The owners of a little-known vegan bistro in Devon have spoken of their joy – and shock – at their restaurant being named the third best in the world for vegan food by Tripadvisor.
Cosmic Kitchen in Plymouth claimed the bronze medal in Tripadvisor’s 2021 Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ Restaurants Awards for the world’s best vegan restaurant and, of course, it was named the best in the UK. The awards are decided by an algorithm that analyses the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travellers around the world.
Twin sisters Gabriela and Lucia Evangelou, who run the restaurant, expressed how stunned they were on a Facebook post and thanked their staff, writing: ‘We can’t believe it. This is so amazing! As always a BIG thank you to all of our staff old and new as what makes Cosmic so special is the beautiful people front and back of house who cook and serve you all.’
Cosmic Kitchen in Plymouth claimed the bronze medal in Tripadvisor’s 2021 Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ Restaurants Awards for the world’s best vegan restaurant
Cosmic Kitchen (left) has an impressive five out of five rating on Tripadvisor with 246 ‘excellent’ reviews out of 257. The eatery’s ‘amazing’ Scotch eggs are very popular (right)
Twin sisters Gabriela and Lucia Evangelou, who run Cosmic Kitchen, expressed how stunned they were on a Facebook post and thanked their staff, writing: ‘We can’t believe it. This is so amazing! As always a BIG thank you to all of our staff old and new as what makes Cosmic so special is the beautiful people front and back of house who cook and serve you all’
They also thanked customers who had taken the time to write them a review.
The restaurant has an impressive five out of five rating on Tripadvisor with 246 ‘excellent’ reviews out of 257.
The top-rated dishes include ‘amazing’ scotch eggs, ‘delicious’ moussaka and ‘ridiculously good’ jack fruit wraps.
On the dessert front, one reviewer raved: ‘The upsidedown pineapple cake with ice cream is to die for.’
The overall winner in the global vegan category of Tripadvisor’s awards was Vegan Beat in Athens.
One reviewer who visited the street food restaurant in January wrote: ‘This is totally the type of vegan food to make you say WOW! Even my husband who is not vegan, and usually declines ‘vegan’ food, was impressed.
‘He’s already looking at recipes to recreate at home! I went twice during our trip which is something I don’t often do. The second visit, I had the Space Gyros which was incredible.’
THE 2021 WINNERS OF TRIPADVISOR’S TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE BEST VEGAN RESTAURANTS AWARDS: WORLD AND U.S
Best Vegan Spots in the World
1. Vegan Beat, Athens, Greece
2. Blu Bar, Barcelona, Spain
3. Cosmic Kitchen, Plymouth, United Kingdom
4. Scoop ‘n Dough, Lisbon, Portugal
5. Twelve Eatery, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
6. EFE Macrobiotic World, Rawai, Thailand
7. Alquimia, Campos Do Jordão, Brazil
8. Arte Sano, Holbox Island, Mexico
9. Kunda Vegan Vegetarian Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai, Thailand
10. Hum Vegetarian, Cafe & Restaurant, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Best Vegan Spots in the US
1. Full Bloom Vegan, Miami, Florida
2. City O City, Denver, Colorado
3. The Land of Kush, Baltimore, Maryland
4. Planta South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida
5. Green Elephant, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
6. Laughing Seed Cafe, Asheville, North Carolina
7. VegeNation, Las Vegas, Nevada
8. Vedge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9. Bouldin Creek Cafe, Austin, Texas
10. Fox & Fig Cafe, Savannah, Georgia
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The overall winner in the global vegan category of Tripadvisor’s awards was Vegan Beat in Athens
One reviewer who visited Vegan Beat in January wrote: ‘This is totally the type of vegan food to make you say WOW! Even my husband who is not vegan, and usually declines ‘vegan’ food, was impressed’
In second place on the global ranking was the surf-themed Blu Bar in Barcelona, which is popular for its plant-based tacos, pizzas and sandwiches
A selection of dishes from Scoop ‘n Dough in Lisbon, which came fourth in the global vegan restaurant ranking
In second place was the surf-themed Blu Bar in Barcelona, which is popular for its plant-based tacos, pizzas and sandwiches.
The rest of the global ranking for vegan restaurants comprises Scoop ‘n Dough in Lisbon (fourth), Twelve Eatery in Bournemouth, UK (fifth), EFE Macrobiotic World in Thailand (sixth), Alquimia in Campos Do Jordao, Brazil (seventh), Arte Sano on Holbox Island, Mexico (eighth), Kunda Vegan Vegetarian Chiang Rai, Thailand (ninth), and Hum Vegetarian Cafe & Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (tenth).
Tripadvisor notes that the UK’s No2 vegan restaurant, Twelve Eatery, claims to be the only organic plant-based restaurant in Dorset and the UK’s first organic bar to make cocktails with fresh cold-pressed juices.
In third place in the UK ranking was Offbeet New Forest in Southampton, which also serves as a vegan cooking school. Diners here can find ‘delicious dishes’ such as freshly made gnocchi with sage and pistachio pesto and cauliflower steaks.
