Cass Danger
Reviews written by Cass Danger
I must say that I am ecstatic that the rumors of there being Soul Veg food at O'Hare are actually true. It took a few phone calls and an hour of walking around w/ luggage but I finally found it! Unfortunately, the only item there was the BBQ delights, so I'm not sure if there usually is more. The guy working had absolutely no idea they carried it.
Also, the price was $7.99 - nearly $9 with tax! - for a small portion, which probably sells for $5 in the restaurant. When the guy rang me up, the BBQ Delights came up as $5.99 in the register and I told him that is probably the correct price, as $7.99 is ridiculous, but he disagreed and rang up a $2 water to make up the price difference so I didn't get away w/ anything.
As happy as I am to have the Soul Veg item, I think it is way overpriced and didn't taste nearly as good as I hoped it would. Perhaps because I was hoping the cold wheat chunks in a plastic container would taste the same as the hot BBQ seitan served aside vegan mashed potatoes and greens I get in their restaurant. :)
I am not a big fan of Japanese food but I really enjoyed the meal I had here. The restaurant is tiny so you can't bring a large group, but the food was good. There was a long hair in the soup we had, but the staff handled it well and my friends (who are regulars there) said it's never happened before.
I ordered the vegan salami/sun dried tomato/roasted garlic pizza and my friend had a vegan jalapeno and sausage pizza. Both pizzas were really good but the vegan cheese garlic bread was a little dry and over oregano-y.
We looked up the ingredients and such online and found that the website has really old prices and they charge you more when you get to the restaurant. Not cool.
I wish I would have read the last person's post regarding non-vegan products before eating here! I will base my rating on my experience, assuming all the foods were vegan.
We ordered the chicken satay, which was tasty and came with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. We also had the onion rings, which were SO good, and were perfect with the tangy BBQ sauce they give you--definitely better than ordinary ketchup.
I had the "gravy noodles" which were wide rice noodles with tofu, broccoli, and a miso "gravy", which was more like a regular sauce. It was pretty good, but I wish I would have ordered the fried chicken and blueberry pancake (which were called "tropical," for some reason), which my friend ordered because they were outstanding.
I had a mock roast beef sandwich with au jus sauce (I believe it was called the "California Dip") and it was pretty good. There were plenty of fried onions and the au jus was good, but a tad salty. The side of cole slaw was really good, and definitely more creative than the plain beans or rice, which were the other options for sides.
I also tried my friends "Ranchero" chicken sandwich, which was very good, and the chicken drumsticks, which were AMAZING. They tasted like KFC and their 12 herbs and spices. Scary.
I also had the peanut butter and chocolate parfait, which was pretty good, but was really rich.
I wouldn't describe the food as gourmet, but it's definitely delicious--one of the best restaurants I've been to in a while. My friends and I shared the vegan nachos and the walnut pate as appetizers and both were great.
Of the entrees, I've had the tempeh reuben (good), Club sandwich (great), and vegan burger with the works (outstanding). I generally don't order burgers in restaurants because they can be so plain, but this was the most flavorful burger I've had in quite some time. The avocado is definitely a great touch.
The sandwiches come with either a side salad (the Caeser comes with capers and is really good), or potato salad, which is rich and tasty but is drowning in Veganaise.
I haven't had any desserts here, but I've heard that despite fantastic descriptions, the taste is mediocre.
Axum has some of the best Ethiopian food that I've ever had. The food is very flavorful and well seasoned. I like the taste of their food a little better than that of Wazima, but Axum is a lot more expensive, especially if you eat a lot. Not only is one combo platter cheaper at Wazima, but they also give you free refills.
Wazima is the best place in SF for good, cheap Ethiopian food in large quantities. I always get the all-you-can-eat vegan platter and my favorites are the yellow split peas and the spicy red lentils. Their injera is also really light and fluffy.
The service, however, is really poor. They drop off your food and never return, presumably because they don't want you to keep asking for refills. Last night, my friend took our plate back up to the front and refilled it in the kitchen herself then brought it back with the pitcher of water.
That said, I come here every time I'm in town and probably will continue coming here just because the food is so good, so cheap, and so plentiful.
This is my all time favorite vegan restaurant. I've never had a dish here that I didn't like and I've never received poor service. It's tough to pick a favorite, but if I had to narrow it down, I'd pick the jalapeno tofu and the pho soup.
The food is good but I think it's a bit overrated. I think everyone goes here just because it's well known, not necessarily because it's amazing food. I've never had bad food here, I just think it's a bit overpriced and that I could make nearly the entire menu at home.
The people are awesome-they oppose all forms of oppression and capitalism. They even include vegan options from their neighbor on their menu to contribute to the neighborhood and have sliding scale prices so anybody can eat there -
The food is great - breakfast rocks - waffles, pancakes, scrambles, breakfast burritos. Dinner is great, too - healthy bowls - you always leave stuffed.
This is a cute little shop but it's pretty small and doesn't have a large selection. They have some really nice hand made wallets and they sell the most amazing hand-made soap I've ever found (the lime green is my favorite!). I also got a really nice belt there but it was pretty expensive.
Absolutely amazing. No matter how much I fill up on at dinner (usually at Golden Era), I can never pass up dessert at Maggie Mudds. I can never decide, so luckily, I can get three flavors of vegan ice cream in a sundae with a bunch of chocolate, whip cream, nuts, sprinkles, and other toppings.
Very good food, but of course, it's very pricey. Considering that there are very few gourmet vegan restaurants in the country, Millenium is definitely worth trying if you're in San Francisco.
I love this place! It's a huge all-vegetarian co-op with tons of vegan options. They have bulk, packaged, and ready-to-go foods, and their bakery has lots of delicious vegan treats.
These donuts were fabulous! My friend and I shared a glazed and a blueberry glazed and both were fabulous. A lot of the toppings weren't as elaborate as some other vegan donuts I've seen in other cities (like Voodoo Donuts in Portland), but the actual flavor of the donut was better. It was sweeter and had a stronger flavor, and didn't need to rely on the flavor of the topping or glaze.
I really enjoyed the food here, although I found it to be a bit overpriced. I had the vegetarian pepian stew, which was delicious and came with tortilas. My friend and I also split chips and guacamole, which were pretty good.
The interior is beautiful and slightly romantic. This would make a nice date restaurant.
I really enjoyed this place. Interesting vegan food has been hard to come by in Guatemala and not only does this place have many options, they are also very varied. I had the tofu teriyaki stirfry, which was very good and I was really surprised that the texture of the tofu was so firm and crispy. My friend and I also shared the veggie nachos, sans cheese and cream, and they were really good.
I wasn´t able to make the Tusday night free lecture but they are doing a series on gangs in Guatemala, so I would expect all the lectures to be pretty interesting.
I really liked the food here. The food was definitely pricier than other places, but considering it's nearly all veg and features a lot of organic and hard to find foods, the price is probably justified.
I had the curried chickpeas, which were delicious, and the pickled beets, which were also very good. I tried a sauteed veggie side dish, which was good, but not great.
The service was great. All the tables were full so the owner took us out to the outdoor dining area, which was in a beautiful garden. It actually belonged to a new restaurant that they are in the process of opening, so it was really nice of him to let us sit there.
I really liked this place, although it felt sort of funny eating at an Indian restaurant in the middle of Hong Kong. I really liked that the restaurant had a full color picture menu so you could see what you're ordering, which is particularly helpful if you're unfamiliar with Indian cuisine.
