The Cowley Club - Brighton

We've been to a few events here they have fund raising all day breakfasts for the local hunt sab group, etc. Always vegan. Volunteer run, very good value (e.g. all day breakfast for a fiver). Make sure you go when you're relaxed as service isn't often very quick bear in mind that it's dependent on groups of volunteers. Nice to support a community hub doing so much for local folk in food poverty, people learning English etc.

The Cowley was my local for a number of years, and is a beautiful anarchist project, where the space is volunteer run and there are no bosses. Everyone has equal say over how the place is run. The food changes from day to day: it depends what the volunteers want to cook! This space is not just a cafe it's also a bookshop, and there's often a political library open out the back. In the evenings the cafe turns into a bar or an event space. The Cowley is a good place to meet activists and to find out about local campaigns. The best thing about this place is that it's accessible for local people who might not have much money. As Brighton becomes more gentrified, there's a lot of poorer people who just can't afford the new cafes that are popping up around London Road. The Cowley ensures that everyone can eat. Updated from previous review on 2018 01 01

The Cowley Club was born out of the ethos of a desire for social change and that everyone's needs should be met as well as no animals should be killed or suffer so it is no surprise that the food is vegan, delicious, generous proportions and at a price that all can afford. What is served changes with whomever is working in the kitchen. So one day, you might get a central European soup and another day a Middle Eastern dish. The food is the real deal national dishes and sometimes fusions. When you enter the Cowley Club, you are entering an exciting microcosm and it would be fair to say that everybody that works down the Cowley is a colourful individual. There is a wall covered in alternative literature books including many on vegetarianism and veganism and recipe books. People tend to loiter for hours eating, browsing the books and making small and big talk. Children are welcome. The Cowley Club is almost totally unique in the UK and the nearest you probably get to it is the retro bars and restaurants of Budapest. It is a community centre in the purest of the sense and in the nights, punk bands play and right royal ruckus occurs so don't be surprised if the Cowley looks a bit ragged and rugged around the edges in the daylight. Well, actually, tons of stuff happens down the Cowley day and night so when you are tucking into your grub ask for a leaflet for what's going on. Karola is one of the main characters down the Cowley and she is usually to be found in the kitchen cooking up monumental quantities of food when she is not running free bicycle repair workshops and vegan cookery classes. For those that like their caffeine, CC has Fritz Cola which as a friend described is one of blackest colas on the market with the highest EU guidelines legally permitted caffeine levels in it (don't give it to the kids : . If you want adventure, good food and a chance to experience the Brighton underworld then come down the Cowley. If you want a bland commercialised food venue then the Cowley Club is not the place to come.

I went here alone for christmas Dinner. Met some nice friendly people and got a big plate of yummy food. Was lovely to have somewhere to go, know it was all vegan and was a refreshing change not to feel like odd one out for eating vegan. Great value.

The Cowley Club is a great little place on London Road in Brighton both the bar and café is 100% vegan and money often goes to support campaigns like Sea Shepherd and Hunt Saboteurs. The café is open Wed Fri 12pm 6pm Thursday evening meals (alcohol on sale too from 7pm Sunday roasts often check listings on website [hidden link] to see if there's one on Great value for money! Where else in Brighton can you get a cup of tea for 60p, vegan beer for £3 and a meal for less than a fiver! I highly recommend going down and supporting this place run entirely by volunteers! Also the bar is open most nights from around 7pm, and all alcohol is vegan, again check listings on [hidden link] to see what's on :