Independently run vegan-vegetarian restaurant with a 100% vegan kitchen (offering dairy milk, butter, and grated cheese at the front for non-vegan friends), serving fresh, wholesome food made from scratch using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, with a diverse menu for breakfast and lunch in an animal-friendly, community-focused space welcoming to everyone
open Mon–Sat 8:30am–5pm and Sun 9am–4pm. Open Mon-Sat 08:30-17:00, Sun 09:00-16:00.
Lunch is served from 12pm-3pm.
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17B Burgate, Canterbury, England, CT1 2HG
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 12 Jan 2026 by HenryBlane
Update business info -
Added by Elizabeth Child on 26 Oct 2009
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112 Reviews
First Review by shloobee
nattytatton
Points +469
One temperature frittata - Edit
That’s a great range of options for lunch. The salad bowls are always really full and delicious but they don’t beat up things to order, such as the frittata. Everything is one temperature
Read moreGuest
DaniMarshall
Points +30
fully vegan colourful delight - Edit
So many options, all fresh with lots of choice to customise your plate. It's fully vegan even though this app says it's not. They also ferment their own veggies
Read morePros: everything's vegan, sweet options, cheap for large portions
Guest
goldenzebra
Points +33
Favourite place! - Edit
Veg Box was my fave place to go to while I was in Uni in Canterbury. Everything tastes divine, no matter what I tried and the staff is super friendly! Definitely go here if you’re in Canterbury. I miss it! :)
Read moreGuest
Helly_bee
Points +36
Lovely spot for a vegan or veggie lunch - Edit
I went here on Sunday with two friends, one non-vegan/veggie and one veggie. We had a lovely light lunch - they had the soup and sourdough bread, I had a mezze plate with lots of yummy fermented veg, sourdough and really gorgeous hummus (the best I've had in a while). Everyone was offered butter or vegan spread which was a welcome touch. Amazingly the cakes were all vegan (about 8 options) which I have never experienced before. And there were lots of milk alternatives available for the coffee.
Read moreI think the cafe could easily be entirely vegan, and I would love to see that. But as it is, it's a great little place that I would visit again.
Pros: Lots of vegan choices, Relaxed atmosphere
Cons: Could be entirely vegan, the menu was nearly there
Guest
teacupdave
Points +46
Amazing food for a moderate price with a watery hot chocolate - Edit
Great and filling food with an amazingly tasty selection of relishes. The price wasn't bad, though like most vegetarian resteraunt a little steep. The Hot Chocolate was a bit watery and disappointing though.
Read moreGuest
chb-pbfp
Points +11100
Nice veggie restaurant. - Edit
It's a nice place, nice staff and good food.
Read moreIn the summer you can sit outside on the terrace.
It is based on a create your own plate, so you can really choose what you want to eat, in which quantity, which is great.
It is rather for lunch than it is for dinner.
Overall good experience.
Pros: Good food
Cons: None
Guest
LN68
Points +30
Excellent food at a very reasonable price - Edit
We wanted a quick lunch in a vegetarian-only cafe after visiting the Cathedral . We can highly recommend the Veg Box Cafe for its choice of main courses, its very friendly and speedy service. The vegan burger was especially tasty, and there is a big choice of salads and toppings to go with the main courses at no extra cost. They were happy to wrap what we couldn't finish for takeaway. A real find!
Read morePros: Excellent food, Very good value to include all the salads, Very friendly and speedy service
Guest
ChanDrkit
Points +59
vegan cake, friendly - Edit
They have different types of vegan cake, the taste is very good.
Read moreThey only have few choices don't contact onion and garlic, but they ask the chief one by one.
Guest
TBR
Points +388
Delicious - Edit
We went for breakfast and lunch and both were very enjoyable. Not a big fan of eating out of a cardboard box though, and hate using plastic cutlery even if it is bio degradable. Try cutting a thick slice of sourdough with a plastic knife!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan stuff
Cons: cardboard box and plastic cutlery
Guest
LizzieMariaRiordan
Points +18
Amazing! - Edit
Lovely staff, had an amazing coconut hot chocci and salted caramel cheesecake - all vegan 😁🌱
Read moreGuest
Mangoberry
Points +48
Tasty! - Edit
Everything I've eaten from here has been very tasty. Their warm meals are very earthy and flavourful. Abundant healthy choices. They use compostable cutlery. And their vegan desserts are delicious.