This place was outstanding. I don't recall everything we had, but I know everything was absolutely delicious. I believe we had the mock spare ribs with broccoli and something with lotus root and both were good. The staff was very friendly and the food came fast.
The area is really fun to explore but the restaurant was a bit hard to find. Keep looking, it's definitely worth the search!
Definitely the best deal in town. Amazing food for a low price and it's in a great area to explore that isn't too cluttered with bright lights and Western establishments. Lots of delicious options, but try to get the vegan BBQ pork buns when they're freshly steamed.
I had a really hard time finding vegan food in Hong Kong so I was delighted to find this place. I first visited it 4 years ago and was really impressed with the food but I wasn't particularly impressed on my last visit, about 6 months ago. It seems like the restaurant is always busy and they sort of rush you to eat, but the food is good enough and it's always fun to visit the Monestary and the Big Buddha.
Alice and Friends Cafe has good food and good service. I've been here a few times and have always enjoyed myself. It's a good place to have dinner with friends, but it's also a good place to grab dessert to go--although I must say that I enjoy Chicago Diner desserts more. I've enjoyed everything I've had here, especially their stirfrys.
I was reluctant to go here because I figured I could easily get vegan Mediterranean food anywhere, but I am SO glad I ate here. The menu had a ton of vegan options, some of which I've never seen before in a Mediterranean or Greek restaurant. I had the curried vegetables which were far from plain and came with a delicious cous cous with raisins.
I also tried my friend's potato chop (deep-fried mashed potato ball stuffed w/ mushrooms), and his side of dill rice, and both were delicious. I only finished about half of my meal because I filled up on the free pita bread. It was so warm and fresh and absolutely delicious. We asked the waiter for a small plate of hot sauce to dip the bread in and it was surprisingly good.
Dang, I sure wish they had vegan marshmallows when I visited here. They had a great selection of scones and cupcakes (and both soups of the day were vegan), so I was pretty happy with that. Unfortunately, the "take a hike" scone that I got (with flax seed, pepitas, and dried fruit), was pretty dry and not very flavorful.
I'm also disappointed to learn that despite being "bleeding heart" liberals, they think that selling organic chocolate-dipped bacon is acceptable. Chocolate-dipped pigs ass is cruel whether it's organic or not. Go veg! :)
You can't go wrong here. The food is great and the atmosphere is amazing. It's a 20+ year old vegetarian diner that serves up everything from fajitas to gyros to tofu scramble and French toast at brunch. They make the best vegan milk shakes I've ever had (using Chicago Soy Dairy ice cream).
Way to go guys! Temptation ice cream is where it's at. Vegan - fair trade - organic - small business. It gets no better than this. The cookie dough seems to be the most popular but I'm a big fan of the peach cobbler.
I went here with a bunch of friends and ended up liking all of their dishes better than my own. I ordered the veggie ribs, which were highly recommended, but they ended up being really chewy and very un-meat like. One friend had the vegan nachos and another had the raw platter (had various spreads and pates), and both of those were really good. I ordered a slice of cake which was good, but certainly not worth the $7 I paid for it.
This was my first experience with raw food a few years ago and it was really good. I expected it to taste really bland and boring, but it was actually quite delightful. I ordered from the raw bar, where you pay per pound and I tried a little of everything. Aside from the beet cheese (which tasted absolutely horrible), everything was delicious. Although it was more than I normally spend on food, it was reasonably priced given the quality.
Hands down, the best soul food ever. This is also the nicest Soul Vegetarian restaurant I've been to, as it has a large dinning room and not just a take-out area. The vegan mac-n-cheese is really good, as are the fried tofu tidbits. You can't go wrong with the Sunday dinner, which is a huge plate of soul food, usually something like: fake meat, greens, potato, and corn bread.
This place has certainly grown on me. The first few times I went, I thought the food was good, but pretty average. The last time I went though, I had a spectacular meal and my meat-eating friend who dined with me also enjoyed the food. Plenty of vegan options to chose from and friendly service.
Just like all the other reviews, I felt this restaurant was WAY overpriced. I had the masala uttapam (lentil/rice flour pancake with onions, tomatoes, rasins and cashews), which tasted okay but was mostly onions but cost $15 for some reason.
I tried a friend's masala dosa which was really good, but I wasn't impressed with the Bombay behl, which was a rice puff and chickpea noodle dish that noticbly lacked chunks of tomatoes.
The staff was friendly enough but the old lunchroom-looking bus carts that they brought food out in and bussed tables with wasn't aesthetically pleasing.
Generally, I'd say I wouldn't go here again but since it is the ONLY veg place anywhere near the hotels in Arlington Heights, I probably would if I return to the city.
Apparently this Dukem is owned by the same people that run the Dukem in DC. I've been to both, and I was MUCH more impressed with this location. The food was better and the service was friendlier (although it took about 15 minutes for us to get our check after we finished).
My friend and I shared the vegetarian special, which had the usual 6 or so items they carry (yellow split peas, yellow lentils, spicy red lentils, potatoes, greens, tomato salad) but also had a few items not usually offered on the menu, including a potato salad, and some other unidentifiable potato dish. Everything was delicious and the price was very reasonable- $16 for the platter for two. Quite often, Ethiopian restaurants will double the price for two people but not give you twice the food. This restaurant gave us one, huge platter for the same price. Yum.
All I had here was a "Fruit Tea", which was a mixture of green tea and pear, ginger, and apple juice. It had a nice kick to it and was very refreshing. They had a VERY extensive juice menu, and a reasonable vegan food menu, including cleverly named items like "Filly Cheese Phake". I only saw a few desserts, but they were all vegan and the service was very friendly and helpful.
This place is ALWAYS out of vegan desserts. They get them from an outside baker who only delivers twice a week, but they never know what day it's going to be so they can't tell you when to come back.
They have a decent number of vegan options, but they're pretty typical, like hummus wraps and tofu sandwiches.
Amazing food and a beautiful restaurant, complete with brightly colored tables and walls. The "unchicken" pasta salad is absolutely amazing, as is the citrus BBQ ribs. The rice and cabbage are good when paired with other items, but are pretty plain if you order them alone. The curry spinach is a great veggie option and is really flavorful, and the plantains are very sweet and tasty.
I was especially pleased with this restaurant because they let my friend and me bring our bikes indoors and park them in the back by where we were sitting. You really can't beat indoor bike parking in a vegan restaurant!
I am astounded that this place won a best vegan dessert award. I had a chocolate pecan torte here, which was really good, but was grossly overpriced. It was pretty much a medium sized cookie with a dollop of soy ice cream for $7. We also ordered an apricot-pineapple sundae, which sounded exotic enough, only to find out that it was canned fruit over Soy Delicious ice cream with a few toasted almonds. Definitely not worth $7.
I really enjoyed the food here and liked the fact that nearly everything on the menu can be made vegan (and gluten-free, if that's an issue).
I had the vegan lentil "meatloaf" with mashed potatoes and garlic broccoli. The flavors were good, but not spectacular. I tried my friend's roasted corn/black bean burger, which was very good, and another friend's Indian corn cakes with curried potatoes and chutney, which was amazing-very interesting and flavorful.
For dessert, we shared a vegan chocolate lava cake--which was one of the most delicious desserts I've ever had, vegan carrot cake--which was very rich and tasty, and really surprised me because it was gluten-free, and a vegan chocolate/mint shake--which was pretty good, but was a bit thin.
