Wildebeest: 2013 -2017
We will miss you

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From 2013 till it closed in May 2017, Wildebeest offered its tasty and visually beautiful vegan food to delighted customers. This was the restaurant's website during those years.
Content is from the site's 2013 -2017 archived pages as well as from other outside sources.
The new owners of the domain want to give tribute to these two wonderful people by keeping the memory of Wildebeest alive. Thank you Rose & Josh for sharing your cooking with all of us.

Wildebeest is permanently closed to the dismay of its many satisfied, but now sad customers.

Wildebeest
13 Arwenack St,
Falmouth TR11 3JD
United Kingdom

About

Wildebeest was founded at the end of 2013 by Josh and Rose (that’s us!), with the aim to celebrate vegan cuisine and provide a welcoming place to eat and drink. Our story started in Brighton, where we met in 2008 and promptly decided to travel and work together abroad. After spending some time in Australia, Bali and France, we returned to Brighton and set up a vegan sushi company, Yumtum Sushi. The response was astounding, from both vegans and non-vegans, and so we thought; ‘Why not expand and open a vegan café?’ We both had strong links with Cornwall, a love of being near the sea, and the desire for a more relaxed lifestyle, so Falmouth is where we’ve ended up.

We are strongly influenced by culinary styles and flavours from all over the globe, particularly Japan and Mexico, so we enjoy creating menus that are diverse and exciting. We like to experiment with different ingredients, flavour combinations and cooking techniques, using fresh produce which is often local and organic. A keen interest in vegan baking and desserts also means we offer delicious sweet treats, with homemade raw cheesecakes, fudgy brownies and creamy ice creams all making regular appearances on the menu.

Sustainability and environmental awareness are incredibly important to us (just some of the main reasons we choose to be vegan), and so we always endeavour to do our bit for the planet. We try to compost lots of our food waste and recycle everything we possibly can, plus we use biodegradable food packaging and eco-friendly cleaning products. We also use carbon-neutral webhosting, and try to minimise our carbon footprint by using a number of local suppliers.

The café itself is a relaxed, informal space, perfect for spending time with friends and enjoying a delicious meal. We’re open four evenings a week (see opening hours for info) and we welcome bookings via telephone or email. We hope to see you soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Wildebeest, a 100% vegan restaurant situated in the bustling harbour town of Falmouth, Cornwall. You’ll find a warm and friendly environment, an exciting menu using the freshest ingredients, delicious drinks and sweet treats. Our vibrant, diverse dishes draw inspiration from around the world – we want to share the food and drink that we love, so at Wildebeest you can enjoy everything from noodle soups and quesadillas to ice cream and cocktails. Everything we serve is vegan, but our aim is to delight herbivores and carnivores alike!

Opening Hours
WINTER OPENING HOURS!
(Food served 5.30-9pm)
Mon 5 - 11pm
Tues CLOSED
Weds CLOSED
Thu 5 – 11pm
Fri 5 - 11pm
Sat 5 - 11pm
Sun CLOSED

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Menu

 

At Wildebeest, we prefer to focus on quality rather than quantity… So our menu is small but it changes regularly, written on the cafe’s blackboard every day. All of our food is suitable for vegans and we always try to offer several gluten-free options, however if you have any other dietary requirements please let us know.

Food served 5.30-9pm

 

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SOME POSTS from 2013 - 2017

Month: May 2017

**We are now officially closed!** /h3>

Posted on May 8, 2017 by rosec
For those who don’t know, we’ve been up for sale for a while following the arrival of our daughter, and we’re now finally in the process of selling the premises… We’ve had an emotional, jam-packed last few weeks, thank you so much everyone who came to dine with us one last time, and for all the hugs and kind words! We’re ending on an absolute high, it’s been such a pleasure cooking for you all for the last three and a bit years, but the time has come to move on to the next chapter! We’ve met so many wonderful, positive people since opening, and the way our vegan food has been so wholeheartedly embraced in Falmouth has made all the hard work so worthwhile. We look forward to seeing you all around, lots of love and thank you for being such lovely customers!

