I've been to Saf three times before and enjoyed every visit. This time was no exception - we had one of their sublime nut "cheeses" to nibble while we were deciding on the menu (I would love to know how they make these!). My starter of courgette cannelloni was perfect and so tasty. Mains were the only wobble - the otherwise delicious pumpkin risotto was dominated by the cinnamon, but the baked tofu was fabulous. To finish we shared a coconut cheesecake which was lovely. All the food was creatively and elegantly presented and was a feast for the eyes. The staff were attentive and friendly. Highly recommended!

Reviewer Sally G (Surrey) has written 2 reviews

This restaurant had a strange atmosphere the moment my husband, myself, and our two guests walked in. The staff didn't seem to want to be there and we felt like we were eating in a ‘mod’ cafeteria with a chilling atmosphere. We had notified a member of staff when we confirmed the booking, that one of our guests would be arriving 20 minutes late and were told that that was ‘no problem’. While waiting for our guest to arrive, we ordered a few starters and drinks, within a 20 minute time frame we were asked by four separate staff members if our guest was would be arriving soon. At this point the evening was starting to become an annoyance rather than and enjoyable/relaxing evening out. To be fair, the starters were presented beautifully & tasted wonderful, these were definitely the ‘highlight’ of the evening. The main courses however were another disappointment. The portions were very small and there wasn’t much flavour to them. To top off the evening, we were asked to move to the lounge area, the moment we had finished desserts to accommodate the next booking.

We wouldn’t have minded any of the above as we know that these things happen on occasion, however after paying £140.00 for a meal, we were expecting to have felt more ‘welcome’ and satisfied than we did. Our waitress did not even have the courtesy to say good bye or thank you after we were moved- and paid a 12.5% added gratuity.

Of all of our experience eating at raw food restaurants throughout the world, this was by far the worst, based on portions & quality of food, prices, the lack of passion for ‘healthy food’ by the staff, the ambience, and the over all service.

Reviewer Hili S has written no other reviews

Reality check called for here.

Yes, the food is generally good and always interesting, for the present, at least (given the lack of anything comparable in London). And yes, the staff is agreeable and helpful, especially when it comes to describing dishes - whether you want them to or not!

But it is astoundingly expensive for what you get. And the management seems pretty amateurish. What decent restaurant has an answering machine that responds more often than not - when the place is open? And how professional is it to have left a booking request on the machine only to be told, on calling two hours later, that they had no trace of it?

And a self-respecting place ensures that drinks appear promptly, not - as happened to us - only after a long wait and two requests, and even then AFTER the first course had been served.

So go there, by all means, and enjoy what you do. But I suggest that they need to pull their socks up, and that a few polite indications of any shortcomings might encourage them to do so.

Reviewer Bruce H has written 2 reviews

I wasn’t expecting to like this place, especially with all the hype a new restaurant often creates. Even mainstream people were raving about it. "Greg Wallace goes vegan" screamed the headline, as if he'd had a lobotomy or a near death experience. What’s going on?

But once I got there and found it quite unpretentious and light and airy and well…. nice, I realised I was not going to be able to counter those who have raved about it. So I’m just going to tell it as it is.

Hot from our walk from the tube during a heat wave, all three of us asked if we could have coke with ice and lemon to drink. No, coke is not vegan. A bit shocked, we scanned the menu and all chose something else. Two drinks arrived straightaway but Mr Big had to remind them twice about his.

Raw food is a bit of a misnomer. Some food is completely raw, but they do gently heat food to a certain temperature to “cook” it. This preserves the vital nutrients and yes, it does taste delicious. I had the “cheese” starter (made from nuts) served with crackers which was so nice I could easily give up the real stuff if this was the alternative. I had the Buddha bowl because everyone else before me seems to have chosen this. And I can see why. It’s a really tasty combination of tofu, rice with green tea and pickled ginger. We had a kale and avocado salad to share which was good as well. A nice touch was each dish being explained to us as it was brought to the table.

There were a few niggles, such as having to ask twice for more tap water - but I’ve a feeling these are just teething problems. There is a little patio area if you wish to sit outside and on Tuesdays they have cookery lessons. Very friendly and welcoming, I recommend it. But don’t come if you are skint. Our lunch for three was nearly £100.

