The Gate

I was so happy to find this hidden gem — just out of a business meeting in Hammersmith, not the liveliest neighborhood of London, and the only place that seemed OK on Unilocal was this vegan restaurant, hidden above a Christian community space (I hesitated to get in, but do. It’s awesome).
I had the aubergine teriyaki (£14), which was amazing with awesome spices. The butternut roll also seemed delicious (yes, I am this kind of person who stares at other people’s plates). I also recommend the cheesecake (£7) with coconut and other fruits — amazing. They also have some smoothies and non-​alcoholic cocktails (~£4) which seemed pretty good.
The place is very modern and classy, with a Scandi inspiration (a bit of wood, a bit of red, lots of white and large windows).
Only downside: the service is a bit too slow, especially for lunch.

If people could overdose on meat, I would probably be dead.
I’m a big boy and I need my huge servings with meat.
Coming to a vegan restaurant was something new for me, but God, was it worth it.
They create mind-​blowing food combinations that will make you forget what meat tastes like.
The Gate, more like Gate-​away to the kitchen hasn’t the usual, boring vegan menu.
I ate an unreal lunch. The Tortillas here have nothing in common with regular Tortillas, so if you come here you MUST order them.
Also, there is a thing named Carciofini and it will make you consider going vegan.
To enjoy a meatless meal and feel overfeed — accomplished.
What else? Desserts like ‘chocolate, griottine and chestnut torte’ make me want to cry.

I earned excess brownie points for taking my Veggie boyfriend to The Gate for a birthday treat — I’m not a veggie but that wasn’t a problem at all. We took advantage of the meze for 2 for our starters and desserts so we could try as much as we could — everything was delicious — everything. The service was warm and attentive despite the place being full. I’m hoping the boyfriend takes me next time, and soon.

Delicious food and excellent service. We were slightly late and the kitchen was going to close in a few minutes but they were still very nice and attentive. The butternut rotolo was amazing!

I’ve wanted to visit The Gate for a while now and finally got the chance to check it out for lunch today. I reserved a table online and mentioned in the comments my intolerance to gluten and onions. When I arrived, the waitress (who was really wonderful) came over and talked me through the menu and had even written down a list of dishes they could serve me. Unfortunately the chefs love onion and it was in almost everything but I did have a fair few options which was great. She also said if I gave 48 hours notice dishes could possibly be prepared onion free if there was something specific I wanted. YAY!
The food itself was excellent. I had the japanese rolls and sweet potato fries and the other two I was dining with had butternut squash soup — both said it was delicious! The atmosphere was wonderful and the service spot on as well. We couldn’t resist the desserts either and between us had a chocolate and lavender tart (absolutely delicious with just a subtle hint of the lavender flavour), a summer pudding (also absolutely delicious) and the pineapple, pear and chilli crumble which was really good though hard to avoid those chilli pieces if you’re not a big chilli fan!
I’ll certainly be going back to The Gate and would recommend it to all, even if you’re not usually a vegetarian restaurant type of person!

How to describe the Gate? I can sum it up in two words hidden gem. I can thank the poor weather over the bank holiday and Groupon for guiding me here. I am a die hard meat eater but my fiancé is a Vegitarian. I thought it would be nice for her to be able to go out and order anything on the menu she wants. I usually think the food in Vegitarian restaurants is ok but I tend to miss my meat. So we arrived at the gate which is hidden away in the courtyard of a church. I almost thought we were in the wrong place. The Resturant was bright and open (I now know it was an old artist studio). The décor was crisp and clean. We were attended to by very pleasant staff who were more than willing to help us on our choices. The prices are a little high but not over the top. The food was amazing. I was almost tempted to lick the plate. The presentation of the dishes was wonderful, the taste combinations were mouthwatering and the portion sizes were filling. I am very surprised to be giving a Vegitarian Resturant 5 stars but I can’t fault it. I will be back to try more of the dishes.

