Restaurant serving refined plant-based vegan and vegetarian cuisine with French and Italian influences and focus on health. Offers a la carte, prix-fixe lunch, and kids' menu. Beverages list features champagne and natural wines, beer, beer, and fresh juices Located in what was once the studio of artist Sir Frank Brangwyn and is next to the Hammersmith Apollo. Since 2007. Reported fully vegan October 2024. Open Mon-Fri 12:00-14:00, 18:00-22:00, Sat 12:00-14:30, 17:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-21:00.
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51 Queen Caroline St, Hammersmith, West London, England, W6 9QL
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- Outdoor seating
- Reservations required
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 22 Oct 2024 by MagaliEledhwen
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74 Reviews
First Review by GAJ
AnniR
Points +78
Very good place! - Edit
WOOOWWW!!! This place is a gem! I am so glad we found it. My husband and I are vegans and the food at The Gate is absolutely wonderful. Great quality, plenty of vegan food and wine options, lovely staff and nice atmosphere. This place is going to be our new favourite place :-)
Read moreGuest
Mimi
Points +165
Classy, delicious, creative food - Edit
We ate twice at The Gate during our brief stay in London. For a late evening meal we chose the Summer Menu, and a day later we enjoyed lunch there too.
Read moreBoth times the food was exceptionally good. It is very creatively presented - which means that you are not quite sure how what you order is going to look when it arrives. What you can be sure of is, though, that it will look beautiful and taste amazing.
Some people have said that the portions are small. They are not large - this is not 'belly-timber' food. The portions are, however, perfect. Each meal has clearly been developed to tantalise the tastebuds, excite the palate, and satisfy the appetite. The attention to flavours, colour, design and presentation is excellent . . . and creates a very fine dining experience indeed.
In particular I found the desserts exceeded my expectations. For our dinner menu - we both enjoyed a Strawberry Tart - delicious. When we went for lunch, we had Eton Mess and the Cheesecake . . . both were gorgeous.
If I lived in London, I would be heading to The Gate for every special celebration meal I could.
Service was also to a high standard.
Pros: Great range of vegan options, Beautifully presented delicious food, Great service
Guest
Vegancucc
Points +598
Gate Hammersmith - Edit
I had a bit of a disappointing experience at Gate Hammersmith. The menu was very misleading about the vegan dessert options. The waitress failed to tell us that actually we ordered the same thing twice between the two of us in a gigantic portion and that the vegan dessert option is not the same listed on the menu. The food was OK, though far too sweet. The vegan cheesecake was not a cheesecake at all, but a mousse. When we mentioned that to the otherwise friendly waiter, he said that "you cannot make a vegan cheesecake, this is why it is like a mousse". This was super-disappointing to hear at a supposedly vegan-friendly restaurant. I do not look forward to return there at all.
Read morePros: Food looks good, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Menu not clear about vegan option details
Guest
ChrisRead
Points +64
great food, great service - Edit
We last dined here over 20 years ago and loved it then. No surprise that when we revisited it it was as good as ever. Great choice and lots of the vegetarian options can be made vegan. The polenta chips are a must have.
Read morePros: location close to Hammersmith Bridge, really top notch presentation , great ingredients prepared with great care
Guest
SummerSmyth
Points +42
So Yummy! - Edit
Found this place last week and sooo happy we stumbled upon it! 😋😋
Read moreGuest
CLRtraveller
Points +9230
Excellent and attractively presented food - Edit
I enjoyed a very tasty bowl meal here and was impressed by the attractive presentation. Restaurant was full and noisy. Food was excellent. I had the Thai green curry with a roll of rice with sesame seeds on the ends. I splurged on a glass of Austrian “natural” wine, meaning it’s above and beyond organic/biodynamic. Be aware that they automatically add a 12.5% service charge, and there was a campaign on to add a pound for a charity, so I spent £25. Too expensive for me to be a regular outing.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-01-26
Pros: good food, vegan options, food attractively presented
Cons: not enough vegan options
Guest
Happybeanie
Points +82
lovely lovely lovely - Edit
Had dinner there last night, hadn't been for years but not disappointed with food, it was delicious. Lentil terrine was full of flavour but then tasted halloumi Indian style and that was heaven on a plate! Tortillas for main which were so very different from normal veggie tortillas you'd get elsewhere, simply gorgeous. Only down side was how slow it was to get a drink, the staff were busy all the time but not enough of them really. The food was not slow to come but could have done with a glass or two !!! Will definitely go again (even my meat eating husband was impressed!)