Read moreI would say it's quite expensive though, so I can't eat here as often as I would have liked. There is also a seating problem sometimes, as it gets quite crowded.
Pros: Delicious, Healthy, New items everyday
Cons: Expensive, Usually no space to sit
Guest
Frenchyboyyy94
Points +97
Tasty, simple & lovely food! - Edit
Had a fantastic lunch here. We both had a chickpea burger with the three salads and some yummy toppings. Great smoothies also!
Read morePros: Service was quick and friendly , All of the cutlery and everything else was compost, Healthy, filling and tasty food
Cons: Be better for the environment for them to use reus
Guest
LittleMissGlitter
Points +16
Wonderful - Edit
Absolutely delicious food and fantastic staff. Toilets were also very baby-changing friendly (as were the staff!)
Read morePros: Tasty food, Friendly staff, Great environment
Cons: Nothing!
Guest
broganlane
Points +175
Great vegan food - Edit
I love coming here while I'm in Canterbury, the vegan options are great and all the cakes have recently been made vegan (some were just vegetarian before).
Read moreThe meals are filling and delicious, the soup is always my favourite options. The staff are friendly and it's a good atmosphere.
Pros: Large portions , Delicious cakes
Guest
Nikki1801
Points +963
Wholesome lunch - Edit
Visited yesterday after finding this place through google (there seems to be a happy cow glitch with Canterbury area). Last orders 4pm, open till 4:30pm.
Read morePretty much everything was vegan except milk for drinks and cheese for jacket potato. They had stews, risotto, salads and veggie burger etc. Really wholesome food and nice to have salads with toppings like vegan mayo, pesto, toasted nuts and seeds.
The desserts looked lovely but I was far too full to try one!
Guest
stevegan
Points +51
Wasted journey - incorrect website info - Edit
This place should be a magnet & a delight for vegans - but Veg Box have to sort out their terrible service and website.
Read moreTheir website says that they are open till 8pm Thursday to Saturday. So we arrive, hungry and cold, at 5pm on Thurs only to find them just closing. When we mention the opening times on the website the dopey assistant says "oh, yea - we should change that really".
By Saturday I have calmed down a bit & decide to go there at 4.30 for a coffee & cake. I walk through the doors just in time to hear a different assistant telling a bunch of customers that "last orders were at 4pm".
The food looks ok but I have never managed to eat any!
Not sure how this place has got a Tripadvisor "Certificate of Excellence" for 3 years running with 10 out of 46 reviews being "terrible" , "poor" or "average".
P.S. website still NOT updated as at 21/11/2016
Cons: Need to update their website, wasted journey - closed when it should be open!
Guest
lc432
Points +49
Lovely place - Edit
Love this place. I go there regularly, they always have tasty vegan options savory and sweet and the menu changes often so I'm never bored going there ! Highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
HenryLand
Points +121
hot choco-box - Edit
Had a lovely hot chocolate this morning with green and blacks powder and soya milk. Yummy.
Read moreGuest
markrlankester
Points +71
Very good. Little bit pricey. - Edit
Really nice little cafe, and the only completely veg/vegan place in Canterbury. Good selection of cakes too, some gluten-free.
Read moreOnly downside is it's a little pricy for regular eating. Definitely a treat more than a habitual hangout.
Pros: All veg/vegan, Good cakes, GF options
Cons: Expensive for what it is, Sometimes bland hot dishes
Guest
Sarah Baker
Points +222
An exciting new chapter for the Veg Box Café - Edit
This week I visited the Veg Box in its new premises on Burgate. It looks fantastic, fresh and still familiar (thanks to the unmistakable lively green walls). Now they also have outdoors seating, breakfast (big full vegan version available!) and apparently... Sunday Roasts. This little family business makes you feel at home wherever they are located and is definitely a must as they are the only ones in town betting on a fully vegetarian menu.
