![HappyCow logo](/img/hc-logo-name.png)
Vegan
Chinese
Japanese
Thai
Beer/Wine
Asian
Fusion
Taiwanese
Vietnamese
Restaurant offering Asian small plates, curries, and bao sliders. Daily desserts and cocktails also available. Lunch on Saturdays. Open Tue-Thu 17:00-21:00, Thu-Sat 12:00-14:00, Fri-Sat 16:00-21:00. Closed Sun-Mon.
63 Reviews
First Review by Vittu
ReubenJones
Points +155
Unreal - Edit
The best food I've had in ages. Everything was brilliant. The "sea bream" was especially good. I also had the "pork" spring rolls, the banh mi slider, the "chicken" and "lamb" skewers, the miso aubergine and the scorched rice.
Read moreIt was honestly all excellent. Staff were also really friendly.
Pros: Everything
Cons: None
Guest
lublack66@hotmail.co.
Points +539
A taste explosion - Edit
We ate here last night for the first time. I'd heard nothing but good so had high expectations. We ordered 8 small plates (we're greedy) which were all amazing, some of the best vegan Asian food I've ever had! I went with my non vegan husband and he agreed. Stand out dishes were the pickles & kimchi (simple but so good), the Hanoi 'pork' spring rolls with pickled apple and the tempura 'sea bream' with mango and dill salad & togarashi mayo. We also had the special, which was salt n pepper Lions Mane mushrooms. Incredible flavours, every mouthful was a taste bomb, and scarily realistic vegan meat & fish. Also a good variety of veg based dishes if fake meat isn't your thing. The cocktails looked great too. Highly recommend.
Read morePros: The way everything tasted so good, Very realistic vegan meat and fish , Nice vibe
Guest
EstherRP
Points +365
Delicious food, shame about the atmosphere - Edit
Lots of different options, all really tasty. It was all really carefully considered and the flavours and textures perfectly balanced. Only downside was the atmosphere. The acoustics were really bad and the biggest table was in the middle of the room and much taller than all the other tables with made noise from the biggest group really travel. They were also in quite a hurry to get each table in and out. It was an expensive meal so it's a shame the atmosphere wasn't more relaxing.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Varied menu
Cons: Loud unrelaxing space , Staff keen to get each table in and out quickly, Expensive
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hi Esther,
Read moreThank you for your feedback, we are really glad you enjoyed your meal.
Sorry to hear that you were not 100% satisfied with the experience at Bonsai. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we are a smaller venue, it can be quite difficult to control the noise.
We will ensure that next time you dine with us, your experience will be much better than the last!
Guest
Lisseroo
Points +396
Best dinner in ages! - Edit
Every dish we ordered was incredible. But if I had to recommend a top 3 it’d be
Read more1. Dan Dan noodles (on the specials)
2. ‘Pork’ spring rolls
3. Dirty rice
The cocktails were great too - but specially the cucumber saketini.
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hi there!
Read moreThank you so much for such a lovely review, it means a lot to us! We hope to see you again very soon!
Guest
Ang_ontario
Points +133
Unique - Edit
Nice to find something other than the 'typical' vegan junk food. The sweet potato skewers are amazing.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-05-16
Pros: Flavourful
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hello!
Read moreWe're so glad you enjoyed your meal, we try our best to be as innovative as possible with our menu and your feedback really does inspire us to keep getting better! Thank you!
See you again!
Guest
Becka_w
Points +393
Amazing and varied menu - Edit
Loved all the food at Bonsai kitchen. The flavour combinations are wonderful and there’s quite a lot of choice including specials and tasty cocktails. Highly recommend if you are in Brighton. 🌿💚
Read morePros: Lots of choice, Great cocktails , Decor
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hi Becka,
Read moreThank you so much for your lovely words, we're thrilled you had a good time here with us. Your feedback is much appreciated - hope to see you again soon!
All the best,
Bonsai.
Guest
tampopo
Points +484
Tasty Asian tapas - Edit
Good flavours. Interesting dishes.
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
Thank you, we're glad you enjoyed!
Read moreAll the best,
Bonsai
Guest
Tree-hugger99
Points +45
Mind blowing - Edit
Simply the best vegan food I’ve ever had. Stunning flavours, bold and creative. Loads of variety
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
Wow! Thank you so much for such amazing feedback, it's always great to see so many empty plates!
Read moreThank you again and see you again soon!
All the best,
Bonsai!
