Iydea Vegetarian Kitchen

If I ever have visitors from back home this is the place I take them without fail. The food is amazing and the location is great as its in the middle of all the excitement of the north lanes. Highly recommend the smoothies and the vegan cakes are always fab.

We visited here after hearing some glowing reviews online. The reviews were not wrong and this is definitely the place to go if you want some quick, tasty food. Be aware that this place is very busy though, so if you want a seat get in here early! Basically what you have here is a buffet selection of vegetarian and vegan food (labelled) where you can order one main dish, 2 salads or veggie sides and 2 toppings, all for about £5. They also have specials available. The choice is excellent and the staff should be commended for the speed in which they are able to serve everyone. This place is not where you would go for fine dining but is perfect for lunch. Highly recommend.

Vegetarian with a fair amount of vegan options. Buffet style with plenty of seating.
I had sweet corn cakes in a peanut butter sauce that were served with rice and a choice of two side salads for only just under 8£ it was very tasty, filling and perfect for buffet dining.

I love the idea of picking my favourite main and sides when looking at them, although it's always a hard job as every single thing looks so yummy. Menu slightly changes everyday, you can check out on facebook what deiciousness they cooked for you each day. Everything's incredibly tasty (my fav-roti, beet chutney /both vegan/, my bf's fav-enchillada /vegeterian/), cakes to die for! Gets veryyyy busy in lunch time so I suggest take away and go to Paviloin Gardens nearby

Went to Brighton this weekend for the veggiefest and was lucky enough to be walking round the shops Friday morning and a local in the shop told me about this cafe always good to listen to locals so went in and was not disappointed.I had the pie, pots and veg all cooked in herbs. It was fantastic and staff were all very nice and friendly. I liked it so much went back for breakfast on Saturday morning. Must go back to Brighton for this place alone.
Many thanks

When I lived in Brighton, this was my favourite place to go for a vegan meal, out of ALL the veg restaurants in Brighton. And there is a lot to choose from.

I loved being able to see the food and choose what I wanted - everything looked so delicious and there were so many healthy dishes! I also loved having a slice of their vegan cake for a treat or a vegan cider...so good!

Just a quick review to say I've bought the vegan tiffin a few times and it's really scrummy :D I've tried to stop here for a proper lunch every time I've come to brighton but unfortunately there's never a free table :( food looks delicious though - I'll keep trying!!!!

Just lovely place to eat! Good atmoshphere. Very busy! Good selection/ lots of choice. Perfect for a Sunday slap up. Hot bar set up so...everything is ready to eat! : D I had the Nut Roast en-croute, it was delish. Gravy was so tasty I asked for more and was kindly obliged. The service was excellent, as was the Raspberry Vanilla cake! Took a breakfast muffin in the a.m. Very clever Idyea - hot and ready to go which was great as I was running to catch the train back to London. Looking forward to returning!

Got lunch from here today as I am in Brighton for a conference. I got take away as it was cheaper and there weren't any tables free when I arrived. The vegan option was a lasagne, which was very nice and tasty, but none of the side options went with it. In the end I went for potatoes and roasted veg with some beetroot chutney, as well as a cup of tea. The box that my food came in was thin enough that I could feel the hot food burning my fingers through it, which made it very difficult to carry. To make matters worse, the lid on my cup of tea didn't fit properly so I kept slopping hot tea all over my hands as I was walking along. Overall not well thought out and I suspect that this packaging was chosen because it's eco-friendly rather than because it does the job. All of that aside, what I resented most is being charged 20p for soya milk in a vegetarian restaurant!! Won't be eating here again, the food isn't worth the price or the hassle.

This is one of my favourite places to eat! I get my lunch from here at least twice a week and I'm never disappointed! The staff are always helpful and friendly, there's always a few vegan options, it's reasonably priced and you get a good size portion. I highly recommend this place to everyone!

In fact, I nearly did live here the week I spent in Brighton. The food is stunningly delicious, the staff are lovely and there are plenty of vegan dishes, clearly labelled and all the ingredients listed. I came here for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and loved every one of them. The only slight negative would be how crowded it can get, which can make it hard to get a table. However, overall, this is one of the best places I've ever eaten. Consistently fabulous. Go now.
Updated from previous review on Thursday August 23, 2012

Used to be the best place to eat in Brighton, but lately the service has been awful - which is a shame because that was always one of the biggest selling points of the cafe, aside from the fantastic food. Have been ignored by staff and rudely told off by them for unjustifiable reasons.

Perfect for breakfast - loads of brilliant sweet and savoury options. The vegan breakfast muffin is amazing! Their cakes and tiffins are delicious, and their main courses are usually vegan-friendly, although sometimes there aren't too many to choose from. Don't expect a relaxing meal - the cafe is always very busy and turnaround is swift, but well worth a visit.

I have been to Iydea twice, and found it a bit overwhelming both times. They have buffets with a wide variety of dishes, but it's a bit much to take in all at once. The staff is helpful in decoding the multitude of dishes though. And the food has been good.
My main complaint is that the place is very noisy and easily feels crowded.

Really pleasant place in the North Laine, Brighton with a good atmosphere. Staff were friendly and helpful and the range of options was good. Alot for vegans too as most that wasn't could be made vegan. Had the Big Breakfast and a smoothie and they werent lying on the size, but it was tasty. Only problem we ever have is finding a table as it is often busy, but well worth it if you can get in!

Really nice.

This is a really lovely place... friendly staff and tasty food. Seems really good value for what you get.

There are lots of choices and everything is vegetarian with lots of vegan options. Cakes too, for anyone with a sweet tooth.

If you opt to take out, it is really good value too. I did that, since it was so incredibly full during the lunch time I visited.

Recommended. I would definitely go again and recommend this place!
Updated from previous review on Friday August 10, 2012
Updated from previous review on Friday August 10, 2012

Having spent a good part of two days exploring Brighton on foot and browsing numerous menus of vegetarian and vege friendly cafes I have to say Iydea seems the best. I have eaten there on two occasions now - once takeaway, once eating in. The prices for take-out are slightly cheaper but sometimes you just want to sit down in the cafe, though it can get incredibly busy around 12:30 so I'd suggest getting there early.

The ingredients are listed above the food and this is very useful for me as I have a lemon allergy and find it difficult ascertaining if it is in food. There are plenty of vegan options, these include the best vegan lasagne I have ever eaten. There is a excellent selection of side dishes and toppings, so much so that you can end up holding up the ever busy queue trying to decide!

Well worth a visit.

There is a reason this place is busy - it's amazing. fresh and tasty veggie food, decent prices, great variety. friendly, laidback atmosphere and helpful staff. If you visit brighton, don't leave until you try their gnocci!