Loving Hut

Every time I go to Tokyo, I try to make it to this place even though it is out of the way.
Their tan tan men is the best in Japan (on a heavy side) and gyoza (fried dumpling) is also very delicious.
The owner/manager is a sweet Taiwanese lady, and I love talking to her.
She really cares what she serves, and I feel comfortable eating whatever she makes (makes my tummy happy!).




Updated from previous review on 2016-01-10

A little out of the way (but thanks google). Great great meal. Highly recommended. The owner/chef was also kind.

We went to the buffet on Saturday (make sure you have a reservation) and paid 1500 yen each for all you can eat. I would recommend the buffet as you get to try a large variety of food and can definitely get your money's worth.

I came here with a friend and had some troubles finding it at first because the map wasn't super helpful, but once we saw the sign for the restaurant we realised we had just been at the back of the building. I had some dumplings and a red bean bun which in all honesty wasn't the most exciting meal I've had in my life but I appreciated the attempt. We went at a pretty quiet time so we didn't have any problems getting a table and the food came out very quickly. All in all I would say it is definitely a passable alternative if you are already in the area but I probably wouldn't recommend travelling specifically for it!

Went for a nice delicious lunch, wasn't disappointed! We had a selection of yum cha and a main of traditional style mock eel on rice to share. Very delicious.

Best vegan buffet in Tokyo. Plenty of options, ranging from fresh salad to delicious curry and desserts. Seating for about 20-25ppl so you might have to wait. However, they do take reservations for parties of 4 or more and have a 90min time limit (70min if very busy) to help keep the tables turning.

Not a bad place to eat if you want to save some cash. I tried their unique fake Eel Meal which was decent, however their other dishes were a bit bland which is common for Loving Hut. So I recommend people to their unique meals.

Very sweet and helpful staff. The cafe felt like a standard Loving Hut affair, nothing offensive but nothing special.

Visiting the Loving Hut restaurant in Tokyo had been high on my list for a long time. That's because all of the rave reviews here and because I tried twice before and each time it was closed (for some weird reason they close around dinner time).

I ordered the highly recommended lunch set (version C) which consists of dim sum, a plate of tiny side dishes and a little dessert. The kitchen needed rather long to prepare this and the dim sum was served about 15 minutes before the side dishes. The wide variety of flavours allowed me to really try everything Loving Hut has to offer. And... each was more disappointing than the last. The stuffing of the dim sum was average at best. The side dishes were stone cold and rather blend.

Based on advice from the chef, my partner ordered yakuzen ramen. Same story: the taste was average at best.

Good cooking requires good ingredients and preparing them the right way. In my opinion Loving Hut failed in both respects. The ingredients seemed to be of below supermarket quality and the cooking was unimaginative, the combination of ingredients didn't add anything and even the temperature of the food seemed to be off (too cold). Other vegan restaurants in Tokyo do a much better job (i.e. Brown Rice Cafe, Eat More Greens, It's Vegetable).

After our lunch at Loving Hut we both felt like we ate solid rocks and it took many hours for our stomaches to calm down.

Anything positive to report? Well, the staff is very friendly. They speak English and the menu is in English as well. Finally, the price is very low.

The restaurant is family-operated, very cosy and clean. It is located on a 1st floor (in Japan they call it 2nd floor) really close to Joimbocho Station and Suidobashi Station.

We went on a Saturday and they serve buffet so you can try a little of everything. The food is VERY good and tasty, we had dumplings, curry, vegan meat. There were also soups, salads and algae among others. Keep in mind that many of these foods are served cold, which might be a bit of a shock if you're not used to it or prepared. In Japan it is very difficult (rather impossible) to find vegan food at restaurants, so we were thrilled to be able to eat freely without worrying about getting animal products hidden in our plate.

The staff was very friendly. The atmosphere is very quiet, this is not the type of place to go with 15 friends and laugh loudly. There is a sign asking to please leave place for others if there are people waiting and you've been sitting for over an hour. Also to be considered, no alcohol is served here because Loving Huts are held by spiritual practitioners who do not drink alcohol. The price was 1500JPY per person (approximately 13USD)for the buffet, quite reasonable.

If we travel to Tokyo again, we will definitely be back!

