Vegan
Western
Fast food
Beer/Wine
Bakery
Vegan cafe est. 2009 by celebrity Heather Mills. Atmosphere is family oriented and children friendly. Reported closed, Dec 2017.
80 Reviews
First Review by Shockingfish
Miggi
Points +2982
Good theory - hope the practice gets better! - Edit
First review = first VBites cafe in Hove:
Read moreThe cafe is a great idea. Everything is vegan, saving us asking about ingredients and demonstrating that it can be done while still offering an interesting menu. Lots of fake meat dishes, from fishcakes through burgers to chicken korma.
It was very busy when we went and had only been open about a week, so we're hoping things will get better. It gets very noisy as there are lots of hard surfaces and clattering as well as background music that made conversation very difficult. It is right by the big play area so beware, there are lots of children screaming outside!
Some of the staff were really trying and working hard while others didn't seem to know what they should be doing. Took a while to get anyone to take our order. The food then arrived quite quickly but some of it was cold - the veggie burger, though cooked, was not hot and nor were the chips. Don't think any of the food was freshly cooked. When we mentioned the chips they were "replaced" - it was obvious that the same portion of chips came back, having been hastily microwaved!
They have fancy gadgets to take orders and transmit them electronically to the kitchen but our drinks order slipped through the system somehow. Couple of staff doing all the work were apologetic, felt sorry for them.
The vegan Mr Whippy ice cream is a great idea, one of the reasons we went down there on a lovely sunny day. They had run out of both ice cream and ice lollies, even though this was the first hot day since they opened!
Need to get their act together.
Updated from previous review on Sunday July 12, 2009 - new location in Brighton:
It has improved since last time, though it still took ages for our order to arrive even though it was quiet and we were the first lunchtime customers to order - at least it was all cooked and warm when it came! We tried ice cream milkshakes, hickory chicken burger, hoisin duck wrap, fries with spicy salt and a couple of cakes. The sauces with the vbites "meats" were great, particularly the hickory BBQ one, and the spiced salt made the fries really tasty and more-ish. Even though one of the cake slices was a little dry as it was the last piece, it was rich and the icing was so lush that it was still enjoyable and the carrot and orange cake was really great too. Nice to sit at the window upstairs with a breeze.
Recommend trying it as long as not in a rush to eat, even if it is fast food style :-)
Pros: EVERYTHING vegan, Location
Cons: Slow to prep fast food!
Guest
yunggreg
Points +18
NOT CLOSED!! MOVED ROUND THE CORNER - Edit
i love this place & recently discovered it has not closed down but instead taken residence in The Pipeline pub on Little East Street. FANTASTIC NEWS! spread the word :)
Read morePros: best "fake meat" in town, lush fast food, casual, NOT CLOSED DOWN!
Cons: people think it has closed
eric
Hi, I think this is the page for the new location's listing: https://www.happycow.net/reviews/vbites-the-pipeline-brighton-103054
Read moreGuest
TrudiBruges
Points +28749
We loved it, relaxed atmosphere, good fast food - Edit
What a pity to see that this place has closed :-(
Read moreWe were here in 2015. was a nice relaxed place, fastfood options (pizza, burgers) with upstairs seating. Also some vegan products for sale.
https://brugesvegan.com/2015/10/13/vbites-brighton-uk/
Cons: it's closed now
Guest
LeoniePujol
Points +187
brilliant - Edit
Love it here. Good selection of food and cakes, and it's really handy having the shop section as well. The staff are always really lovely as well
Read moreGuest
caremore
Points +26
A good experience - Edit
Stopped by for a snack. Milkshakes were good, as were the cakes. Nice vegan venue with helpful staff.
Read morePros: Fully vegan
Guest
MalinB
Points +97
Great place for vegan "meat" lovers! - Edit
Me and my sister headed straight to VBites after arriving in Brighton, as we were so stoked for this place. We both had the "fish" and chips, and lemonade.
Read moreThe place is small, but cozy. We had some time to check out the different vegan products they stock while we waited for our food, and they have a lot of different vegan meats, cheeses, sweets, and other stuff, like the vegan egg - I really regret not making another trip here and stocking up on some vegan goodies before leaving Brighton.
Back to the fish and chips: We got it as takeaway and ate it at the beach (which I recommend ;)). Both me and my sister though the "fish" was okay, neither of us finished it, because the more we ate of it, the fishy-er it tasted. That doesn't mean it was bad though, and it really comes down to taste. I am usually a big fan of vegan meats, but I guess vegan fish is not really my thing. The chips were great, and the tartar sauce was amazing!