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Month: January 2017

Take a peek at our new menu…

Posted onJanuary 27, 2017by rosec
At Wildebeest, we prefer to focus on quality rather than quantity… So our menu is small but it changes regularly, written on the cafe’s blackboard every day. All of our food is suitable for vegans and we always try to offer several gluten-free options, however if you have any other dietary requirements please let us know.

Food served 5.30-9pm

Sample dishes

Soup

• Leek and butterbean with toasted hazelnuts, chives and homemade bread – £4.95

Starters

• Hoisin seitan cucumber rolls – £4.95
• Roast garlic houmous with homemade dukkah-coated bread and mixed leaves – £4.95
• Vietnamese sweet potato and smoked tofu rice paper rolls with peanut sauce and nuoc cham (GF on request) – £4.95
• Miso soup and seaweed salad (GF) – £4.20 

Mains

• Raw Pad Thai with toasted peanuts, pea tendrils, a tamarind dressing and lime (GF) – £8.95
• Homemade gnocchi with glazed fennel, beetroot two ways, tarragon, toasted walnuts, almond cream, griddled baby gem and lemon dressing – £10.25
• Butternut squash laksa with flat rice noodles, shitake mushrooms, tofu and micro herbs (GF) – £9.95
• Mex Mix – salsa, guacamole, refried beans, cashew cheese, corn-on-the-cob and handmade tortillas (GF) – £10.50

Sweet treats

• Lemon and blueberry raw cheesecake with coconut whipped cream (GF) – £4.95
• Warm chocolate and almond brownie with an almond butter drizzle, Cornish sea salt and soya cream – £4.50
• Chocolate espresso torte with toasted hazelnuts, fresh raspberries, cacao nibs and coconut whipped cream – £4.75

Ice creams and sorbets (GF)

• Peanut butter and chocolate fudge swirl
  Matcha green tea
• Pear and cardamom 
• BBQ pineapple and black pepper
• Lucuma
• All £2.00 per scoop

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Month: November 2016

Lovely review!

Posted on November 7, 2016 by rosec
Thanks very much to Hef’s Kitchen for an excellent review, check it out here! We’re loving the snaps, all credit goes to Heather of Hef’s Kitchen for this great shot of our ‘Smoked Tofu and Avocado Quinoa Sushi with Soy Sauce, Pickled Ginger and Wasabi

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Month: August 2016

Nomination for ‘Best Vegan Restaurant’ in the VegfestUK Awards 2016!

Posted on August 1, 2016 by rosec
We’re so excited to announce that for the third year running we’ve been nominated ‘Best Vegan Restaurant’ in the VegfestUK Awards! www.vegfest.co.ukIt’s always gonna be tough for us to compete with them big ol’ city folk in terms of votes, but if you’d like to support us just go to http://london.vegfest.co.uk/vote Thank you!x

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Month: January 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by rosec
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, we certainly did. So many vegan treats enjoyed, we definitely over-indulged! A few of the things we prepared to enjoy over the festive period included: raw raspberry cheesecake (so tasty, devoured by all the non-vegans in the family!), seriously chocolatey brownies, three new flavours of raw crackers, four different types of cookies(!), a hazelnut and chestnut roast… Wheew, time to get back on the salads perhaps.
We spent the very last day of 2013 sanding the café bathrooms and painting doors black, then enjoyed NYE at The Front pub in Falmouth – hopefully next year we’ll be able to hold celebrations in Wildebeest! 2014 is going to be a big year for us, hopefully a very good and prosperous one, so we are eager to get the doors open! We were straight back in the café this morning (no rest for the wicked), so things are progressing fairly quickly. We’ve decided we’re going to do some decoupage in the Wildebeest bathrooms, which should be fun. Better get raiding the Falmouth charity shops for some cool old books and magazines…
Anyway, more news soon hopefully. What we’d really, really like is for Wildebeest to be open by the end of January - so it’s back to work we go!

