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The Gate - Islington
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Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Italian
Organic
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
British
European
French
Restaurant serving refined plant-based vegan and vegetarian cuisine with French and Italian influences and focus on health. Offers a la carte, prix-fixe lunch, kids' menu, desserts. Beverages list features champagne and natural wines, cocktails, and fresh juices. This its 2nd branch, est. 2012 at a short walk from Sadler's Well. Open Tue-Fri 17:00-23:00, Thu-Fri 12:00-15:00, Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-21:30.
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Last update on 25 Apr 2023 by HenryBlane
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Added by sfio on 04 Jun 2012
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71 Reviews
First Review by greenknittinggal
Plumesworld
Points +830
Lovely Food - Edit
I have been here multiple times (as it's close to Sadlers Wells theatre) food is always top notch I just wish they would go 100% vegan, the last time I visited the only non-vegan food was eggs on the brunch menu and dairy milk for hot drinks.
Read moreGuest
paulharhen
Points +451
Excellent Vegan Experience - Edit
We had the Aubergine Carpaccio for starters, the Cordon Bleu for mains, and the Rhubarb Tart and Peach Melba for dessert. All tasted and looked delicious. Very good service and ambiance too. Good value for money too.
Read morePros: 100% vegan , Taste, Presentation
Guest
Hermalink
Points +208
Consistently great food, but hit and miss service - Edit
Vegetarian and predominately vegan restaurant, with consistently delicious dishes, always beautifully presented. On the handful or so times I have visited however the service has been generally slow, and one dish had not been sent through to the kitchen on 2 occasions now, however the food is that good it’s very easy to overlook!
Read moreGuest
E1izabeth
Points +308
Good atmosphere and food - Edit
Really enjoyed my meal here, the dinner menu was entirely vegan so lots of choice, and the flavours in the dishes were very well put together.
Read morePros: Vegan menu!
Cons: Expensive
Guest
HollyMay20
Points +135
Good food but not the best dining experience - Edit
Good food and drinks - loved the alcohol free Elverleaf spritz although was quite Pricey for an alcohol free drink. Staff were overall very friendly and helpful, only one person who was a bit hostile when we had waited over 20 minutes for a drink and asked them if the order had gone through. The place was also quite empty when service became slow but didn't feel so comfortable to ask about orders to the one member of staff serving us due to the first response we had. Also had a comment made when we asked to keep the sharing olives and the waitress highlited there was only a few left and pulled a face, which was a bit strange since we just wanted to eat the food we had paid for.
Read moreThe toilets were also quite unclean and smelt quite bad, a small that also travelled a bit into the restaurant area.
Overall food good but atmosphere not so much. Not sure I would go back to this one, would be open to trying the other sites.
Updated from previous review on 2023-03-18
Pros: Good mix of options , Good layout , Allergens labelled clearly
Cons: Expensive for what you get , Some staff a bit hostile/unwelcoming , Toilets unclean
Guest
pam-eqa
Points +427
Charming place - Edit
Amazing food, great ambiance and friendly staff. We had Christmas dinner there and it was a very special experience.
Read morePros: All vegan, Amazing food, Friendly staff
Cons: A bit pricey
Guest
RichT
Points +260
Opening again for lunches - Edit
Friday lunchtime menu is back! We were told the restaurant plans to resume lunchtime openings for most of the week by end of November.
Read moreHad three courses for £22. All vegan choices too. Excellent starters and mains but desserts a little too rich for us.
Pros: Reasonably priced lunch menu , Good selection of choices, Friendly service
Guest
antoniolacosta
Points +131
Great experience - Edit
We found The Gate on HappyCow and decided to go there for a dinner.
Read moreWe ordered the Katsu Curry, the Aubergine Teriyaki, Chunky Chips, and a Tiramisu. Everything was really good, especially the dessert.
The customer service was friendly and efficient, and prices are pretty much in line with other similar places in London.
The only point of feedback would be about the menu. Sadly, this place cannot be classified as 100% vegan because there are two items (desserts) that are not vegan in the menu. This surely makes them a non-primary choice for vegans which is a shame given that it's a great restaurant with great vegan food.
Pros: Tiramisu
Guest
ElizabethMarriott
Points +20
Lovely spot for pre-theatre dinner - Edit
Listed as a veggie restaurant it actually everything looked vegan on the menu. We didn't have a reservation but they quickly found is a spot. Good buzz about the place. Possibly a little pricey... But as a more special meal then worth it.
Read morePros: Loads of lovely vegan options - good variety, All drinks were vegan including all the alcohol, Lovely serving staff.
