Brown's

Roasted squash ravioli with polenta and crispy tofu at Brown's in Londonderry

Soup of the day (carrot) at Brown's in Londonderry

amuse bouche including pea marshmallow at Brown's in Londonderry

Vegan menu (May 2019) at Brown's in Londonderry

Wild mushroom arancini at Brown's in Londonderry

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Brown's
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Veg-options

Lacto

Beer/Wine

British

European

Irish

Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Ask for the vegetarian/vegan menu (3 courses).

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1 Bonds Hill, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, BT47 6DW
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- Last update on 06 May 2019 by Guest
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7 Reviews

First Review by climpy

LottaG

Points +74

Vegan

14 Nov 2023

A mind-blowing vegan experience for non-vegans! - Edit

Me and my husband are both vegans. To give the ultimate experience to non-vegan family members for my husbands 60th birthday, we put full confidence in Ian Orr and we were all delighted! The menu proposed was ranging from less (soup of the day) to more adventurous vegan options (fried tofu with peanut sauce) to fit all tastes, with mouth-watering presentations in line with his TOP Chef reputation. A big plus was that the sumptuous backroom could be privatized so the 19 of us could chat among ourselves in a relaxed atmosphere, also thanks to a very professional staff.
Even if living in France, it was very easy to organize from the first contact 4 months prior to the event until receiving the seasonal menu the week before the event. Furthermore, my husband found the wine list is impressive and even more; the wine we had was fantastic.
Altogether, the perfect setting to celebrate an event, we highly recommend it eyes closed!
PS. I would have given 5 if I could but it is reserved for veggie only restaurants.

Pros: Delicious food well presented, Friendly staff, Nice atmosphere

Falafel with stir fry veg and chard at Brown's in Londonderry

Crispy tofu with peanut sauce at Brown's in Londonderry

Caramelized banana with banana icecream & salted caramel at Brown's in Londonderry

AliceChristopher

Points +16

Vegan

20 Jul 2023

Vegan tasting menu - Edit

If I could give 5 stars I would! We booked ahead and let them know we wanted the vegan tasting menu. The service was amazing. Everything was tailored to us. We were offered a selection of vegan wines. The food was incredible. All the courses were fantastic. The atmosphere and ambience are amazing and the staff were really friendly and very attentive. Brilliant evening, thank you! 👌🏼

Updated from previous review on 2023-07-20

MrSelfDestruct

Points +16

Vegan

09 Nov 2022

Dissapointing menu. - Edit

This is not a vegan friendly restaurant. I don't know why it's even on the happy cow list. I booked a table, asked for the vegan menu I assumed they had one because of the high recommendations and reviews left here. Unfortunately they didn't have ANY vegan options and gave me a vegetarian menu and asked "if I ate fish"... I chose a risotto and they assured me that it could be made vegan friendly. It tasted bad, like melted plastic and came with a side of new potatoes (bit weird) The potatoes looked like they were covered in butter so I asked the server were they vegan, she said she didn't know and went to check. She assured me they were vegan but I didn't believe her. I'm not sure she even knew what being vegan meant.
The whole experience was dreadful, we were pretty much ignored by staff as they fastidiously attended to the other guests and myself and my partner felt as if we were being a burden just by being there.

Pros: The wine was okay...

Cons: The "food" , The servers, False advertising as vegan

seadream

Points +28

Vegan

22 Sep 2022

Don't currently have ANY Vegan options on evening menu - Edit

I booked a table here for my partners Birthday after hearing it was "the best place in northern Ireland to eat vegan"

When we were sat we were given menus, I asked if there was a seperate vegan menu as nothing on the menu we were given was.
The waiter left and returned with another menu that had a couple of vegetarian options but not vegan so he said if there is anything we liked on that menu he would ask the chefs to make it vegan for us.

There only real option was the mushroom risotto (but asked if they could make it without butter,cream or parmesan cheese)
The other option was pasta (made with egg)

We weren't feeling entirely confident that our dinner was plant based.
The waitress didn't know if the potatoes she brought to our table (risotto and new potatoes?)
covered in butter were covered in butter, she checked with the kitchen and she said no they weren't and we could eat them.

