Loving Hut

Sad day. Just saw they closed business on May 1^st. Great people and great food. Wish them the best. :-(

This place if beyond good!!! Their Pandan cake is amazing!!! Very zen like place and their waitress is so sweet and helpful when ordering!!!
I tried their house burger! It’s insanely good! Their mango tango drink is so good if you feel like getting a milky and light shake.
Their cranberry drink is good and refreshing too!

I wanted to check out this place because it originated in Korea and one of the YouTube channels I follow reviewed them. I was excited to experience Korean vegan food.
My boy friend and I decided to go all out:
Ocean basket — fries, fried mushrooms, imitation fish and imitation scallops? There were two dipping sauces. We mainly gravitated towards to tartar sauce.
Rainbow Lemon chicken — like fried vegetarian chicken nuggets with lemon grass. Pretty good. A little salty so it would go well with rice.
Imperial Thai hot pot — this was pretty good. It reminded me of Tom yum soup with mushrooms and imitations fish balls. It came with a bunch of vegetables and noodles. The small can probably feed two people well.
Service was good but food took a while to come out. There were a bunch of pictures of vegetarian people on the wall. Haha.

Ok, so let me start off by saying that I am in no way a vegetarian or vegan. I love eating meat. But my wife and I are on a health kick right now. We didn’t feel like cooking so we looked for a healthy spot to eat.
Right off the bat I like the calm atmosphere the place had. Unfortunately there was no one else there. We sit at a table and the lady comes up and serves us water. She told us that it was infused with lemon and orange, which was great for me because I hate it when the servers just plop a piece of lemon in your water without asking.
We look at the menu and we have no idea what to order. It wasn’t that the menu was confusing, because it absolutely wasn’t; it was just that we had never ordered vegan food before. My wife settles on the seafood platter and I get the beef vermicelli. Both of which contain soy versions of their respective proteins. we also ordered carrot juice for both of us, and it was nice to see her actually feeding carrots into what looked like a Jack Lelanne Power Juicer instead of wondering whether it was fresh or not. Tasted good.
The food arrives after not long. I take a bite expecting it to be terrible… and it wasn’t. It tasted pretty good. Had I not known previously that it was soy I wouldn’t have been able to tell a difference. The same went for my wife’s seafood platter. The soy shrimp and fish were pretty good.
I walked into this place a fair amount of negativity, or at least we can call it skepticism. But the food was good and I would come here again.
I got to say that the funniest part of the day was watching an elderly trio come in and just have complaint after complaint about the minutest detail from the seats to the temperature… everything. Then as we were leaving we heard them enjoying their food. «This is pretty good.» «I can’t believe this is soy.» things like that.
So there you have it. This place makes elderly grumpy people smile and eat their food.

wow! i had to take another star away for their dirty food practices. violation 001 was red…
county directory of information & services | public alerts | public information | county contact information
public health images
environmental health
food facility
loving hut
621 w main st
alhambra, ca 91 801
red highlighted violations denote high risk. click on the violation for more details.
current score: 80 b

violations: 001 holding of phf — multiple servings (major)
022 improperly covered /​labeled /​elevated
031 employee practices (minor)
043 hazardous materials /​chemicals (minor)
048 non — food contact surfaces — not clean (minor)
050 unapproved type /​improper use /​improper installation
055 not clean
058 other insects (minor)
063 hood — not clean /​disrepair /​missing filter (s)

inspection date: 05/​29/​2013
establishment type: restaurant
inspection history

inspection date: score letter grade
03/​27/​2013 88 b
01/​09/​2013 83 b
09/​04/​2012 80 b

I love Loving Hut! The food is some of the best vegan food I’ve eaten. The staff are consistently very friendly when we come. The prices are reasonable. Decent selection.
The freshly squeezed carrot juice is ice cold and yum. My daughter is nuts for the Pandan cake! I would eat here almost every day if were practical.

