Happy Kitchen

Under Arch 393 by London Fields Railway Station you'll find a little piece of sunshine in the Happy Kitchen, a vegan restaurant opened by friends Lisa Stockton and Ella Pennington in July 2011. It's an uplifting kind of name and the place really does live up to its moniker. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and "the place feels like a beach hut inside" (Evening Standard) thanks to the whitewashed chairs and wooden tables. There are self-service boxes of grains and dried fruit for sale and free WiFi means the place is rammed with freelancers making this their second home. If happiness comes from the insdie then the food - 'superfood salad' and 'scrumdiddliumptious' banana and peanut butter soy shake - is sure to make you feel good about yourself. The Happy Kitchen bakery (a few doors down) which supplies the restaurant claims to be "London's only organic, artisan, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and egg free bakery". It's a great place to take the kids who not only get sugar-free cakes but who also get their own storybooks to take away. And it's in a great location for local families, just a short walk from London Fields park and Lido and around the corner from Broadway Market where they have a stall on Saturdays.