Overall, great experience, and it's right next to a fabulous natural grocery store, Roots, where you can stock up on all sorts of vegan goodies.
I really liked this place and was very impressed with their selection of vegan products (cheese, ice cream, faux meats, etc.). My favorite thing was the huge trays of fresh pineapple, nectarines, and other fruits that were displayed. I also loved how the staff didn't complain when my friends and I proceeded to shamelessly stuff our faces with free samples.
I used to go to Noodles and Company all the time in college but haven't been back in probably 4 years. I generally opt for small, independent restaurants but I found myself roaming around the Rockville Town Square with a friend and Noodles seemed like a safe bet. Rockville has some good veg restaurants, like Vegetable Garden and Yuan Fu, but we were on foot so these restaurants weren't possible.
The service at this particular restaurant was very friendly and the staff actually seemed to be happy to help us. I ordered the Indonesian peanut saute with tofu. My meal was wall seasoned, slightly spicy, and served nice and hot. I think it cost about $8 and the portion was a good size. I would definitely go back here.
This place was AMAZING! It's way out of the way (for someone who doesn't drive), but the service was friendly and the food was outstanding. I had some sort of sweet potato and pecan with beef creation and it's one of the best meals I've ever had. The food came quickly but I really liked that they brought you sweet bread (sort of like little cakes) to snack on while you wait for your food. My friend and I split the key lime pie but I wasn't very impressed with it.
I really loved this place because the food was good, the portions were reasonable, and the service was friendly.
My friend and I started with the fried taro balls, which were crispy and flaky on the outside but soft on the inside. I actually thought the inside was a little undercooked and mushy but my friend says they're always like that.
For dinner, we split a few dishes, including crispy fried eggplant (which was amazing, especially considering I don't like eggplant), crispy fried faux beef w/ broccoli (which was so-so; a little too crispy and dry for me), and the Kung Pao tofu w/ bell peppers (my favorite - very flavorful w/ good textures).
I loved that the menu included pictures of most of the dishes and the staff was knowledgeable and could answer questions about what's all in what dish and to make recommendations.
A number of friends recommended this place, but I wasn't too impressed with it. I only had one dish--the no name dish--which was pretty much General Tso's chicken, so perhaps this dish wasn't very representative. The sauce was good, but the wheat gluten was very dried out.
This place was amazing. I told them I only had one night in town and wanted to try everything delicious they had so they made me a "gnarly sampler platter", which doesn't exist on the menu. They just charged me for a large appetizer and gave me a little of everything--chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, meatballs, etc. The chicken fingers are the best.
I also had a small pizza and had half chicken/pineapple and half "big mac" (veggie burger, pickles, mustard, ketchup). The former was my favorite. The service was amazing.
The food wasn´t spectacular, but given that it was the only vegan place, I was satisfied with my veggie-tofu stirfry with soba noodles, although it was pretty salty.
Even the Chinese places in this mall, which would normally be a safe bet, were about 90% chicken.
This is only the 2nd Nutrisa I've visited (the other was in Veracruz), so I'm not sure how much they differ. I found this store to have fewer vegan options than the other (no vegan cookies!), but was happy they had soy milk.
After trying jackfruit for the first time at Himilayan last year, I just had to try it again at CatManDo last night. I ordered the green jack curry (spicy), which came with white basmati rice. The dish was wonderful, with a good balance of vegetables, sauce and spice.
I tried my friend's chickpea curry but it was pretty plain. It would have been better spicy, but even then, it would have basically just been chickpeas and onions on rice. We also tried the cauliflower curry with potatoes and that was very good. We had an order of puri (deep fried bread), which was only $2, and I found to be very good (but I'm no expert, so I can't really compare it to puri elsewhere). We shared the veg samosa appetizer, which was very good, but I found it to be slightly more expensive ($4.50) then samosas elsewhere. The order came with two fairly large samosas, which may very well justify the price, but I tend to prefer smaller appetizers that you can order in multiples if you'd like more, or to make it easier to split among three people.
We dined in the patio, which was lovely on a warm evening. There were flowers and plants all around, which really added to the atmosphere. The service was nice and the we didn't have to wait too long. The only downer was that they were only had enough jackfruit for one order (which is why my friend ordered boring chickpeas instead of also getting jackfruit).
I was surprised at how busy this place was on a Thursday morning (is everyone else just employed like me?). :) My friend and I stopped in for bagels and I was pleasantly surprised with the unique spreads they had. I ordered an onion bagel with lentil pate, which was absolutely wonderful. I couldn't pinpoint the spices in the pate but it was glorious. My friend had an onion bagel with carrot-walnut spread, which was also very good, but I liked the lentil spread better.
I'm a big tofu cream cheese fan so I was disappointed to find they didn't have tofu cream cheese, but I suppose their toppings are a lot healthier than anything Tofutti ever came up with. As for the bagels themselves, I was pretty disappointed with them. It's not that the bagels were bad, I just think I'm spoiled living in New York City, the center of the bagel universe. The bagels in NYC are big, fluffy, and chewy, and I found the bagels here to be small, flat, and crispy. It tasted more like a frozen bagel reheated than the freshly made, soft and chewy bagel that I was expecting. However, my friend told me good bagels are hard to come by in MSP so I guess I should be happy with what we found.
This place was outstanding. In addition to the amazing pepper mock pork (which is raved about in nearly every other review on here), I really enjoyed the wonton soup. Delicious flavor (enhanced by Sriracha sauce, (-:) and you get a big bowl for a few bucks. Good deal.
I also liked the cold garlicky cucumber appetizer we got from the fridge. I thought it would be really plain but it was nicely seasoned and refreshing.
My friend and I stopped in for breakfast yesterday and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. There only seemed to be 2 or 3 vegan breakfast options, and while my friend remembered their blueberry cornmeal pancakes as being fabulous, they didn't turn out to be so great. The pancakes had a decent flavor but they were too crispy on the outside and a bit too chewy, as though the batter had been over-mixed and then the pancakes cooked a bit too long.
I looked through the dessert case but didn't see anything labeled as being vegan. Either they weren't offering vegan desserts yesterday (which would be a real shame), or they just aren't labeling vegan desserts properly. I suppose I could have asked an employee if they had any vegan cakes that weren't labeled, but I wasn't too enthusiastic about getting dessert after a somewhat disappointing breakfast.
I'm hoping this was an off-day as I've had a few people tell me how good the pancakes are. I really enjoyed sitting outside and watching people pass by (minus the exceedingly loud guy having a 30 minute cell phone conversation at the next table), so I would be up for trying this place again.
Good food, shitty service. I was warned that the punk kids that work there weren't overly friendly but I still can't believe how rude they were. They were completely un-interested in customer service and it seemed like one of them was mocking a friend who brought in his own take-out container instead of getting plastic or styrofoam. Not cool.
That said, I really enjoyed the vegan gyro that I had. The chips that it came with were just plain old tortilla chips but I ordered a side of salsa, which was super flavorful and tasty. I tried a bite of my friend's vegan cheesteak and it was also very good. I had a chocolate-dipped orange cookie, which was so-so, but I really liked the banana-chocolate chip muffin that my friend ordered, it was surprisingly moist.
P.S. Don't use the bathroom.
I shared a few dishes with friends and we had the kothe (fried dumplings)- which were delicious; the bhanta aaloo (eggplant curry) - which I was disappointed to find did not contain potatoes, as the menu indicates; and kataar aaloo (jackfruit curry) - which was absolutely outstanding.