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Month: November 2013

Welcome to Wildebeest!

Posted on November 20, 2013 by rosec
We will be holding monthly sushi and other themed nights at Wildebeest, which will be available for pre-booking. We’ll announce these events here, in the cafe and on our social media sites, so watch this space!

 

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More Background On WildebeestCafe.com

 

WildebeestCafe.com functions today as a preserved digital record of Wildebeest, a fully vegan café and restaurant that operated in the harbour town of Falmouth, Cornwall from late 2013 until its closure in May 2017. While the physical restaurant no longer exists, the website remains active as an archival and commemorative space, capturing the philosophy, menus, atmosphere, and community significance of a business that left a lasting impression on Cornwall’s food culture.

Rather than being repurposed into an unrelated commercial site, WildebeestCafe.com has been maintained as a tribute. Its current form reflects a conscious effort by later domain custodians to preserve the memory of the café and the work of its founders. This positions the site not as a marketing platform, but as a cultural archive—one that documents a specific moment in the rise of regional vegan dining in the UK.

Founders and Ownership

Wildebeest was founded by Rose and Josh, a creative and entrepreneurial couple with backgrounds in plant-based cooking, travel, and small-scale food ventures. Before opening the café, the pair had already built experience running a vegan sushi operation, which gained popularity for introducing globally inspired vegan cuisine to mixed audiences of vegans and non-vegans alike.

Their decision to open Wildebeest in Falmouth was shaped by multiple factors: personal connections to Cornwall, a desire for a slower coastal lifestyle, and the opportunity to bring inventive vegan food to a town that, at the time, had limited fully vegan dining options. Ownership remained independent throughout the café’s lifespan, with Rose and Josh deeply involved in every aspect of the business—from menu development and cooking to sustainability decisions and customer engagement.

Location and Setting

The café was located at 13 Arwenack Street, Falmouth, a central area close to the town’s busy harbour and waterfront. This placed Wildebeest within walking distance of ferry terminals, galleries, independent shops, and the town’s university population, giving it access to both locals and visitors.

Falmouth itself is known for its maritime heritage, creative communities, and seasonal tourism. Wildebeest benefited from this context, becoming a popular destination for students, artists, environmentally conscious diners, and tourists seeking high-quality plant-based food. The café’s modest size and intimate interior further contributed to its reputation as a place worth seeking out rather than stumbling upon by chance.

Culinary Philosophy and Goals

At its core, Wildebeest aimed to celebrate vegan cuisine without compromise. The founders were explicit about wanting their food to appeal not only to vegans, but also to curious omnivores. Their menus emphasized flavour, texture, presentation, and global inspiration rather than relying on substitutes or novelty.

The café’s guiding goals included:

• Demonstrating that vegan food could be indulgent, satisfying, and visually refined

• Using fresh, often local and organic ingredients

• Drawing inspiration from international cuisines, particularly Japanese, Mexican, and Southeast Asian traditions

• Minimizing environmental impact through composting, recycling, and eco-friendly operations

These values were consistently reflected in both the food and the messaging on WildebeestCafe.com, reinforcing the idea that veganism was not just a diet, but a broader ethical and creative practice.

Menu Structure and Notable Dishes

Wildebeest was known for maintaining a small, frequently changing menu, typically written daily on a blackboard inside the café. This approach allowed the kitchen to respond to seasonal availability, experiment with new techniques, and maintain high standards without overextending resources.

Menus generally included:

• Soups and light starters

• Small plates influenced by Asian and Latin American cuisines

• Substantial mains featuring vegetables, grains, tofu, and house-made sauces

• A strong selection of raw and baked desserts

• House-made vegan ice creams and sorbets

Particularly memorable dishes included raw pad Thai variations, butternut squash laksa, handmade gnocchi with seasonal vegetables, sushi-inspired plates, and inventive desserts such as raw cheesecakes, chocolate espresso tortes, and nut-based ice creams.

