How to save money dining out as a vegan

The cost of living crisis is hitting us all. After years stuck indoors, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to dinners out with friends, or even just the chance to enjoy a meal I haven’t cooked. Like many Londoners, I’m keen to cut down my spending without cutting down on my lifestyle. So I’ve turned to Tastecard. It’s the membership card that offers you discounts when dining out. I was a bit hesitant about signing up because I didn’t think I’d find many vegan options, but they proved me wrong!

This posts is sponsored by Tastecard.

Let’s chat savings

On average, members save around £19 per meal. That adds up to £226.56 a year if you eat out just once a month … which I definitely do! Meals out can be a chance to catch up with loved ones, to enjoy some delicious food, to broaden your diet, or just an act of self-care when taking yourself out on a date.

I thought tastecard offers were just 2 for 1 – which they do have plenty of! But, as someone that enjoys the odd solo-dining experience, I was really happy to see there were lots of places that also offer up 50% discounts. This is great for when you’re taking yourself out or just dining with an odd number at the table!

Discovery

Are you ever looking to try ‘somewhere new’ but don’t know quite where? Living in London I’m often plagued with a surplus of choice when looking to eat somewhere different. It’s not a bad problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. With tastecard, I can search all the participating restaurants in my local area and decide where to try out next. I still have more than enough restaurants to choose from… but a narrowed down selection is very much appreciated.

There’s one local restaurant that I’ve walked past a million times, always thinking it looks lovely, that I saw on the tastecard site. I double checked that they had vegan options (thankfully, yes!) and booked myself a table for one to finally try it out.

Joan Shoreditch

After years of casually wondering what it’d be like to eat here, it was so nice to walk through the doors to discover a gorgeous, cosy restaurant. I made a mental note that this would be a great place to go on date nights – whether to grab a meal or just to enjoy some drinks at the bar. 

I grabbed a table by the window to enjoy my solo dining trip. I was pleased to see a few vegan options on the menu and opted for the cauliflower steak. I made sure to mention my tastecard when ordering – just in case! 

I find too many restaurants these days rely on faux meat for vegan meals, so I really appreciated seeing such a plant-based option on the menu. Priced at £10.50, it cost just £5.25 with my tastecard discount. Such a big difference! I’m a big fan of a tahini-pomegranate combo so this dish really hit the spot for me. It was quite a light meal though, so I’m glad I ordered some pitta on the side. The pitta set me back just £2 with my discount instead of the usual £4.

As a single diner, I saved a total of £7.25 dining with a tastecard – so it’s easy to see how this can add up! Not only did I get to try out a new restaurant, my tastecard also made dining out a lot more affordable – exactly what I was after!

You can sign up for your own tastecard here.