The texture and flavor of the jackfruit was something like chicken and was very unexpected but very good. We also had some sort of noodle stirfry that reminded me of Chinese food, and it was very good, and was a much larger portion than other items.
I was here a few months ago and was thoroughly impressed with the employee's knowledge of vegan ice creams and cones (most places have no idea if the cones or toppings are vegan). I tried a few flavors but was especially impressed with the blueberry ice cream, as it's an unsual land hard-to-find flavor.
More than anything, I just love the concept of the "izzy" (mini scoop on top). I'm from Wisconsin so I LOVE ice cream, and I'm also fairly greedy and indecisive, so getting a bonus mini scoop on top is just about as good as it gets for me.
I enjoyed my meal here but I have to say that I didn't find Jasmine 26 to be deserving of all the hype VegGuide.org implies (perhaps I just didn't order the right things, though).
I tried the sea salt and pepper tofu, which came highly recommended, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the unbelievably delicious appetizer I was expecting it to be. The tofu was well fried and it was tasty but the seasoning was very bland (thank goodness for dipping sauces!).
I had the vegetarian pho soup, which is good, but probably would have been better if I hadn't added a 1/2 gallon of hot sauce. The broth was flavorful and I liked the mock duck in it but I avoided the tofu chunks, which were pretty plain (just tofu chunks). I sampled a friend's eggplant dish, which was very good and I think I preferred to my own.
I would return here in the future, and if I do, I would likely order the crepe that I see everyone raving about. :)
The flavor of the food was great but it seemed like the same 5 ingredients were in every dish, they were just sometimes found on bread, on noodles, on rice, or in soup. That said, I loved the BBQ mock duck sandwich and the mock duck noodle salad. The owner, who served us, was very friendly and quite the character. I would definitely eat here again.
I really enjoyed my food here. My friend and I started out with the foule appetizer (with no cheese), which is a mixture of fava beans, tomatoes, onions, and spices, served with warm, crusty French bread. The flavor was very good but it was a bit odd to eat soupy beans on bread. I was just happy to see an appetizer that I've never seen in Ethiopian restaurants (veggie samosas are usually the extent of veg appetizers).
My friend and I shared the vegetarian platter for two, which I think was fairly priced at $15. The miser wot (spiced lentils) was fabulous, and the other items were also very good. The only item I didn't care for was the salad, which was a mixture of somewhat limp iceburg lettuce, tomato, and jalapeno. There's usually some sort of salad variation on Ethiopian combo platters but this one seemed especially boring and not particularly fresh.
As is the case in most Ethiopian restaurants I've visited, they had a huge flat screen TV playing the entire time. While I wasn't really in the mood for "America's Next Dance Troop" (or whatever it's called), I was glad that at least they didn't have the volume blaring, as I've seen happen a lot. The ambiance was a bit boring, and it was weird seeing maybe 5 or 6 people gathered around watching the TV the entire time--none of whom were eating, so I'm wondering if they were just hanging out--but the service was friendly enough that I would return back.
This place is SUPER authentic, which is both good and bad. The bad is you won't find BBQ tempeh burritos w/ tofu sour cream, but the good is that you'll get delicious, authentic Mexican food, which you won't find at Chipotle, Qdoba, or Taco Bell.
I had vegetarian tacos (beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, onion) and asked for avocado, which they didn't charge me extra for. They normally put sour cream and cheese on these so you'll have to specify you don't want it. I tried both the red and the green salsas, and while the red was spicier, I thought the green had a better and more unique flavor.
Note that they fry the tortillas on the same grill, and flip using the same spatula, as they do the meat.
I had the "Rustler" pizza and REALLY enjoyed it--one of my favorite pizzas so far. It had mock duck (what is this city's fascination w/ mock duck?), BBQ sauce, banana peppers, caramelized onions, pineapple, and vegan mozz cheese. Absolutely delicious.
They only had one vegan dessert (some peanut butter oat bar w/ chocolate), and from what the guy said, it seems like that's all they usually carry, which is disappointing.
I went to Senor Wong during their late-night happy hour (around 11pm), so I can only base my review on that menu and not their normal dining menu. While the happy hour menu was pretty large (maybe 20 items), virtually none were vegan. Even the items that are normally always vegan at other restaurants, were somehow made with animal products at Senor Wongs, as though they were trying to slight the vegans.
For instance, their edamame somehow involves chicken broth. Seriously? Who does that? The waitress didn't seem totally sure about what the cooking process was, but it seemed like the edamame is steamed or boiled in chicken broth. The tostones (fried plantains) also couldn't just be fried in oil, they had to be fried in pork fat. Lame.
My friend and I ordered the El Mocko (faux duck) tacos, which was pretty much the only vegan thing on the menu, aside from maybe a side of fries. The tacos were outstanding and made a great appetizer, but would get pretty pricey if you tried to make a meal out of them ($3.50 each and they're pretty small).
The late-night atmosphere was pretty cool and I enjoyed the music but I think it was way too loud. Perhaps I only think that because I'm not really a club-type of gal, but I find it annoying when I have to shout across a small table to my dining partner. The service was friendly and one of the two waitresses serving us knew about vegan options, but they didn't really have much to work with.
I cannot believe how huge the portions are! I ordered 4 or 5 entrees to split with friends because the prices were so low so I expected the plates to be tiny. I was wrong so we ended up eating WAY too much and still taking leftovers home. I also really loved the huge booths, which totally took me back to going to super un-vegan-friendly Paul Bunyan restaurants in Northern WI when I was a kid. :)
I didn't like the tofu/hashbrown "Earth" dishes because they seemed really plain. It was just unseasoned tofu and potatoes with canned tomatoes or some broccoli on top and it really needed some hot sauce, nutritional yeast, and salt/pepper to give it flavor. However, it was cheap.
I also tried the regular fluffy vegan pancakes and the gluten-free vegan pancakes. The former were very good, and the latter was so-so (sort of crispy) but it's great to see vegan gluten-free options on the menu. The french toast was so-so, but maybe that's because I don't like my french toast very soggy, as this one was. Finally, we had the biscuit with gravy, which I really liked. The gravy wasn't super flavorful but I loved that it came with fresh scallions and tomatoes on top, which was a really nice touch.
I was not at all impressed with this place. The waitress was very friendly, and tried very hard to speak English, which she was not fluent in, but I thought the food was below average.
A friend and I split the veggie platter for two and it was decent, but not great. There was a good assortment of vegetables on the platter but none of them stood out as having outstanding flavor.
A friend ordered the spicy tofu stirfry, which was odd to find on an Ethiopian menu and didn't taste at all Ethiopian, but was appreciated by him, as he doesn't like injera bread. I tried his stirfry, and just like my veggie platter, it was decent, but not great.
I'd eat here again if all my dining companions were set on it, but I definitely wouldn't chose it as a top pick.
I was really impressed with the selection of vegan items here, given how much meat they serve. I had the "best grilled sandwich on earth" (or something to that effect), and although it wasn't the BEST grilled sandwich on earth, it was darn close to it. It had vegan meatballs, mozz cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and was absolutely huge. Leftovers make a great breakfast.
I also tried my friend's BBQ mock duck po boy, which was really good. Everyone raved about their homemade nacho cheese, but I found it sort of bland. It was room temperature and had huge chunks of tomato in it. Weird. We ended up pouring it over the leftover bread from the po boy sandwich (which was gigantic).
