WAVE — Restaurant in London

For a long time I've suspected that WAVE are low-key hostile towards their customers. They leave the doors wide open on freezing cold days (even when I've asked them to be closed). They are aggy about claiming a free coffee on a loyalty card, saying that you have to have ten stamps when the card explicitly says 'buy 9 and get your 10th coffee free'. They play music aggressively loud. But today I went in and on every single table they had a sign saying 'THIS IS A LAPTOP FREE TABLE'. The only 'laptop friendly' tables were the ones on high seats by the window. They are completely inaccessible; I have an invisible disability which makes those tables unbearable to sit at. Older people, other disabled people and fat folks will all struggle with this exclusionary and hostile policy.

I typically go to WAVE about twice a week to work, and maybe once or twice more with my 4yo. There are several other regulars I see there using laptops; all of them are eating and drinking. Rarely is it so busy that people without a laptop can't find a seat -- typically only at the weekend. Half of Hackney is a freelancer, so this new policy only serves to alienate a large swathe of their customer base.

For me this is a final nail in the coffin. If you're looking for more inclusive spaces to work, Hackney Central library is free, warm, and the wifi is actually reliable (unlike WAVE). Pophams is just around the corner (you can bring drinks into the library now!). Their coffee is way better and they have a few decent vegan options and don't make unsubstantiated, pseudoscientific claims...

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🥐If you love fresh baked pastries, you've gotta try WAVE!

In a quiet alley in the heart of Hackney you can find We Are Vegan Everything, or WAVE, a laid-back vegan café serving breakfast and lunch. What we've tried:

🍪 Peanut butter and jam cookie: what a cookie should be! Perfectly gooey, with a soft jam heart. The taste of PB comes through perfectly without the cookie being too sweet.

🍰 Baked cheesecake lemon and raspberry: the true star of our breakfast⭐ this baked cheesecake has a creamy texture, and the lemon comes through perfectly without overriding the other flavours.

🥐 Almond croissant: nice and flaky, this croissant is filled with almond cream and even has some amaretto on top. We found it a slight bit dry, would have loved a bit more cream🍦

🍫 Pain au chocolat: again really nice and flaky and quite big too, but would have loved some more chocolate.

☕ Vanilla latte: coffee tasted great, the vanilla flavour was a little too strong for our taste, but overall it was a balanced drink we'd order again!

🍵 Chai latte: very flavourful and not too sweet, the mix tasted homemade.

🔊👫 Cinni tip: come here on a warm and sunny day to enjoy your breakfast in the outdoor terrace🌞

Key features: 🌱Fully vegan: yes! ♿Accessible: yes, but not the toilet 💰Price: £10 per person for a coffee and two pastries 🏮Vibe: relaxed, laid back 💻Laptop friendly: yes 🌾GFO: yes 🐕Dog friendly: yes 🏕️Outdoor space: yes, even covered 📦Delivery/Takeaway:...

I don't mind spending money in a vegan restaurant. I'm a vegan and strongly believe in eating the vegan way for health and moral reasons. However, what I want is value for money when I visit a restaurant that specialises in vegan food. Even if I have a hot chocolate made with coconut milk, I don't expect to pay £4.20 and receive a measly portion. When I was served the hot chocolate in a small glass, which because it was hot, I asked for a cup, and received a small cup. When I poured the hot chocolate into the cup, it didn't even meet the halfway mark. When I questioned the server about this, the person said, "We don't set the prices." So you realise that portions are really miserly. I know what coconut milk costs, and what chocolate costs, and I know that the restaurant's bills have to be paid in this cost of living environment we are all faced with. And my friend and I did sit down and enjoy being warm for half and hour but when the table is not cleared when you arrive and you have to ask for them to be cleared, and on top of that, you have to ask them again to clean the table, you kind of feel like, you know what, that's it now. I'm done with eating in this restaurant. Maybe the powers that be don't really care because they're making enough profit. This was my third visit to this restaurant and that's it. Not in 2024, am I going to go into a restaurant and not get value for money, Wave - you need...