Loving Hut

most deicious food EVER. Love it here. Whenever I come back to London, I eat here.

I’ve never been to a purely ‘Vegan’ restaurant before…
Not only is this an amazing Vegan restaurant it’s an amazing restaurant full stop! The staff are welcoming and friendly who with 5 minutes notice setup tables for 6 people and were incredibly accommodating…
This is a great place if your gluten intolerant as well also their grilled dumplings are the best I’ve ever had!
I cannot recommend this place enough if you like Chinese food I suggest to head here and the prices are great!

The loving hut is my local vegetarian restaurant, my partner and I love it.
It’s a pity that the weekday buffet is not available at the weekends.

Just had one thing. Ok two things: some jasmine tea, and one of their daily specials. It was all very tasty, and I look forward to coming back and sampling some more!

Service was really friendly. Food was plentiful and cheap. We enjoyed the mixed starters very much. The main courses were interesting. It was very busy when we ate (on Saturday night) and the service was slow. On balance I would go back as the atmosphere was fun and friendly.

I’d like to go here more often.
Something for everyone, and I like all the different mock meats available. It’s like a new food group to experience!
Pros:
Huge selection
Great for groups to share
Tasty!
Cons:
Last time I went during lunchtime and their buffet looked a bit sad and unvaried.
Partner burnt his hand on the buffet serving spoon.
Service is… I don’t know. Should you have to ask three times for water in an empty restaurant?
Constant Supreme Master TV Channel playing. Some is ignorable; some too graphic for a restaurant.
So, yes, it is all about the food– which is why I keep going back!
Disappointed with the mabo tofu though. It’s one of my favs and I would never put peas and carrots! Personal preference of course ;)

Favourite vegan restaurant in London. I personally love fake meat, despite not actually missing the real stuff all that much. Loving hut has the best menu of fake meat dishes in London. I love it. I’m addicted to the chicken burger with cheese and bbq sauce, and the summer rolls are probably the best thing on earth. Me and my boyfriend seem to be visiting every Sunday evening the last month.
Edit:
Had the duck pancakes and the satay chicken on some of our most recent visits. Both incredible, especially the satay skewers. My mouth is watering thinking about it.
Had the banana fritters with golden syrup and ice cream for desert. The toffee banana is also amazing. Guuuuuh.

I love this place, best vegan restaurant I know. I especially like the tofu in ginger and spring onion and the shakes are great aswell

Going to a Loving Hut always reminds me of the time we lived in San Jose, California… when we first discovered this pretty fantastic global chain of vegan restaurants. I remember the first time I walked into the one on Santa Clara Street, and thought that this would be a pretty cheesy, sect-​driven type of place… (I mean, the first time I saw the flyers for Supreme Master Ching Hai, my eyebrows were slightly raised…).
That being said, every time I see a Loving Hut, I feel trepidation at the thought that I’m about to have a wonderful vegan experience that always leaves me thinking that it’s possible to become a vegan and live without dairy, meat or eggs while still being happy :). And that is exactly what this place is about… as quoted on their website, «Loving Hut was created with a vision that all beings, human and animal alike, can coexist in peace, love and harmony with each other and the planet, offering an accessible starting point for all, no matter at what stage each may be on the noble transition to a plant-​based diet.»
This Loving Hut is located in the northern part of London. Archway is an area that is bordered by several very different districts… Kentish Town, Highgate, Angel, and the ancient woodland of Highgate Woods. It is a very close walk from Archway station, which can be reached through the Northern Line, or on Holloway Road from Highbury using the 271 and 43 line buses.
It’s always difficult flipping thru a Loving Hut menu, as you always end up wanting to order everything. In this instance, my wife and I ordered the steamed dumplings, barbecued smoked ribs for starters, followed by the Special Hot Pot (lamb, chicken, mushrooms & veggies), the Mapo Tofu for mains. We finished up with a piece of carrot cake and their special lemon cheese cake. I chased all this down with a bottle of 0% Beck’s.
The BBQ ribs were fantastic… and kind of reminded me of the ones you can buy at Trader Joe’s in the US… smokey, meaty, even with ‘fake bones’… pretty awesome. The Loving Hut version is a bit more oriental (i.e. 5 spice driven vs a pure texan bbq taste)… and the texture is a bit less ‘ribby’ than the TJ ones. Unfortunately, there was a pretty big accident outside by the time we got to the dumplings, and my wife and I stepped out for a few minutes to check what had happened… by the time we came back, the dumplings had gotten a bit cold… which kind of got in the way of our experience. So I think the dumplings are good… but have them while they’re still hot !!! Also, forget the vinegar sauce that they’re served with and ask for chilli sauce if they have it… :)
The Hot Pot was served in a kind of broth, and the taste was delicious… not sure if all the combinations of meat substitute work here… but it’s pretty filling and feels reasonably ‘meaty’ if that’s the experience you’re looking for. Good choice for people that can’t choose, but I’m sure there’s more interesting stuff on the menu.
The Mapo Tofu was delicious, and nicely spicy, with the tofu not deep fried, but still silky yet firm. Loved it. The real benchmark for us with Mapo Tofu is the one that’s served at PF Chang’s (a chain in the US)… however, not sure how vegan that one is. Still, a good dish, and the best we’ve had in London so far.
The desserts were the highlight for me. Vegan carrot cakes are always a challenge for me, because they’re often very dry, crumbly and pretty tasteless. This one is actually pretty decent… with a very good icing layer, covered with Walnuts and some lemon essence. The cake is still crumbly, but with the icing it all kind of works. However, if you have to choose, go for the Lemon cheesecake, which is honestly the best vegan cheesecake (if not best cheesecake, forget vegan) that I’ve ever had. The lemon is tarty, the base is firm, generous and perfectly textured, and you can’t tell that this is vegan at all. No soy after taste, no ‘coconut’ traces… really, really good. For the those with sensitive teeth though, be advised that this thing comes out of the freezer and is pretty freaking cold.
All in all, a great place to eat, to take friends. The service is super nice… and on top of it, you’re helping save the environment and improve your health. I wish I could eat at least 3 meals here a week.
Maybe I will.
35£ for 2 people for 2 starters, 2 mains & 2 desserts + beer and tea.