Considering its #1 ranking on VegGuide.org and recommendations from a number of friends, I was expecting more from The Vegetarian. Our waitress was very friendly and willing to swap things out so our meal was vegan, but the service was extremely slow. We only received our bill after we stood up and began walking toward the counter, and our waitress (who was very nice) was sitting down the last 10 minutes we were there and didn't bother to get up when we left, she only waived goodbye from her chair in the back.
There were only 2 other tables dining but it took nearly 40 minutes to get our food. After about 30 minutes of waiting, we were told that one of the dishes we ordered takes a while to prepare. If this is true, we should have been told right when we ordered it because they could easily have been trying to cover up forgetting to put our order in.
My friend and I shared the onion bhaji, which is an Indian version of onion rings. It was very good but seemed to be very batter heavy. My friend ordered the madrasi thali--basically a sampler platter--and the waitress even offered to swap the desserts so the meal would be all vegan (after omitting the yogurt). While most couple of the items on this platter were tasty, the soup was exceedingly sour. I had the pindi chana, which was an amazing chickpea with gravy sort of dish. It was a wonderful mix of sweet and savory spices in a thick brown sort of gravy, served with rice. It had a very unique and delightful flavor and went very well with bhatura (fried puffy bread).
I was super excited to try their vegan soft serve ice cream so I made a special trip there just for that. It was cold, creamy, and sweet, but I think the oat taste was too prominent. I would get it again because I like that it's homemade and it's well priced, but I don't think it's as good as Tofutti, Soy Delicious, or Temptation ice cream.
I didn't purchase anything else from the store, but I admired their selection of vegan products, especially their vegan cheese selection. I've noticed a lot of places only carry Follow Your Heart or Vegan Rella, but Wedge had both, plus some others.
This has got to be my new favorite restaurant. I don't go out to eat much but I've been here twice in the last week because I've been in the area, the food is amazing, and it's dirt cheap. You can make a meal out of 3 doubles, which adds up to $4.75, or a bake and a double, which is $3.75. The doubles are absolutely delicious and I like them with extra pepper sauce. Beware that they are a greasy MESS, which is why they come in a paper bag, within a plastic bag.
I have also tried the bake (sandwich), which was very good, but isn't enough for me so I get it with at least one double because I'm greedy. I'm annoyed that they charge the same amount for a potato bake as they do for a fried fish bake, but it's only $2.50 so I guess I shouldn't whine too much. I had the pumpkin and potato bake, which was very good. They add 50 cents for every additional topping so my bake was $3. Yum.
This is a cute place with decent options. It's good for reading, hanging out, checking e-mail, etc. They have a decent video selection but since it's so small, it seems like they're always out of what you want. This is, however, a good place to post/check flyers, especially those looking for vegan housemates.
This store is really cute. I love that everything here is made in Brooklyn, which supports local artists. I stopped in on a Saturday and many of the artists had tables set up and they were showing off their products.
Artez'n offers a little bit of everything and everyone there is really nice. They don't carry a ton of vegan food products because they don't specialize in food. However, the pickles and fudge they sell are vegan, and now that the fudge is getting more popular among vegans, they're becoming more aware of that market.
While Brooklyn Fudge is sold at a few other locations in Brooklyn, Artez'n has the largest display and you can also meet the creator of Brooklyn Fudg there.
DELICIOUS!!!! Best bagels ever...both in store and fresh from the dumpster. :)
The space is tiny, but I love the old, wood tables (some which have matching benches) that remind me of a Norhtern getaway lodge in the woods.
The menu is pretty ecclectic and the servings are generous, with pretty low prices. I've only been for brunch, but I appreciated the many vegan options (beyond the now-mundane tofu scramble). I sampled my friend's tofu scramble bagel sandwich, which was good, but I preferred my vegan french toast with fresh fruit--although half of the fresh fruit was obviously frozen.
We also shared some vegan super nachos, which had a great tofu sour cream that appeared to be homemade. The chili on top was really good, but was a bit runny, and perhaps would have been consumed more easily with a spoon.
This fudge is really good. I really love that the owner intended on focusing on the kosher market but then found that making the fudge kosher made the fudge vegan, which then became a huge hit.
I've tried all the options and they're all good. Some of the flavors taste pretty similar because they appear to be the same base but some have bits of wasabi and others have pecans or raspberry chunks. You're really good with any flavor you get and the prices are pretty reasonable (about $6 for 3 pieces).
I hate Brooklyn's Natural as they are so ridiculously overpriced. They charge nearly double what many other health food stores charge ($5 for a pint of vegan ice cream?), so you're better off getting soy milk and veggies from the bodega or getting faux meats and vegan dairy from ANYWHERE else in Brooklyn or Manhattan.
This is, however, a good place to meet hipsters, if you're into that, or check out postings for apartments and events.
I stopped in on a Friday afternoon, hoping to get a simple sandwich since Bruar Falls is promoting itself as a cafe (during the day, at least), but I was disappointed to find out that they don't sell any "real" food. They do have vegan pastries, which was great, but I think they'd greatly benefit from having food. Also, they had Red Mango (Brooklyn company) vegan desserts when I stopped in, which I think is a step up from the usual Vegan Treats found at nearly every other cafe in NYC.
The space was pretty nice, but it has a total bar feel, so not really the place to go if you want to relax in a cafe, although the patio may be nice (I haven't seen it yet and am not sure if it's been completed).
Also, this place might be all vegan, but I didn't check into the beers they have. I don't drink so I have no idea which beers are vegan and which aren't, so I just listed this place as being vegetarian.
I was SOOO happy to come across this place. I had training for work about a half mile away, where the only lunch options were a McDonalds or two super meaty bodegas. While walking on my lunch break, I came across Downtown Natural Market, which had a big sign that read "vegetarian lunch buffet". I went in to check it out and found out that the entire store is vegetarian.
I picked up some groceries (at pretty standard prices), and got a vegan chicken empanada for $2.75, which ended up being way too dry. I also got a piece of vegan carrot cake, which was really good, and apparently made by a local vegan baker. I think they get their stuff from some of the Carribean spots around where Veggie Castle used to be, as the guy at the juice bar told me that "some guy on Church St." brings the vegan cake.
The hot buffet bar seemed to have some good-looking options, but I was disappointed that most of the items were made using the same soy chicken drumsticks. There wasn't much variety of soy meats and I didn't see any interesting all-vegetable items, aside from some plain greens.
I actually had to stop at this place for work and when I went in, I saw they had two ice cream cases, so I asked if any was non-dairy, and they told me the "parve" was non-dairy. They didn't say they know what's in the non-dairy or have any labels to show me, but they said they use Klein's ice cream, which is a Brooklyn-based ice cream company that also provides Food Swings w/ vegan ice cream so I trusted it.
One of the guys wasn't particularly helpful, perhaps because I was the only non-Hasidic Jewish guy shopping there, as was the case in many stores I visited around here, but when I stopped by another time, a younger guy I spoke with was nice.
I looked over the ingredients on some of the candies and was really happy that the chocolate-covered almonds were vegan, as many contain dairy. I tried a few of the vegan ice creams, including the cherry (which was good, but I have never really liked cherry, so not sure why I got it), the coffee (which was okay, but again, I've never liked much so not sure why I got it), and the fudge swirl, which was very good. The cone was $3.50 for 3 small scoops, which isn't an outstanding deal, but isn't as bad as it could be, so I guess I was satisfied w/ my purchase.
