Restaurant review #60 – The Loving Hut Veganerie is a new vegan place in Leuven (Louvain, close to Brussels) and part of the international chain of Loving Hut restaurants. It opened in 2015. There was already another Loving Hut restaurant in Louvain (just around the corner!), and next to those two Loving Hut restaurants, there is also the Viva Vega! Loving Hut Express, a fast food truck which you can encounter at festivals and other events (for example at Vegan Summer Fest or Fair Festival).

• UPDATE – see below

Louvain has quite some options for vegans! The Loving Hut Veganerie is the third all vegan restaurant in town (the other ones are the first Loving Hut and Vegaverso), and is just around the corner from vegan shop SHAVT. Although the Veganerie it is not really a restaurant. The menu consists mainly of burgers and other typical fastfood things, and it is self service (you order at the counter, and after notification that your food is ready, you can go pick it up).
Our photos and review is from two visits: in June and in October 2015.

This is what we had for lunch (on two different occasions during the last couple of months):

On each occasion, we were too stuffed to have some more dessert, although they looked really nice!

Our impressions of Loving Hut Veganerie

The Veganerie is a nice bright and spacious space. Lots of room upstairs as well. Clean and tidy. The seatings are very uncomfortable though: there are no chairs but only stools (there’s one table with some chairs with a back rest in the front of the ground floor). Food was straightforward vegan fastfood stuff. At first glance, the menu offers lots of burger variety, but nearly all are the same ‘beefless patty’ (except for the Chicky or Vishy burger), with or without a slice of cheese or another sauce or some vegetables. Not enough though to give the four burgers we have eaten their own distinctive taste, so we wouldn’t mind if they are spiced up a bit!
There is outdoor seating as well. However, keep in mind that The Veganerie is located at rector de Somerplein, where a lot of busses stop (public transport). So we did not fancy sitting outside (on some occasions I could even smell the fumes of the busses inside the restaurant when the doors opened).
All in all reasonable value for money if you order just a burger, but otherwise maybe a bit on the expensive side. Consider for example the price of a burger + salad + chips + sauce (to equate a main dish at restaurant), what amounts to 16€ to 18€, which is more than some main dishes in a regular restaurants (where service is included).
The mini shop has a nice selection of vegan items, like vegan cheeses and vegan meat alternatives, which are not so easily found in mainstream shops.
Our order was quickly processed and staff was friendly.

The Loving Hut Veganerie, location
rector De Somerplein 13
3000 Leuven
no telephone number found

website: http://www.lovinghut.be/

— UPDATE 2020: CLOSED 

See our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

Some more photos from Loving Hut Veganerie: