Yes, talk of weed still evokes images of teenage boys, heady with ‘the munchies’ and in a fit of giggles, but move away from the broader understanding of the substance and you’ll hit the coolest new ingredient infiltrating everything from beauty staples to vegan menus. 

Cannabidiol – or CBD – is a non-psychoactive (and therefore legal) derivative of the cannabis plant, and over the last year it’s been appearing everything from wine to beauty products. It’s benefits are said to be tenfold. Although using CBD in oil form won’t get you high, it is said to reduce anxiety and can reduce physical inflammation - find out more about what it actually does to your body here. 

But the latest craze around CBD? The experimental food scene. That’s right, instead of hitting a new speakeasy bar, trying vegan afternoon tea or sniffing out a katsu sando, the next big dining-out trend revolves around food and drinks infused with cannabidiol.

There’s a range of restaurants in London where you can buy or try CBD food and drinks that promise to either ever-so-slightly relax you or provide you with an earthy flavour experience for your taste buds. 

So if you fancy giving CBD-infused food and drinks a try, head to one of the restaurants below and follow our tips on what to order. 

Mortimer House Kitchen

For those who love a health trend, the centrally-located Mortimer House Kitchen is a must-visit. This majestic six-floor Art Deco building in Fitzrovia is not only a restaurant, serving up fresh, superfood-focused dishes but also a wellness centre with its very own gym. 

The vibe is very much concentrated on unwinding and nourishing both the mind and body, founded upon a philosophy of providing holistic balance in work and life. Stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner and enjoy delights like a bowl of coconut, goji berries, popped quinoa and flax seeds or spinach shakshuka and hen egg with rustic bread. And to get your CBD fix, check out the coffee menu and take your pick, simply adding a shot CBD turmeric oil to any coffee for £1.

Where: 37–41 Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3JH

Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals 

Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals in Fitzrovia has created a quirky CBD cocktail, which comes served in a vintage smoking vessel. The Botanist’s High may be infused with CBD oil, but it does not provide a true high or act as a psychoactive of course, but rather helps guests relax, unwind and enjoy the beautiful urban oasis they are sitting in.

It’s only available from the leafy upstairs bar, and consists of CBD Oil washed Alipus San Juan mezcal, Chartreuse green herbal liqueur, Acqua di Cedro liqueur, lime, sugar and fresh tarragon, priced at £14.

Where: Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals, 48 Newman St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1QQ

Glow Bar

Glow Bar is a one-stop-shop in wellness for the mind and body, created by women for women who need a way out from the stress of life in 2019. Focusing on holistic stress management remedies researched by the company’s founder Sasha Sabapathy, (a brand planner turned chef who has spent her life between Malaysia, London and New York), Glow Bar offers a shoppable selection of carefully curated wellness products such as superherbs and powders that have a range of benefits, like easing anxiety or nourishing hair and skin. 

There’s also a state-of-the-art infrared sauna, offering women a calming haven in the center of the city, and promotes sweating as a means of healing for the body, skin and mind. But what we’re most interested in is the dreamy cafe (as seen in this article’s main image), which ticks all of our pastel pink boxes and sells healthy, nutritious food. 

The Glow Bar team describe the menu as being “full of mood boosting, gut friendly and skin soothing ingredients” – one of which is the Golden Moon Milk, which contains Wunder Workshop Golden Mylk and CBD. They also sell CBD croissants and truffles by Mr Prempys and Organic Livity in the cafe, and you can add a CBD spike to any drink for £1.50. Watch this space for Glow Bar’s first branded CBD edible chocolates that you will be able to buy in a months supply, which is coming soon. 

Where: Glow Bar, 70 Mortimer Street, London, W1W 7RY

Behind This Wall

This dimly lit basement bar in Hackney is run by a group of pals and offers a relaxed, effortlessly cool vibe. The drinks menu reads a bit like a year nine science textbook, with strings of experimental ingredients interspersed with home-made mixers, all of which change seasonally.

Try out the Fo’Sizzle Dizzle Swizzle, which mixes their honey and ginger CBD syrup with spiced rum with sake, lime, bitters and kenaf leaf for £9.

Where: Behind This Wall, Basement, 411 Mare Street, East London, E8 1HY

Farmacy Kitchen 

Farmacy Kitchen in Notting Hill is a vision of all things green and leafy, a theme which transcends into its afternoon tea menu. 

