Black Cat Cafe in Newham

I had the Christmas sandwich and it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had...and I'm not even vegan! The staff were really friendly and helpful on food recommendations and I loved the atmosphere and the cosy vibe. It has a great community feel to the place and I'm looking forward to coming back and trying the other options which also sounded very tasty! Definitely visit this iconic vegan cafe!

I went today for the salad bowl which was delicious and had a really lovely combination of flavours. I’ve also been in for a coffee regularly in the last few weeks and have to say it would be difficult to name another place in London that serves a better flat white! Great service and warm vibes.

Same experience as the others — used to love this place but the food quality now is really poor, got burned food, and the political atmosphere of the cafe that made it special is no longer there :(

I've come to this new place now a couples times and after a burned burger patty, bad taste smoky soup and a plain wrap burrito with the rest of the chips bag dumped on the plate, I go say I'm not coming here again and I feel sad that this place is not even close what it used to be. 😔

What ever happened to the black cat???? The salad bowl is a shell of its former self - no dressing, sliced toast, and terrible ingredients. Some of it tasted off! And the place has lost its vibe. So sad this used to be my fav spot. :( :(

Delicious breakfast, with friendly service and good coffee.

What a pleasure it is to be at the Black Cat Café :) I went to the Café with my two sisters-in-law and my little 5-month-old nephew for lunch, and we had a great time! Holly and the team are so kind and welcoming. They have created a lovely calm, relaxing and inclusive atmosphere. The food was totally delicious. I can personally recommend the burger. The chips were so good and I will think about them for a long time. My sisters-in-law had the pie and the dhal, and they loved their dishes too. There was also a great range of drinks available. I had a refreshing strawberry lemonade and would recommend this. Another great thing is the generous portion sizes. It made the dishes really good value for money, as Holly kindly provided recyclable containers for us and we were able to take our leftovers home and have them for lunch the next day. I would strongly recommend Black Cat Cafe to people of any age, for its pleasant and calm atmosphere, friendly vibes, delicious food and great drinks. Perfect place to catch up with friends and family or spend some quality alone time reading or studying.

Great food, great people, love it

I had the best time going to this Cafe. The staff were incredible and so lovely! I had the pleasure of having the salad bowl and easy to say it was one of the best I’ve ever had, all was so tasty and the serving size was great. Such a nice environment with a lovely decorated and spacious setting. The toilets were also very clean and the decor were lovely! Would 10/10 recommend if you’re looking for tasty vegan food 😊

Have come a few times and been impressed! The vibe is great for some chilled downtime or for meeting friends over coffee. Food is all vegan and delicious (and I'm not vegan). Comes in good time (not too quick that you haven't settled or feel rushed, or too long where you're left starving), and pleased to see sustainability is high on the agenda. I hadn't been prior to the new management taking over and can see from the reviews it was a well loved cafe in the local (and not so local) community. But the new staff are lovely and clearly work well together, I don't think any long-term customers will be disappointed :)

Lovely and peaceful vegan place with plenty of options.

Had a delicious curry and drinks. Lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

Had a delicious curry here for lunch yesterday! Friendly staff, quick service and generous size portions. Good selection of drinks and coffees too.Excellent value and relaxed , comfortable atmosphere.Thank you , I will be back , Alison x

Tenía un delicioso curry y bebidas. Ambiente encantador y relajado. Pasteles en el mostrador también se veía bien - me gustaría probarlos la próxima vez.

Update: I still love this place! I've going to the black cat since 2015.. Very recently the owners moved away. Which is a shame because they are awesome 😎 👍🏼 Was really bummed for a few months until I saw it reopened earlier this month under new management! Went to check it out this afternoon - The menu is still all vegan! The portions are still big and filling! And the atmospher is still nice. Some growing pains still I assume will be resolved once they find their feet. There's no WiFi at the moment and the recipes aren't the same as they once were (for better and for worse). Nonetheless it's good to have the Black Cat back 🥳

Nice staff and nice atmosphere I had the vanilla and chocolate & hazelnut ice cream and it was very good

we had an iced filter coffee and a fresh strawberry lemonade that were very very nice the soup of the day was delicious. i had the vegan chicken and avocado burger and it was absolutely incredible all the food is fresh and homemade and the homemade bakery items were so good. 10/10 would recommend

Such a gorgeous space! Lovely owners and the tastiest vegan food. We had the pakora burger and banh mi, and both were so fresh and full of flavour. Had to get a cherry chocolate brownie with home made ice cream to finish it off and I'm already planning on going back for another! A proper gem - glad to have this reopened in Hackney!

Great atmosphere, great coffee, very friendly and best vegan food. My favourite place!

