Loving Hut Archway

Wow. The food here is delicious and the people who run it are genuinely lovely! My two daughters and I had an enormous amount of food and loved every bite. A great choice of dishes and there's none of that, "everything tastes the same" stuff here. We had quite a lot of different dishes and the variations were amazing. Also (for my first time ever!) the vegan "meat" dishes tasted like and had the mouthfeel of genuine meat. By the way, Vegans, don't be put off, you immediately know it's not! Like I said, the staff were so friendly and accommodating , we kind of felt like family...go...eat there...you'll love it! Mac McDonald

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 Yelp 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!

I've been to Loving Hut in New York which was super tasty and while they share the same logo, that's about where the similarities end. I'm used to Asian cuisine being served in generous amounts but the dishes here were quite small. Tasty, but I didn't get that "omg I can't believe this is vegan" feeling that I experienced with the NY restaurant. The service was a bit bleak and our waitress wasn't very receptive to my requests for water, chopsticks, etc. Won't rush back but would give them another chance.

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.

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!

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!

Like many people when I think of Vegan, I think of healthy and perhaps not so delicious food. Thankfully Loving Hut is neither healthy nor unappetising. I was first brought here by a friend of mine to celebrate her birthday. Since then I have brought vegan and vegetarian friends just to see the look of joy on their faces when they realise they can eat absolutely everything on the menu, and then again when I say I find it hard to choose what is the best thing. I think ultimately it's the Pad Thai for me, I hate egg but love Pad Thai, which is usually an issue, but not here. It's amazing. I have also had the aromatic "veggie duck" and a salad, both have been decent. But only the pad thai has made me question if the Loving Hut is really as vegan as it claims. (Hint it is, it's a chain set up to promote vegan lifestyle by craftily offering delicious delicious foods. There are three in the UK currently two in London, two in Brighton and one in Norwich) Seriously, if you have a vegetarian or vegan friend, book a table here and take them out for dinner. The joy on their face is worth it.

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 decor, 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.

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.

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 ;)

Highly disappointing. During my holiday in London, I was looking forward to eating at Loving Hut because we got locations in the states. However, it was the most disappointing meal I ever had as a vegan. And the worst Asian food in my life, and I had some and meals. The dishes were extremely salty. I ordered the chicken veggie soup and #51 on the special house dish item.

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!

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

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.

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!

great food can't complain keep up the good work wish there were many more L.H. in the world, as many as McD's, that would be my dream

I like Loving Hut in the US, so I was interested to try my first London Loving Hut. I ordered the steamed dumplings and the vegan fish 'n chips. The meal started with complimentary chips which looked like pappadum and were really tasty - much tastier than I expected from how they looked. The steamed dumplings were amazing - reminded me of authentic Chinese food. The dipping sauce, however, was pretty much pure apple cider vinegar, but luckily the table had soy sauce which made a much better dipping sauce. The vegan fish 'n chips was all right. The "fish" did not really taste like fish, although the tempura batter was good. It also didn't really go with either of the two dipping sauces (ketchup and mayonnaise) on the plate. I wish it had come with tartar sauce. The chips were good though, and the side salad was also nice so the meal felt complete. Even though the "fish" was a bit disappointing, the visit was still great and the steamed dumplings made it worth it. I would just recommend sticking to the Asian dishes. The table next to mine ordered the assorted platter and it looked incredible.

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

I absolutely love this place. I visited for the first time last week and didn't quite know what to expect. I'm a fairly new vegetarian and was looking for cheap eats around London - this restaurant was mentioned in an article on The Guardian website. I decided to trek up to Archway from my little abode in Canada Water, and I wasn't disappointed. The Peking Palace is relatively small and is easy to walk straight past it - the restaurant itself is narrow, but contains a full bar and plenty of tables. I've only been there during the daytime, and there is a small table set up by the door where you can pick up a regular or large 'Buffet Box' and a drink. After paying you can help yourself to the buffet by the window which is always steaming hot and plentiful. There is also a pleasing range to suit every taste, from the usual spring rolls and seaweed to 'duck' in black bean sauce (made with bean curd which I personally think tastes better than the real thing), chick pea curry, fresh steamed greens, and my favourite - little banana fritters. After piling on the food, someone puts a lid on and provides a fork and tissue. The staff are extremely pleasant and helpful; I spent a while talking to Kenny who is passionate about his vegetarian/vegan beliefs - as a newbie I had an opinion and a few questions I wanted to ask, but he talked to me like a friend and provided me with lots of information and encouragement about vegetarian lifestyle and cooking. The evening menu looks fantastic, and I'm planning to go there with a group of friends to savour some more of their delicious culinary creations (you can find more information on their website). Oh, and they don't use any MSG in their cooking and are trying hard to make all their food organic. The vast majority of the food is actually vegan, with very few exceptions. They also do home delivery within a 2-mile radius for orders over £12. Brilliant!

This was such a dissapoinnting experience for me! First of all, the stuff was quite rude. One of us ordered a steamed rice and then changed her mind and cancelled. Then she called one of the stuff and the waitress was quite upleasant about her first cancelling and then changing her mind again! Unbelievable! Then after we finished our meal, and didn't order anything for a while, the waitress kept staring directly at us-constantly. Kicking us out with her eyes!! I was very dissapointed with the food too, it was very mediocre, to say the least!! Let's just say, I won't be going there again, and I would not recommend this place to anybody! In addition, the service was quite slow

Delicious food, good value ... but chaotic service and bizarre slaughterhouse video backdrop. The food is really outstanding. Delicious, innovative, hearty, nutricious. I'd never seen a fake prawn before and they were amazing. A prawny texture, stripey back but no innards. The juices are exceptional. The food can't be faulted at all. And very good value. The service was chaotic. Not at all organised. It was a struggle to get an order taken - the waitress asked two people at the table of 8 then made as if to leave - we had to call her back! Food arrived as and when, in no particular order. Some people didn't get what they'd ordered - the order just didn't turn up! That's no real problem though as we had time to spare and the food was excellent. One big drawback is the heavy propaganda going on as we ate. We'd come to eat, not watch videos of animals being slaughtered or of cancerous innards. Fair enough put up a wall of pictures of famous vegetarians. Celebrity endorsement doesn't harm anyone. But the videos on the big screen at the back of the restaurant were a real turn off. If you can, sit facing the front of the restaurant or at the very front where these images won't bother you. They're certainly not something I want to see when eating with friends.

Great selection of vegan Asian food. We went as a group of 6 people and ordered an enormous amount of food, which arrived really quickly. There was an impressive variety of food available that even kept the meat eaters of our group happy. We chose a selection of fake meats, tofu and vegetable dishes. Although I wasn't personally a fan of a lot of the fake meat (although the teriyaki beef was pretty tasty!!), it was great to have the option as i've found it's not easily available. I'm defintely planning to go back for more of my favourites (crispy noodles, yellow bean and cashew nut tofu, sizzling tofu in black bean sauce for just an example) and to sample different dishes that we were just too full to try last time!

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!

Had a birthday dinner here for 15 people and was really pleased with how it went. Staff were really helpful and sweet about making sure I had a good birthday and they catered for everyone. I thought some of the dishes were really really good, and some of them were ok, but overall the food was great and I would definitely return here.

Interesting vegetarian restaurant, set up at lunchtime as an all you can eat buffet. Food is usually pretty good, sometimes great, but occasionally lacking in variety. Very good with Aubergines! Staff are helpful and service is quick and not too obtrusive.

The best vegetarian restuarant by far, even my meat eater friends loved it and could'nt tell the difference! I would like to give Peking Palace 10/10