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Miranda Café

Longing for a thoughtful plant-based café in North London? How does a slice of spectacular house-made vegan cake or a Spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate sound? Then head to Miranda Café in North London.

Their innovative menu has an international twist which takes inspiration from all over the world. It offers plant-based dishes with hints of Latin America to the Caribbean and Korea.

The location

Miranda Café is in Crouch End on the buzzing High Street. It’s just a short bus ride away from Highgate Tube Station (on the Northern Line).

The space

The Café provides a peaceful sanctuary from the busy street outside. The large double doors are left open, creating a sense of spaciousness with bright natural light streaming through. The room is packed with vintage furniture. There’s a green velvet couch, decorative mirrors and rustic-looking chairs, wooden floor boards and sand-blasted brick walls.

The table service is quick and the staff are exceptionally accommodating to any allergies so do ask!

The abundance of plant pots creates a cosy vibe whether chatting to friends or working on a laptop using their WiFi.

The crowd

Run by a Venezuelan couple, it comes as no surprise that the menu includes plenty of South American inspiration and it also explains the international influences across the menu. Expect to find an eclectic mix of locals of all ages, including parents with children and dogs too. We went in the late afternoon, so it was not a particularly busy time but ideal if you want to avoid the crowd!

The fresh juice test

We ordered a freshly squeezed Beta Blast juice (carrot, orange juice and ginger).

We were tempted by all the smoothies too – from the deep green smoothie that screams “health”, to the vegan Oreo vanilla milkshake!

Plus, we couldn’t ignore the choice of nine colourful lattes. It was difficult to choose between the Golden Almond Latte or Beetroot Oat Latte. Eventually, we settled for the Açai Peanut Butter Purple Latte, which was the most mouth-watering treat.

What we ate

There’s a wide variety of dishes from different regions, such as the Latin American Breakfast with cornbread ‘arepas’.

Each individual plate is bursting with colours and flavours and most options can be made vegan and gluten-free.

We ordered the vegan shakshuka, which consisted of “eggs” in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce, served with toasted organic sourdough bread, along with a side of Mexican guacamole and organic tortilla chips. We also got the BBQ Jackfruit Burger and the Caribbean Dish with coconut rice, black beans and grilled plantains. It had the most delightful medley of tastes and textures.

For dessert, there are plenty of beautiful plant-based cakes to choose from, such as Lemon Poppyseed, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Oreo cake. We were happily full by the end of our meal, but the lovely staff insisted we take home a large slice of Apple and Cinnamon Cake. I polished it off that evening and it was wonderfully flavoursome.

The little things that make the difference

The plant pots each have a name written on them from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, such as Prospero and Ariel, and presumably Miranda herself features too!

The bill

Caribbean Dish  £10.45
Shakshuka  £9.25
Açai Purple latte  £3.95
Beta Blast juice  £3.95
Guacamole and chips  £5.25