Great food, great people and a nice, relaxing atmosphere. Try the oyster mushroom bahn mi, you won't regret it!

Great food, very generous portions! I wish they were open longer hours.

Bittersweet to see it go, but wish the owners all the best in Spain! Been coming here for 6 years and never been let down by the service, food, or vibe.

Tasty hearty meals. Great atmosphere.

Really lovely vegan cafe. It felt like the kind of place where my favourite squatters would hang out in the 70s. Does that make sense? It just felt good, like the kind of place I was meant to hang out in.

Just a bit on the 'vegan hipster' nose. Pretentious but good food.

Amazing food, lovely people, wonderful service and great vibes.

Amazing little Vegan cafe. Healthy, tasty and consistent. Kind and accepting to all.

A nice chilled out place to have a bite to eat with different things on the menu to choose I had the tofu it came with potatoes I didn't want the potatoes so they swapped it out for some lentils for me which I really enjoyed my friend had their vegan for English it was massive thanks to nacho and Carla x

I’m not massively into vegan food, but I have voluntarily taken myself to Black Cat for lunch twice now and have consistently been blown away by their delicious food, warm service and comforting atmosphere. The food comes really quickly and is always very hot and incredibly tasty - exactly what one needs on a cold winter’s day. Highly recommend!! Also their oat flat whites are so good (again, this is from a predominantly dairy milk drinker).

I can't stop raving about the food. A delightful surprise!

had the “chicken” salad & chickpea curry! the “chicken” was INCREDIBLE and the salad had lots of texture & a good dressing! crunchy and amazing. best not-chicken fillet i’ve ever had i think

Always amazing food served by lovely people 😊

The chickpea curry was so nice!

So good, Best Vegan cafe in London, food is an amazing here with a great home made feel and big portions. Staff are all great. Beautiful idea of a collective, oldest Vegan cafe I know of and still going strong. Says it all. Please open evenings again ♥️

I have been coming to this place for years and I love the food and what they stand for! The RISO prints on the wall are super cool. The prices are fair for the amount and quality of food served ✨

Lovely vegan food and milk shakes..Good atmosphere...great name.sounds like a bikers meet up pub..with traveling too... It has a social.conciense too. Sell pottery and books and money goes towards some causes. Also sells a small amount of Hardcore punk records. It has a connection with Straight edge Punk . It's a open,friendly place. All kinds of people.

Great food, nice atmosphere, very reasonably priced.

Lovely atmosphere and great food selection :)

Black Cat is an institution, one of the OG spots in Hackney if you need to eat a good plantbased meal, where proteins and fiber will never lack! Super friendly staff, great service and ethic, an absolute must 😍

The absolute best spot in London for brunch at the weekends. The dirty chais are the best I’ve ever had!

Only had time for a milkshake but everything is perfect and I would 1000000% visit again

Incredible tasting and looking food. I highly recommend this cafe. Vegan friendly and dog friendly! They even gave our lil dog a vegan sausage and made sure we were all good and comfortable

Great and comfy spot for a nice vegan british style breakfast on the weekends. Great service. Good prices. Delicious food. We had the British breakfast, a sausage roll and the apple pie. Everything was delicious. Would come back.

I love this place. Great food. The menu changes often and I'm waiting for the day they do the incredibly faux fish curry I had the first time I visited. Only sad thing is that they're closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and by some annoying coincidence those always end up being the days that I fancy visiting (like today while I'm writing this 🤣)

Absolutely flawless café. I recently moved from the area and dearly miss it (as does my partner). Huge portions of excellent quality vegan food (with gluten free options!) A varied and changing menu. Left-wing/socialist décor. Pleasant, helpful staff. A bright and airy space. AND they sell Club Maté. Perfection.

Black Cat are the best: reasonable prices, huge portions, delicious food and friendly staff.

Always amazing!!! Big portions, tasty food, great vibe and staff

The food is always impeccable, the portion sizes are generous and each dish really does taste like it’s prepared with love and thought. I always find myself eating there when I crave comforting food that tastes homely - but is generally good for all occasions (highly recommend taking the salad to Hackney Downs on a sunny day too!) The cafe’s vibe is warm, friendly and community/focused. The coffee is always awesome & if you have room for cake/ pastry you’re in for a real treat! One of the most reasonably priced and down to earth all vegan spots in London. Thanks for nourishing me Black Cat x

My favourite cafe in the area. Tasty, filling and nutritious food and the best milkshakes

One of the consistently best places to eat and spend time at in London. Down to earth atmosphere and prices, would rate higher than five stars if possible

Loved the rice lentil pancake, hearty and healthy, and nice to find a gluten free, savoury brunch option 👌🏻

Not tasty vegan food at all - scrambled tofu bad, mushrooms bad. Was also asked to sit on a smaller table “as it gets very busy” while the entire place was empty

Some of the best vegan food in Hackney, massive portion sizes so great value for money.