The risotto was prepared fast (too fast so was likely the pre prepared one that was hopefully vegan)
Unfortunately the taste wasn't the best either, the mushrooms used had an ammonia and plastic taste so they were too old and a little slimey.

I am lactose intolerant (although this is a non issue for me now...usually) and I started bloating bad after this "totally non dairy...not real butter potatoes and risotto"

Really wanted this place to be good :(
We tried the other browns and they were just as bad, felt inconveniencing staff and the only edible dish there being risotto too but it wasn't cooked through (not al dente...but uncooked, needed another 7-10mins)
We felt like we were inconveniencing the kitchen and staff for asking what they did not have on the menu but advertise on their website and social media sites.

Perhaps the vegan tasting menu is better but I would not recommend this restaurant to any vegan as it currently is. Perhaps they need to update their website info to reflect this.

Having previously worked as a chef for a decade I know vegans are rarely welcomed and sighs are heard in kitchens but a simple plant based dish or a risotto should not be hard to prepare if you can cook anything.
Perhaps no chef other than chef Microwave was on so veggies and rice was too difficult.

They shouldn't advertise as having vegan options when we didn't even have 1,
They need to update that they do not currently offer any plant based dining options.

Pros: Nice decor?

Cons: Ammonia risotto , Not ready for Vegan diners, Lied about dairy

niamhymullan

Points +16

Vegan

04 Oct 2019

Best spot in Derry for vegans - Edit

Browns is such a treat for lunch or dinner. The tasting menu is a wonderful experience and foodie offers are more than reasonable.

Cons: Unchanging menu -more variety for frequent diners

jwcoleycat

Points +16

Vegan

13 Jul 2019

Room for improvement - Edit

This was on the happycow app as having a separate vegan menu so I was excited to try for lunch whilst I was in the area. While it was more upmarket than I usually go to, it was nice to treat myself. I had the soup and roll which came with a vegan pesto (which was amazing), unfortunately the soup was a little bit of a let down - carrot and chilli if I recall. I had to wait for my roll to come out before starting my soup. I'm unsure why they didn't come out together, I flagged the waitress as I thought it'd been forgotten.

I was thrilled to see there was a vegan dessert menu and although the aquafaba pavlova wasn't ready, the chef had done a chocolate dish as a special that wasn't on the menu and my eyes lit up - this was beyond exceptional and the flavours went amazingly well together. I was disappointed that I hadn't been told about this special before ordering the pavlova (which fortunately wasn't ready).

What was most disappointing was the fact that all this trouble has been gone to for vegans, with no thought about what we can drink. No soya milk, no oat milk. If I worked there, I'd have ran to the shop to get some. But there is no excuse not to have long life alternative milk in for guests requiring it. That meant I had a black earl grey (which I could barely drink). One young waiter couldn't understand my English accent when I asked for some sugar, which I found bizarre - after the manager came over to ask what I required.

I liked the fact that the water came in glass bottles and although I forgot to ask for "no straw" - one wasn't given as standard. Unfortunately for me, it was poured into a glass with ice to the top - which was too cold for me, so I had to leave it. I drank the rest out of the bottle, but had the top been left with me, I'd have preferred to take it with me.

The toilets were clean and impressive. Thought has clearly gone into wastage as there were hand cloths to dry your hands. What I thought was particularly impressive was the hand cream, body spray and hairspray available for those wishing to freshen up.

There were too many waiters/waitresses serving me. The male brought biscuits to go with my drink. He didn't know I was vegan, so had I not asked if they were suitable, I'd have eaten something I shouldn't. The same could be said of people with allergies. One staff member per table please!

If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't have the hot drink that I'd have liked, I wouldn't hesitate to give this restaurant 5 stars

Pros: Upmarket, Nice vibe, Quiet

Cons: Unorganised, No alternative milk

climpy

Points +61

Vegan

16 May 2019

Excellent vegan fine dining - Edit

If you are looking for a vegan fine dining experience, this is it!

Everything was delicious and cooked to perfection. The aquafaba pavlova was particularly good - a mixture of sweet crunchy pavlova with acidic blood orange. Great service - friendly and efficient. I'd give it 5 stars if I could!

We paid £30 each for 3 courses.

Ps. The 2017 Malbec is vegan too!