O' Joy

Called in early evening. Surprised to find only the Christmas menu available - all other options temporarily discontinued. Not even a soup of the day! Wasn't in the mood for a full 'sit down' meal (@ £15 2 courses/£20 3 courses). After saying I didn't have a huge appetite they offered me a main course @ £10 (why wasn't this on the menu?).

I ordered one of the three main course options. The server went to the kitchen, came back a few minutes later and said there was a 20-minute wait. I asked if anything else would be quicker; she said no. Then she said my choice had already been put in the oven (so why check with the customer about the time delay *afterwards*?).

The food did arrive in the stated time and was good (but not outstanding).

Updated from previous review on 2016-12-02

Irritating point 1 - described on this site and wider internet as 'vegan' but there is no signage, nothing on the menu or boards to confirm this. Call me awkward, but I'm not mad on verbal assurance. Point 2 - cow milk is available for hot drinks. So by my definition, not vegan.

1st time for me vising a solely vegan restaurant and I was very excited.
I ordered the zucchini noodles which although it was a small potion were beautiful and filling fresh and tasty. On the other hand my friend ordered the bean burger which was more of a soft paste and sweet potato wedges were really over done. For the price of almost £10.00 it was slightly alarming. she did inform the staff as she left almost everything but nothing was said/done. Which was slightly gutting. I would definitely go back for the noodles if I was in the area again and feeling flush. Great background music,good food,slightly distant staff.

Saturday 27/2/16 - travelled on recommendation found on Happy Cow app. Had a very enjoyable late vegan lunch which I shared with my meat eating husband. Food was fresh, flavourful & interesting. Staff were very helpful, informative & friendly. Great atmosphere. People calling in for coffees, juices, Prosecco, to enjoy with homemade vegan deserts.
Thank you for a warm welcome. We will recommend & return.

Optimum Joy is wonderful, brilliant food for a good price and lovely, friendly staff. The atmosphere is great. It is great for me as the food is healthy and i am vegetarian so it can sometimes be difficult to find places to eat. However i visited the other day to see that the prices have gone up quite a bit and the menu has changed, now £6.50 for a sandwich. I believe this is a bit high and also some of the mains are quite expensive too. I am quite disappointed!!

Lovely relaxed atmosphere. The food is imaginative, there's lots of choice and the portions are generous. Some great ayurvedic teas too. We're long-time vegetarians in our 70s who've been around the block a few times when it comes to eating out, and we both heartily recommend this place.

Love this place! The food is delicious with a variety on offer from raw Pad Thai to Caribbean spiced stew with dumplings. Very family friendly surroundings with a relaxed atmosphere and very friendly and helpful staff. They also have a therapy rooms upstairs. I am vegan but my family are not. They really enjoyed the experience. Brilliant!

The full English breakfast is very good value and there's a wide choice of meals including smaller portions if you just want a quick snack. The chocolate cake is one of the best I've tasted; I keep meaning to try the others but can't resist the choc.
The staff are very pleasant and helpful.
I was put off by the name, but I guess the name covers the range of alternative therapies you can book in the upstairs room (the shiatsu massage is sheer bliss).

WoW! Just visited this place on Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury town center. Lovely atmosphere, Lovely food and lovely staff. Could have had some holistic treatments offered upstairs as well.
Updated from previous review on Thursday February 20, 2014

Having previously visited this little gem of a cafe whilst visiting
Shrewsbury, I have taken the opportunity to call in again. Its now been
turned into a little diamond!
The charming staff told me they have a new chef and he/she has come up
with a brilliant choice of vegan fare on offer. I had the Sweet Potato
Falafels from the lunch menu. (yummy) It offers both quality and value.
The coffee is delicious! Not sure what the secret is but they have got
it right. Its worth the very short walk from the town square to sit in
and enjoy the calm atmosphere this cafe radiates.
Thank you Optimum Joy
'I'll be back' as they say.

We stopped off in Shrewsbury half way through a long drive yesterday and discovered this amazing vegan cafe. The decor is light and airy but still cosy, the menu is excellent and unbelievably good value, and the staff are wonderfully friendly.

I had the blue 'cheese' sandwich which contained door-stop style hunks of bread and a very generous amount of filling (along with a leaf salad, dressing and tortilla chips) and my partner had the spicy lentil soup which was also a very generous portion, with two chunky slices of bread. Unbelievably, these were only £3.75 each, and so very tasty.

We are planning a return visit to Shrewsbury already in order to eat again at this great place (the breakfast sounds amazing). So good they should open up a nationwide chain, seriously.