This place is amazing and is perfect to take your skeptical meat eating friends. The PuPu platter is great (variety of deep fried faux meats), as are all the vegan milk shakes. If you're in the mood for something that's not deep fried, you can also get the baked drumsticks and mashed potatoes or mac and "cheese." This is definitely the best late night hangout in Brooklyn.
I was drawn to this place because its awning said "vegetarian dishes" right on it, which I didn't see anywhere else in the neighborhood. I was really impressed with the separate section for vegetarian items but I can't say I was impressed by the food. All of the sides were decent (I had the rice, pumpkin, chickpeas, and potatoes), but the veggie meat wasn't very good. It had an odd texture to it and didn't taste like much of anything. It was supposed to be seitan but tasted like a dumpling (bread dumpling, not Asian dumpling). I sampled the other faux meat, which tasted more like TVP, which was better, but not great.
The small plate was $7, which wasn't bad, but it just wasn't spectacular. There wasn't much flavor in it so I requested hot sauce, which they gave me, and definitely helped. I was glad they had vegan cake, but again, I wasn't impressed. I tried the red velvet cake but it was too dense and was just sweet, but not flavorful.
The staff didn't seem too knowledgeable about what the faux meats were supposed to be (the veggies were obvious), but they were nice. The woman serving me allowed me to try three items instead of two since I couldn't decide. This place looks sort of hit or miss (I went in one day and they had 7 items but the next day they only had 4), but I'd be willing to try it again, in hopes I was there on an off-day.
I stumbled on this place when I was working in the area and was drawn to the "tofu selection" sign in the window, which is something you don't come across very frequently in a neighborhood heavily populated by Hasidic Jews. I walked in and was really pleased to find so many vegan products. I don't know if the store was entirely vegetarian, but it was definitely mostly vegetarian.
They had a great selection of vegan snack items, ice cream, cheese, and the sometimes hard-to-find Tofutti vegan cheese pizza. The store owner was also pretty nice, and I heard him telling some other customers that they have gluten-free matzos.
I was really pleased with this spot. My friends and I had been walking in the hot sun all day and this place was totally what we needed. The environment was really chill, the music was great, the service was friendly, and the design/decor was beautiful.
We sat on the (very comfy) couch and played Scrabble (my favorite game) while we waited for our food. My friends got the veggie burger, which I sampled and enjoyed. It may have just been a Gardenburger, but it was good because it had been grilled and was piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. I ordered the tofu burger, which was actually just grilled tofu (I was expecting a homemade tofu burger), but it was good. I wish there was a good substitute for the non-vegan pesto that I had them omit, but I still enjoyed w/ just ketchup and mustard. I didn't like it as much as the veggie burger, but you can't go wrong with $6.50. I also paid $1 to get the truffle oil on the fries. I really liked them, and they had a special flavor, but I wouldn't have guessed it to be truffle oil if I didn't already know.
Finally, while it looked like the Mexicans in the kitchen were working harder than the non-Mexicans in the front (as is usually the case), I spoke with one of them, who said they are treated pretty well. I always ask immigrant staff about how they're treated since so many are exploited. He may have been overly kind to his employer if he thought I was testing him, since after all, he was doing the cooking, cleaning, and errand running while the front staff hung out outside between orders, but I would guess that conditions are at least better than at most restaurants.
Delish! My friend and I came at the end of the night so the food wasn't as fresh as it could be, but it was still delicious. You generally are only allowed 2 faux meats on the 5 item platter, but since it was our first time there, the lady gave us 4! The fried vegan fish was amazing, and the "sausage" was also very good. The mac 'n' cheese was so-so.
The grocery was pretty extensive and carried a lot of everyday products along with vegan Meats from May Wah grocery.
I've been living in this neighborhood - which is predominantly Dominican and Mexican - for four years, and this is the first time I've ever had vegan Mexican(ish) food near my house. I was SO excited to see this place go up and see soy cheese and tofu sour cream prominently featured on the menu.
I had the garden veggie burrito, which had grilled veggies, brown rice, pinto beans, pico de gallo, and tofu sour cream. It was supposed to have soy cheese, but I didn't get it since they didn't have the packaging so I couldn't confirm there was no casein or whey in it. They told me to come by the next day and they'd give me the package to check. The burrito was pretty good, but sorta healthier than what I was looking for, which is my fault for ordering brown rice and grilled veggies when I was in the mood for soy cheese and guacamole.
The staff was super friendly and very happy to tell me about the veg options. They also told me that only white people have been ordering the veg options, which is not surprising, but I still found funny. They said the owners are Mexican, which made me really happy, since it seems the only places in the neighborhood that have veg stuff are owned by Southeast Asians. I ended up speaking with them in Spanish since they didn't understand why I was asking to see the packaging but their English was certainly good enough to ensure you get tofu sour cream and soy cheese.
Please support this place! :)
This isn't my favorite restaurant but it's the closest veg-friendly place to my house and it's open late so I often end up bringing visiting friends here for a late-night meal. I've had a few things off the menu and they've always been good, but never spectacular. Their tofu fajitas are pretty good and those are always offered. Last time I was there, I had a seitan cheesesteak, which I think was on special, but wasn't too impressed with it. The seitan texture was sort of weird but the overall flavor was pretty good.
While I'm really glad that Life has added more vegan stuff over the years, I'm disappointed that they seem to refuse to add vegan desserts. All they've ever offered is a fruit crisp (minus the ice cream), which is sort of disapointing since you're only getting half the dessert you pay for.
This is a fun restaurant and probably a good place to drink or pick up dudes/chicks, if you're into that. I'm not really a bar type so it's not my thing, but it's pretty popular w/ other local folks.
I can't say this was the best Thai food ever, but given the current offerings in the non-hipster section of Bushwick, I am VERY impressed. This is the first restaurant I've seen make an effort to cater to vegetarians and the staff was very knowledgeable about menu items.
I had the fried tofu with peanut sauce as an appetizer, which was nice and crispy, but the sauce was more corn syrup than peanut sauce. I tried both the tom yum lemongrass soup (so-so) and the tom kha coconut soup (delicous!). For entrees, my friend and I split the veggie fish with string beans, and the massaman curry with veggie duck. The former was pretty good, but fairly salty, and the latter was outstanding--definitely one of the best curries I've had!
I don't think the food is as good as that at Uptown Juice Bar or Veggie Castle, but the prices are cheaper and it's close to my house. :) Also, the service was VERY friendly. The jerk tofu was pretty good (nice and spicy), as was the curried goat.
I stopped in The Natural Blend this weekend on a really hot day (first hot day of the spring/summer), and was SOOOO pleased to find they had a large selection of vegan ice cream. They only charge $2 for the first scoop and $1 for each additional scoop. I got three scoops (woulda got more if the cones were bigger), and got the butter pecan (delish!), cookies and cream (yummy), and "great nut" (not delish). I saw the description "Great Nut" and asked what it was, specifically asking if they meant "Grape Nuts", like the little cereal, and the employee didn't seem to really know so just confirmed what the sign said, "it's great NUT". Well, it was actually Grape Nuts in vanilla ice cream, which I find to be really weird, but it only cost me $1 so it's no big deal.
I also tried their potato salad, which was really good. I'm a potato salad freak so it breaks my heart when veg spots use egg mayo to make it. When asking what in the case was vegan, the employee specifically told me they use Veganaise to make the potato salad so it's vegan. When I stopped in, the only non-vegan item in the case was lasagna, which contained dairy cheese. There was a quinoa salad, a noodle dish, and a bunch of other tasty-looking sides.