Drinks menus featured organic wines, local beers and ciders, cocktails made with organic spirits, specialty teas, and coffee served exclusively with plant-based milks.

Sustainability and Environmental Practices

Sustainability was not treated as a branding exercise, but as a practical commitment. Wildebeest made ongoing efforts to reduce waste, compost food scraps, recycle materials, and use biodegradable packaging. Cleaning products and operational choices reflected environmental awareness, and suppliers were often chosen locally to reduce transport emissions.

Even the website itself was hosted using carbon-neutral services, underscoring how deeply integrated these values were into the business. For many customers, this alignment between food, ethics, and operations was a defining feature of the café.

Popularity and Audience

Despite its relatively short lifespan, Wildebeest developed a strong and loyal following. Seating was limited, and advance bookings were often recommended—an indicator of its popularity. The café attracted a diverse audience including:

• Local residents

• University students

• Visitors to Cornwall seeking vegan or ethical dining

• Non-vegans curious about plant-based food

Reviews consistently noted that Wildebeest appealed equally to vegans and meat-eaters, a rare distinction that contributed to its reputation as one of Cornwall’s standout restaurants regardless of dietary focus.

Reviews and Public Reception

Customer reviews frequently praised:

• Inventive and globally inspired menus

• High standards of presentation

• Friendly, informal atmosphere

• Thoughtful accommodation of dietary needs

Some critiques focused on limited seating or the necessity of booking ahead, but these were often framed as byproducts of the café’s popularity rather than failures in execution. Overall, Wildebeest was widely regarded as one of the best vegan—and in many cases one of the best overall—restaurants in the region during its years of operation.

Awards and Recognition

Wildebeest received multiple nominations for Best Vegan Restaurant in national vegan awards during its operation. While competing with larger urban establishments, the café’s repeated nominations reflected its growing reputation beyond Cornwall and highlighted its influence within the UK vegan dining scene.

Press and Media Coverage

Food bloggers, independent reviewers, and vegan lifestyle publications regularly featured Wildebeest during its operation. Coverage emphasized the café’s creativity, ethical approach, and ability to elevate vegan food beyond stereotypes. Photography of its dishes circulated widely on social platforms, contributing to its reputation as a destination restaurant despite its small size.

Community and Cultural Significance

Beyond food, Wildebeest functioned as a social and cultural hub. The café hosted themed food nights, collaborated with local creatives, and fostered a welcoming environment that resonated with Falmouth’s artistic and student communities.

Its closure in 2017 prompted an outpouring of affection from customers, many of whom expressed how meaningful the café had been to their experience of the town. The emotional tone of farewell messages preserved on WildebeestCafe.com underscores how deeply embedded the restaurant had become in local life.

Closure and Legacy

Wildebeest closed in May 2017 following the founders’ decision to sell the business after the birth of their child. Rather than fading quietly, the closure was marked by a final week of packed services and heartfelt goodbyes, reinforcing the strength of the café’s relationship with its customers.

The website now serves as a digital memorial, preserving menus, blog posts, announcements, and reflections from the café’s years of operation. In doing so, WildebeestCafe.com contributes to a broader understanding of early independent vegan dining outside major metropolitan centers.

Why WildebeestCafe.com Still Matters

Today, WildebeestCafe.com is valuable not only to former customers, but also to:

• Researchers studying the evolution of vegan food culture

• Entrepreneurs interested in sustainable hospitality models

• Archivists documenting early independent restaurant websites

• Communities seeking examples of ethical, small-scale food businesses

Its continued existence demonstrates how websites can function as long-term cultural records rather than disposable marketing tools.

 

WildebeestCafe.com stands as a thoughtful and well-maintained archive of a café that helped shape Cornwall’s contemporary food scene. Through its documentation of menus, philosophy, and community engagement, the site preserves the legacy of a restaurant that proved vegan food could be adventurous, inclusive, and deeply rooted in place.

Though Wildebeest itself is permanently closed, its story—captured and sustained through its website—continues to inspire and inform long after the last plate was served.

 

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