The inSpiral Lounge was founded by Dominik Schnell, plus a team of investors, and opened on 16 December 2007. Annabella Willink was further appointed as co-director on 15 March 2010. Since its opening, the organisation had clear policies on nutrition, environment, music and creativity. It aimed to promote mindful choices and community spirit in a laid back yet energised setting.
In the evening the venue hosted live music performances and spoken word along with DJs well known in ambient electronica circles.[2] The venue regularly served as a backdrop for artwork from visionary artists. The premises were shared with Walkers Quay, which organises regular boat trips and dinners along the Regent's Canal to Little Venice.
inSpiral Lounge evolved from a previous project, IDSpiral, which ran an organic café and a replenishing chill out area, complete with nature inspired sculptures and light installations, at festivals such as Glastonbury and The Glade.[2]
inSpiral Lounge permanently closed to the public on 6 January 2016[3]
Food and drink
The menu was organic and vegan, and specialised in gluten-free cuisine as well as incorporating a raw food menu[4] It also included a juice and superfood smoothie bar, organic cocktail bar, medicinal mushroom infused coffees and their own range of 14 flavours of raw vegan sugar-free soft serve ice creams. In 2011 it branched out into a secondary wholesale organic living foods business making and selling a range of 33 products including kale chips, cakes, crackers, granolas and raw chocolate. They operated an online shop where amount their foods and nutritional supplement one could also pick up ambient and electronic music CDs.[5]
It was one of the first establishments in London to provide such an offering.[6]
In 2009 it won the Archant Food and Drink Awards for the best Theme restaurant and best Take-out in London.[8] It was also voted one of the top ten vegetarian restaurants in 2009 by the Vegetarian Society and was nominated as Finalist in the Archant Environmental Awards as the most environmental small business category.
Capital Growth roof garden
The inSpiral Lounge was involved with London's Capital Growth Project, an initiative run in partnership with the Mayor of LondonBoris Johnson, London Food Link and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund aiming to create 2012 new community food growing spaces across London by the end of 2012.[9] inSpiral is growing space number 93 and is in the process of building a roof garden where food for the restaurant can be grown locally rather than flown in from abroad.[10] Further to the involvement with Capital Growth, in March 2009 The inSpiral Lounge approached Boris Johnson and Camden Council directly, requesting the use of land near Hawley Wharf for development into a growing space. The request was turned down by the owner, a large Brewery and the land next to Hawley Wharf remains a derelict eyesore to this day.[11]