I really like this place because they have a great vegan selection, the owner is friendly, and it's a great small business option instead of going to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. They have pretty much everything you need and most of their stuff is organic.
I love that they have a lot of gluten-free stuff, but it's sort of frustrating that they don't re-stock it really fast so you can't necessarily count on getting the GF mix you need.
Penny Licks is one of the most adorable sweets shops you'll ever come across. They have a good selection of vegan cakes, but unfortunately (for me at least), they are all the same Vegan Treats cakes you can get in every other veg-friendly spot in NYC.
They also offer Temptation vegan ice cream, made by Chicago Soy Dairy, which is one of my favorite companies on earth (small, all-vegan company, run by vegan activists that care about making not just a vegan product, but one that is also fair trade). Since you can get Vegan Treats cakes just about anywhere in NYC, I would definitely opt for an ice cream dessert here.
Perelandra has a great selection of vegan packaged and frozen goods and it's a nice addition to the neighborhood. They also have a lot of organic and natural products and usually offer 20% off their vitamins and supplements.
While the deli usually has interesting menu items, many of them are almost vegan but not quite, which is really annoying. I was in their yesterday and they had a soy chicken sandwich with soy cheese (which contained casein). They also had a veggie tuna wrap (that contained egg whites). They came so close on a number of items, but many of the strictly vegan options were limited to really simple stuff like a plain veggie wrap or tofu salad. They did have one vegan chocolate chip bar, which was nice.
Delicious!!! Some friends and I ordered the vegan soy cheese pizza with olives, roasted garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. Unfortunately, the cooks forgot to put on the tomatoes but the pizza was still really good. The cheese melted nicely and even the meat eaters really enjoyed it.
The first thing you notice about this place is the beautiful patio. My friends and I sat outside in the patio on a nice warm day, happy there were table umbrellas because the weather was drizzling on and off. However, while the patio was absolutely gorgeous and very relaxing, there were an incredible amount of ants crawling around, many coming up our legs and then around on the table. We also saw a huge rat in the neighbor's backyard in the middle of the day, but were glad the little guy didn't come over to the restaurant.
As for food, three of us split an appetizer sampler and an entree sampler. Neither appear on the menu but we got the impression that they do this on a regular basis so just ask for it. Each was $21 and came with all of the options on the menu. This was a fantastic way to try everything so now I know what my favorites are.
I would have to say that of the appetizers, the crab cakes with dill sauce and the sushi rolls tied for my favorite. The soul chips (spiced flax crackers, basically) with the sauce of the day (a sort of cashew-lemon cream resembling sour cream) was also very good. Of the entrees, we all absolutely loved the squash "pasta" with pesto sauce. It was extremely flavorful and didn't make me think "this is good for raw food" because it was just plain good. I also liked the squash pasta w/ bolognese sauce, especially the little "sausage" balls they came with, which had a fabulous fennel flavor.
The desserts looked beautiful but seemed a bit pricey so we didn't try any. We felt pretty satisfied for our meal, but were ready for a snack shortly after, which either means the food isn't filling or that we're just plain greedy (or a bit of both). :)
It's always nice to find a place that sells vegan ice cream, but it's pretty much just Tofutti in a cone. They do have a few food options, but the place is pretty small. It's a nice place to stop in for a quick bite to take out.
This place is cute and cozy and the staff is nice, but their food is really average. I initially went here because I felt bad that they are located a few doors from Veggie Castle (AMAZING vegan Caribbean food w/ tons of options), and I figured they can't compete. I tried one of their hot dishes and a dessert but both were really plain. They also only have a few stools for sitting so it's not the best place to hang out or bring more than one or two friends. Go to Veggie Castle.
I sort of stumbled on this place, and when I saw the $3.50 lunch special that was "good for vegetarians and vegans", I HAD to go in. I ordered the tofu hamburg, which comes with salad, white rice and beans, which I thought would be pretty plain and small, given the price, but I really enjoyed it. I think the beans and rice were cooked together, so the otherwise plain white rice had some flavor to it. The tofu hamburg itself (which is apparently Japanese meatloaf) tasted like a mixture of tofu scramble and egg foo young.
I also ordered the kimchee tofu for $4.50 and was really excited about it, as I love kimchee and I love tofu, but I didn't really like this. I was thinking the tofu would be baked, marinated, or somehow prepared, but it was actually a big block of plain, uncooked, silken tofu with kimchee on top. I took it home with me, spiced it up, and scrambled it with some noodles and it was much better.
I really was hoping for some miso soup but was sad to learn they use fish stock. I told the waitress that I'm vegan and she didn't seem to think fish was a big deal ('it's not meat, just fish', which was a very traditional Japanese response), but she was cool about telling me which items did and didn't contain fish and how she could adjust items to make them veg.
I was expecting this place to have really bland, fake-ass Mexican food, but I actually really enjoyed it and think they did a great job w/ vegan menu items. I was skeptical about the "conejo" burrito because, who the heck puts cabbage on a burrito? However, I must say this was one of the best burritos I've had that I can remember. I actually started putting cabbage on my burritos at home because of this burrito, but I can't get it to taste like Taco Chulo's. The vegan sour cream on it also added a great touch, and I'll be back soon to try their other vegan items.
I went on a weeknight and the place was pretty packed and had a nice vibe going on. I was by myself and didn't have much time so I just ate at the bar. My food came pretty quickly and I borrowed a newspaper from the stack to read until it arrived. Nice place.
My roommate has been telling me how wonderful Tai Thai is for quite some time, as she used to live down the block from there and ate there all the time. I thought the food was okay, and I wouldn't be opposed to eating there again, but I wasn't really impressed with the food. This could be because I ate there at lunch, when the $5.50 lunch specials may not necessarily represent the finest dishes to come out of their kitchen.
I had the Thai spaghetti green curry, which was angel-hair like rice/wheat noodles with eggplant, carrots, cabbage, onions, a little tofu, and a green coconut curry sauce. It was like a thick soup and it was spicy as HELL. They warned me this was the spiciest dish on the menu, and I did enjoy it, but it had me sweating with a runny nose, so definitely stay away from it if you don't like spicy food. It came out SUPER hot, but it was tolerable after it cooled down about 30 minutes ago.
I also got the pad thai veggie (no egg) which was good, but a little sweet for my taste. I took most of it home in my little tupperware container and actually enjoyed it better the next day, after the flavors had settled a bit. I also really liked the veggie spring rolls that came with each entree.
This place seems to be quite busy during the lunch hours, with lots of single people and small groups in and out for a quick, cheap lunch. The food comes really fast and the staff is friendly, so it's a good place to stop if you're in a rush.
This place is great!!!! I stumbled upon it when I was working in the area and was surprised at their huge selection of vegan items, most notably their big jars of Veganaise, which are hard to come by in NYC (everyone sells the only the small jars). They have pretty much anything you would want from a health food store and their prices are pretty reasonable. The staff is also really nice.
The food is pretty good but nothing special. I'm also annoyed that they seem to have just stolen recipes from Atlas Cafe (2nd Ave @ 4th St. in Manhattan). Also, since they carry Vegan Treats instead of making their own desserts (like every other vegan restaurant in NYC), there's really nothing that makes them stand out.
