Loving Vegan

This was my first time in Albuquerque and I was looking for vegan restaurants in the area. Unilocal always comes in handy and I found this place! I got the vegan salmon tempura roll with cucumber and avocado inside. It was delicious and had some hot ginger tea to wash it down!

Great food ! Eating out for vegans is always a challenge
, so seeing this type of restaurant along with many other in the area… is GREAT !!! Not a fake type of food type of person but there veggie rolls were EXCELLENT!!! Miso was pretty good as well !

Could we please have one of these open in L. A??? There are some vegan sushi options in L.A. but they’re not as inventive as this place. I wish I could go back and eat here, it was so good =d
–Salmon bento: The texture of this is a bit different than the fake fish I’ve had. This one has stringy fibers that is a bit reminiscent of fish. This was okay, I wouldn’t really recommend it.
–Pork sparerib bento: Wow! This really reminded me of pork! Not pork spareribs but just plain pork slices that have been sautéed in a sauce. This was a definite winner =d
–Vegan crispy crunchy roll: Oh man this was delicious =d The sweet sauce and crunchy bits were so good together.
–Heart attack: I can never say no to a heart attack. I just love that combo of jalapeño with cream cheese. The vegan cheese does not disappoint. The vegan lobster stick has the texture of a soft-​ish calamari steak.
There were also veggie gyozas that came with the bentos. I’ve had them before at another restaurant, they were gross there and gross here too =T I think I’d rather just sub that for a potato salad or something else, it’s not really worth the space it’s occupying.

Loving Vegan, Albuquerque, NM– My husband used to be a bit of a forced vegan due to some health issues and we tried this place. The food is REALLY amazing! It tasted real, and he was super happy with it due to that reason alone. price was good too. This was in their older location, so it was a bit ago, but we are going to go back when time allows. Great place to dine, vegan or not.
Update…I am sad to see this place has been reported as closed. We loved it so :(

Went here for the first time today for a little early dinner, and we were starving!
This is definitely a great place to eat, delicious food, and even better service.
We were immediately greeted once we walking through the door, and I immediately love the atmosphere! Which definitely helped with our dining experience as well. We ordered the zebra roll, crunchy tuna roll, crunchy salmon roll, miso soup, udon soup, spicy udon noodles, and Kung pow soy chicken, tofu, monkey balls, and squid salad, all of which were delicious! All of the dishes were tastefully presented. Everything was very organic and tastes very light compared to anywhere else you would eat. Everything was delicious and I was very impressed with the sauce from each of our dishes, and the broth from our noodles. I will definitely return!

I want to visit Albuquerque again just to go back to this place. Incredibly creative take on vegan sushi. Everything tasted really good. It’s so great to get to enjoy something like spicy tuna rolls again ethically and without the mayo. Don’t forget to check out the «fish» display.

I’ve been here 2x in the two weeks I’ve lived in Albuquerque and both times were really good! The faux beef entrees are great, as are the faux chicken. The Fried Monkey Balls and seaweed salad are both solid appetizers, though the mushroom balls are a better bang for your buck. next time we might venture into the vegan sushi menu, but I like a balanced meal for dinner, not one that’s ½ rice… I’m weird like that.
Service was prompt and efficient (though a little spaztic) both times. I’ve never seen more than 4 – 5 tables full, even just walking by. I hope they fill up for lunch service!
Side note: the filtered water is well worth the sticker on the door. As a new comer to town I’ve been amazed at how weird the tap water can taste at some places here in town.

This is my second time eating at Loving Vegan and, well, the name covers it! One of the only vegan sushi restaurants I’ve encountered, everything tastes genuine and delicious. The service was excellent; prompt, kind, and precise. I must admit I’m biased, as being a vegan can be stressful in a country centered on livestock food industries; however, this place gives me hope.
For any vegan considering, GO! The only downside is that the prices are mildly above average (specifically side orders).

