The Best Vegan Restaurants in East London — Our Honest Guide

We're going to do something slightly unusual for a restaurant blog: recommend other places to eat. Because we genuinely believe that a thriving vegan food scene in East London benefits everyone — including us. The more great plant-based restaurants there are, the more people discover that vegan food can be extraordinary. So here's our honest guide to the best plant-based eating in East London — with Love Shack firmly on the list.

Love Shack, Cambridge Heath — For a Full Evening Out

Love Shack at Arch 298-299, Cambridge Heath Road, East London, is a fully vegan restaurant, cocktail bar, and events space — set inside three Victorian railway arches decorated with fairy lights, foliage, and mismatched furniture. The food is fungi-forward, globally inspired, and consistently extraordinary. The oyster mushroom wings, the vegan Peking duck pancakes, the 11-mushroom risotto, and the sticky toffee pudding are dishes that have generated genuine surprise and delight in omnivores who came in expecting a compromise.

Pair all of that with one of London's more adventurous cocktail menus — including hot cocktails, mushroom-infused drinks, and the infamous Pickle Back — and you have a complete evening. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm.

What to Look For in a Great Vegan Restaurant

The distinction that matters isn't whether a restaurant is technically vegan — it's whether the food has been thought about, crafted, and executed with the same care and ambition that great non-vegan cooking demands. The best plant-based restaurants in East London share certain qualities: creativity with texture, confidence with umami and depth of flavour, a willingness to use fermentation and bold seasoning, and a kitchen that is proud of what it's doing.

Areas of East London Worth Exploring for Vegan Food

• Cambridge Heath & Bethnal Green: Home to Love Shack and a growing cluster of independent food businesses with strong ethical credentials.

• Hackney: One of London's most plant-curious neighbourhoods, with a strong independent café culture and increasingly creative vegan offerings.

• Dalston: Known for excellent vegan-friendly Turkish and West African food, plus a handful of dedicated plant-based spots.

• Shoreditch & Spitalfields: High footfall means more options. Worth exploring street food markets for diverse plant-based options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best vegan restaurant in East London?

Love Shack in Cambridge Heath is widely regarded as one of East London's finest vegan restaurants, consistently praised for its creative mushroom-led menu, extraordinary cocktail list, and welcoming atmosphere. It has received scores of 19/20 from specialist vegan review sites and is regularly cited as a standout destination on TripAdvisor and OpenTable.

What vegan food is available in Cambridge Heath?

Love Shack at Arch 298-299 Cambridge Heath Road is Cambridge Heath's premier dining destination, offering a fully vegan menu with a focus on mushrooms, fermented and pickled ingredients, and globally-inspired small plates and larger dishes. Open Monday –Sunday from 6pm.