Tom Kerridge to open a 'mostly vegan' restaurant in Camden this spring

Two-and-a-half years after making his restaurant debut in London with Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, the Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge has announced another opening for the capital this spring.

The new venue, named Bad Vegan, will specialise in plant-based and vegan main courses but offer vegan and non-vegan toppings and sides.

According to its website the idea of the fast-food restaurant is to “introduce and sustain a greater level of plant based vegan foods into people’s diets, whilst not alienating non-vegans.” Food will be available for dining in, when the hospitality industry reopens, as well as pick-up and delivery.

While the full menu has yet to be revealed, the restaurant’s website boasts “awesome avocado”, “badass bacon”, and “butt-kicking broccoli”, as well as shakes.

However, Bad Vegan has already stirred up controversy in some areas of the vegan community with early Twitter reactions wondering why the restaurant is being billed as vegan at all when it might more accurately be described as ‘vegetarian’ or any other kind of restaurant.

Kerridge’s co-founder of the project, brand specialist Mark Emms, explained, “Our principles are simple – we want to encourage people to make small changes to their diet, incorporating more plant-based food.

“We know that a growing number of consumers want to commit to this, but a purely vegan diet isn’t for everyone, so by adding a small amount of non-vegan elements our food retains familiarity whilst being predominantly vegan.”

In order to avoid cross-contamination between vegan and non-vegan food, the restaurant has pledged to have designated sections of the kitchen and entirely separate equipment for each section. Diners will be able to differentiate between plant and animal-based menu items with a simple colour-coded menu: green for the former, red for the latter.

Bad Vegan is planned to open in spring 2021 at Camden's Buck Street Market. The venue does have outdoor space so if preparations are complete it may open in line with Government regulations which allow restaurants and cafés with outdoor space to reopen on April 12.

Camden is already a hotspot for vegan dining in London. Bad Vegan’s neighbours include the UK’s first plant-based pizzeria, Purezza, as well as popular vegan fast food joints such as Temple Of Seitan, Mildred’s, VBurger, and Good Dog Vegan.