Would give it 4 and a half stars. Great food! All vegan with sushi rolls using soy instead of fish that are surprisingly good. We loved the NM roll, and the vegetable tempura was pretty good. Overall a good spot to have lunch or dinner!

I loved this place. We took all our friends there. Whenever someone came to town, we made sure to go here. We eat there sometimes 2 or 3 times a week. Sometime in the past couple of months — something has changed.
Super bummed to report this place has taken a turn. The past few times I’ve eaten there, the food has tasted off. We wanted to think they were just having a bad day and we gave them a few chances. We’ve been served the wrong rolls and then the chef had to study the board in front and try to figure out how to make what is the «Special»,
I was hoping this was just a rough patch and kept going back hoping it would return to the tasty food I love. Tonight was the last time I’ll go to Lovin Vegan.
The service was terrible. The waitresses that used to work there seem to all be gone. I’m not sure if there’s a new chef –but it’s gross. The ginger tea tasted weak and a little like dish water. The shrimp ball soup was disgusting. And the pineapple curry tasted off. I told the waitress about the tea and the food. Next thing I know a man comes from the back and stands at our table. I asked him what he wanted. He was really rude and the waitress came over and said she wanted him to know. It was really odd. They didn’t even take the tea off the bill. So, I asked her to and she seems shocked I wouldn’t want to pay for something I didn’t drink. We paid for the meals we didn’t eat and will never go back again.

THE BEST SUSHI I HAVE EVER EATEN! –vegan or non-​vegan– This place is amazing! Love their location & name that is so forward from the view from the street. Definitely automatically in the top 5 vegan restaurants I have tried! I seriously considered moving to Albuquerque after tasting everything. Lmao. Okay, not seriously but my goodness. it was beyond delicious! Make ya wanna pack yo bags and move the hell in, delicious! ;) Wish I could visit this restaurant weekly… because «TAKE MY MONEY!» haha! Staff was exceptional at their job & made it clear that they wanted to make your visit as enjoyable as possible! 5 freakin stars! Will return as often as possible & recommend to all vegan friends! Thanks again for such an awesome meal & great service from wonderful people! Xx

Good, but I can’t go as far as to say great. Honestly, this is one of those «3.5» places that you should try if you’re in the mood for what they’re doing: vegan sushi and a few vegan bento boxes. You’ll probably not be blown away, but you won’t be disgusted.
It’s nice to see so many vegan restaurants open in the Nob Hill area, but I can’t say that there’s anything that draws me to this place. There’s something about paying real-​fish prices for veggie sushi. I know that a portion of the price is for someone who knows how to prepare it. However I doubt that selecting a top slice of broccoli takes the same art and skill that hamachi does.
I typically go for one of the warm options here: vegan bento boxes, vegan versions of classic Chinese dishes like sesame chicken, etc. The fake meat here is… too sweet? I’m not really sure. It’s not «bad» but there’s something (other than being fake meat) that’s not «right» about it. It’s good, but just too… something.
They’ve done an ok job with a difficult space here; it’s a big room and it’s hard to make it intimate without having «Kitchen Impossible» come through, but it’s clean, bright, and the staff is friendly.

If I were vegan, this place would be my refuge. The spicy tuna* roll, the dynamite roll, and the sweet potato tempura roll were all delicious. I ordered the orange tofu just to see what it would be like, and I wouldn’t do that again. It was okay, it just didn’t impress me like the rolls did.
Dining room nothing special, just good food. Special shout out to our delightful server, who was so happy she literally bounced while talking to us. You are awesome — never change.
*textured tofu, not actual tuna. Surprisingly good.

This place is awesome for vegan and vegetarian ppl. I am from NJ but whenever I come to Albuquerque I make sure I eat sushi here.
Their service is also good and fast.

I visited today for a late lunch. I was the only diner at first. It was nice, if not a little on the sparse side, inside. The two rolls I had were vey delicious (Dynamite and New Mexico rolls). They were a great combination of savory and a hint of sweetness.
I took away one star because the green salad I ordered was sort of wilted and tasted like salad pulled from a bag. Nothing special but the ginger dressing was quite good.
Waitress was lovely and helpful. I would definitely return!