First time we arrived during hollyday so it was closed even I check before they should be open. Anyway we return other day and order tasting menu. The vegan schrimp, salad, barbecue... all gerat taste. Also dumplings was very tasty and filling :) reataurant was almost empty and in TV was some acrobatic show, so the atmosphere coul be better! Stuff was bit afraid of foreighners :)

My friends and I made it to loving hit for the Saturday buffet and we were all very impressed with the amount of options (although a small buffet) and he quality of all the food. I had a curry, bean dumplings, noodles, tofu and seiten "meats" and all of it was very good! Plus all the staff were very friendly and accomodating.

I loved Loving Hut in SG and was ecstatic to find there was an LH in Tokyo as well. I loved the food in SG!

Sadly, this one was just okay. I was disappointed that most of the choices were out of stock, including the rice noodle soup that I waned to order.

The dumpling set we ordered was really good though. Tasted just like the meat version.

The steamed buns were disappointing though. The veggies were bland and the bun itself was too bready.

Their store hours are disappointing though. They're more or less only open for lunch or snacks and that makes it hard for visitors since at those times they're usually going around the city. Would appreciate it more if they were also open for dinner even if it's only until 7 or 8pm. Not 530pm

Well, I won't go back. I didn't hate it, but it was below average imho.
I have been to 7-8 other Loving Huts in the past, and every one of them was better. That explains why we were the only customers... The owners/staff were nice people, but the food just wasn't that great... I'd say, it looked way better on pictures...

My boyfriend and I ordered an awkwardly large amount of food. Smashed it all though.
The 'unagi' was so good.
The steamed 'pork' buns, gyoza and vegetable buns were crazy good. I ordered many to take home.

I found the food here to be quite substandard. But as being a vegan in Japan is difficult, I suppose it could be worse.

Maybe after eating at T's Tantan everything else is faded in comparison.

I did meet a lovely couple and a resident here though which certainly made my time in this restaurant very enjoyable!

we arrived at 6pm one evening as it was opening and happened to be joined by a huge tour group that filled the entire place with just enough seats left for the two of us. the staff decided to make a buffet to serve us all instead of individual orders so they kept bringing out more and more delicious items.

steamed buns with soy meat inside, satay skewers, and some incredible mock eel, which we were blown away by, as well as many delicious vegetable meals. we politely got a mixture of all the foods and tried every dish which was great, then after the tour group all left, it was just the two of us with a whole buffet of food left over, so we cracked our knuckles and filled our plates high with as much mock meat as we could haha

it wasn't the best loving hut i have been to but was a great meal out and we got a lot of delicious food for what we paid.

We went here for dinner on our first night in Tokyo as it was close to our hotel. We had quite a bit of difficulty finding it, and when we got there, there was a sign out the front saying it was closed. We went upstairs hoping to check opening hours, and found there were people inside. I asked about opening hours, and learned that they no longer do dinners (I've updated Happy Cow to reflect this). I asked if they could recommend somewhere veg friendly nearby, and they said no, then after a bit of discussion, they invited us in anyway. A/(The?) Tokyo vegetarian society had booked the place for their meeting, and as the veg society was ok with us being in there despite their exclusive booking, Loving Hut was happy to serve us.

Although our start was rather awkward, the food was excellent. We started with the jumbo qyoza, which was excellent, quite possibly the best I've ever had. Three of us then proceeded to try the spicy soy milk ramen, while the fourth had some sort of faux meat with rice dish (I didn't take a photo of the menu so I apologise for not being able to name it). We all thought the ramen was delicious, though note that it was not a "traditional" Japanese ramen. The other dish was quite nice to taste, though apparently as a meal it was a bit repetitive and could have done with being broken up with some other (e.g. a side of vegetables) flavours.

Although we would have loved to try a dessert, we thought we'd probably infringed on their hospitality for long enough, and made our way out with profuse thanks. I really wanted to go back, but unfortunately was never in the area around lunch time.

The lunch set was really delicious! Each little dish had its own amazing flavour. Also since I chose a dumpling set which had a sweet one (anpan) it felt like having a dessert too, so it was good value. I definitely want to go again! There are edge tables for people coming alone. The staff were friendly and they also sell some packet curries and stuff there too.

