Essential Vegan Cafe
Fully vegan cafe in Hackney Wick's All My Friends complex (record shop + bar, riverside) for specialty coffee, cakes and seitan-bacon brunch; dog-friendly.
Why it's listed: vegan_restaurant type; reviews confirm entire menu is vegan (Hackney Wick cafe)
Profile last updated 15 July 2026.
The business claims it
Structured facts from the listing and website.
- Cuisine style
- Vegan cafe — specialty coffee, brunch, cakes and pastries“Independent vegetarian & vegan cafe for specialty coffee, breakfast, lunch & brunch, plus in-house cakes & pastries”
— editorialSummary - Kitchen-wide dietary regime
- vegan“I enjoyed the BLT sandwich and that the entire menu is vegan”
— reviews - Setting & venue context
- Riverside cafe nestled inside the All My Friends venue (record shop and upstairs bar), from the DIY party collective The Cause“nestled in with other food places, an upstairs bar and a record shop”
— reviews - Service modes offered
- dine in · takeaway“I only stopped in for a coffee and cake”
— reviews
Customers reveal it
Recurring signal mined from real reviews — with receipts.
- Dog friendly
- Yes“green flags for being dog friendly”
— reviews - Atmosphere as customers describe it
- Lovely riverside venue with an events vibe; some find the interior cold and not cosy“kinda cold and wast, not cozy”
— reviews - Dishes customers name repeatedly
- almond latte · peanut butter caramel latte · mocha cake · BLT sandwich · seitan bacon sandwich · matcha latte“the peanut butter caramel latte (it's as good as it sounds) and the mocha cake. 100/10”
— reviews - Recurring caveats in reviews
- confusing entrance/doorway · interior can feel cold and un-cosy · limited sweet options“the doorway in was a bit confusing and I thought I'd walked in the wrong way”
— reviews - Mock-meat / meat-substitute dishes
- Seitan 'bacon' (in the BLT / bacon sandwich)“I love their seitan bacon sandwich”
— reviews - Service character as customers describe it
- Warm, caring and friendly service“Wonderful caring service, lovely atmosphere”
— reviews - Value for money as customers see it
- Reasonable prices with big portions“Portions are really big and affordable”
— reviews
Only the owner knows it
Questions we hold for the kitchen itself. Unanswered until they answer.
We're holding 9 questions for the owner — families & kids, best occasions & the vibe, vegan, coeliac & allergy options, why choose you, groups, private hire & catering, booking or walk-in?, good to know before you visit, must-order dishes, made in-house & sourcing — and will publish the answers here once confirmed.