Read moreGuest
SuperTed
Points +393
Beautiful - Edit
Beautiful building!
Read moreBeautiful service!
Beautiful food!
The place we wanted to go for lunch had changed menus, so we wound up going to The Gate. This should have been our first choice all along! Everything was absolutely wonderful! I had the Wellington, which was simply amazing. Everybody else was equally pleased with their meals. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, make a point to visit The Gate. You will not be disappointed.
Guest
Ashriella
Points +17
Lovely place for a special occasion - Edit
Great imaginative food. We had to look up some of the ingredients but were pleasantly surprised with how tasty they were.
Read morePros: Great food, Nice vibe
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
Lucylu
Points +377
Terrible staff but reasonable food - Edit
Not a patch on the Islington Gate!
Read moreTerribly staff. They couldn't find our table booking. We're slow and inefficient. The smoke alarm was set off (albeit by a customer) and no one knew how to turn it off. It was horrifically loud and no one came to explain it to us and when we asked we were told by a jumped up wait or that it wasn't his problem. We didn't even make it to pudding without having to leave. Would never go back.
Cons: would give 1* if possible , dreadful staff
Guest
Elvie
Points +325
Highly recommended - Edit
My partner and I ate here in the early evening before seeing Kate Bush at the nearby Apollo, so my experience of the Gate may be coloured by being wildly excited about seeing Kate Bush, and the fact that the restaurant was playing Kate Bush, but we thought it was fantastic.
Read moreWe made a reservation through their website at about 4.30pm, for 5.45pm. Turned up 20 minutes late to find they'd held our table despite the place being completely full. We didn't have time to enjoy the whole menu, but we shared some bread, olives and oil for a starter. These were completely delicious, so flavourful and interesting to taste. Each of the mixed olives had a unique flavour, the bread was mixed also, and the oil flavoured with rosemary and chilli. For main courses I had some wild creation with squash piped into a potato roll, refreshing salad and creamed artichoke. I was too engrossed in my own food to remember what my partner ate, but whatever it was he was equally engrossed in! Polished off with a nice glass of wine and a local beer, and done in plenty of time to get to the Apollo, we could not have been happier.
While it is expensive, I felt the price reflected the quality and inventiveness of the food. We hope to return some time when we have leisure to try the starters and deserts!
Pros: really excellent food
Guest
Barbara Primo
Points +202
I love it! - Edit
We went on mai 2014 for the second time. We think food is very good, tasty and well presented. We will go there again and again when in London.
Read morePrices are not cheap but quality of food neither.
Guest
Steffi Giraffe
Points +78
Vegetarians will love it, vegans less so... - Edit
When my boyfriend was still vegetarian rather than vegan, he asked to go here for his birthday. He had a great dining experience but, as a vegan, I didn't. There weren't many options and it seemed like they couldn't be bothered with being imaginative for vegan food. Having been to Manna and seeing what could be done it was extremely disappointing. The worst thing is the vegan options of meals are just the same meals with the dairy/egg item removed!
Read moreOn the plus side, the restaurant itself is really beautifully decorated (or was before it closed for refurbishment! ;) ) and you really feel you are somewhere upmarket - moreso than any other vegetarian restaurant I have been to.
Pros: High quality, Romantic
Cons: Poor deal for vegans
Guest
TMcC
Points +65
Great food! - Edit
I went here a year ago for my birthday. The food was so tasty and really imaginative. Quite pricey, but well worth it!
Read morePros: Big portions, Creative menu, Very flavourful
Guest
anarchistanimal
Points +563
Stylish and fun - Edit
A stylish gourmet vegetarian bar and restaurant with a good number of vegan options - about half the menu. The atmosphere is fun and funky and well-designed. We had the polenta cakes and the wild mushroom risotto cakes. For desert we had a brioche with summer fruits with vegan ice cream, and an apple and rhubarb crumble. All vegan. Very tasty food and an enjoyable night out.