Cons: Possibly just a little overpriced...but only a bit, No outdoor space which would still prefer re Covid
Guest
LaraLemons
Points +1426
My First Experience of a Veggie Restaurant - Edit
First went here about 6 years ago after being veggie for a year and it opened my eyes to vegetarian. cuisine. Since, I have been several times and been very happy with it. Bought my non-veg parents who are hard to please and they loved it!
Read moreGuest
yumchadong
Points +4673
Hit and miss indeed - Edit
Have been to the gate Marylebone before and liked it a lot (expect for the deserts which are super unhealthy and plain horrible). This time we decided to try Islington. Unfortunaltely the experience was entirely different. Currently the entire menu is vegan (for veganuary) which I appreciate deeply. However, everything we ordered was either super plain (e.g. the rotolo) or over sugared (e.g. the eggplant)! Very disappointed not to have consistent quality! I have read many reviews that note the same. Clearly, not all chefs are of the same quality
Read moreCons: Inconsistent quality of food, Expensive, Service could be improved
Guest
T_uckers
Points +248
Food was nice hygiene rating not so. - Edit
I went here for my birthday and did enjoy the meal, thier house white wine was lovely. I would say its a bit on the pricey side, unfortunately I didn't feel very well after I ate here and went online to review thier hygiene rating which is only a 2 out of 5....might have explained it.
Read moreGuest
T24
Points +125
Wonderful! - Edit
I went for a birthday dinner and it didn't disappoint! The service was great and the food was delicious. We particularly enjoyed the stuffed zucchini flower and the risotto cake. Would definitely go again!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2020-02-22
Guest
honoraryidiot
Points +2369
Uninspiring for the price and hype - Edit
Pretty unremarkable to be honest, I was surprised at all the positive reviews! Maybe I came on a bad week or did a poor job at choosing from the menu.
Read moreGuest
SuzyGale
Points +190
Booking issue - Edit
Despite booking a table 2 months in advance and having an email confirmation they couldn't seat us.
Read moreGuest
LoesPaulinaKoopmans
Points +13
Amazing food & service - Edit
Had a lovely dinner on a Sunday evening. All of the menu looked so great we had all 3 courses. Staff were very attentive.
Read moreGuest
MollyBushnell
Points +293
Great ambience - Edit
I’ve been lucky enough to visit each Gate in London at least once and the one in Angel certainly stands out as my favourite. The space is bright and airy, with by far the best acoustics of each of the venues. The menu is always fantastic with plenty of vegan options - in fact on this visit there was only one OLV option!
Read moreThe only thing that let them down this time around was some less than enthusiastic service. We went on a weekday lunchtime and it was quiet and yet still managed to be rather slow, and both waiters we had seemed as though they would rather be elsewhere!
The Gate works as a fantastic venue for both casual and formal occasions and I will continue to go back for years to come!
Guest
sfio
Points +2792
Delicious desserts - Edit
Amazing desserts with plenty vegan options now thankfully. Personally I find the starters and sides almost more appealing than mains. The beetroot burger was tasty and my friend loved the potato cake dish.
Read moreCan take a little while and it’s worth bringing time to enjoy more than one course.
Guest
Rowse
Points +1012
Fabulous! - Edit
Excellent food in a lovely relaxed and spacious restaurant setting. The staff are all lovely and each dish is presented beautifully. It’s not the cheapest place, but it’s not a cafe - this is a proper restaurant, which makes a nice change from the usual veggie places. Have been several times because it’s just so good!
Read morePros: Stunning food, Restaurant setting, Friendly staff
Guest
SuperFunkyMonkey
Points +294
Tasty, interesting and beautifully presented dishes - Edit
Nice place for special occasions, it's a meal that takes some time and is well presented so feels special.
Read moreI was here a few years ago and now it's mainly vegan (previously most dishes had either eggs or diary) which is wonderful.
Some starters are delicious but I think best is to treat them like tapas and get a selection as I remember not liking one of the mains the last time. Also looking at other reviews people have mixed views on mains.
We got lots of starters and it worked very well, for example Thai salad was a great side dish but if I had it as a sole starter I don't think I would have liked it as much.
Waiting staff were attentive and polite but they seemed stressed and not smiled at all, made me feel like they don't like working there.
Great vegan tiramisu.
Pros: Beautifully presented food, mostly vegan, Lots of tasty starters, Vegan tiramisu!
