Coventry’s The Pod café has been named as one of the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants to try in 2022 in a guide in The Telegraph.
The café in Far Gosford Street is listed along with top spots in London and across the UK as one of the “best spots around the country to visit if you're looking to make your meals meat-free.”
The Pod, is an award-winning secondary mental health social brokerage and cultural hub that focuses on critical connections and a shift from service user/patient to citizenship and agency.
As well as the café, it runs Time Union and Food Union to bring people and communities together to help and support one another.
It has previously been named by The Guardian newspaper in an article on ‘Best vegan restaurants in the UK: readers’ travel tips’.
The Telegraph’s guide says: “Whether you're looking for purely vegan or vegetarian restaurants or just something meat-free on the menu, these are the spots to visit.
“Where once vegetarians and vegans had to scour cities for decent meat-free restaurants, today they’re everywhere. Dedicated plant-based restaurants are present in even the smallest of towns, while most restaurants no longer simply play lip service to those who don’t eat meat. “
Its listing on The Pod states: “Part of a multi-faceted council-run community space, this vegan café provides one of the most affordable meals around, with the set lunch costing just £8. The plant-based menu changes regularly but expect a lunch to include offerings like roasted cauliflower and black bean curry, pilau rice and salad, followed by cardamom cake. “
Christine Eade, Manager of The Pod, said the accolade had come as a complete surprise.
She said: “We had no idea that they visited to review the café, but that’s even better as it means they experienced exactly the same as any other customer.
“This is a massive accolade if you look at all of the other restaurants that have been recommended – the café is so integral to our work, it is so vibrant and people are walking into a space that is buzzing, busy, diverse and full of conversation.
“The value of the café is it street facing and enables us to create an authentic and deep connect with the city, its entrepreneurs, elders, academics, artists, quiet activists, toddlers, breastfeeding mothers, students and onwards who wouldn’t usually come through a Council front door.
“It has had so many loves and shares on our Facebook and Instagram pages and some amazing comments. It's heartwarming and the café team work so hard it's absolutely well deserved."
To see more on the Telegraph guide, visit the website or learn more about The Pod and see menus.
Opening times for the café are: 12noon - 3pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There are also monthly Sunday dinners and themed supper clubs.