CLOSED: Loving Hut - Eglinton Ave

This is my first review of a vegan restaurant in Toronto, Ontario. Hell this is my first review of a restaurant... Ever. I have just finished a meal at LOVING HUT on Eglington, west of Bathurst. I am still in the restaurant. Fed, yes. Nourished, yes. Inspired, no. I ask the question again - is there nowhere in and around Toronto where one can get a vegan meal that transcends the mundane? A meal that one could bring a carnivore to and say - see? Meat is pointless. THIS is how you could be eating. Sadly the answer seems to be no. Travel to NYC. Go to Soho. Ask THE HAPPY COW for vegan options around you and the map is literally COVERED in pins. One can find culinary vegan delights in that city that make you weep. Why not here?

Here is my rating system. A five star system.

Taste (how does it taste, flavours, texture, quality of the ingredients?) - 2

Innovation (how innovative are the dishes?) - 1

Unique (how unique is the food or have we seen it many times before?) - 2

Plate (how beautiful, interesting and creative are the dishes presented on the plate?) - 2

Service (how great is the service?) - 4

Value for money (how good is the overall impression compared to the price?) - 3

Environment (how exclusive, cool, extravagant, clean, great etcetera is the restaurant as a whole?) - 1

Now I know there have been some glowing reviews of this establishment, but clearly those that have reviewed either know the owners, or have never had meal in there life that afforded them a transcendental experience.

Being a vegan does NOT mean having to forgo any of my above criteria. Remember, to change a carnivores perspective does not simply mean showing them images of animals being tortured and used as a "food" source.

If anybody reads this review and even remotely gets it AND can steer me in the direction of what I seek here in Toronto, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know.

Thanks.

Five of us had a most enjoyable and delicious meal at Loving Hut yesterday at lunch time. The restaurant was empty, which is usually not a good sign, but we were warmly greeted by Ryan and it felt more like a private meal in someone's home. We all ordered different menu items and not one of us was disappointed! The food is fresh, delicious and healthy too! I live about 2-1/2 hours away, but whenever I am in T.O. this is my new "go to" place for a great meal. Highly recommended!

The service here was terrible. A little too laid back which gave the impression of being impolite. The server wpent most of her time talking to a friend, we were the only patrons.

The soup was amazingly delicious. The spring rolls were a little to mushy for me. My friend's main course was mediocre and mine was tasty but got a little boring after a while.

I don't know that I would go back.

A friend and I dinned at the looving hut a few days ago. From the excellent variety of all vegan food, we had Wonton Soup, Sushi, Egg rolls and fudge cake; The food was absolutly delicious! We also had coffee & water, both refreshing and satisfying. The Loving Hut has kind and skilled staff in an adorable location. Overall, deliciousness, Kindness and lovingness made the Loving Hut the perfect spot to dine.

Tonight was our first time in, and the food was fantastic. We had the Summer Rolls for starters and then shared 2 mains dishes - Sweet & Sour Fireball and the Savour Crisp. All meals were delish! The service was quick and the staff was very attentive and helpful. I would recommend this as good place to bring non-vegetarian friends and family as there are plenty of meat like dishes that will satisfy all and act as a good endoresement for cruelty free eating.

Four of us ventured in to eat at the Loving Hut. The atmosphere was good except for the TV pronouncing the master's message. My food was very good; I had the Thai Spicy soup, Loving BBQ and finished off with carrot cake. On the other hand, my wife had the Pad Thai and it was not great - I had a taste. The other two thought their food was ok. I think I am the only one of the four of us who would promote this as a place to go. It would appear that your opinion might be shaped by what you order.

I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years and eat out almost every day, so I have been to a lot of restaurants, and this is certainly one of my absolute favourites. Fabulous, extensive menu; clean, bright space; very (sometimes overly) attentive staff. The summer rolls are scrumptious. Wonton soup is full of nice, fresh veggies such as boy choy, and the wontons have a really tasty filling. BBQ spring rolls and noodle dish is one of my favourites: it comes with three small pieces of spring roll and very tasty noodles with a light sauce, and also some very tender, nicely spiced TVP (I believe). Extremely reasonable price. And don't forget to ask what the special is: it is usually top-notch, and generally comes with a nice veggie soup included. I can't imagine anyone not liking this place, even really dedicated meat-and-potato types, as there is so much from which to choose, and it's so well prepared.

I prefer the menu/food at the Loving Hut in Orange, but this is also a great restaurant based on the same model. Wonderfully different recipes of Vegan meals and appetizers and desserts. Very friendly and helpful waitress.

My friends and I had a great time here. The staff were very friendly and the paintings in the restuarant were very beautiful. Also, the dishes were big and the food tasted great! Most important of all, I really felt the "loving" atmosphere^^! It was wonderful. Right when I stepped in, I felt relaxed and happy. As for the food, the dishes were all very creatively made. The sushi combo was especilly artistic. Apart from just sushi, there were brocolli, mango, and many other foods that came with it. My other favorites were the silky crisp, sweet and sour fireball, mixed vegetables chow mein,and the eggplant dish.

Their message "Be Veg Go Green!" is really good and I hope everyone will be vegan and enjoy the dishes like I did.
I'm definitely going to go back again..and I can't wait!!!

My partner took my here for my birthday and we had a lovely time. Please don't think that I'm bias because of it, though. The food from this international chain is tried, tested and true.

We were concerned because the only other couple in the restaurant had their white cloud soup taken back, which we'd also ordered. It turned out they were just jerks - the soup was as tasty as it looks in the picture on their website: robust, chunky and flavourful.

We also ordered the sushi bowl. Let me tell you, I lived in Japan for years, and this is the most inventive, diverse and lovingly made sushi I've had since I left. Just have a look on their website at that thing. It's gorgeous. I can't wait to go back and eat it again.

They also brought me a tasty piece of homemade chocolate cake with a candle on it on the house. Ah, shucks. Their other desserts looked delish, but I was too stuffed to try them.

Lots of love for Loving Hut. Can't wait to go back!

My husband and I were passing through Toronto and decided to try Loving Hut. The atmosphere is a little like a Subway restaurant with table service, but the service was great, as was the food. We each had a soup -- wonton and tom yum -- and they were absolutely delicious! I would go back to Toronto in heartbeat for the tom yum soup, it was great. I also had the green thai curry, which was delicious. My husband had the sushi platter. Presentation was great, but it included a lot of soy "mock fish" which we don't like as much as the veggies. We would definitely visit again. Service and food were quick, price was very reasonable, food was great.