Read morePros: Delicious, Fun atmosphere, Artistic creations
Guest
bigbunny
Points +75
My favourite 'expensive' veggie place! - Edit
Incredible food. Constantly changing & exciting menu. Worth the trip & bother to find it (it's sorta' hidden under a church!). Gourmet food & a lovely environment. RECOMMENDED TO BOTH THE LONDONER & THE TRAVELLER! :-)
Read morePros: Gorgeous food!, Always something new, Friendly informed staff & chef
Cons: A little pricey, Hard to find the first time, May need reservation
Guest
veganaurora
Points +283
Don't bother if you're vegan - Edit
The Gate is a vegetarian restaurant that doesn't put much effort into catering for vegans. I went with a vegetarian partner and we spotted straight away that not one of the main courses was all vegan. A couple were 'vegan option'. There were a couple of starters that were vegan however, and we had a delicious artichoke in batter. But on the mains even the 'vegan option' choice was sparse. The nicest looking thing on the menu was a mushroom risotto dish. My vegetarian friend's dish came with a tasty creamy sauce around the risotto cake thing, my vegan version didn't. He said that the sauce made the dish. My 'vegan option' dish was under-seasoned and not particularly tasty otherwise - I wouldn't recommend it. When I mentioned this to the waitress she said that's just what happens with the dishes that are vegan. So basically you pay the same price as a vegan (and it's not cheap at The Gate) but get a dish which has just had the non-vegan bits taken out and they don't even attempt to replace them with anything else to compensate for any taste difference! You might be used to this from restaurants that serve mainly meat but The Gate is a well-established veggie place. We didn't bother with the desserts, again hardly any vegan choice. Come on The Gate, other restaurants manage to be a bit more creative and cater properly for vegans, it's not hard.
Read morePros: nice atmosphere
Cons: Vegan options limited., Vegan options underseasoned, Vegan options very underwhelming
Guest
Alyson
Points +793
Smart but more vegan food needed! - Edit
The Gate is a smart place to eat. I was in London for a work meeting so ate here on my own. The place was busy, and quite noisy, but the service was attentive. The vegan choices were quite low in numbers for all three courses, although they were all very tasty. I'm also sure the two vegan options on the main courses were the same ones that had been on there (tangine, tortilla wraps) nearly two years ago when I was last in London and ate here. The vegan desserts were not very inspiring, but their ice cream was definitely home made and was very tasty.
Read moreIn summary, nice, quite epensive so good for a 'celebration', but could do better on the vegan front.
Pros: tasty, friendly staff
Cons: few vegan choices, noisy
Guest
Nickysr
Points +140
So so - Edit
I normally take my American business collegue to Saf but as she had a meeting in Hammersmith I thought I'd give the gate a try.
Read moreIt is a really lovely setting and the menu is great for Vegetarians but was really uninspiringfor vegans - the menu is SO cheese based so there was onlyt two options for me to choose from.
I had the Tagine which was meant to be root veg but all it had in it was Fennel and chickpeas. It was also so spicy it was impossilbe to eat - tagines should be fragrant with cinnamon and spices not just so hot that you cannot taste anything.
The desserts were the usual for vegans - a choice of crumble or apple charlotte, neither of which I fancied so the waitress suggested the 'homemade vegan ice-creams. Lobvely but they arrived and were Swedish Glace ones - not homemade at all.
If I was a veggie I would love this place but as a vegan I can't see myself ever going back as they do not cater for me. It is probably a little churlish to give this review as it is a Vegetarian restaurant and not a Vegan one but I did call before and was told the dishes could be adapted but they can't be as they pretty much all contain cheese as the base ingredient.
Pros: nice setting, good for veggies
Cons: bad for vegans
Guest
GAJ
Points +28
Still as good as ever - Edit
I am pleased to report that our recent visit found food standards in line with our high expectations and we were welcomed as usual by pleasant staff. The Gate is not the cheapest option but it offers a unique and imaginative menu and a good night out. We always go for the mezze as it is too difficult to choose a single starter, and then share two main courses. (We don't like to miss anything).
Read morePros: Excellent food, Pleasant staff
Guest
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