GMRG.

Cambridge · England

Healthy restaurants in Cambridge.

Written by Gillian McKeith

Cambridge eats better than it lets on. Behind the college walls and the tourist queues there are kitchens here treating a carrot with the same seriousness other restaurants reserve for a fillet, and I think that is exactly right.

vanderlyle on Mill Road is the clearest example. A tasting menu built around seasonal vegetables, no meat on it, and cooking sharp enough to silence anyone who still believes plants are a sacrifice. Namaste Village on Castle Street is entirely meat free, which means pulses, spice and vegetables rather than cream. The Folio Bar and Kitchen keeps dedicated vegan and vegetarian seasonal menus instead of a single sad option. Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street, an old Cambridge name, now runs a separate vegan brunch with plant milks, and Nanna Mexico on Petty Cury will build you a bean and vegetable burrito that actually fills you up.

The standard is mine and it does not bend for a university town: purity, wholesomeness, organic where the chef can manage it, and real quantities of fresh vegetables, pulses, grains and seeds. Nobody on this page has paid me anything, and no amount of money would buy a place here.

5 restaurants in Cambridge

Open in full directory
4.6
Bakery and cafe
Not yet reviewed listed in the guide, but Gillian hasn't visited yet.

Fitzbillies

$$

Cambridge, England

Historic Cambridge bakery cafe offering a separate vegan brunch and lunch menu with plant milks.

4.6
Indian
Not yet reviewed listed in the guide, but Gillian hasn't visited yet.

Namaste Village Cambridge

$$

Cambridge, England

Sister branch of the vegetarian Indian restaurant group, entirely meat free menu on Castle Street.

4.6
Mexican
Not yet reviewed listed in the guide, but Gillian hasn't visited yet.

Nanna Mexico

$$

Cambridge, England

Build your own burrito chain in Cambridge with multiple vegan filling and topping options.

4.6
British
Not yet reviewed listed in the guide, but Gillian hasn't visited yet.

The Folio Bar and Kitchen

$$$

Cambridge, England

Cambridge restaurant offering dedicated vegetarian, vegan and plant based seasonal menus.

4.6
Modern British
Not yet reviewed listed in the guide, but Gillian hasn't visited yet.

vanderlyle

$$$$

Cambridge, England

Mill Road tasting menu restaurant built around a seasonal, vegetable led plant focused menu.

Eating well in Cambridge: your questions

What is the best vegetarian restaurant in Cambridge?
vanderlyle on Mill Road. The tasting menu is vegetable led and there is no meat on it, and the cooking is precise enough to convert sceptics. Book ahead, because it is small.
Where can I get a healthy lunch in central Cambridge?
Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street runs a separate vegan brunch and lunch menu with plant milks, and Nanna Mexico on Petty Cury lets you build a burrito out of beans, rice and vegetables. Both are minutes from King's Parade.
Is there meat free Indian food in Cambridge?
Namaste Village on Castle Street, entirely meat free with plenty of vegan dishes. Indian vegetarian cooking leans on lentils, chickpeas and spice, which is how I have told people to eat for three decades.
Are these restaurants suitable for omnivores?
Yes. Plant-forward, not plant-only. I have no interest in lecturing anyone. I care whether the vegetables are fresh, the sourcing is honest and the kitchen knows what it is doing.
Does anyone pay to appear in this Cambridge guide?
No, and they cannot. I choose every listing myself on purity, wholesomeness and how much genuine fresh produce reaches the plate. That independence is the only thing that makes the guide worth reading.

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Gillian McKeith, author of the Gillian McKeith Restaurant Guide

About the author

Written by Gillian McKeith

I'm Gillian McKeith: television presenter, creator of the global hit show You Are What You Eat, writer, nutritionist, and the editor behind this guide. Every Cambridge entry here is chosen and written by me. I judge kitchens on the things that actually matter: real ingredients, honest sourcing, vegetables cooked with care, and food you feel better for eating.

Nothing on this page is a paid placement. Restaurants cannot buy a recommendation, and any listing marked as sponsored is labelled as such. If a kitchen slips, it comes out of the guide.

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