I used to visit this place frequently under its original owners however it changed management in Jan. 2014. I continued to eat here regularly and although it was different, it was still good. However after my most recent visit (September, 2014), I feel I must update my review to keep Happy Cow honest. I went for the Friday night dinner buffet which used to be excellent. However the quality has been declining recently and I likely won't try the buffet again. The last time I visited, the selection was about half of what it normally is, all of the food was dried out and room temperature, and nothing was replaced after it was finished. On one hand, as another reviewer mentioned, it is obvious the very-friendly owners are doing the best they can in a difficult situation. On the other hand, a little extra effort (keeping food warm and fresh, for example) would make a big improvement. Their lunch menu looks good and is made-to-order so try that if you're curious. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to come here for dinner.

Updated from previous review on Thursday August 29, 2013

We went for the dinner buffet and was sorely disappointed. The selections were okay for 2000 yen/person. However, the food was cold and very dry. It could improve greatly with some sauce and we wish we'd packed some with us. The tofu dish was decent. We did not care of the mock meat dishes here even though we loved those in in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The chumai was especially disappointing.

My iPhone took me to the wrong place, the correct way is you have to find a Hakusan Street (白山通り)at Jinbocho, then go toward Yamada mobile until you'll find a drug store Matsumoto Kiyoshi, then across the street Theresa coffee shop called "Globe" turn right and you'll find a signboard.
This restaurant only opens until 3:00 pm.

Great

I just went to the Loving Hut for Lunch as I work near by. I chose the lunch set for 1000 Yen containing various different kind of foods such as (all vegan of course):
- chicken dumplings
- fried vegetable dumpling
- rice dumpling
- shrimp
- something like a chicken nugget
- summer role
and some other small dishes, even a small piece of cake. I strongly recommand to go there if you happen to be in the area!

Ok, let me preface this by saying that the negatives mentioned by previous reviewers are generally correct. The new location is inconvenient, service can be slow sometimes, and for a restaurant, the ambience is poor.

However, all that said, I still give it high marks. Why? The people, mainly. They're really a great bunch, they're trying very hard, and it's obvious that they are feeling the full brunt of the challenges facing a vegan restaurant trying to make a go of things in Tokyo. The food, though, is all lovingly prepared by hand (I've seen them making it), and I find it really VERY good. To try bits of everything, I especially like the dim sum sets or the takeout bento boxes, both of which are very reasonable and creative (although the bentos are limited-quantity every day). My personal favorite items are the gyozas (dumplings), both fried and steamed...true vegan gyozas like this are almost impossible to find in Japan (I tried for years), and I love these in particular...I always get extras for takeout. They also have a really tasty, creative vegan unagi (river eel) kabayaki, which I've never seen anywhere before. But you can't go wrong with pretty much anything on the menu.

So, can I recommend that you go out of your way to come here if your time in Tokyo is short and you're not familiar with the Jinbocho area? Probably not. Is it somewhere I recommend if you're with a special date? No. But if you just want delicious, real, hand-made, cheap vegan food, this is the place. And, you'd be supporting a worthy bunch of folks in their Tokyo vegan efforts, which I wholeheartedly hope happens.

The new location may be a bit rougher but I still love this place. To me, it's still worth 4 stars thanks to the food and people.


Edit: got a bit of flak for max stars, and rightly so after I thought about it. So, one star less but the rest stands...great place.

Updated from previous review on Thursday September 04, 2014

Delicious vegan meals that are very reasonably priced. The service was very warm and friendly too! Very much enjoyed the lunch platter that comes with many different varieties.

This is the third city I've tried Loving Hut in and I was disappointed with the offerings we found here. Not only was is very difficult to find (the map on the website does not help much and the pin is wrong) it's also on the second floor of a building in a tiny, stuffy little room.

The food was not on par with what I've had at other Loving Hut's as far as texture and flavours are concerned. It lacked fresh vegetables. The steamed buns were strange flavours and the curry was kind of gross. The fluorescent lighting did not help.

If you're only visiting Tokyo, do not go out of your way to go here. It was not worth the hour of being lost to eat here.

Note to Happy Cow: If you're going to make edits to my review, you should at least notify me. Seems like the responsible thing to do before changing my words without my permission.