I went here for lunch the other day and I was not disappointed.
Service: The owner was a very wonderful and attentive woman. She came by to refill our glasses, and clear our plates– everything you would want from a server.
Food: Good selection! I wish I hadn’t eaten in days so I could have ordered the whole menu! Good variation between soy and tofu products with vegetables. My friend and I ordered the hummus (made with spinach, which sounds odd but it was amazing!), golden nuggets (better quality and taste than McDonalds!), the Merry Sandwich (their version of BLT) and a House Burger (carmelized onions made it). I wanted to try their soups/​noodles but the weather outside was too warm for me to be sane enough to have something that hot and then walk home.
The Menu: There are lunch specials and off the menu specials displayed on a board in the restaurant. Don’t get distracted by the pages of the menu and forget to flip it all the way over!
Cost: Less than $ 30 for 4 dishes and drinks.
I know that eating at a place without meat doesn’t sit well with some people… but I highly recommend people try it because it really is delicious and filling. There are even pictures of prominent vegans on the wall that will help you along with your adventure =)

Drop everything you’re doing and come here NOW to try the lemongrass «chicken». I swear I have dreams about this dish– so good! It’s fried tofu so obviously not the healthiest option but who cares– it is so worth it!
I don’t live near here so have tried to find a comparable dish at other vegetarian places around me and nothing comes close to this perfectly fried, exquisitely flavored food of the gods.

Ooh I hate having to do this but I must. What happened? It’s just not what it used to be. There were ants at our table and when we told the waitress she just tried to wack em off and didn’t even apologize.
The staff does not seem to speak any English and there really is no service. I kept having to ask for things and even get up and just walk all the way to the back to pay the lady because no one was coming by.
Sorry but I am not going back.
The a/​c was also broken and now you can’t walk through the back and have to walk around to the front.
It’s too bad.

I had visited their Orange, CA location (which was AMAZING– best vegan food I EVER had) before deciding to come here…
The food wasn’t fresh, the service was slow, and everything tasted mediocre. I’m not sure if that was due to the fact that the food was cold by the time it got to us, or that the crispy breaded shrimp was actually soggy and not crispy at all.
I feel like they cooked the food in left-​over oil.
However, the staff were OK. Just ‘OK’. Nothing great.
Don’t waste your time here. Seriously. Go to the Orange, CA location.

The dishes were yummy. A bit pricey but not outrageous. I’ve tried both Loving Huts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and wanted to compare this location with the two overseas. The menus are different. The alhambra location catered to americsn pallate while the in vietnam had more of a vietnamese flare.
We ordered the bliss chow mein and lemon grass chicken. Dessert was vegen tiramisu (quite tasty).
Could have been 4 stars, but slow service knocked it down to 3.

OMG. I think my friend just referred to me as a «food b*tch».
I took pictures and uploaded them. We started with french fries with globs of sour cream and cheese that were tasty (though not the healthiest thing I’ve ever eaten, nor the most attractive). We also shared a soup (which was boiling hot — ouch!) and the beef stir-​fry. My friend was clearly in a beastly mood himself because somehow he missed the good taste and choose to focus on what he didn’t like about the meal. For the average person who doesn’t consume habanero daily (you know who you are!), the soup was delicious and spicy. Though, if you don’t want to do any work, or are afraid of making a little mess, this isn’t the dish for you (lazy Americans be forewarned!).
The place was a trip and did have a strange, but peaceful vibe. Not sure about the «B» in their window — I think the problem identified on the LA County DOH was due to the buffet, which a lot of people ordered. I’m sure its good, but even with vegan food you have to be careful about letting prepared food sit. This place is very similar to My Vegan (in Pasadena). Its inexpensive. Its decent quality. Its vegan. It has the right message to attract people like me. And so I went. All-​in-​all, it was A-​OK.

I’m trying out this pescetarian thing for a couple of weeks so my usual list of restaurants that I would go out to eat with my dad was mostly ruled out. I remember trying Loving Hut a looooooooong time ago and mostly enjoyed it, so I suggested this place for dinner. Pretty empty for a Friday night, seems like a bunch of people came in for take out. The place is average sized, no frills (not much for ambiance) and seemed family owned. Even though the service was a tad slow, our server was very friendly and sweet.
I tried their House Burger ($ 8.50) which consisted of a soy patty, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and pickles with an unhealthy portion of delicious, delicious fries. I really liked the patty, but the bottom burger bun was so soggy with sauce, it made the burger really messy to eat. My dad got their shrimp chow mein and liked it enough — good portion size with lots of veggies & «fake» shrimp. Most of their menu items are under $ 10 and they have a variety of Asian & Western (like spaghetti, sandwiches, burgers) style of foods.
— street parking (but they do have a sign that says there is parking in the back)
— CLOSED Sundays & Mondays
— Lunch specials: Tues — Friday

Loving Hut’s Spicy Cha Cha is amazing. That’s my favor dish from the restaurant. Also, I always get 10% off my whole bill when I use my Green Menu discount cards.