Guest
AlexWaring
Points +98
OMFG - Edit
What a meal. We had a superb dining experience. First time out since we had a baby and we were not disappointed. Great dishes, friendly staff ambiance and super cocktails. Yummmy
Read morePros: Cocktails, Chicken yakitori skewer , Live DJ vibes
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hey Alex,
Read moreLove the title of this review!! Thank you so much for such amazing feedback! We really appreciate that you chose to dine with us after such a long time, it really means a lot!
Hopefully see you again very soon!
All the best,
Bonsai
Guest
Jellypop212
Points +31
Fabulous - Edit
Great small plates such as great experience!
Read moreLove having a whole menu to choose from!
Pros: Completely vegan
bonsaiplantkitchen
We're so glad you enjoyed, thank you for your lovely review!! See you again soon :)
Read moreBest wishes,
Team Bonsai
Guest
KCadventure
Points +1066
Absolutely delicious! - Edit
Bonsai Plant Kitchen is a pretty trendy venue. The lighting and style is quite dark and they serve small plate East Asian cuisine. I'd say 4 dishes per person is a good amount of food.
Read moreEverything was really tasty. In particular the chicken skewers had gorgeous charred bits, and the kimchi was nice and sharp.
My cocktail (a Japanese slipper) was okay. It tasted good, but didn't wow me like the food did.
Updated from previous review on 2024-03-26
bonsaiplantkitchen
Thank you for such great feedback, we're so glad you enjoyed. Hope to see you back again soon!
Read moreAll the best,
Bonsai
Guest
sweetestpotat
Points +591
Amazing - Edit
Lovely dining experience and incredible food. So much thought and flavour goes into each dish. Cant wait to visit again.
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
This means so much to us, thank you for your kind words! We're looking forward to seeing you again, for an even better experience than the last!
Read moreBest wishes,
Bonsai
Guest
Fabiodsb
Points +20
Unreal - Edit
Prepare you taste buds for flavours that you have never experienced before. Forget meat, forget dairy, bonsai food is the best food you’ll ever try in your whole life. Amazing flavours, textures and cocktails.
Read more(Only negative was that one dish took around 15 mins more than the others, but it tasted so good we didn’t care!)
bonsaiplantkitchen
Wow Fabio, thank you so much for your kind words, we're so glad you enjoyed!!! Hopefully see you again very soon :)
Read moreAll the best,
Team Bonsai
Guest
NathaliaGonçalves
Points +59
Incredibly good - Edit
One of the best restaurants I've been recently. The food is incredibly well done, tasty and creative. A must go for vegan and non vegans!!
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
Thannk you so much Nathalia, your review means a lot to us, we're so glad you enjoyed. See you again soon!
Read moreBest wishes,
Bonsai
Guest
b_jjohnson
Points +68
Simply unmissable - Edit
One of the stand out restaurants I've eaten at in my 5 years as a vegan. Incredibly clever, tasty, and well priced, with helpful young staff. Went with my family, who were all impressed, including my old man (who's always sceptical of plant based food). If you're in Brighton you have to go!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-01-04
Pros: Great menu, Friendly and helpful staff
Cons: Music and decor seemed a bit confused with theme, Not the cheapest, but worth it
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hi there,
Read moreThanks a lot for your feedback, we're so glad you and your family had a good time and - more importantly - that we managed to impress the sceptic.
Hope to see you guys again soon.
All the best,
Bonsai
Guest
robyn_
Points +128
Incredible birthday treat - Edit
Hands down, the best vegan food and dining experience I've ever had. All food we tried was delicious, service was perfect! A must try dinner spot if visiting Brighton
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
Thank you Robyn, we hope to see you again soon!
Read moreGuest
Miegg
Points +326
Excelente - Edit
Un concepto tranquilo, armonioso y riquísimo. La cocina es abierta y ver como hacen tu plato te hace ir entrado en ambiente. Los jueves hay 3 platos por £15 y son maravillosos. Sabor, cantidad, calidad. Una experiencia de 10.
Read morebonsaiplantkitchen
Muchas Gracias, Miegg, por tu comentario!
Read moreAll the best,
Bonsai x
Guest
Ascat18
Points +84
Delicious - Edit
We loved our visit to Bonsai. What a lovely restaurant tucked away. We will be back.
Read morePros: Great flavours, Lovely ambience, Cauliflower tempura was delicious
Cons: The Wagamama style service of food when it's ready
Guest
DaddyLovesPlants
Points +54
A sublime anniversary meal - Edit
Tucked away in an unassuming part of town, as soon as you enter you know you’re in for something special. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the busy open kitchen and the purple glow of an enormous neon bonsai tree next to it.