I don't usually write a review just to agree with what everyone else has said, but there really is little to say after the previous reviews, especially the one just before by Aya. As my title says the dim sum buffet is in my opinion the best-value (if not the best) lunch in Tokyo. Anyone who's been to Taiwan will recognise many of the dishes as traditional Taiwanese buffet dishes, all of course cooked to perfection. But it's also worth visiting for dinner or on Saturday, and their expanded menu includes some great new dishes and the old favourites.

Anyway I just want to clarify about the map. The location on here is now correct (Nov 2013) but because the alleys are so close it's difficult to know where to turn right, so as people said in the previous reviews said while walking north from Jimbocho (exit A5, follow the corner around to the North) take the second lane back from the 7-11; it's marked with a yellow sign.

Here are walking directions in case it helps:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=35.696055,139.758381&daddr=Loving+Hut+Tokyo+%4035.698401,139.757557&hl=en&sll=35.697099,139.758319&sspn=0.003263,0.006191&geocode=FcqtIAIdL4tUCA%3BFeG2IAId9YdUCA&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=18&t=m&z=18&start=0

Now that Tokyo Loving Hut has moved to the new location and changed their menu I have to rewrite my review. Yay for that!

I have visited this place several times and the experience has always been nice.
Their lunch buffet is the only option of this kind in Tokyo. The food is yummy and the price can't be beaten (only 950yen, a big take away bento box is only 650yen).

Lunch buffet is served Mon-Fri 11:30-14:30.

The food their offer for dinner on weekdays and on Saturday (except for Wednesdays and Sundays) is also very nice. My fav. are their noodles (soy milk and with soy sauce&soy meat chunks). It is almost impossible to find vegan noodles in Tokyo, so I really appreciate these two options.
Their cheesecakes are also veeeeery good.

We have found this place very easily (it's about 5 minutes walk from Suidobashi station), but we followed the directions on their website: http://lovinghut.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/map20130927-web.gif

Important: please always check their website for updates and always double check their opening hours: http://lovinghut.jp/

Took us ages to find as the map above is wrong (see http://lovinghut.jp/?page_id=524 for Loving Huts own map. Head towards the 7 eleven and take the second street before. You'll see a yellow sign if you look up high! Building is half way up this side street on right side. Up a set of stairs).
After some nice locals showed us the way we realised it was closed Wednesdays. This isn't clearly stated in some places (like their leaflets) so I thought I'd mention it here.
Current openings hours stated outside restaurant in Nov 2013 were:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri - 11:30-14:30 Lunch, 16:30-21:00 (last order 20:30) Dinner
Sat 11:30-15:00 (last order 15:00)
Closed: Sunday, Wednesday, Holidays

As for the food, it was one of the best meals we had in Tokyo! We went for the buffet lunch for 950 yen, which had a huge selection of fake meats, veggies, soups, salad, dumplings etc etc.
There is also a take out lunch box for 650 yen.

We left feeling stuffed and satisfied. We even saw them again at the Vegge Festival and it was just as delicious!
The staff are friendly and have enough English to communicate basics.

Updated from previous review on Sunday November 03, 2013

Tokyo's one and only Loving Hut used to be a bit of a disappointment for those who tried Loving Hut in other countries. Not anymore! The reason - all-you-can-eat buffet that was introduced in October, 2013. First of all, it only costs 950yen which is a bargain for Tokyo standards. Second, the selection is big and includes all kinds of tasty soy meats, salads, dumplings and even cake and cookies for a dessert. Third, you can make your own lunch box for take-out. In short, I am both happy and impressed to see such vegan buffet in Tokyo, and hope it will last.

Small selection than the other loving huts in Korea but nice service and food.

Visited in September 2012. Very friendly staff, pretty good English too. The food was good and it was a nice atmosphere. At lunch time you can't order from the full menu though - there was just a set lunch option. I think at dinner a bigger menu is available but I was a bit disappointed at the lack of lunch options. Be aware the space is very tiny, maybe a dozen or so chairs at a counter by the window.

Not a bad bet, though there are some limitations here. For lunch, you can only get the Bento set, which means you have to eat whatever they have that day. It is very good value for money, and the food was pretty decent. I was also able to snag a dessert, a tofu-sweet potato puree, that was the highlight of my meal. This place can be a bit hard to find (like many places in Tokyo). It is off the main street, about one block North, in a bit of a back alley.... The people there seem to have basic ability in English.