I love meat. This restaurant has no meat, but that’s not why it has three stars.
The buffet on a saturday evening was $ 13. It includes drinks! There’s passion fruit drink, lemon juice drink and hot tea. The food is served on a long row of tables, in catering type trays with a flame burning underneath. The lids on the trays are half closed to keep the food warm and the trays looking less empty. The buffet would look more professional and probably taste so much better if they invested in a steam table. The heat is not evenly distributed, so some of the food was dry (lemongrass tofu, or the bottom of the pasta noodles), and some was not warm enough (the soup for example).
But I must admit that the flavors were really good for some of the dishes. Good enough that you don’t feel that it lacks meat, and you can enjoy a completely vegetarian meal. I particularly enjoyed the tofu and mushroom dish, and some other dish with leafy greens and soy meat. The spaghetti was also good (minus the dried up pasta… just wait for a new batch).
The rest could have been so much better had it been more fresh and hot… and why cut the burrito so big? There are signs that ask you to not waste food and to reuse your plate. but I can’t reuse my plate if there’s a big burrito that I can’t finish. By the way, I’ve never seen a restaurant ask customers to reuse plates at a buffet.
I’ll give this place another try and order food off the menu.
I also tried the vegan tiramisu… It tasted like coconut because I think they use a coconut ingredient as a substitute for something. Nothing wrong with coconut, I like coconut, but I would not recommend this dessert.
PS: Check their hours… they close at some point during the afternoon and reopen for dinner.

Spicy Mambo — Not what it used to be. They used to import their mushrooms from Taiwan, but after they found out that those pre-​battered ‘shrooms had dairy in it, they stopped importing it. Now, it’s deep fried abalone ‘shrooms or something, a huge change if you ever got a chance to try how it was before. They should just remove this from the menu or find some way to improve it.
Guru’s Curry-​Taro chunks made it a bit dry. This dish was very heavy.
They have buffets on Saturdays for $ 11.95 now. Perhaps, I’ll give that a try.
Service is usually a bit slow even if it doesn’t seem that busy. The staff is really nice though,
Sorry to knock off a star, but my experience coming back here was a big disappointment.

Loving Hut has been on my To-​Try list for a long time, and I finally stopped in here with my sister this weekend for lunch. The restaurant is big, clean, and allows lots of natural light in from the windows. We tried the Teriyaki Vermicelli and Golden Roll, Guru’s Curry, and the Soy Nuggets. Everything was very fresh and delicious. The curry was a little… different, but I still really enjoyed the flavors regardless.
Nothing gets more Vegan then eating bean sprouts and listening to ENYA!
I have to knock a two stars off because the service was verrrrrrrrry slow. Not just physically slow, but I mean the people were just not all there. The restaurant was practically empty and we had to wait forever to get our to-​go boxes and check. I just felt like our waitress, in particular. was very spacey.

That’s NOT shrimp?
That’s NOT beef?
SERIOUS?!
My bookmarks for vegan/​vegetarian places is getting pretty extensive and I’m having fun crossing them off my list, including Loving Hut. This little restaurant is located off Atlantic and 6^th street. It’s fairly small and looks like a typical Asian restaurant.
The two ladies that helped me out were Louisa and ah, I forgot her name. But they were SUPER SWEET and so motherly-​like. They kept insisting I eat the Spring Rolls and other dishes and gave me all the free peanuts my heart desired while I waited for my friend.
Dishes:
1. Vermicelli with egg rolls: ($ 7.95)That beef looked real. FOR REAL! Looks are definitely deceiving. This dish I liked. The soy protein they used didn’t taste like meat but was flavorful. Not quite sure how to describe it though (3.5 stars)
2. Spring rolls: ($ 5.95)How the heck do they make that soy protein look like real shrimp? Crazy i say. Not bad actually. (3 stars)
3. Rainbow Lemon Grass Chicken: ($ 8.95) My friend and I opted for this because we thought it WASN’T fried. Unfortunately it was, but still yummy. (3 stars).
4. Au Lac Salad: ($ 6.95): I love a good salad. This one has carrots, cabbage, cilantro, peanuts, onions, bell peppers, and soy protein with a sweet sour sauce. 4.5 stars.
Overall, I liked that this place offers vegan Asian dishes. Parking is a breeze (free street parking!)