THE 2021 WINNERS OF TRIPADVISOR’S TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE BEST VEGAN RESTAURANTS AWARDS: UK
1. Cosmic Kitchen, Plymouth
A family-run, vegan bistro in Plymouth pioneered by twin sisters Gabriela and Lucia Evangelou. Menus here are 100 per cent plant-based and there is a fully vegan bar. The signature snack is a vegan Scotch egg.
2. Twelve Eatery, Bournemouth
This eatery claims to be the only organic plant-based restaurant in Dorset and the UK’s first organic bar to make cocktails with fresh cold-pressed juices. One item on the menu is feijoada – a rich and smoky blackbean stew.
3. Offbeet New Forest, Southampton
This New Forest restaurant and cookery school serves ‘delicious dishes’ such as freshly made gnocchi with sage and pistachio pesto, and butternut squash croquettes filled with vegan mozzarella.
4. Indigo Greens, Liverpool
Dine in, takeaway or enjoy a delivery of food from this plant-based eatery. There is an ‘extensive menu’ of breakfasts, light bites, mains and desserts to choose from. The Tripadvisor team said they were ‘intrigued by the delicious sounding Kung Po Cauli wings’.
5. Tansy’s Pantry, Godshill, Isle of Wight
At Tansy’s Pantry the menu is 100 per cent plant-based with the majority gluten-free and all other dietary requirements catered for. They also have a range of vegan drinks, wines, beers and spirits from local producers.
6. The Tipsy Vegan, Norwich
Located in the heart of Norwich lanes, The Tipsy Vegan focuses on small plates and sharing boards. Chinese lettuce wraps with satay sauce and shredded mushroom tacos with guacamole are among the signature dishes.
7. Amrutha Lounge, London
This restaurant serves up a vegan take on comfort food including Thai green curry and lentil falafels. It also offers ‘Amrutha selections’, a variety of dishes served tapas style with unlimited refills. Another novel concept is that if you cannot afford to pay for your meal, you can simply volunteer some of your time in exchange for your dinner.
8. Cafe Van Gogh, London
Cafe Van Gogh is a not-for-profit social enterprise and works with a leading learning disability employment charity to run a programme of on-the-job training for people with additional challenges in life. On the food front, the menus change every couple of months, but examples of dishes include spiced mince stuffed aubergine, ‘gigantes plaki’ with fried feta, maroulosalata salad and tzatziki and brownie with stracciatella gelato and boozy cherries.
9. Corarima, Wakefield
This restaurant showcases Abyssinian cuisine, ‘lovingly prepared’ by Ethiopian and Eritrean chefs. Instead of a plate, the food is served on a ‘tangy’ gluten and sugar free leavened pancake, or ‘injera’. This is then used instead of cutlery to mop up the stews.
10. Ba-Ha, Birmingham
Ba-Ha serves ‘delicious’ and ‘insta-worthy’ plant-based vegan food including bish and chips – beer-battered banana blossom served with hand-cut chips, minty mushy peas and homemade tartar sauce.
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The UK’s No2 vegan restaurant, Twelve Eatery in Bournemouth (pictured), came fifth in the global ranking. It claims to be the only organic plant-based restaurant in Dorset and the UK’s first organic bar to make cocktails with fresh cold-pressed juices
LEFT: In third place in the UK ranking was Offbeet New Forest in Southampton, which also serves as a vegan cooking school. RIGHT: Indigo Greens in Liverpool claimed fourth spot, with an ‘extensive menu of breakfasts, light bites, mains and desserts to choose from’
At Tansy’s Pantry on the Isle of Wight (fifth in the UK ranking) the menu is 100 per cent plant-based with the majority gluten-free
Indigo Greens in Liverpool claimed the fourth spot, with an ‘extensive menu of breakfasts, light bites, mains and desserts to choose from’, while Tansy’s Pantry on the Isle of Wight came fifth.
The menu at this restaurant is 100 per cent plant-based, with the majority of dishes gluten-free.
In sixth place was The Tipsy Vegan in Norwich, which specialises in small sharing dishes, followed by the Amrutha Lounge in London, which offers a vegan take on comfort food.
The eighth spot was claimed by Cafe Van Gogh in London, while Corarima in Wakefield, where Abyssinian cuisine is the speciality, came ninth.
Rounding out the UK’s top ten was Ba-Ha in Birmingham, which serves ‘delicious’ and ‘insta-worthy’ plant-based vegan food including bish and chips – beer-battered banana blossom served with hand-cut chips, minty mushy peas and homemade tartar sauce.
A spokesperson for Tripadvisor said: ‘Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that veganism has gone from a niche hipster trend to a mainstream lifestyle craze in recent years.
‘More plant-based food availability, dining options, and education on its benefits have put vegan food at the heart of the dining industry, particularly for younger generations.
‘But you don’t have to declare yourself 100 per cent vegan to enjoy a delicious plant-based meal.’
To view the full winners lists for the 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ Restaurants Awards, visit www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Restaurants.
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