I am really stoked about going back to Brighton and giving VBites another try!
Updated from previous review on 2017-08-15
Pros: good chips, tartar sauce was great, vegan products on the shelves
Cons: place is a bit small
Guest
MollySmith
Points +45
Lunch with friends - Edit
Myself and two of my school friends were down at Brighton sea front for the day. When we all started to feel a bit peckish I opened up my HappyCow app and found this place. It was only a two minute walk away which was ever so convenient.
Read moreThe service is "order at the till" sort of thing. It's a very relaxed place with a nice atmosphere to it.
I ordered the classic burger with sweet potato fries and it was delicious! Another of my friends ordered the cheesy chips with her spicy burger and they also looked incredible!
There was such a wide range of choices to have, that all looked mouth-wateringly good! I'm going to be coming back here again whenever I'm nearby and looking for a bite to eat!
I would really recommend it
Pros: delicious food, nice atmosphere
Cons: decor could be updated
Guest
Skvivel
Points +188
tasty food, careless staff - Edit
Our trip to Brighton turned out to be a great gastronomic experience, especially after visiting VBites. We ordered pulled pork burgers and after the first bite weren't sure whether it was vegan or not - due to its authentic taste!
Read moreThe only minus point goes to very careless staff who's lack of customer care surprised us a lot.
Pros: good food, location, nice atmosphere
Cons: pricey, staff's behaviour
Guest
IngemoTeidahl
Points +28
love the food! - Edit
Cozy restaurant with good food and different options. The raspberry shake and chocolate fudge dessert was amazing! The garlic bread was also amazing! It's the second time I have eaten here and this time it was more juicy and creamy 👌
Read morePros: all vegan, different options and you can also buy
Cons: reasonable price. a bit expensive
Guest
AceofSpace
Points +44
Hmm.. - Edit
Went there last week, and felt quite disappointed honestly.
Read moreThe pulled porky burger was nice, tasted good too, but clearly not much effort had been put in to it.
My wife had the chicky ceasar salad, which was nice, but a bit much on the deepfried foods side for a salad.
The cheesy chips were just awful, we suspected them to be deepfried in the morning and being microwaved with some sort of cheesy sauce on top of it before serving. Crumbly, dried out stuff that maybe at some point resembled cheese sauce. Maybe.
Bit of a cleanup would be helpfull as well.
Guest
firstborn_unicorn
Points +34
Decent portions for the full English breakfast - Edit
Got the full english which, on the menu says includes: Lincolnshire style sausage, rasher, baked beans, hash brown, fresh vine tomatoes and tarragon mushrooms on toast
Read moreLooking back now, I never got the rasher... And got two tomatoes that weren't off the vine either.
I enjoyed the vegan sausage and the hash browns and the mushrooms but feel a bit ripped off for not getting the rasher?!
Guest
TheFlyingVegan
Points +356
Disappointed again - Edit
I hadn't been to vbites in a while because the last time I went I was really disappointed with the quality of the food. But I thought I'd give it another shot so in I went around lunchtime. The place was fairly empty when I got there. I ordered a wrap to take away and was told it wouldn't be long..... which turned out to be nearly 25 min. All the other customers already had their food so I don't know what could have taken so long. When it finally came (but only after I'd asked) it was another disppointment. The wrap basically fell apart when I looked at it, the chicky pieces were barely warm let alone grilled and the only other thing in there was iceberg lettuce and some sauce. The second half basically consisted of lettuce only. For 6£ I expect a little more. You certainly wouldn't need a chef to do this. I could roll a better wrap.
Read moreI'm definitely not going back there ever again and if I could give less than 2 stars I would.
Note to Happy Cow: I think you should be able to rate vegan places as low as you want. Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's good!!
Pros: The staff was nice
Cons: Everything else!
Guest
niallmc
Points +225
Vegan Milkshakes, oh yes - Edit
Burgers and fries galore in an unassuming environment. Very busy the day I was there and slow to clean tables. They have amazing sounding vegan milkshakes on the menu but didn't have the ingredients to make them so I must have arrived on a bad day.
Read morePros: Good menu, Small Deli Section, Great service
Cons: Slow to clean tables
Guest
CrystalPea
Points +169
good food, but lack of care - Edit
I ordered "fish" steak and according to menu it came with tartare sauce but I didn't get any. Still, it was very good.
Read moreGuest
GeorginaAlyssa
Points +144
Great! - Edit
They had a great selection of food and drinks, which is always nice to have.