Cons: Staff seem stressed
Guest
Summer_Tan
Points +1736
Great treat for special occasions - Edit
WHAT I HAD - SUNDAY ROAST [3 courses for £22.50]: Crispy Marinate Tofu (Starter) – Fried tofu marinated in maple syrup & soy sauce with a quinoa, avocado & tomato salsa, coriander & lemon dressing; Artichoke Terrine (Starter) – Truffle & hazelnut infused artichoke, homemade sundried tomato & basil salsa, grilled bread; Beetroot Cheese Burger (Main) – Pretzel bun, smoked tomato relish, cornichons & raw vegetable salad with wholegrain mustard & maple dressing with vegan cheese; Root Vegetable, Chestnut & Sage Wellington (Main) with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, madeira sauce; Peanut Butter Brownie (Dessert) with vanilla ice-cream & chocolate sauce
Read moreBoth the starters we got were amazing! The crispy marinate tofu was nicely fried – crispy batter and tender tofu inside that had a tasty marinate. It was served on a generous bed of quinoa that was delicious with the salsa. The artichoke terrine was so good! Buttery, creamy and very flavourful! The salsa was fresh and fragrant.
To me, the mains we got wasn’t as outstanding as the starters. The Wellington had a nice and flaky pastry, but it wasn’t my favourite because the filling was more sweet than savoury (too much sweet potato). The veg wasn’t as well roasted too. The burger was ok, nothing special/outstanding about it to me, nevertheless, a solid well-made vegan burger. The Peanut Butter brownie? Very decadent – moist, fudgy and gooey. It is a bit too sweet for me, and the vanilla ice-cream served as the perfect balance for the richness of it.
The restaurant has a simple and contemporary décor. The staff could be more attentive to our needs, they were quite slow too. One thing is the table we sat at, there was a time when the sunlight was shining directly at my friend, shining right at his eyes (he had to squint). Very uncomfortable yet the waiter/waitress was hesitant to let us switch tables when there were plenty of free tables. Please, add some curtains or shades to the windows! It is very uncomfortable for customers at the tables by the window!
Overall, food of solid quality and taste. Some were not as good as the others, but generally above average! The prices are on the expensive side, but I think it’s reasonable for the portion and quality you get. From my experience, you can’t go wrong here with good Vegetarian/Vegan food (that will probably satisfy a non-veggie too!) – so I do recommend The Gate for special occasions/when you want to treat yourself.
Pros: Most Dishes are vegan, Delicious and Flavourful Food
Cons: Moderately High Prices, Service could be more attentive
Guest
JohnBrownlow
Points +116
Excellent food - Edit
Lovely vegetarian restaurant with extensive vegan options. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Fresh and tasty food.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Great staff
Guest
LauraMu
Points +1238
Loved it - Edit
I chose The Gate for our work meal so there was 6 omnis and me and we all loved it. The waitress who served us was lovely and helpful in assisting the indecisive amongst us. I had the soup with gf bread for starter, mushroom risotto for main and apple and prune crumble for dessert. They were all delicious. It was nice to have good gf options though neither of the starters which can be made gf were labelled as such. Restaurant was absolutely packed for a Monday night, with a nice atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.
Read moreAlso not sure why it's not labelled vegan when I saw nothing non-vegan on the menus.
Pros: All vegan? , Good gf options
Guest
treyb
Points +255
Wonderful gourmet vegan options - Edit
I had two wonderful meals here recently. This is a wonderful restaurant to go to when you want to enjoy a longer multi-course meal with friends. The food items are very unique and the food presentation is beautiful. I highly recommend any specials they happen to have and definitely look at the dessert menu. The majority of the menu is vegan but this is a wonderful place to take a mixed group because the food would be wonderful to wide-range of taste palates.
Read morePros: Excellent Vegan Options, Wonderful Service , Beautiful environment
Guest
carla_d
Points +71
Great for a fancy meal - Edit
Had a lovely work Christmas dinner at The Gate - it's a mini chain a bit like 1847 but more generous portions. If you find yourself in London and looking for a fancy vegan meal I heartily recommend it.
Read moreGuest
Frijoles
Points +416
Rude staff, pretty food - Edit
Lovely presentation and nice tasting meals. But service was poor. We booked ahead and arrived at an almost entirely empty restaurant. Despite this we were shown to the worst table (3 people crammed round a 2-seater, and right next to the only other diners). Staff twice barged past me on the stairs and also in the main restaurant. Our waitress did not know which dishes were vegan and gave the wrong information.
Read moreThe food is gorgeously presented but it is expensive, and for this price I expect better service.
Pros: Presentation , Decor
Cons: Expensive , Poor service, Confusing labelling on menu
Guest
TrudiBruges
Points +17421
Very nice dinner - Edit
Spacious place. nicely renovated.
Read moreEverything is vegan exept for the options noted on menu (NV not vegan)
We had a lovely dinner. Mezze platter to share as a starter. Mushroom risotto and tortillas as main, and chocolate dish as dessert. Delicious!
Food was served very swiftly. Friendly service.
On the expensive side though
Wheelchair accessible + accessible toilet on ground floor (bit shabby though)
Pros: nearly all vegan, accessible, nice food, original
Cons: on the expensive side
Guest
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