who knew i liked vegan food!?!
I’ve been here a few times already and i don’t know why i didn’t write a review sooner! it’s the perfect place for somebody that likes meat, but doesn’t need the cholesterol.
this food is simply delicious. it doesn’t taste like «healthy» food. it is ultimately cholesterol free, but not fat free, since many of the menu items are fried. best part is that it’s vegan, so i don’t have to worry about hubby’s seafood allergies (like with other Asian restaurants). he can eat everything on the menu with no problems!
the Spring Rolls are very fresh. i just wish they didn’t put mint in them, but that’s just my personal preference. we order it everytime and i ask it with «NO MINT», but it never helps, so i just take the mint out. the peanut sauce they serve it with is wonderful. the produce is very fresh.
the Royal Noodle is delicious. it’s a hot noodle soup with lots of noodles, tofu, cabbage (red & green), and mint. reminded me of a combination of tomyum and phở. very tasty and filling.
the Spaghetti is also yummy. i love it. i really do. it’s like diner spaghetti. nothing fancy, but very comforting. the soy protein makes you feel like you’re eating a meat sauce.
the Golden Rolls and Teriyaki Vermicelli is my husband’s favorite. the rolls are perfectly fried and the teriyaki isn’t too sweet. it’s a great combination of warm and cold (the rolls and teriyaki are hot and the noodles are cold).
the Shrimp Chow Mein is also very tasty. it’s not too greasy like Asian noodles usually are. it is very garlicy though. so it might not be a good idea if you’re on a special date. but hubby loved it because he’s allgeric to shrimp.
the Spicy Mambo is mushroom, but feels like… stringy meat? it’s not very spicy unless you eat all the chilis scattered around the plate. it’s pretty chewy so you’ll feel like you ate meat. the texture is interesting, but i like it.
Iced Tea: it’s a dollar. it’s cold jasmine tea. i love it.
Rose Lemonade: if they have it, i get it. it’s wonderfully fragrant and flowery.
location: on Main Street
parking: find parking on the street or in the lot on 5^th street
bathrooms: clean toilets; sink outside the bathroom around the corner
tables: lots of seating (location holds at least 40); we’ve never had to wait for a table
they have a new Saturday buffet, but we haven’t tried it yet. menu looks like everything they have on the normal menu with free tea for about $ 11. (don’t quote me on that, my memory is not the best)
overall, i don’t feel gross when i eat here, so we come at least once every couple of months, if not more often. it’s a great place for an imitation meat meal.
i’ll be back again soon to try the buffet!

I understand that decent vegetarian food is very difficult to come by, much less a delicious vegan meal. However, Loving Hut exceeded my expectations and has turned me on to a possible vegetarian diet?! (just kidding about being a vegetarian, but maybe for a few days!)
My ex & I have been waiting for a couple of weeks to try this restaurant, and the two times that we had dropped by while conveniently passing the area, the place was closed. It was around 3:30PM, and although it stated the hours on the front door that it was closed, the manager/​owner came running to the door. He opened the door for us and excitedly (but warmly) welcomed us in. How accommodating for them to open the door for us 1.5 hours early!
We were seated, and he left us to decide on what we’d like to order. He came by several minutes later with a big ol’ smile and asked us if we were ready to order. I had the classic vegan burger and a tiramisu. My ex had what I believe to be «golden» nuggets. We ended up not consuming most of the meal at the restaurant and asked for the check although he did come back multiple times to ask if we needed anything else. The owner had realized that this was strange, so he asked us in a concerning voice if there was anything wrong with the food. There wasn’t! How could there be? We received all our food within 10 minutes of ordering.
We ate the food later at night. The classic vegan burger came with an order of fries that were seasoned perfectly; they were crunchy, fresh, and hot when they arrived at the table (it was actually the only part I tasted at the restaurant). The actual burger itself was different, but it’s a taste that’s difficult to describe. You can hardly tell that it’s not made from real meat. The golden nuggets were the same — difficult to pinpoint the difference, but it was delicious even when it was heated up again a second time. The tiramisu was… strange. It wasn’t sweet, but it was flavorful in a not-​so-​overwhelming way. I was expecting a solid, fluffy cake. It wasn’t. It was mushy and a little grainy. It was «good,» but it wasn’t worth the $ which is my only complaint.
I was excited to try vegan food, and I’m glad we had our first experience at Loving Hut! I will be back again, and if not for the food, it will be for a comfortable environment and attentive service.