Read moreI personally wasn't keen on the cheese they used on the pizza but I know other people have liked it, so that is just down to personal taste.
I advise not just turning up when it is busy because we had to wait a while for a table.
Love that they sell other products as well though.
Guest
Sproutdancing
Points +292
Lovely!! - Edit
Delightful selection of food featuring a tiny almost supermarket which you can buy snacks from. We stayed for coffee and cake, wish we were more hungry as the food looked amazing!
Read moreGuest
VeganLumpy
Points +146
Lovely Coffee & Cake! - Edit
Choice of dairy free milks and a fab range of Vegan cakes! Happy days!
Read moreGuest
msOz
Points +766
Vegan fast food - Edit
I wouldn't say this food was healthy - but it was good and I enjoyed it very much. I had a burger with skinny fries. You need to pick your seat and take the number off your table before ordering at the counter. Nit very easy if you're aline and don't have anything to leave at the table to mark it as "taken". The guy at the counter did it for me however. Very nice and service minded!
Read morePros: quick, friendly, vegan
Guest
AleVIruka
Points +199
Such a let down - Edit
I saw this Café advertised for ages and decided to check it out but it was extremely disappointing. The staff was robotic, no personality whatsoever, the service slow and depressing. The whole place needs a lot of care and attention, and apparently they are looking for a Chef so I am glad I didn't eat there. Most of the items on sale are overpriced ( and I live in London,so funny I can say that!). I had a latte, it was nice but took ages.
Read moreNever again. Would give it 1 star but not allowed .
Pros: Nothing, Nothing, Nothing
Cons: Expensive, Depressing
Guest
Bigbird
Points +64
Good food but service and venue bit disappointing - Edit
Had a good breakfast but tables weren't clean and staff weren't very knowledgeable about dishes and service was poor. Venue felt a bit grubby and so bit disappointing overall. Also Sunday menu suddenly changes at midday which is very confusing and not at all clear.
Read moreGuest
RebeccaEldridge
Points +32
V. Inbiting - Edit
Absolutely amazing food. Went there twice in three days because it was so good.
Read moreThe red velvet cake is amazing and the chicken wraps are perfect for what many places don't do vegan.
Couldn't believe the mayo was vegan it was so good!
Large selection of drinks and mock meats at decent prices. Sells all the weird and wonderful things like the vegan egg there.
The staff were very friendly and accommodating and there is a staff discount
Pros: Casual, Delicious food, Lots of options
Cons: One member of staff wasn't incredibly friendly, Shop itself was quite hot
Guest
Rah
Points +121
awful cafe - Edit
this place is terrible - it gives vegan food a bad name. the cafe itself is grubby and need of refurbishment, a good clean and a tidy up. the staff are apathetic. the food is pretty bland (I had tasteless coleslaw) and not made with the best vegan products on the market. there was no excuse for the lettuce i had that was starting to go mushy.
Read moreGuest
Sophiegsy
Points +24
Great choice - Edit
Lovely food, good service and delicious hot chocolate! We had breakfast there which was delicious, great place for kids as there was plenty for them on the menu.
Read morePros: great selection, take out option
Guest
Ruparelia
Points +178
Perfect Every Time - Edit
Me and my girlfriend came to Brighton for a weekend away because we are both vegan. We came to VBites about 3 times in total our entire weekend.... once for breakfast, once for lunch and once for dinner. We absolutely loved it. We went through and tried so many things on the menu between us and we can honestly say that we weren't let down. I would recommend VBites to anyone visiting Brighton and I genuinely think it is a contender for the best vegan restaurant not only in Brighton but in England.
Read moreGuest
Stephamoose
Points +37
Not for hippy salad lovers - Edit
Love love love this place. Good hearty food you don't normally find at other vegan cafes. Want a salad? Go somewhere else, this is meat alternative based around the VBites products and it's delicious. Kebabs, full English, burgers, pizza, mock duck, bacon rolls. Plus a great selection of junk food and indulgences. I always eat here at least three times on a weekend trip to Brighton.
Read moreGuest
Soli K. Sevani
Points +46
Very good! - Edit
We tried the burgers and friens and brighton vegan beer!
Read moreIt was all absolutely yum and the staff was friendly.
Also the design of the place is just the cutest!
THUMBS UP!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKB-3qtBXJR/?taken-by=sherlockksevani
Pros: friendly, cute design, yummy cheap food
Guest
orenbj
Points +61
Delicious food and friendly staff - Edit
Great restaurant for a quick meal or coffee! Their English breakfast is delicious.
Read moreGuest
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