Reviewer Veggie Places

I went to Saf last Wednesday. It's in a great corner of Hoxton, surrounded by some of my favourite pubs; The Reliance, Macbeth, Barley Mow, The Foundary. The area has an undeserved image of pretentious media workers and fashionistas. It's actually a very vibrant and fun place to be... and Saf fits in very well.

Saf manages to provide a very smart room with down-tempo lounge atmosphere and a mix of 2, 4 and 8 people tables. The staff had a friendly and slightly up-market professionalism.

We quickly had organic Samuel Smiths lager and a large glass of very yummy red wine - being left to talk and decide what we wanted to eat. We were totally unrushed and not invaded by eager staff.

We asked for the menu to be explained to us to find out what the dishes were; which was done with great knowledge and simplicity.

We had the dumplings and beetroot ravioli as starters which were subtle and excellent. They may be less rich than meat eaters are used to - and as a vegetarian for 20 years I appreciated that they don't try to pander to the over creamy, fatty, highly seasoned and glutenate sodden food you usually get in meaty restaurants. There is a lot to be said for natural food with all its natural, light tastes.

We had a couple more drinks and our main courses came with flair and a smile. Again, our waiter went through what we had ordered and left us to chat and eat. For mains, we had the Buddha Bowl and the mushrooms. The Buddha Bowl was quite a large portion and much like a Wagamama quality and style dish. The mushrooms were simple and well combined though did require a slight more seasoning, which I added and throughly enjoyed.

We didn't have the 'cheese course' (made with nuts) and opted for the puddings. We had the apple cheesecake and brownie sundae. Again both dishes were light, subtle and very well made without the saturated gluttony of puddings at most restaurants.

Overall, a fantastic up-market vegan restaurant - only beaten by Vanilla Black (vegetarian) as my favourite in London.

Avoids the obvious cafe style veggie food (served up by the likes of The Gate in Hammersmith) to serve vegan food as it is meant to be. If you want a meat experience with all the added calories and saturated fat I recommend you don't go to Saf. Which to me is one of the big bonuses.

We left full but not bloated and went on to go for more drinks in The Legion.

Saf is for people who like light, tasty and extremely well made healthy food with a big dollop of style and quality. Highly recommended for those who love (or want to fall in love with) vegan food.

4/5

Reviewer Adrian J (London) has written 24 reviews

Wow! This is the most amazing restaurant. The words vegetarian or vegan don't appear anywhere. Nor does the fact that much of the food is raw. Describing itself as providing 'Fine Botanical Dining' SAF just blows all the prejudices about 'cranky' food out of the window. What I had was quite the best meal I've ever had in a restaurant - without doubt. You just have to try the Boursin Trio. My friends who ate there with me are not vegan and simply couldn't believe that they weren't having dairy products. The 'raw' enchilladas also defy belief. Just go there - you won't regret it!!!

Reviewer Richard B (Hampshire) has written 5 reviews

My friends and I have just had a wonderful meal at Saf. It's only been only a few weeks, but appears to have garnered a reputation as it was full mid-way through the evening.

Being raw, vegan food, I wasn't sure what to expect. My previous experience of raw restaurants has been a bit worthy!

But this was great! The restaurant was well designed, and there's a lovely courtyard if the weather is behaving itself.

The drinks menu is amazing. The cocktails - both alcoholic and non, were very interesting, and a good variation on the norm. The cherry mojito went down a storm with us.

The food isn't exclusively raw, but the cooked items are clearly marked on the menu if you want to avoid them. We had 4 different starters and shared them all - and they were all amazing. The maki rolls made with grated raw parsnip instead of rice, were a revelation.

Then came the 'cheese' course. The cheeses were all made from different nuts, and were just gorgeous.

The main course dishes were varied and interesting. I had the mushroom croquette, which was fine, but didn't blow me away to the same extent the previous courses had.

We just about had room for pudding. We loved the apple cheesecake and the mint-chip iceceam.

The wine list is extensive and varied.

All in all, we had a great meal, and I'm already planning my next visit.

Reviewer Amanda S (Berkshire) has written 18 reviews