What a find!
Gorgeous vegetarian food; I had to stop myself from licking the plate clean. And so happy to see the prices weren’t that insane.
As a group of four, we all starting nibbling off each others meals as we really couldn’t help ourselves.
Price came to 150 with a bottle of wine, 4 starters, 2 sides, 4 mains and 4 desserts! Special mention to the vegetarian tacos as well as the aubergine schnitzel. yum yum.
The restaurant décor and ambiance was a lovely surprise; spacious with high beams and a modern comfortable space.
Issues — we kept returning the bottles brought out as they were advertised as year 2011 but the ones that were brought out were 2012.
Highly recommended
N.

I booked to go to this restaurant with my vegetarian friend and we were looking forward to it after reading the reviews. Unfortunately, our experience of the food was not great. I had the saffron ravioli which was not tasty. It was too hard and the sweet flavour of the beetroot was overbearing. My friend had the butternut rotolo which was good. But I would not say that it was worth the price.
As for dessert we felt like ice cream and the rosewater flavour was awful! It tasted like bitter medicine with a horrible aftertaste. The apple crumble flavour was nice but the pistachio was not great.
They do have fresh juices which is a plus definitely! Overall I would not go again to the restaurant and I do wish it had lived up to my expectations but I guess you don’t know unless you try!

Not sure why it says that the restaurant is closed, since it patently isn’t. That must have been a very old review. My strict veggie friend recommended this place for after-​theatre dinner and I have to say I was blown away by the food even though I am usually strictly NOT vegetarian. I liked the room too, friendly and smart without being too formal, looks more like a bistro really. Have the starter meze for two; it’s a great way to try lots of the starters, though for some reason they wouldn’t let us have a bigger one for 3 of us. For the mains we had a Thai curry, mushroom risotto cake (much more interesting and tasty than it sounds) and a root vegetable bake, all excellent. They have a very good wine list too. Very highly recommended.

I love vegetables but this style of cooking is not for me. I had the deep fried courgette flower stuffed with goat’s cheese that everyone here seems to love but I more tolerated it than anything else. It was okay and even though it was beautifully created and served, the flavours just didn’t seem to taste very special to me.
I also had the mushroom risotto cake because I love mushrooms and I love risotto, but I just could not love this dish either. It was beautiful but the sauce was so creamy it made me feel a bit off, and the flavour didn’t seem to penetrate to the risotto cake itself, which just tasted of plain old rice. Even the mushrooms were not really great.
For me, the best vegetables are the ones where you really bring out the flavour of the vegetable itself. This fancy style of cooking where you disguise the flavour of everything with rich sauces and other things just didn’t work for me. I’m tempted to go back and try the polenta chips because they sounded good, or the pasta of the day because I love pasta, but it is rather pricy so I don’t know if I will.
I didn’t have any trouble finding it though; I think the sign they have put up outside makes it fairly clear. The courtyard with the church is a charming entry and the restaurant itself is cute if empty when I went at late lunchtime.

Perfect place for lunch or
even breakfast. The service is very great, and the staffs are very kind and
attentive. Very interesting and fulfilling. This place is really worth the
visit. Surely deserved to be highly recommended.

Tucked away behind a garden wall on Queen Caroline Street, The Gate is the best vegetarian restaurant I’ve been to in town.
I took along one steadfast meat eater and by the end, he was converted too. Beautifully decorated, chilled and happy with a delicious and vast menu — The Gate is a rare vegetarian treat. A restaurant so good the fact that it only serves meat free food shouldn’t put anyone off.
You get what you pay for, so it’s best saved as a pay day treat. Personally I prefer a lunch time here as it’s not quite got the «date» vibe, but more dinner with friends.