We was the first time here because we searched for a vegan brunch, the menu looked good so we decided to visit the place. You can order your Food and drink on the front and pay ,then the food will be brought to you at the table. The range of the menu was very good and the prices were very moderate!! And the portions are so big! They made everything fresh and the presentation of the meals are incredibly pretty! The staff is very friendly and the decoration of the restaurant was very minimalistic but incredibly cute❤️ we will definitely come back for another brunch if we have the opportunity

Excellent vegan restaurant, delicious food, excellent service, and great atmosphere.

I have been planning to come here for quit w a while and finally made it. The menu was really interesting. I tried a dish (I can't remember the name) but it was quite filling and tasty, and so was the shake. The atmosphere was easy, and had nice seating available. I would definitely come here again.

I simply love this place. Everytime when I'm in London I try to make sure that I pop in. This time I went on a Friday about lunchtime, wasn't exactly busy, nice vibe. Food has always been great, this time too, amazing tasty filling milkshakes. Supercool music and very interesting art and books you can buy. Best price value in London probably.

Cannot fault this place on anything. Undoubtedly and reliably the best vegan restaurant in London by FAR. The food is served in MASSIVE bowls, such big portions for reasonable prices... And we almost always have leftovers to take away. The quality of the food, the flavours, the offerings are fantastic and unique. I'm absolutely addicted to the salads. In addition to an amazing menu they always have tons of savoury pastries and pies for a quick grab-and-go. Delicious cold drinks. And good rock/punk music playing. Perfection.

Delicious and creative meals! Probably the best vegan tuna sandwich i’ve ever had.

Not very good in my view. Ordered a burger which was terribly salty. Burger bun was tough dry and crumbly, could not eat (waste of money). They could also work on their customer service. Will not be going back.

This place was great a few years ago, what happened? The space has been gutted and so has the food. I can't see it surviving much longer at this rate.

Place is amazing but gentrifying prices for sure. Way too expensive for coffee and pastries. Not affordable and inclusive for vegan working class folks. Love bumping into mates here though ❤️

Really cool hip vegan brunch place. 80s hardcore punk music and posters, great vibes. I had the full english breakfast for £12 and an americano for £2.30. very friendly staff, will be back.

A very lovely surprise on the neighbourhood. The salad portion is very big ( dinner is sorted if you doggy bag) all the rest looked very tasty too. All is vegan and lovely kombucha . Also supporting charity organizations in the venue. What's not to like !?

Will be back for that cinnamon bun!

Great place serving lovely vegan food. Their cake is excellent.

The food and staff are exceptional!

friendly service, soft music and great atmosphere.

Any place that actually serves POTS of tea gets my thumbs up. Food incredibly fresh and delicious...had the salad bowl which even defeated me. Super friendly staff...glad to see one of the original stalwarts of vegan food in London is still thriving.

Amazing burger and chips and great service

Amazing portion sizes, supports other local communities, nice staff, great choice of Mogwai playing in the background too. 100/10.

It was a lovely place and super cute I really liked it here and the people were super nice. I would definitely recommend

Not a fan of vegan food normally, but this place is great! Big portions and very tasty.

Really busy during weekends, but do not give it up, people come to eat and leave soon, there will be space for you soon. They have a laptop policy but if you ask they let you sit there when they are not too busy or at the end of the day when new people are not coming in.

Great veggie food for fair prices. Good cake selection. People are super friendly.

Best vegan sausage rolls in London! Fantastic coffee, milkshakes, food and wonderful staff.

Great place to visit if you're hungry and want a lot of amazing vegan food. It's not in the best location, 15 minutes walk out of Hackney Central, but it's sure worth the visit. The food is amazing and the coffee outstanding. Prices are reasonable. Look forward to returning.

Das Ambiente ist so schön einfach und natürlich, dass man sich wohlfühlt. Es ist sehr gepflegt und es wird sich um die Menschen gekümmert - die Kunden und Spenden an Menschen, die das Geld benötigen! Essen war selbstgemacht und lecker für günstiges Geld. Und am besten alles vegane Alternativen, wo jeder noch was neues entdecken kann!

Very tasty vegan food, nice people, not expensive and great atmosphere.

Lovely lovely place, been coming here for years, friendly staff, relaxed environment, just all around great vibes, I love black cat 😊

Great vegan cafe, will surely come back!

Popped in Sunday for lunch! Nice place, staff were nice food was good and I'm not vegan either.