Presented on a three tier stand, decorated with foliage, their plant-based high tea is free from dairy, refined sugars, additives and chemicals. Instead, it serves up a plethora of CBD infused treats, like a a CBD infused cocktail. followed by a selection of delicious tea-time sweet and savoury treats, including CBD home-made infused chocolates and a pot of hemp leaf tea.

You can head along for the high tea for £42 per person, on Friday, Saturday or Sunday from 3:30pm to 5pm, but booking is essential. 

Where: Farmacy Kitchen, 74 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5SH

Kalifornia Kitchen

Kalifornia Kitchen is dedicated to serving up only the freshest, eco-friendly menus using ingredients that promise to nourish you and are good for the planet. 

The pink-hued store in Fitzrovia has plenty of deliciousness on its menu, including homemade pink croissants, buckwheat and banana pancakes and rainbow bowls, but we’re most interested in the drinks options which include a CBD latte. 

Where: Kalifornia Kitchen, 19 Percy Street, London, W1T 1BZ

Maison Bab

This swanky kebab restaurant in Covent Garden likes to do things a little differently. Instead of serving up the usual grease-laced wraps that you might find yourself hankering after at the end of a night out, Maison Bab’s menu offers an array of rustic kebabs made with homemade ingredients - and its decor is unlike most you’ll find near a dingy club either. 

But it’s the cocktail menu we’ve particularly got our eye on this time, and most specifically, the Gin & Chronic. A potent mix of CBD oil, Bombay Sapphire and lemon, the restaurant describes it as sour to start, sweet and slightly bitter with a herbaceous finish.

Where: Maison Bab, 4 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9FA

Indiebeer

This informal Islington bar is a playground for those with a penchant for specialty beers. Open until 9pm most nights, this spot prides itself on selling beers from only independently owned and managed breweries, so it makes sense that it’s the place to get your hands on something a little different. 

One of the many glorious brews they serve is a CBD concoction from Green Times Brewing called High Flyer (you can guess why). Brewed in the UK with high quality organic new world hops, malts and Cannabis Sativa L oil extract, it promises not to get you “high” as it contains less than 0.2% THC but every bottle is jam-packed with cannabinoids, terpenes and exotic flavours.

Where: Indiebeer, 322 Holloway Road, Islington, London, N7 6NJ

The Feel Good Café

If you’ve totally and utterly surrendered yourself to the wellbeing lifestyle, The Feel Good Café is the place for you. With a menu that revolves around vegan, whole food options, its dishes are as pretty as they are good for you, and will no-doubt have you leaving with a spring in your step. 

So dedicated they are to the plethora of options out there to give your body as much goodness as possible, they even sell supplements and health products themselves, one of which is CBD oil. The cafe sells a 100% organic cold-pressed version on site, which they will also add to any coffee of your choosing. 

The drinks menu includes highlights like turmeric and matcha lattes, while we think the buckwheat pancakes served with chai seeds and dissected coconut sounds delicious from the food menu. 

Where: The Feel Good Café, The Village Arcade, 49 Station Road, London E4 7DA

Farm Girl 

Since the first Insta-worthy site in Notting Hill, Farm Girl has been a Mecca for millennials on the hunt for food that’s as healthy as it is beautiful. And now with Chelsea and Soho branches under the Farm Girl belt, there’s no stopping it. 

The menu is full of tempting choices, from the oven baked aubergine to the homemade granola, but if you’re on the look out for CBD-infused treats you’ll find this in the bountiful coffee selection. Among the standard coffees and super lattes (think concoctions of rose and lavender), you’ll find the Happy Hot Choc which is made up of cacao, date syrup, peppermint, matcha, CBD, hazelnut milk. 

However, if you aren’t in the chocolate mood, you can also add CBD oil to any drink for £3 extra. So really, the skies your limit. 

Where: Farm Girl, multiple locations 

Planet Organic 

Health food chain Planet Organic doesn’t just provide customers with ample, tasty groceries to take home with them, but also a few in-store treats, too. One of which is their in-house coffee, served in their in-store cafes. 

Although they’ve been known to experiment with coffee before, mixing up a coconut oil coffee in the past, for the new year the team are trying out something new with CBD. Combining espresso, butter, coconut oil and CBD oil, their new coffee could be their best yet.

It will only be available in January and February though, so you’ll have to be quick if you want to try it.

Where: Any of the Planet Organic locations  

Images: Courtesy of venues