Jyoti Bihanga
$$ - average
Eclectic (Varied)
Fancy make your parents or lover take you there and pay for you sort of place
Sri Chimnoy joint, peaceful atmosphere, vegan tofu burger, soups, neatloaf, beautiful salads, smoothies, wait to be seated.
They offer a breakfast buffet several Sundays a month from 9:00 to 1:00. Call for the schedule.
In the middle of April and the end of August they close for two weeks. If you are planning to visit at one of these times, please call first to find out their schedule.
Around Adams and 30th on the southwest corner of an intersection. Next to a liquor store and across the street from general store/carneria.
- Brunch
- Large Group-Friendly
- Quiet
- Romantic
Added by genevieve on Sep 25 05 (updated Oct 12 06)
Reviews
I wish I had known about this restaurant when I lived in Orange County, because I would have eaten there at least once a month. I recommend the soy turkey avocado wrap with the mashed potatoes and my husband had the California Chili and he recommends it as well. My husband and I are both vegetarians and we were so excited to find a vegetarian restaurant with such delicious food and great selection. We are already looking forward to our next trip to San Diego so we can go to Jyoti Bihanga.
All the food is great, and this is a favorite with my omnivorous family. My parents both love the "neat loaf," but I can't get enough of the BBQ tofu burger. It's very messy, and you'll have to ask for another napkin, but it's worth all the stickiness. The mashed potatoes are also wonderful.
They usually have vegan desserts available, which vary in quality. There's a chocolate/peanut-butter pie that's wonderful but not always available. The apple pie they make in-house is unimpressive, as is the chocolate mousse pie (I can't get over the horrible couscous "crust"). There are non-vegan desserts, which my family seems impressed by, but I can't personally vouch for them.
The atmosphere is incredibly peaceful and quiet. When I worked in the area, I loved coming here alone for lunch. It was a great way to wind down for an hour before going back to my dreaded job.
Update: I went back there last week and the BBQ tofu burger is no longer on the menu! Heart-breaking! I had the BBQ mock duck instead, served on a bun instead of bread, in an attempt to replicate my favorite item. Taste-wise it was almost as satisfying, but it was the messiest thing I've eaten in most all of my life. The BBQ tofu burger was pretty messy too, though. (There is a picture of the messy mock duck above, along with the non-vegan items my companions ordered: a BLT and the neatloaf sandwich.)
Unfortunately I'll have to change my rating of 9 to an 8 due to the deletion of the BBQ tofu burger from the menu and the lackluster vegan desserts made in-house.