Read morePros: Great vegan cakes and food, Outdoor seating, The best produce for normal prices
Cons: I wish it was bigger
Guest
emily be vegan
Points +16
Lovely cozy spot - Edit
It's sadly the only vegetarian/vegan cafe in the area after The Hutch closed a couple of years ago. Food is cooked with fresh organic seasonal vegetables. Choice is a little limited but that doesn't stop me eating there as everyone is very friendly and to avoid being disappointed go early!
Read morePros: all vegetarian with vegan options, clean & cozy, tasty & has relaxed atmosphere
Cons: not open in the evenings, not in an easy to find location, it's upstairs -no disabled access
Guest
stevesvm
Points +155
Only veggie place in Canterbury - Edit
We always prefer to eat at veggie places if possible. Sadly this is the only veggie restaurant in Canterbury - and is not open in the evening. We had one lunch here. Soup of the day, and 'posh pot noodles'. Both clearly used fresh ingredients and were a great lunch. We would have preferred more flavour – it was a little bland for our tastes – particularly the bread that accompanied the soup – but that is a small quibble. The atmosphere was busy and friendly and if we are ever in the area again we will return. It would be great if they would consider opening in the evenings with maybe a different menu.
Read morePros: Good fresh ingredients, Imaginative food combinations, Friendly atmosphere
Cons: A little bland
Guest
scrapsadaisy
Points +20
Lovely atmosphere and great food! - Edit
The cafe is laid out really beautifully (gorgeous decorations & very cosy!). It is also child friendly, there are toys laid out for kids to play with. The waitress was very friendly. We initially went there just to grab a coffee, I had the hazelnut milk latte and my boyfriend the hazelnut flat white, both of which were really lovely! We split a vegan chocolate cupcake, which I definitely recommend - it did not taste remotely "alternative", just very decadent!
Read moreI have not yet been there for a full meal, although I will be very soon, but my boyfriend went and had the spicy bean burger and buddha bowl and was full of praise for them both, so I will be trying them in the next few weeks. Whole heartedly recommend!
Guest
3baekwon
Points +53
Such good vegan food! - Edit
I absolutely love this place and am sad there's nothing like it in Oxford! We ate here almost every day we when were in Canterbury. It's bright and cheerful, and the food is AMAZING - so healthy and fresh. The first day I was there I had the vegan burger - but they don't just put a factory-made junk food vegan patty on some bread - their patties are made right there in the shop. The Jamaican jerk curry was so good my partner ordered it two days in a row. The vegan/ raw puddings are dreamy - we got to try the raw chocolate tort and raw lemon tort. The owners are amazing, and even tried to help us find some accommodation. (I'd read about this place here on Happy Cow before arriving, and we went straight to it from the train station!)
Read moreGuest
Joshilib
Points +378
the best in Canterbury - Edit
There's no doubt: if you're vegetarian or vegan, then the Veg Box café is the best place to eat out in Canterbury. Warm, friendly location; great staff; healthy, filling and sometimes quite creative food. Lunch below a tenner. Go there.
Read moreGuest
Toriay
Points +45
nice place - Edit
I almost didn't go because it was difficult to find and then from the entrance it looks like its just a whole foods shop so I was worried it was just going to be a deli. Nice spot, food was tasty but nothing special.
Read morePros: atmosphere, tasty food, friendly staff
Cons: location, unimaginative menu
Guest
CLRtraveller
Points +10548
good food - Edit
"Organic, vegetarian/vegan breakfasts, lunches, snacks, drinks and cakes." Open 10:00 am-3:30 pm, lunch from 12 noon, Monday-Saturday. The menu is on a large blackboard, including daily specials. A few vegan items but mostly lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Soup, sweets - made in-house, including vegan ice cream, vegan chocolate cupcake, beetroot brownie, lemon and almond polenta cupcake. Also Fairtrade coffees, teas, organic juices.
Read moreI had celeriac with sage soup which came with wholemeal bread and vegan spread (margarine) for GBP4.95. Another time I had squash and lentil dahl on brown rice, with mango chutney and greens salad, daily special 7.95, and nettle tea. Delicious comfort-food for a chilly, damp day.
Pros: tasty food, good location
Cons: not enough vegan options
Guest
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