CAI entrance sign at CAI Cafe in London
CAI buffet storefront window at CAI Cafe in London
at CAI Cafe in London

  • CLOSED: CAI Cafe
    (14)
    5

    Closed

  • White Vegan
Vegan
Chinese
Thai
Buffet
Salad bar
Beer/Wine
Take-out

Veggie buffet for around £5-8. NOV 2012 REPORTED SHUT DOWN/CLOSED.

Venue map for CAI Cafe
© OpenStreetMap contributors

14 Reviews

First Review by Penn

Avatar tash

tash

Points +72

Vegan
31 Oct 2011

...

I think if you are reading these reviews before choosing to eat somewhere in London, then you need to figure out what kind of vegan you are. If you are from the Gillian McKeith school of thought and just want to eat bland beansprouts or something then don't go here, but if you are like me and my boyfriend (and pretty much every vegan I know) and think greasy Chinese food is one of the best things in life then definitely go here. I do think it's weird that you are charged extra for 'service' at a buffet but it's still cheap, most other vegan places in London are of the expensive/raw variety. I'd rather pay £7 for hot fake meat dishes and fried noodles than £15 for a main course of a small bowl of pasta made from ribboning raw courgettes, so again if you think the same...go crazy. My boyfriend ate 6 plates. Oh and they have mock duck pancakes which some of the other London buffets don't have, amazing.

Pros: greasy, fried, fake meat

Avatar sakurahappyanimals

sakurahappyanimals

Points +28

Vegan
23 Nov 2012

whats happen?

I when to CAI today I came from japan again! for this CAI but there is close down!! im so shocked!

Avatar itsmeagain

itsmeagain

Points +482

Vegan
25 Aug 2012

excellent

A great place for a cheap, varied, vegan Chinese meal, Check out the salads and the endless tofu dishes it rocks here man.

Pros: food, taste, presentation

Avatar Tigra220

Tigra220

Points +10603

Vegan
10 Aug 2012

100% vegan asian buffet!

I never get to indulge in buffets without having to ask about an item's "veganess" or check labels, so I was like a kid in a candy store when I literally ran into the doors at CAI on 27Jun12. It was rather late and I was grateful that they were still open, with food. Even though the food was sitting out (as it does in a buffet), it was hot and it didn't have that stale, been-sitting-out-too-long taste. I took my meal to go, and the man was very nice and helpful (he helped me close my barely closing to-go box). I would recommend a visit, and I plan on returning.

Pros: 100% vegan buffet, inexpensive

CAI buffet storefront window at CAI Cafe in London

CAI entrance sign at CAI Cafe in London

Avatar Zedster

Zedster

Points +21

Vegan
25 Jun 2012

Cheap, tasty, greasy, Chinese buffet

Like the review title says, this is a nice place to get decent veg Chinese food. For £3.50 you can get a "small" (read: one well-portioned meal) take out box filled with whatever you can cram into it from the buffet. Otherwise, sit-down lunch (until 5 PM) is £5.90 for all-you-can eat. The faux meats were good--I had to double-check the sign to make sure it said "Vegetarian" when I saw the shrimp skewers and lamb curry. Far from being a hole in the wall, the inside is nice: statues, dark wood tables and chairs, and dark green walls.

I got a take-out box. My only complaint is that the food is a bit too greasy and salty for my taste--especially the salt. I don't tend to eat that much salt, so others may not find issue with this. I would recommend this as a good place to bring omni-friends who also enjoy greasy Chinese food. They'll be pleasantly surprised that veg eating can be just as filling and tasty as their diet ;)

Pros: Cheap, Nice decor, good variety

Cons: Greasy, A bit too salty

Avatar Aya

Aya

Points +627

Vegan
25 Mar 2012

Yummy!

As I do not go to London often, whenever I am there I always indulge myself into yummy junk food at CAI Cafe (well, not everything there is junk food, there are vegetables there, too ;). It's quite a small place, but the atmosphere is very nice.

