Though I have yet to check all of these restaurants out since being a vegan, I have done lots of online research to compose this list of popular restaurant chains that offer vegan options or have veganisable options on their menu. These are the huge chain restaurants in the UK, however look around in your local area for vegetarian/vegan restaurants and also Chinese or Thai cuisine as these tend to have a lot of vegan options available. This list is as of August 2014, so always check before ordering food and ensure the restaurant knows your dietary requirements, as menus are subject to change. Also, if you're eating somewhere like a pub which doesn't offer any vegan options, phone ahead and ask, most places want your business and like a challenge, so don't be afraid to ask them to make you something!
Beefeater- http://www.beefeater.co.uk/
There's not much in the case of vegan options here, as indicated by the name, however there are some side dishes which could be ordered together to make a meal. The chargilled flat mushrooms, battered onion rings, house salad, ultimate/skinny spicy or plain chips and garlic & herb chimichurri steak sauce are all listed as vegan - so it's kinda like a steak and chips with the mushroom replacing the steak. It's not ideal but at least it's not just a plate of chips!
Bella Italia- http://www.bellaitalia.co.uk/
Currently there are no vegan options on the menu, however some can be created, following this statement from their website; "Vegan options – All our pasta (except the tagliatelle) is vegan, as are our pizza bases therefore you can then choose a pomodoro sauce which is vegan and just add vegetables to your pizza or pasta. These would be plain pizza bases and plain pasta."
Chiquito- http://www.chiquito.co.uk/
Chiquito offer many options on their breakfast menu, their cajun popcorn, mexican rice, salad, skin on fries, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, lime and chilli broccoli, tortilla chips & salsa, veggie chilli, guacamole, BBQ sauce, jalapeno jelly, soft spread, salsa, lemon sorbet, zesty fruit melody, beans and veggies are all vegan.Frankie and Benny's- http://www.frankieandbennys.com/
F&B offer a vegan pasta dish - 'Arrabbiata' as well as their house fries, house soup, a few breakfast options and thier mango & lemon sorbets. Their pizza dough and tomato base is also vegan so asking for a pizza with no cheese is also an alternative.
Giraffe- http://www.giraffe.net/
Giraffe seem to have a great number of vegan options on their menu, this includes; olives, endamame, tofu and squash laksa, herby green rice, sauteed seasonal vegetables, skin on fries, chunky wedges, fresh chopped fruit bowl, a sorbet sundae, kids fruit bowl, hummus & grilled flat bread and Juliette's healthy salad. These are not only great options but are relatively healthy too!
Gourmet Burger Kitchen- http://www.gbk.co.uk/
GBK's falafel burger (minus the raita and garlic mayo) is vegan, as stated on their website and they also have a separate grill that veggie food is cooked on, there is also apparently an off menu vegan burger called the 'hippy dippy' which is a grilled aubergine with pineapple and alfalfa sprouts, served with satay sauce.Hungry Horse- http://www.hungryhorse.co.uk/
Vegan options include; chips, twister chips, basmati rice, jacket potato, salad, baked beans, peas, corn on the cob, pasta ribbons in tomato sauce and a pear & fruit pot for dessert. So unfortunately, its the basic tomato pasta or jacket potato if you're a vegan eating at a hungry horse.Mcdonald's- http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/
Not that this is really a place vegans would generally want to eat at, but minus the mayo their 'Spicy Veggie Deli' - wrap or burger seems to be vegan, there are no animal products listed to be in the burger and it is approved by the vegetarian society as it is cooked in the vegetable chip oil, rather than the same oil as the meat burgers. The chips, ketchup, regular BBQ sauce, side salad, carrot sticks and many of their drinks are also vegan. Stay away from the frappe's and fruit smoothies as these contain milk, however the kid branded 'fruitizz' are vegan.
Nando's- http://www.nandos.co.uk/
Nando's veggie pitta is vegan (ask for no mayo), they also have salads, appetizers, a few sides - including Ratatouille, veggie strips for kids under 10 and a passion fruit Gelado which is listed on their website as vegan. They have a wide range for veggies and vegans which I'm sure you're all pleased to see and in stores they have a full list of the ingredients in every dish to check allergy/dietary requirements before you order! Nando's also have a separate prep and cooking area in their kitchens for veggie food.
