomsbury, one of the oldest still running health stores in London. Offers a rich vegetarian and vegan buffet, mostly gluten-free, ranging from Mediterranean and Asian dishes to British reinterpretations. We had dolmades, falafel, hummmus and a delicious tofu and lentil stew.

I bought some vegan products here - there is a pretty good range. They also have a few vegan options at the cafe and it is all clearly marked. The smoothies all contain dairy but you can get some juices.

Was a bit worried by the description saying "sometimes has vegan options", but there was not need to be worried, over half the food was vegan.
Eating here the first time is a bit difficult as the meals are priced by the weight, so unless you are good at "guess the weight" competitions you haven't got much of a clue as to how much you will be charged when you get to the counter.
All the food tasted good though and I'd be happy to return again if I'm in the area.

This health food store near the Brunswick Center and close to Russell Square underground (a bit further from Euston or Kings Cross stations) offers a wide selection of health foods as well as cosmetics etc. I was particularly impressed that they stock some of the products within the Vega range including the bars, smoothie and protein powders that I haven't been able to find elsewhere in London. They also have a wide range of organic and many raw snack bars and I like their muesli range that you can choose by nutritional benefit if you wish. They offer food from 11:30am (this was at least the case in June 2010 when I last visited). Opens at 8am on weekdays.

went there to buy some simple vegan foods before leaving england. bought some sandwiches which were really nice. asked for the vegan fudge from redwood. they said they could easily order them for me if theyd new before. so very kind and helpful staff.

This is a little-medium vegetarian shop, with good vegan choices: " Laura's ideas" fresh foods are mostly vegan, and absolutely great, like the Spanish bean salad, Deli Salad, Quinoa Salad, vegan " calzone" ( a type of italian pizza, which can be eaten also cold), the soya cheese cake, a good choice of wonderful fresh fruit juices named " Innocent". Actually I've never tried the food cooked at their desk. The staff is kind and helpful. There are also three little table outside where you can eat and drink. Mostly organic. A curiosity: it's near the gay bookshop named " Gay's the word" and in front of another indian vegetarian restaurant ( which I've never tried) " Vegetarian paradise". Russel Square tube is very near.