Pros: Yummy food, Good location

Avatar Sernicki

Sernicki

Points +390

Vegan
05 Jun 2011

Fried junk food

A lot of these thai buffet shops have now closed and i can see why. The food is mostly fried, greasy and the service is a disgrace. The price includes service which is strange considering it is sefl service. Junk food at a typical junk price.

Cons: High Fat, Fried, Junk

Avatar suzemiller

suzemiller

Points +24

Vegan
20 Mar 2011

Don't Go

The food was terrible. Almost everything was fried and not well, either. It was a seemingly endless buffet of terrible, greasy choices and we ended up eating very little. If the price seems tempting, remember you get what you pay for. In this case the food isn't inexpensive, it's cheaply prepared. Only eat here if you don't respect your stomach.
This place gives veganism a bad name.
p.s. they are so lucky the lowest rating is two cows. i tried to give them zero.

Pros: cheap, fast

Cons: gross, greasy, unhealthy

Avatar beitme

beitme

Points +149

Vegan
02 Nov 2010

buffet worthy of commendation

Economy is the highlight here. The buffet selection is just like other low-end vegetarian eateries in London (perhaps the phenomenon is more widespread?). There's a wide selection of good, hot food. This latter attribution - hot food - serves to distinguish this buffet from others. All-in-all a good place to eat at.

Pros: wide selection, good food, economical

Avatar veggiegoth

veggiegoth

Points +217

Vegetarian
07 Sep 2010

awesome!

this was the best vegan chinese buffet i had while in london. super selection of all different chinese food. i went back up to the buffet like 5 times and stuffed myself. so good!

Avatar pollypapas

pollypapas

Points +95

Vegetarian
24 Nov 2009

Fantastic

I loved the wide selection of fresh Asian foods on the buffet, some dishes were recognisable others were new to me, all were delicious. You can go up as many times as you please. Great value.

Pros: diverse selection, delicious tasting, good value

Avatar Bow

Bow

Points +80

Vegan
30 Jul 2009

Good value oriental junk food

This is a good place for a quick but filling pit-stop. The food is great value and you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like on the buffet. The food is very greasy and salty, so I tend to come here for lunch, fill up, and then have a salad or similar for dinner to cleanse. Lots of mock meat dishes and not much for dessert. Most of the time I'm not in the mood, but every now and then I am, and when I am, I come and always enjoy. Everyone else I know who has been here - a mixture of omnis, vegetarians and vegans - likes it too. Perhaps the best thing of all is that everything is vegan so you don't have to keep checking. A good place to try dishes that sounded intriguing but weren't vegetarian in other oriental restaurants.

Pros: Cheap, Tasty, Filling

Cons: Greasy, salty, Not much for dessert

Avatar Ruby X

Ruby X

Points +81

Vegetarian
23 Jul 2009

Yummy, but not healthy

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner after an exhausting day of shopping. When we arrived, we saw the big piles of yummy looking food, and there was no doubt in are mind that this was the place to eat.

For drinks, I had a guava juice, which tasted like a cocktail. Very yummy! My boyfriend had Chinese green tea, which came with free refills. It was a little bland though.

The food itself was very yummy, but quite greasy. There were a lot of mock meat dishes, like 'fake duck' and 'fake beef'. I didn't try them, so I don't know if they're any good.
The options for dessert was also somewhat limited: a pineapple salad, raisins and sweet dough balls.

It was very cheap: 6.5 pounds for the whole buffet. There was also a take away option, which cost 3.5 pounds. You got to fill the box yourself, so you could stuff it good :)

The waitress was a little pushy when potential customers arrived, which might bother or scare off some people. She was very nice to us, though, and even brought us a pancake.

Pros: yummy food, cheap!

Cons: very greasy, lot of mock meat

Avatar Penn

Penn

Points +20

Vegan
17 Dec 2008

NOM NOM

This is my favorite vegan restaurant as its the perfect balance of great service, great price, great food and great portions!! Its not the best food ive had, but for the price and the amount it is!!! I love this place, go there!!

Pros: Awesome food, Amazing varity , Price is perfect

Cons: not a large drinks menu.

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