I don’t quite know what to say about this place but i know i want to say something.
I think for starters I should say that it is a lovely restaurant to be in — lovely décor, really homely inside and the staff seem friendly.
I think it was unfortunate that when we went they seemed completely full but understaffed. Consequently the service was slow but it didn’t appear to be a regular thing there.
Amazing appetisers here which we shared between two and was filling on it’s own!
I think probably what got me was the expectation that because the loving hut is vegetarian it would be healthy. It ain’t necessarily so. Vegetables, tofu and meat replacement are still fried as in any other chinese and I’m still unsure as to whether MSG are present in food — I’d like to think they don’t use MSGs because otherwise this place is great and I would go back again for more.

omg — choc milkshake was to die for! not had such a yummy vegan shake anywhere! ‘lamb’ crispy pancakes also amazing. not so keen on the other fake meat — the prawns looked pretty scary — but generally a great place with fab service!

Plain interior, great veggie food. Haven’t been for the buffet yet but looks the bomb.

I had always avoided this place as I though it would be one of these awfully tasting Thai Buffets that are so ubiquitous here in London. Also, I am not a great fan of fake meat: I find that if you’re a vegetarian, what’s the point in creating a tofu that looks and feels like a piece of beef, pork, shrimp or whatever… really, I don’t get that!
Anyway, having read about the positive reviews about this place here on Unilocal in addition to my desperation on finding a good Chinese restaurant that does takeaway in my neighbourhood, I finally gave this place a try. (By the way, they just recently changed their name from Peking Palace to Loving Hut.)
My verdict: I am actually impressed! I ordered the house special noodles for takeaway. The service was very pleasant and when I received my order, they explained to me that they had place the crispy noodles separately so that they’re not getting soggy yet — how thoughtful. Back at home, I really enjoyed my meal: the vegetables were perfectly cooked, the sauce was tasty and the noodles were perfectly crispy!
Really, I am a fan now, and have finally found a place that appeals to my craving for Chinese food in Archway!

when i looked over the menu, i wanted everything. really, i did. we have nothing like this where i live that i can even drive to, let alone, have delivered. all that aside, the menu is vast.
i was impressed with the selection of food and how real the fake shrimp looked in my sweet and sour shrimp! (it honestly freaked me out a little!) we had the food delivered & our delivery person was super nice.
it was hot, fast, and super delicious!
we walked miles that day, so it was nice to sit in with friends, share a bottle of wine, and catch up without the sound of a restaurant.
a great meal that is now attached with a great london memory.
thanks!

Love the food, this is where I get my fix of vegan Asian cuisine in London. Their menu is too good, and I’m bonded to it where I can’t even be bothered to check out the buffet — even when everyone in line is anxiously happy.
Try the mixed hors d’oeuvres if you can’t settle on something from the appetizers list — compilation of the best. My personal favorite is the crispy seaweed, it’s savory with a hint of crispy sweetness. King prawn in butter sauce is best thing here, comes out piping hot and still bubbling in its thick sauce! Singapore noodles, chicken fried rice, and house special noodles should be ordered too.
Everything is filling. I always a couple items thinking that I have enough room for dessert, never the case. I disappoint myself! All of the desserts look really good and exotic, I’m definitely going to try out the banana fritter with ice cream, mango delight, and bati kulfi — yes, all 3 in one sitting. Can’t wait!