One of the perils of being vegan is constantly having to convince friends, family, EVERYONE, of how great vegan food can be. Thus, our #TeamCoco vegan queen, Rachael Lindsay, has made it her mission to seek out all of the best vegan options for us, including the very best vegan burgers out there. The sound of vurgers may be familiar to you if you checked out our preview article of the Vurger Co here. But now Rachael is checking out their shiny new restaurant. Are they really the best vurgers in London?

YES! Ok ok I have tried many a vegan burger in London and, of course, the search is not yet over. But I have to say, the food options at The Vurger Co are really top notch.

First, the burgers: you can take your pick from Classic, Auberger, a spicy Holy Habanero, and the MLT. We go for the MLT and Classic, with no regrets. The MLT is a heavenly mix of roasted shrooms and borlotti beans with a to-die-for homemade walnut and sundried tomato pesto. The Classic is black beans, chargrilled peppers and the BEST burger sauce.

They are both world’s away from those bland grey veggie burgers or huge portobello mushrooms between dry bread that non-vegans might expect. Nor are they faking it as meat, you can really taste the vegetables, spices and yummy ingredients in each dish.

Having already sampled the burgers before, I am super excited to try The Vurger Co’s legendary sides and shakes at the Shake Station. I think it is safe to say that the Oreo Shake is the very best vegan shake I have ever had. It is rich and chocolatey and has me questioning if it is really vegan (don’t worry, it is). The mac’n’cheese is another highlight. This is a comfort food dish for me that I have (just slightly) missed since cutting out dairy. The Vurger version was exceptional considering it was vegan and even my non-vegan friend was very impressed.

After gorging on all this food (I was admittedly very hungry on arrival), I look up and appreciate the design which manages to be both laid-back and on-trend at the same time. Painted white brickwork is broken up with a huge neon sign reading ‘Feed Your Soul’ in loopy handwriting and big menu boards in pastel tones. Comfy cushions are scattered on dark bench seating and a grey feature wall reads ‘Hey Shoreditch! Thanks for having us, we feel right at home’.

With veganism sometimes being accused of taking itself a little too serious, it is great to see how down-to-earth a vegan joint can be. And the location is perfect too, just a few minutes from Shoreditch High Street Station and near other great places such as Crosstown Doughnuts (yes some are vegan) and the newly opened board game cafe, Proceed Clockwise.

It is the kind of place where you can spend several hours chatting without ever feeling like the staff are pressuring you to leave, but also where you can grab a take-away for an indulgent film night. I also appreciate the little vegan touches such as that you can only pay by card since cash is not vegan and the cutlery is made of plants not plastic.

Before I go out into the East London night, I have to fit in a double chocolate ice cream sandwich. The cookie is crunchy, the ice cream is creamy and I impress myself by eating all of it (and it is massive!). An excellent end to a great meal in a lovely space.

The Vurger team are also getting involved with some exciting collaborations over the next few months. These include a terrarium building workshop with The Botanical Boys and a brunch launch with vegan chef, Gaz Oakley. Stay updated by following @thevurgerco or check out their website thevurgerco.com.

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