Europe's 'best vegetarian' dish is a meat free steak you can eat in Cardiff
Known for their mouthwatering beef dishes, Fire & Flank stormed the meatless category, too.
“You get to see what other people are doing, meet traders from different countries and just be part of something that’s much bigger than a normal service.”
A leading Welsh streetfood business, loved for their mouthwatering steaks seared with a flame thrower has won the title of...best vegetarian entry at the European Streetfood awards.
Fire & Flank, who can be found at Cardiff's Tiger Yard and Kong's Bar, claimed the title at the 2026 European Street Food Awards held in Germany over the weekend.
While known for their delicious medium rare, griddled steaks over fries or cheesy mash, usually covered in the most immense sauces (their smoked garlic mayo is beyond) they impressed at this year's event with their vegan 'steak'.
Made from Redefine 3D-printed vegan flank steak, which is created to replicate the texture and experience of actual steak, the dish was served with crispy seasoned fries and Fire & Flank's signature house chimichurri, made with fresh herbs, garlic, chilli, oregano and red wine vinegar.
Fire & Flank's owner, Dave Evans said: "We were absolutely delighted with it, and probably a little surprised! Fire & Flank is obviously very much built around steak, so winning the vegetarian category at a competition like ESFA was a really nice bit of recognition."
Dave explained that veggie dishes are just as important to them, and customers who don't eat meat aren't just an afterthought for the businesses.
"We want everyone coming to Fire & Flank to have a proper Fire & Flank experience, regardless of what they eat. With our vegan option, we essentially serve the same dish we serve with our beef, just switching the steak for a vegan steak from Redefine Meat. So you still get all the same flavours and components rather than the vegetarian option feeling like something completely separate or an afterthought."
With long travel times for some team members, difficulty sourcing ingredients overseas, the team didn't let it distract them from doing what they do best and they even managed to fit city stop offs to and from Germany, making the whole competition a road trip.
"Once you’re actually at the competition, surrounded by some of the best street food traders from across Europe, there’s a real buzz to it," they added. "You get to see what other people are doing, meet traders from different countries and just be part of something that’s much bigger than a normal service.
"And coming away with Best Vegetarian and second place in the People’s Choice made the whole trip pretty special. We actually missed out on first in the public vote by just two votes, so it was incredibly close!"
Fire & Flank was launched in 2021 to raise the standards of street food in Wales. Using sous vide cooking - which sees the meat cooked in a water bath before searing it off with live fire techniques, the streetfood business has carved out a reputation for bold flavours and attention to detail, with dishes ranging from loaded fries and steak burgers to their signature chimichurri steak. The business has since built up a loyal following across the city, with regular appearances at food festivals and events throughout Wales.
They are no stranger to wins at the streetfood competition, either, in 2025 they won the title of 'best main dish' for the second time, having first won in 2021.
The steak connoisseurs weren't the only Welsh success story in the Europe-wide competition over the weekend. Another Cardiff favourite claimed the overall European Champion title. Cegin Halfnhalf, which has been serving modern and classic Indian dishes since 2018 completed the hat trick of awards in 2026 and can now call themselves Welsh, British and European champions.
You can read about Cegin Halfnhalf, here.
