We visited today, the decor is lovely and it was buzzing with lots of parents and small kids so the prospect was good. Unfortunately though service was very slow (a couple who came after us walked out, I resolved our wait by going to the counter to order). Not the waitress's fault, she was trying to wait tables and make drinks and take take away orders. More staff appeared as it got nearer lunchtime but I still ended up going to the counter to order desserts (and no hint of an apology that this had become necessary). However, the room is very crowded and with take away customers at the counter too it was hard to see what was on offer and we ended up with the wrong thing because we had not seen there were two kinds of cake (cupcakes on a conveyor belt and gateau).

The soup of the day was tasty as were the chips that the kids ordered, but overall we were disappointed that this did not live up to our hopes. Almost everything on the menu was a meat (or cheese) substitute meal, presumably aiming at the non-vegan market but it would have been great to have some vegetable and bean based mains and starters. The kids quite liked the gateau (despite it not being a cupcake) but it had a very sweet and margariney topping which I was not over impressed by and the cake though light was not very chocolatey. The soya milk hot chocolate was really watery and my daughter could not drink it. A shame as soya milk can be easily frothed and should be creamy in texture. Two soups, two chips, two garlic breads, two cakes and drinks came to nearly £35 which we thought was quite expensive. My husband felt a tip was not warranted.

My recommendations to the restaurant would be to offer counter service rather than attempt table service. Especially when it is busy. I would ask for more recipes that celebrate vegan cooking rather than emulating fast food culture.

Not sure if we will bother going back, the meal we had in an italian restaurant in the same trip was cheaper and less problematic.

Reviewer Georgy H has written no other reviews

Visited this place twice within 24 hours. My hot dog was really big and served in a brown bread roll with loads of onions. My Hawaiian burger with pineapple and avocado the following day was great, too. I intended to have cake but could only just manage the Scooby-Do sized burger!

The place was packed with families and we got the last two seats in the place. We had to wait ages to get served, but once we had ordered the food came really quickly.

My one gripe is the drinks, which were overpriced and uninspiring. Why charge £1.50 for a 250ml carton of chocolate Alpro, when they could make real milkshakes in a blender with soya milk, Swedish Glace ice cream and chocolate syrup and charge twice that? Why sell concentrated orange juice when they could sell fresh pressed juice? I stuck to tea.

Reviewer Sharon B (Nottinghamshire) has written 16 reviews

Visited for the second time, on this occasion with a meat-eating work colleague. My colleague had the "chicken" curry and was very impressed. I had the sausage and mash, which was very good - ten times better than that I had at The George a year ago or so.

On my previous visit in August my partner and I both tried the food. It is largely based on Redwood's products but there are several choices that are not.

The surroundings are clean and bright and the staff very friendly, helpful and efficient.

Prices are reasonable and Viva! members get a 10% discount.

Reviewer Kevin E has written no other reviews

On a cold and rainy night in November, only managed to find the place once we had driven past it, turned around and then finally saw the lights on the top! (these are only on the Hove side of the building so you would never know where it was from Brighton side in the dark). Parked on street and then had to wander about somewhat to find the way in as nothing lit up or signed.

More a cafe than anything else, probably better suited for grabbing a bite to eat rather than a nice meal. Very brightly lit (inside!) but not much heating for a cold evening. Took two non vegans with us and they liked the choices and even our meat loving mate, liked the "chicken" skewers....sausage and mash nothing special, tacos fab and the cake and ice cream. Mainly meat substitutes rather than beans/pulses type food. Quite expensive for what you get, £90 for 4 of us. Probably wouldn't go back, prefer Food for Friends. Or go to The Cock at Ringmer, fab food for everyone meat/fish/veggie/vegan and nice proper old pub with log fire for winter!

Reviewer mel r has written no other reviews

We went here for a quick bite after the Hove cruelty-free fair and it was quite busy both inside and out, which was great to see. We managed to bag a table outside in the sun. I had the 'fish' burger and my friend had the cheese and bacon burger. They were OK, basically tasted like Redwoods burgers that you make at home, which I guess is what they are. The fries were a bit disappointing, not crispy enough. We also ordered a side of coleslaw, which was really good.

To finish, we had a Mrs Whippy, which I have to say was very disappointing. Very watery tasting and not creamy at all. If you want to have ice cream, I would stick to the scooped ice cream (Swedish Glace?), which was going down well with the people around us.

The conveyor belt of cupcakes and the cake selection inside looked amazing, but we didn't have any room to try them.

We've heard great things from other people regarding the salads on the mezze plate, as well as the tacos.

We'll give it another try when we're in the area again. So pleased that there is an all-vegan restaurant that is doing so well, just wish that we had been blown away by the food!

Reviewer Carole B has written 5 reviews

This is Heather Mills' new project - an all-vegan cafe / restaurant at Hove Lagoon. It opened on 4 July. If it's a success, she hopes to open other branches.

The existence of this place is obviously brilliant news for vegans in the south. (Indeed I believe it's the only all-vegan restaurant in England outside London, apart from Bournemouth's Wessex Tales.)

It's very easy to find, and there's plenty of on-street parking close by.

Much thought and trouble has gone into the layout and the look of the place, which is bright and modern. There are a few tables, but most of the seating is of the "at the bar" type. The atmosphere is cheerful and animated, with masses of pleasant, young and rather disorganised staff. It was very busy when we were there (Sunday lunchtime).

And the food? My beef-style roast was pretty good, with nice crisp roast potatoes and vegetables. My guest's dish of vegan bangers and mash was a bit tasteless (I had a mouthful too, and agreed) - so the holy grail of a truly superb vegetarian / vegan sausage remains elusive... Afterwards we each had a slice of excellent vegan cake.

I think that VBites will be a success - I certainly hope so. It is great news to have an all-vegan eatery in this convenient location for those who live near the Sussex coast.

Reviewer Southern V (Hampshire) has written 32 reviews