Fantastic place with comfortable wooden seating benches, pillows along the windows seating, eclectic posters and decor and buzzy but not overtly loud or obnoxious convo happening. Although £12 for my lentil burger made me blanche, the generous sides of salad and housemade slaw (I asked for no fries nor burger bun) made it all worth it. There’s so much on the plate I boxed half for home (I had drank a smoothie before I had arrived here). The slaw in particular is divine: it doesn’t have that gross mayo gloppiness I usually despise. It’s quite fresh. There’s a lovely vinaigrette on the greens and the burger has a moreish artichoke sauce. The staff is friendly as are the customers; dog-friendly too!

Fantastic place with comfortable wooden seating benches, pillows along the windows seating, eclectic posters and decor and buzzy but not overtly loud or obnoxious convo happening. Although £12 for my lentil burger made me blanche, the generous sides of salad and housemade slaw (I asked for no fries nor burger bun) made it all worth it. There’s so much on the plate I boxed half for home (I had drank a smoothie before I had arrived here). The slaw in particular is divine: it doesn’t have that gross mayo gloppiness I usually despise. It’s quite fresh. There’s a lovely vinaigrette on the greens and the burger has a moreish artichoke sauce. The staff is friendly as are the customers; dog-friendly too!

Came here for brunch with my boyfriend and was not disappointed. Great range of hot meals, pastries, cakes, milkshakes and hot drinks, all vegan! Only downside is they weren't very flexible with regards to altering dishes to make them nut free (they weren't able to omit the scrambled tofu, which contained nuts, from the full English breakfast, so my boyfriend wasn't able to order this). Will definitely be returning though!

Always great food, big portions, good prices, friendly staff. Casual, cosy atmosphere. Best vegan cafe in Hackney.

Really lovely cafe. The food was incredible. I'll be back to try everything on the menu!

They simply are the reason I am vegan. Theirs is the best food I ever have had—not the most "authentic" or "gastronomic" or complicated, but simply the best. Slaw with vegetables that are cut so that they are still crunchy without being hard or reduced to pellets. "Chicken," with breading that is crunchy without being too thick, that is the perfect consistency for a sandwich, vegan mayo that tastes like a winning competitor rather than an imitation, pickled cucumbers that would win first prize at a Midwestern county fair, and even fresh lettuce (rather than lettuce that is old and bitter). Even the chips are at the perfect level of doneness and saltiiness. I've been looking forward to returning here for four years, and it was even better than I hoped for.

The Black Cat in many ways is the reason I am vegan. Theirs is the best food I ever have had—not the most "authentic" or "gastronomic" or complicated, but simply the best. Slaw with vegetables that are cut so that they are still crunchy without being hard or reduced to pellets. A "chicken" sandwich with breading that is crunchy without being too thick and pickled cucumbers that would win first prize at a Midwestern county fair. Even the chips are the perfect level of crispness and saltiness. I've been looking forward to returning here for four years, and it was even better than I remembered.

Best vegan breakfast in London. I've had about a million meals from here and the worst I've ever had was an 8.5.

Favorite place in London. The food is absolutely delicious, the portions are huge, the place is really nice and cozy, and the people are the nicest. The sandwiches and the vegetable pancake are great, and the cakes and muffins are also amazing! Thanks a lot!!

Highly processed vegan food. No rawness, only chemicals, seed oils and pea proteins pumped into pretty shapes.

I absolutely love this place! I’ve been coming since it was Pogo and I’ve always enjoyed their food and ethic. The place is full of the diversity of Hackney, reasonably priced as the portions are large! Staff are super friendly. Get down early for an epic Sunday breakfast, you won’t be disappointed!

Delicious vegan food in a casual space. Also reasonable prices and super friendly staff. I come here often and always try something different. I love the sandwiches and cakes.

Exceptional café with great food and drinks. I stopped going to Pogo about 10 years ago, because it turned into a hyper-political clique of hippy shambles... with terrible food to match (except their burger). Black Cat is what this space should be; polite staff, well-prepared food, and a strong animal rights ethics. Monday has a discounted menu, too.

Absolutely great. My favourite place to eat in London. Food is fantastic, portions are huge, lots of options, great vibe, great value, and great ethos. I always leave so full, and for half the price of anywhere else. The meals usually come with tonnes of salads and bits too. Really appreciate it. The kitchen and people that work there do an amazing job.

Absolutely outstanding food. I got the noodles and I was amazed by the quality and how well the flavours mixed together. The fishless bites were actually incredible and they do indexes taste like fish! The price is fair, especially if you considered how generous the portions.

Nice place with delicious food! The meals are quite big. We got the English breakfast and camembert sandwich and both were really good!

Decent place good to take a break

Friendly and unpretentious, huge portions of food. I had the tofu burger with chunky chips cooked to perfection.