This place is a tad difficult to find, even for a local! My brother had GPS on his phone, too, and we got lost on the first try. It’s located between the college court and the concert hall on a street where students reside. It’s located right next to a church or something so you’ll be thinking, ”Uh, I did not come to confess my sins on gluttony today.” :)
Then you go up the stairs and think, ”Man, what a hidden gem!” It’s so cute and romantic, good for those college students looking to take that special someone out.*Wink Wink
Everything we ordered was perfecto!
Fresh Juice-​Blend of Carrots, Ginger, and Apple. Yum.
Corgette flower-​shaped like a chicken wing, it had all the right flavors and spices. Usually, I don’t foods that try to look like meat, but this was fun to eat. It is similar to a samosa.
Wild Mushroom Rotola-​Not much to say, I’m crazy about ‘shrooms, one of my favorite dishes.
Aubergine Teriyaki-​Not your typical teriyaki, sweet and sour flavor, which is why I like it! The crispy eggplant along with the noodles make for a tongue drooling texture.
Pasta of the Day-​Gluten Free pasta with spinach and parmesan on top. For gluten free, this pasta was really soft. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. This was quite simple, but tasty.
Dessert–
Rhubarb, Pear, & Ginger Crumble-​Vegetables in dessert??? Yes, please! This was crumbly heaven!
Whoever can get vegetable servings into every course of the meal is a winner in my book. Amen to that!

The highlight of my London trip! I stayed in hammersmith and this restaurant was conveniently located within walking distant. My only regret was not coming back for a second meal! I should’ve bought the cookbook! They don’t ship to the US and i have not been able to find a vegetarian restaurant to match the powerful flavors that these dishes have. :(
I had the abergine schnitzel, while my friend had the risotto. Both were fantastic!
It truly makes me sad that I can’t get this here in the states. If you’re ever in London, even if you’re not a vegetarian, make a stop here and have a meal for me!

Nachdem wir schon ein paar Mal hier essen waren, war das letzte Erlebnis das schlimmste: der Laden war überfüllt, unsere Reservierung wurde nicht anerkannt, sodass wir draußen sitzen mussten, das Essen ließ 90 Minuten auf sich warten und eine Entschuldigung blieb aus. Auch als wir uns per Email beschwert, kam kein Wort der Entschuldigung zurück. Nur eine Begründung, dass der Küchenchef betrunken nach Hause gehen musste. Nie wieder!

Wanted to spend Thanksgiving while in London (it’s called Thursday over there) with one of my oldest BFF’s who happens to be a vegetarian (I don’t hold it against her).
We had the meze of appetisers (the tofu something was outstanding), and Big G and Rosie both had the something risotto.
I had the aubergine (eggplant) something, which was outstanding. We had the selection of desserts too — yeah, we like variety! Big G said it was the best vegetarian food he’s ever had. I tend to agree with him. High praise indeed from a couple of carnivores.

This was my first visit to a new pure vegetarian restaurant in some time. I took two vegetarian friends of mine there so as to introduce them to some international veg food.
This was one of the rare occasions when i have headed so far west just to eat. Gate was a bit difficult to find … given the extensive roadworks near Hammersmith Apollo and its location on the first floor of a church building.
But once inside, it is quite enjoyable. The dining area has a huge window and skylight with good views to the outside. The menu has a good breadth but is not extensive. The six dishes in the main course section of the menu included two Italian, two Mexican, one Indian and one Japanese. There are Turkish dishes among the starters. So one can enjoy a variety of cuisines at the Gate, but the choice is rather limited.
We had the halloumi kibi as starter. It was very good … the taste was comparable to the best of paneer tikka that i have had.
For the main course, two of us had the gnocchi and one tried the Indian thali. The gnocchi was cheesy … as its supposed to be … and flavourful (is that a word ?). But the quantity was somewhat limited. The smell emanating from the thali (consisting fo rice, aubergines, cauliflower and lentils) was great, but my friend who was having it wasn’t too impressed. Again … it seemed as if the amount of food wasn’t sufficient.
However the desserts were brilliant … both the ice-​cream (this contained egg) and the lemon and meringue tart. This was the highlight of the meal.
The Gate wasn’t very good value for money … nobody likes it when he/​she leaves hungry after paying £25 for a meal (with a drink each).
It was a different lunch experience for a meat-​lover like me … but for obvious reasons, i wouldn’t be a regular here. But i would recommend it for someone with a different taste.