Pizza Express- http://www.pizzaexpress.com/our-food/
Pizza express have a few starters which are vegan, as well as their own vegan pizza 'Pianta', which I have had twice now & would highly recommend, dough balls (garlic butter subbed for garlic oil), side salads and a few sorbets and lollies for desserts. They also offer gluten free pizza options and many of the pizzas can be ordered without cheese for a fully vegan option.
Pizza Hut- http://www.pizzahut.co.uk/
Pizza hut's options include, their pizza dough, tomato and bbq sauce so a make your own pizza with veggies is possible, the hot marinara pasta from the lunchtime buffet is also vegan, all of the fresh fruit and veg at the salad buffet (anything without a sauce or dressing), the croutons, tortilla chips, dried fruit mix, crispy onions, low fat vinaigrette, salsa dip sauce and the infused oils are all vegan. They also have a 'dinky sides' option which has blueberry, banana & vanilla puree and banana & strawberry puree baby food which are suitable.Pret A Manger- http://www.pret.com/
Pret has always been branded as a healthy and exciting place to eat so its no surprise it has tons of vegan options on it's menu! These are all shown in the picture below, from the June 2014 menu.
Prezzo- http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/
Prezzo have many options on their menu such as their; ciabatta loaf, focaccia bread, tuscan bean soup, spag napoletnana, penne arrabbiata, house fries and tomato & red onion salad which are vegan. I cannot find any information on whether the pizza bases are vegan so this may be something to ask when at the restaurant.
Starbuck's- http://www.starbucks.co.uk/
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Starbucks have vegan coffee options (made with soy milk) as well as a few other food options, including porridge (made with soy) which comes with a choice of brown sugar or a fruit or nut medley for toppings, a 'moreish meze salad', lollipops, aftercoffee mints and popchips -salted or salt & vinegar. Many of their coffee flavourings like caramel drizzle (used to finish off drinks), pumpkin spice, protein powder, java chips, and white mocha are NOT VEGAN, so AVOID these flavourings. However, the mocha syrup IS VEGAN, along with the hazelnut and caramel syrup, so a soy hazelnut, soy green tea or soy mocha frappuccino (without whipped cream) would be suitable, along with a soy latte, vanilla soy latte, peppermint mocha soy latte, a black Americano and a soy cappuccino would also be great alternatives.
Wagamama's- http://www.wagamama.com/our-menu
Wagamama's offers 6 dishes on their menu advertised as vegan on their website which could be ordered with rice, including a raw salad in addition to a range of fresh & in some cases raw juices and a fresh fruit ice lolly. There are also a few other dishes which could be ordered without the egg to be completely vegan. A new warm chili tofu salad has also been added to the menu, I ordered this the other day with a portion of brown rice and it was delicious!
A wheatmeal vegetable pasty is offered which is vegan, I cannot find any information on whether their potato wedges are or not as they do not provide any nutritional information to customers.Wetherspoon- http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/
Wetherspoon has a section on it's online menu like many other restaurant's nowadays where you can enter your dietary requirements and it will show the suitable options. For vegan there are 7 options listed; a new 'Freedom salad', a jacket potato with beans, side salad without creamy dressing, 'Happy monkey strawberry and banana smoothie', a sweet potato, chickpea & spinach curry with extra poppadums, large onion bhajis and also veggie samosas-which are part of the curry club (Thurs 12 noon-10pm, curry and a drink). Yo! Sushi- http://www.yosushi.com/
Yo sushi have so many options on their menu which are vegan, including; miso soup, vegetable firecracker rice, vegetable hand roll (no mayo, no tamago) vegetable yakisoba, pumpkin korroke, vegetable gyoza, kaiso salad, cucumber maki, avocado maki (no mayo) inari and chive futomaki, endamame, kaiso gunkan, aubergine salad, anko mochi and fresh fruit.
Zizzi- http://www.zizzi.co.uk/
Olives, garlic bread, Tuscan potatoes, pasta pomodoro, green beans, long stem broccoli, warm broccoli and potato salad, mixed leaf, tomato and spring onion salad, strawberry and lemon sorbet and their berry fruit compote are all listed as being vegan. Their mushroom pizza topping and roasted pepper pizza topping are also suitable as well as the pizza dough and sauce so a vegan pizza ordered without cheese is possible in this restaurant.