Why Non-Vegans Love Love Shack — An Honest Look at What We're Really For

Let's be transparent about something: a significant proportion of Love Shack's regulars are not vegan. Some aren't even vegetarian. They're people who love good food, love a great atmosphere, love an interesting cocktail menu, and who happen to have discovered — sometimes to their own genuine surprise — that the best meal they've had in a while contained no animal products whatsoever.

The Best Argument for Vegan Food Is Good Vegan Food

Our position is simple: if we cook something so delicious that the person eating it never thinks to ask whether it's vegan, we've made the argument far more effectively than any conversation could. When someone who 'could never give up meat' eats our oyster mushroom Peking duck and asks how it's possible that no duck was involved — that's a moment of genuine, lasting impact.

What Non-Vegans Say About Love Shack

The TripAdvisor and OpenTable reviews for Love Shack are full of a specific type of testimony: the reluctant convert. People who came because a friend insisted, who were prepared to tolerate a vegan meal, and who left having had a genuinely excellent time. 'My first vegan restaurant and I must say I was impressed' — a TripAdvisor reviewer who went on to specifically praise the sticky toffee pudding. 'Amazing food, for a flexitarian as I am, it was great and I learned new things' — another reviewer making clear this was not their default choice.

Love Shack Is For Everyone

Dog-friendly. Kid-friendly. Non-vegan-friendly. We mean all of it. The furniture is mismatched because we built this place ourselves, from second-hand finds. The fairy lights are up because they make people feel good. The hidden dance floor exists because sometimes you just want to dance. Love Shack sits in Cambridge Heath — between Bethnal Green and Hackney — in three Victorian railway arches. We found them, and we made them into something.

Come in. Bring your dog. Bring your sceptical meat-eating friend. Order the mushroom wings and the Peking duck pancakes and a Tickle My Pickle. And then tell us it wasn't one of your better evenings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to be vegan to eat at Love Shack?

Not at all. Love Shack in Cambridge Heath, East London, welcomes everyone regardless of dietary identity. Many of its most enthusiastic regulars are not vegan. The restaurant's philosophy is to make the best possible food without animal products — and to let the food speak for itself.

What is Love Shack known for?

Love Shack in Cambridge Heath, East London, is known for its fungi-forward vegan menu — particularly its oyster mushroom wings, vegan Peking duck pancakes, and 11-mushroom risotto — its creative cocktail list including pickled cocktails and mushroom-infused drinks, its warm fairy-light atmosphere across three Victorian railway arches, and its welcoming, community-focused ethos. Located at Arch 298-299, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9HA. Open Monday –Sunday from 6pm.

Is Love Shack suitable for non-vegans?

Yes. Love Shack is consistently praised by non-vegan diners who are surprised and delighted by the quality and creativity of the food. The restaurant actively describes itself as welcoming to non-vegans and works to create a space where everyone feels comfortable.