Read moreThe menu is thoughtful and uncluttered. Grab your pencil and note how many of each item you want. Your ‘shopping list’ of dishes comes as quick as the kitchen can dispatch them, which adds a sense of anticipation; what’s next I wonder?
And on to the food…it’s simply sublime. Truly the best vegan food I’ve tasted and that’s a lot over 5 years. Stand out dishes include ‘pork’ spring rolls, Mongolia‘lamb’ skewers, tempura mushroom, miso glazed aubergine and scorched rice (truly a revelation!)
The staff were delightfully attentive and happy to share more information about each dish, if requested.
In short, save this one for a special occasion, don’t hold back and every plant based morsel.
Updated from previous review on 2023-11-05
Pros: Simple, purposeful menu, Spectacular flavour combinations , Attentive staff
Cons: I like to really see my food and it’s quite dark
bonsaiplantkitchen
Hi there,
Read moreThank you so much for such kind and positive feedback, it means so much to us!! We're so happy you enjoyed your experience at Bonsai. See you again
All the best,
Bonsai
Guest
Brightonbites
Points +118
A fantastic eating experience - Edit
It’s been difficult to get a table in the evening due to their popularity but heard about their weekday lunch special and booked a table. The service is attentive, the food is delicious with creative spins on Asian dishes. Whilst it was quiet when we were there, it still had a nice vibe and can’t wait to go back with some friends.
Read moreGuest
DamianBrewer
Points +67
Lovely Friday lunchtime concept - Edit
£15 lunch, 3 amazing dishes. Like the new flavours and variation on rice.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-04-19
Pros: Flavorsome
Guest
RachelCruickshank
Points +826
So delicious - Edit
What a treat! A whole delicious vegan menu. Everything was gorgeous. My non-vegan family loved it too.
Read moreGuest
Jules15
Points +131
Amazing Food - Edit
Great food, brilliant atmosphere and lovely lovely servers.
Read moreHubby called it a very Posh Wags 😄 I’ll tell I’ll never be satisfied with Wags again, food was amazingly good. The best gyoza’s I’ve ever tasted, flavours and textures were sublime- can you tell we loved it?
Some say expensive but we’ve spent the same in Wags and the quality here is on a different level. Definitely worth a visit
Pros: Great menu, Great atmosphere , Great service
Cons: We live too far away , Lighting great for atmosphere but not for photos
Guest
Cianhappycow
Points +207
Anniversary treat - Edit
After 2 years we finally made it here. Food was excellent. Yakatori are suspiciously delicious, Miso Aubergine was succulent, G and Ts were tasty. We enjoyed all our dishes and have our eye on “seabass” for our next visit - hopefully it won’t take another 2 years
Read morePros: All the food, Especially Chicken Yakatori, Miso Aubergine
Cons: Hidden step down to toilet
Guest
DuncanGunn
Points +45
Superb food - Edit
Three of us had lunch on a Saturday and had some exquisite food. Certainly not cheap, but the quality of every dish was outstanding. Be warned, most menu items are very spicy. Also, watch your step, the loos are virtually in darkness and I went into a cleaning cupboard by mistake! 😳
Read morePros: Excellent quality food, Nice ambience , Pleasant service
Cons: Dark toilets
Guest
TierneyMurray
Points +255
New favourite place! - Edit
I can’t fault it at all! The servers were friendly and immediately gave us water and house-made crispy chickpeas as we were seated. The vibe of the place was great and the staff all seemed happy and enthusiastic. We thoroughly enjoyed the cocktails and liked the reusable metal straws and cocktail sticks. Everything we ordered was brilliant but the standout dishes for me were the tempura cauliflower in Korean sauce and the bành mí slider. The bill came to around £70 (inc. 12.5% tip) for 2 cocktails + 6 dishes (the amount of food was perfect for the 2 of us and we definitely didn’t leave hungry!), which we thought was very reasonable for the quality of the food and service. I definitely plan to come back and I think Bonsai Plant Kitchen has taken top spot on the list of my favourite restaurants!
Read morePros: Great service , Amazing food, Incredible cocktails
Guest
Ben_90
Points +97
Bonsai bangs - Edit
Cannot fault anything, from the food to the service. Keep doing your thing guys 🫶🏻
Read morePros: Hanoi ‘pork’ spring rolls, Vegetable gyoza w/ Szechuan chilli oil, Cloudy pink lemonade / menabrea 0% lager
Cons: Didn’t want the food to end
Guest
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