Ethos, W1W 8DX
- 020 3581 1538
- 48 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8DX (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- ethosfoods.com
- 8am-10pm Mon-Fri; 11:30am-10pm Sat; noon-10pm Sun
A self-service vegetarian cafe and restaurant just off Oxford Street in Fitzrovia.
Inside there's a pared-back aesthetic, with one half of the open space (broken up by potted trees) dedicated to seating, and the other to displaying the self-service buffet selection of vegetarian food. Those eating in have table service and may pay at the end of their meal. It can get quite busy for eating in at peak times (and reservations can be taken), but there's plenty of space around the food when selecting it.
Plates and takeaway boxes are taken from a stack first, and may be filled with any combination of food, which is largely displayed in three general areas (cold food and salads, hot food, and desserts). Food is clearly labelled and marked where it is vegan or gluten-free (with further detail about the ingredients and allergens on the reverse of these card labels).
Note that prices are by weight (£2.50/100g for eating in, and £2.10/100g for takeaway), and are weighed after selection, so it's very easy to spend well over £10 on a plate/box even without drinks. The drinks selection runs to both alcoholic and soft beverages.
Hot food is served from 8am (breakfast), from 11:30am-3pm (lunch) and from 5:30pm (dinner). At all other times during their opening hours, they have a selection of cold food and sweets available.
Ewan's verdict: The food is all clearly displayed and marked up, so there's relatively little stress in choosing it (though be cautious about the price), but in my experience the quality of all the food has always been very good. As I work nearby, I like to venture here every so often, and shall continue to do so.
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