Vegan Vend took a trip to London!
Ready Burger is a fast food, plant-based burger take-away located in Crouch End (with another soon to open on Finchley Road and more locations in the future). As far as I'm aware this is a new place, it actually came to my attention on Instagram and I got super excited about it! I very rarely go to places like McDonalds - 1. because the vegan options are sparse and uninspiring and 2. something doesn't feel right about putting money into them. In saying that, there was (I thought) nowhere else as easy, quick and cheap, which is what makes the fast food chains so popular. So seeing Ready Burger on social media really excited me as I've always thought before that we're in need of a fully plant-based fast food takeaway.
When we had decided to head up to London for a night, we had to put Ready Burger on our list of places to go. Crouch End is not somewhere I've gone to before, but a few friends have recently moved there so it actually worked out really well - it was fairly far from where we arrived into London, but it was well worth it to try the burgers and see my best friend.
We met my friends there and upon arrival, you would never really know it was a fully plant-based eatery (apart from if you noticed in the corner of the menu where it says 'Shhh.. We are 100% plant-based'). We thought this was great as it may appeal to more meat-eaters if they don't know - we were sure that people wouldn't really tell the difference. We had a look at the menu and found it difficult to choose! But that feeling of having choice and wanting to try everything was amazing. As a vegan it's so easy to get used to having one or two options in some places, so going to an all-vegan place is the best thing! There wasn't any seating at Ready Burger so we ordered and then we headed back to our friends to eat.
We ordered a Cheeseburger, Texas Stacker burger, Crispy Fillets and fries. And wow! I for one was impressed. The burgers were better than those that you'd get from the usual fast food places - they tasted extremely similar, but without it being meat, which in my eyes makes them instantly more tasty! They make their own patties so won't be something you've had before. The Cheeseburger was simple yet satisfying. The Texas stacker was amazing - it tasted just like the one you'd get from Burger King (so I'm told). The fries were really tasty and well-flavoured. The only thing that I personally wouldn't get again was the crispy fillets - I found them fairly bland, but the others really enjoyed them so I would say give them a go for sure!
-Side note: Our two friends are meat eaters and really enjoyed the food - definitely got the thumbs up from them, which is good news. It made me think... Imagine if all fast food places were fully plant-based.. how amazing would that be *dreams of a meat free restaurant/takeaway world*. But this will do for the moment as possibly a step in the right direction. On their website it says 'All our food is made to the highest standards with a focus on sustainability' and then goes on to mention 'A plant based burger emits 92% less greenhouse gas emissions, requires 70% less water and 93% less land than a beef burger'. If people were given the choice, I'd like to think they would choose the vegan option, with similar pricing and no compromise on taste... To me it's a no-brainer!
(I must apologise for the poor photos in this post.. we were so hungry and just wanted to eat so I didn't have time to arrange everything properly for a pretty picture!)
If you're wondering specifically about price, which I've mentioned is good above - for 4 of us it cost £25 and it was a good amount of food (a couple of drinks in our order too). Also, I have to mention - they do 'Swirlee' ice-cream too, but we didn't try unfortunately - next time!
To round it up - we will definitely be back. If you're looking for an easy, cheap and tasty meal (or a vegan/more planet-friendly replacement for one of the big fast-food places) then be sure to give Ready Burger a visit. I certainly wish we had one in Bristol - hopefully one day...