I love sushi, and it’s good here. This is a vegan branch of an omnivore sushi chain, and apparently not related to Loving Hut. Anyhow, here they have all the elaborate rolls you could want. I’m old and crust and went vegan before sushi was invented. I’m not used to the creamy sauces, but they were good. The service is very friendly, and readily accommodated my preschooler’s request for a carrot roll.
The sign is hard to see from a car driving past, unless you’re looking straight at it. But parking is tight even early on a weeknight, so you will have plenty of times to drive past it.

An all vegan sushi restaurant at last! Very close to New Mexico University.
Food:
1. Inari Seaweed Salad: I was expecting more seaweed salad. It was inari sushi sprinkled with seaweed salad.
2. Sweet Potato Tempura: My second time ordering this. I love sweet potato and this sushi roll is hard to find.
3. Grilled Portobello Mushroom Roll (Unagi Roll): Very delicious! They do not use unagi sauce to top off the roll however the mushroom texture is similar to unagi.
Ambience: Relatively modern setting with long ceiling lights and a dark green and orange interior. The wall décor are pictures of menu items. It’s clean and offers regular table seating and also seating at the sushi bar. There’s also a small waiting area.
Customer Service: Nice and patient. They ensured they had my order correct before submitting it.
Overall I would recommend whether you like sushi or are a vegan. Try the sweet potato roll!

Ok, I first experienced Loving Vegan when it was on the westside. That time was great, I ordered a couple rolls, service was fast, wifi free, my food was outstanding, and I was given bottomless refills while studying. I would say that time was 5 stars.
This time, I’m rating it 4 stars for the food quality. It’s great to find a decent vegetarian/​vegan eatery, but I still have to be critical on flavor. This time, I went with my sister and we split one of their boxes (sesame chick’n). It came with plenty of food, which was great, so it was perfect to split. Here’s what came in the box, and the good and bad of it: First, the miso soup… it lacked flavor. I’m glad it’s not filled with salt and preservatives like other places, but that doesn’t have to equal bland. The seaweed salad was great, as well as the ginger salad, tempura veggies (oh, my god!) and the cucumber avocado roll. The star of the meal, the sesame chick’n over white rice, was a flop. I’m no stranger to meat substitute products, so I knew what to expect in those terms, but again, the flavor just wasn’t there! Next time I’ll just stick to ordering a couple rolls.
I will be back, but this is one of those places where you need to learn which items are a restaurant’s strengths, and which to avoid.
Side note: on the way out, I noticed a new pastry case with yummy looking cookies and cupcakes. I grabbed a gluten free chocolate cupcake to go. At $ 3 each, the price hurt but I’m willing to spend what’s needed for a good product. This cupcake was anything but. It was terrible, ever for GF standards. And chocolate is one of the hardest baked good flavors to screw up. I have a feeling that a third party is making these baked goods, not Loving Vegan, but beware just the same. Pop over to Flying Star afterwards if you need a fix for your sweet tooth.

More more more! This was amazing! I haven’t had sushi (outside of avocado and cucumber) in a long time. This was so delish we ended up getting some rolls to go.
They had a very good menu that can easily fit what you want, light or heavy, flavorful or specific, they can do it.
Next time we are in town, it will be hard to keep us away!

To preface this review I would say I am not a vegetarian, but I do appreciate vegetarian food.
I find Loving Vegan to be refreshing and the food to be delicious at times. I am a fan of supporting places such as this, but after being here multiple times, I notice that there are certain dishes that gets over seasoned and there are certain dishes that gets under seasons. As for service, it is pretty good. The waitstaff is always very attentive without being overbearing and hovering. I would give it a 4^th star if I felt the food were not so inconsistent with seasoning, because I have been here one night and the stir fried udon was DELICIOUS but my noodle soup today was a bit bland.
I think it is an ok place to visit if you are craving some vegetarian food.