Vogue has dubbed 2026 the year of the cabbage
From the cabbage soup diet in the 90s to the it-veg of the moment, the humble cabbage, like the cauliflower before it, has had quite the glow-up. A big part of its popularity stems from its versatility – you can shred it and eat it raw in a salad, you can roast it, you can steam it, you can ferment it in sauerkraut and kimchi, you get the idea. Not only is cabbage dense enough to stand up to a range of different preparations and cooking methods, it has a mild taste so it can take on bigger, bolder flavours too.
Cabbage also a winner nutritionally; its fibre content makes it great for gut health, it supports healthy cholesterol, it’s rich in antioxidants, and it’s low in calories making it great for volume eating. And because cabbages are grown pretty much year round in Britain, we’re not restricted to one cabbage season a year. Here’s how London’s restaurants are celebrating cabbages.
Calong
Korean restaurant Calong is known for its flavour bombs and this cabbage dish is no different. It’s January king cabbage, tofu & mushroom mandu served with cime di rapa and a gochujang & butter emulsion.
35 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 0NX
Belly
Omar Shah’s Belly has won over fans for its creative blend of Filipino and European flavours, like this braised cabbage toymansai with pickled cabbage, preserved lemon, soy, confit garlic and pear.
157 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8PD
Ixchel
At Ixchel, chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez is doing her take on regional Mexican dishes and her menu includes roasted hispi cabbage on salsa macha, a complex sauce made from peanuts and chipotle, ancho and guajillo chillies.
33H King’s Rd, London SW3 4LX
Tower House
The veg section on the Tower House menu is loaded with big flavours, and that includes the grilled hispi cabbage, which comes with bagna cauda and pangrattato.
11 Bridge St, Richmond TW9 1TQ
Ling Ling’s at Godet
Jenny of Ling Ling’s pulls no punches with her dishes, and that extends to her charred hispi cabbage dish, loaded with pickles and hoisin.
382 Essex Rd, London N1 3PF
Dockley Road
Of course a restaurant run by a top hospo trio is cooking the vegetable of the moment. Here the cabbage is grilled and covered with a yeast dressing.
1 Dockley Road, London, SE16 3AF