I was taken here for my birthday lunch on a sunny Thursday, and it was wonderful. We sat outside in the beautiful walled garden. You would never know you were seconds from the Hammersmith flyover in that garden, it is so lovely and peaceful. The service was great, very attentive, although we were the last lunch sitting so there weren’t many other customers. As it was my birthday we had champagne, which was brought out in a great silver standalone ice bucket.
The menu changes, but what I had was wonderful, a stuffed, deep fried courgette flower with goat’s cheese and sweet potato. Even though it was deep friend it wasn’t greasy, just deliciously light and crispy.
Main course was an aubergine teriyaki noodle stir fry, which was great.
It;s not cheap, but for a very nice restaurant in lovely surroundings, it’s not too expensive either. The garden, the great service and the high quality of the food make the price worth it.

Some of my recent vegetarian meals in London have consisted of sandwiches from Mark & Spencer and veggie fish and chips at the pubs. It was nice to finally have genuine food that was made and served by folks who cared about what they put out.
For starters, there were other options like Leek & Trompette Tart or Orange & Pear Salad, but decided to go with the Warm Noodle Salad, an asian dish that was good but not sure I would order again.
My main was the Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake which was quite good. I loved the creamy sauce, and the parmesan went quite well with everything.
To round everything off, I ordered the vanilla cheesecake — it was absolutely devine!
Service was attentive and thoughtful — when I had ordered a red to go with my main dish, not only did the waiter bring me the full glass of red I had requested, he also included a ½ glass of white to go with my noodle dish. He explained that the white was a better choice for the starter.
Vegan or gluten intolerant? No worries, they have you covered here.
This place is really worth a visit.

So for reasons I cannot disclose, I am getting very into vegetarian food these days. My irrational mind decrees substituting tofu for chicken tones my abdominals towards greater definition, steering clear of red meat saves an animal life somewhere, somehow. So after an intensive work out session last night, a friend and I arrived a full hour late for this dinner reservation.
After a frantic pant up the stairs, they agreed to serve us as we took a nanosecond to decide upon the halloumi kibi. Think chargrilled halloumi in a tikka marinade, served on a skewer with red onions, peppers, courgettes, a chickpea salsa and schoog. 5/​5, top notch and went some distance to satisfying my rampant appetite for food and other less quotable things!
After some light banter with the lovely manager, we moved on to mains. Truffled risotto cake, oyster and chestnut mushrooms served on a risotto cake with creamy cep (more commonly known as porcini) sauce on a bed of rocket and parmesan. Now actually it was a little crisp in places, which I adored but was perhaps unintentional. Meanwhile, the tree motif on the back wall panged my friend with bursts of nostalgia, I’ll be feeling nostalgia anticipating my next welcome return. A happy sanctuary in W6, leaving a sweet taste in my mouth.

If I was a dinosaur, I would definitely be a carnivorous Tyrannosauras Rex, not a herbivorous Diplodocus. So it comes as the highest praise to The Gate that I love this vegetarian restaurant and have been back multiple times and even brought friends along here.
The restaurant is located just down from the Hammersmith Apollo, down a quiet street. In fact, from the outside, it doesn’t even look like a restaurant as it’s located on the grounds of a church. Follow the stairs up to a minimally decorated dining room and you’re in the hands of expert cooks. Not expert vegetarian cooks, expert cooks.
I’ve read somewhere that the best vegetarian food is where the cooks don’t try to recreate meat dishes with vegetables. Instead, the food which comes out of the kitchen is full of flair, packed with flavour and lets the ingredients stand on their own 2 feet instead of trying to be a poor imitation of meat. I think most items on the menu are fantastic but in the past, I’ve really enjoyed aubergine schnitzel, truffled risotto cake and pineapple & chilli crumble. I cook a lot and I am amazed at some of the inventiveness that the chefs display with vegetables.
Diplodoci and tyrannosauri of the world, arise together and head for The Gate! You won’t be disappointed.

Superbe environnement
Je n’en croyais pas mes yeux, pour entrer, il faut passer par un jardin. Un restaurant végétarien très apaisant avec des prix très intéressants pour des plats copieux (10 livres). On y voit même des groupes joués. Mais attention il faut réserver pour le soir pour pourvoir manger dans ce cadre apaisant.