Loved the daily bento special! And you can't beat the value price.

I'm a vegetarian, and I'll be living in Japan for the foreseeable future. This is my third vegetarian/vegan restaurant I've visited in Tokyo, and my favorite yet.

First, the staff. The staff is VERY nice, and speaks not just a little english, but I would say quite good english. They are very passionate about what they do (they wash and reuse all their plates and utensils, etc.)

And the food. On weekdays, you get a vegan bento for lunch. The vegan bento is very wholesome. I wouldn't call it 10/10, but maybe 8 or 9/10. Not only is it vegan though, but it is all organic.

Overall, my favorite vegetarian/vegan dining in Tokyo yet.

Lunch sets now cost 600JPY, but still good value for what you get. You can eat in or take away.

I lived in Osaka for a year and visited Loving Hut once only (Unfortunately) while in Tokyo. I so wished we had one in Osaka. The food was fantastic and quite good value. Really sweet staff and even vegan desserts!!

You get a large plate of food with many different choices and it's the best deal in town. The food I had was just alright and not quite warm, but I was happy to be filling my belly with cheap vegan food. It's more of a take-away place, they have about 8-10 seats along the wall.

We were sightseeing in Shinjiku/Shibuya and decided to go here for lunch . If you have a tourist map, its pretty close to the fireman museum and the happycow instructions are pretty good. It is really accessible for tourists who have minimal Japanese, and the customers were a mix of Japanese/European/Americans when were were there. We had the the best meal(s) here whilst we were in Tokyo. At lunch, only the Bento box or burger are available - the bento box was amazingly good value, it was inventive, delicious, good portion size, I can't recommend it highly enough! We also made 2 special trips for dinner. You order at the counter, get a number and wait for your meal. We tried the burger set and the zen set. The food was excellent, good portions, freshly cooked, really tasty and well seasoned, healthy, the staff were friendly and spoke a little english. Their food looks exactly like the website pictures (hence I've not uploaded any) for an idea of what its like - it is amazingly good value. We also tried the vegan cakes, never tried a vegan cake before, but it was pretty nice! Highly recommended, its definitely worth a trip.

This place is tiny, but cozy. We had two different set meals, and they were both delicious and a good value. Some of the fried things weren't very fresh - maybe b/c we went near closing time... Also, the coffee was very weak. Wasn't aware that Loving Hut is associated with Supreme Master. Be prepared to listen to Supreme Master TV while you eat.

Loving Hut wasn't my first choice for vegan food in Tokyo, but we ended up there since others were very hard to find and closed. San Francisco's Loving Hut still has the best menu, I've been to 3 now, but this was quite nice. I had their Hamberger meal. It included a veggie burger on some really nice bread, what I think was a lemongrass soup, a salad of veggies I could not identify, some little tofu goodies, and a coffee jelly. It was all good even if I didn't know exactly what I was eating. The coffee jelly was my daughter's favorite. The menu here is the most limited one I have seen in a Loving Hut yet, and the tiny upstairs location makes for a warm time, but overall, I was very happy I found a place I could eat. It's nearly impossible to find fish-free food in Japan!

This little restaurant is part of the Loving Huts found in the U.S. The menu consists of 11 items, including a wonderful veggie burger and spaghetti. They also offer several drink choices and desserts. Its a cozy place (only seats 13) with a friendly staff who speak English, and is very clean. Its tucked down a side street, but isn't all that difficult to find. Take the Marunouchi Line Subway to Yotsuya-sanchome Station (number M-11) and exit at gate 4. At the top of the stairs, make a slight left turn. Do not be tempted to cross the street you'll be facing when exiting. Walk down the street until you reach the first street on the left, which you'll turn down. Side streets in Japan are small, so this might appear to be an alley to you. Loving Hut is about 100 feet down on the right. Its located on the second floor of a small building, so look up to find it.

What a great surprise! Delicious homemade vegan cooking in the heart of Tokyo. Something for everyone: Indian curry, Japanese style selections like the "Zen" but my personal favorite is the unique "Loving Burger". The Tokyo "Loving Hut" Chefs created this recipe and it's "out of this world" good! Follow up a "Loving Burger" set with homemade blueberry vegan ice cream or one of their other luscious desserts for a perfect end to a special meal served with kindness and love.