I may be the oddball in Brooklyn, but I am SOOOOOOOO sick of the same menu at all of these so-called pan-Asian restaurants. You get the exact same thing at Vegetarian Ginger that you get at Red Bamboo that you get at Vegetarian's Paradise 2 that you get at Soy and Sake, etc. etc. etc. Everyone uses May Wah faux meats (which are great!) and it seems like they all add the exact same sauces and vegetable mix.
I had the General Tso's chicken lunch special, as the waiter recommended it, but I wasn't too impressed with it. The soy chunks were deep fried and tasted a bit overcooked and chewy. I was also disappointed that the meal only had 3 pieces of broccoli, I definitely wanted a more even balance of faux meat and veggies. The flavor was good, but it would have been nice for the spice to be evenly spread throughout the sauce, versus having dried chilis, which were very hard and super spicy when you eat them directly, versus having their seeds blended into the sauce.
The wonton soup that it came with was delicious, and you can't beat $5.95 for a lunch special. That said, the portions are smaller than at many other restaurants, so if you're really hungry at lunch, you may need to order two dishes!
It's amazing to be able to get vegan pizza w/ cheese in Brooklyn, unfortunately, the piece I had was all dried out. I think it was just sitting in the case too long so a fresher piece would have been much better. I had the black bean pizza and it definitely had potential. I also tried the vegan mozz and sausage calzone, which was pretty good.
They have vegan mini rolls, 6 for $1 and they were really good. They weren't listed as vegan on the menu so we asked and they are definitely vegan.
I really like the atmosphere in this restaurant, as it's bright, warm, clean, and trendy. I don't remember what entree I had but it was pretty good. What I mostly recall about my meal are the vegan cheese wontons, which I was SOOOO excited about. I was imagining the crispy "cheese rangoons" that I used to get at Chinese restaurants with cream cheese and scallions inside. Not so. These rangoons, while fairly tasty, were mostly spinach, with little chunks of "soy cheese", which actually tasted like frozen tofu.
They have plenty of vegan options but I wasn't overly impressed. My friends and I went on the first day they opened and they were pretty disorganized and frazzled, which I suppose can be expected on the opening day. However, it didn't seem like employees were overly concerned with cleanliness (staff with really dirty fingernails preparing and serving food, and staff not washing their hands before touching food after they've handled money or touched their hair/face). I haven't been back since opening day, so hopefully they've gotten better.
I really like s'nice but they don't have enough vegan options and they got rid of the best vegan item they had (chicken pot pie wrap). Their sides are really good and I especially like the artichoke pasta they sometimes offer. Most of the desserts are vegan but I think they're pretty average tasting. You're better off going to Lifethyme Natural Market on 6th Ave around 10th street.
I absolutely love this place. A friend and I went and nearly ordered the entire menu. My favorite entree was the lasagna (from Raw Soul), which had a more robust flavor than raw lasagnas I've had elsewhere. The garlicky greens side dish was amazing, but definitely avoid it if you're sensitive to how your breath might smell.
All the desserts we had were amazing but I particularly enjoyed the raw chocolate cheesecake, which tasted like a chocolate-coconut cream pie. The gluten-free Babycakes cookie with mint cream filling was also delicious.
The staff (perhaps owner) was extremely nice and gave us some seaweed salad on the house. Very friendly and personable.
This is the SPOT!!!!! They're all vegetarian and nearly all vegan, organic, fair trade and small-business. Of course you'll find your token crazy co-op member there, but everyone is really nice and it's certainly the most ethically driven business to support.
It's mostly bulk and fresh stuff but they do have packaged sandwiches, ice cream bars, and other snacks that are ready to eat.
JOIN!!!!
Adelina's was closed for a number of months (they say they were remodeling) but they just opened up again a few weeks ago. I stopped in for dessert and was disappointed that half of the cakes (mostly cheesecake) were NOT vegan. They had a raw mousse/torte thing, and some raw chocolate, but that's about it.
I had the "superfood chocolate bar" with goji berries and almonds in it. It was decent, but had that distinctive "healthy" taste too it. I'm all for healthy, but not when it comes to dessert. I would have preferred some rich, fatty hunk of chocolate, but perhaps that's just me.
The employees were nice but seemed a little frazzled and disorganized, despite the restaurant not appearing to be very busy. Perhaps they're still getting their things together since reopening. I was happy that the staff knew what was vegan and went to check ingredients on some things.
I was very disappointed, however, to see SO much egg and milk used in their dishes. I would have expected a veg restaurant focused on health and raw food to have more vegan options. It seemed like half their items had cheese in them and their brunch menu is mostly omelettes.
The food is pretty good but I don't think some of it is worth the price. They have interesting selections that are presented beautifully but the portions are a bit small. The sandwiches, however, are really big and only around $8.
I love that they have an extensive ingredient menu so that no matter what your allergy or aversion is (gluten, sesame, tomatoes, onions, etc.) you can easily avoid it without having to rely on poorly informed servers.
DO NOT GET THE CORNBREAD! A friend of mine was told that the cornbread was amazing so we ordered an entire loaf and it was horrible. It tasted like it hadn't been cooked thoroughly and as though it was just a bunch of whole kernels of corn mashed together. Disgusting. However, there were two types of cornbread, so it's possible that the variety we didn't order was actually good.
I gotta say that I was pretty disappointed with this place. I stopped in for a quick vegan sandwich and cupcake, only to find out that they no longer have vegan baked goods.
I ordered the avocado sandwich (avocado, red onions, jalapenos, tomato, lettuce, sprouts) on whole grain bread because I LOVE avocado. I was quite disappointed to get my sandwich and not see the avocado slices I was expecting, but rather find a guacamole-like paste that obviously contained preservatives and was likely frozen. I'm guessing it's the same crap guacamole made in Mexico, frozen, then shipped to American Taco Bells. They might be using the same guacamole dip Trader Joe's uses, but that's still not very good, especially considering it was supposed to be an avocado sandwich, not a guacamole dip sandwich.
I also was disappointed to see that I only got two jalapeno slices on my sandwich and they were the canned variety so they weren't very spicy. I will say, however, the multi-grain bread was very good and the employees were friendly.
The food here is exactly the same as it is in their East Village location. It is good, but not the best Ethiopian food in the city. The staff at this restaurant speaks better English than at the East Village location (good for folks w/ allergies), but is not that much friendlier.
I'm used to being ignored in Ethiopian restaurants, but was put off by my waitress having an extended and very loud conversation with a friend who stopped in to chat. I was the only person eating in the restaurant but the waitress didn't check up on me until after her friend left. Quite annoying.
I brought in a coupon from the African Diaspora Film festival but nobody in the restaurant had seen it. My waitress called her boss to verify, and he had no idea they had put out a coupon ad, but he told her to honor it, which was nice, but shows a lack of disorganization.
The food here is good but it's not the best Ethiopian food around (Meskerem, a short walk away, is better). The staff is friendly, but I dined here with a friend with severe allergies and our waitress had a lot of difficulty understanding what we were saying.
We got the veggie combo platter, which is the best way to try out many of the items on the menu, and it was pretty good. We went on a Monday night and it was quite busy. The dark lighting is sort of romantic, so perhaps keep that in mind when you chose who you will dine there with. :)
I hate this restaurant, not because they have bad food (I refuse to eat there), but because they call themselves a vegetarian restaurant, despite having a menu that is about 1/3 fish. People are constantly in there telling them that fish isn't vegetarian and that they should get it off the menu or change their name/sign, but they will just be very dismissive and say something like "Oh, it's okay, some people think fish is vegetarian. I don't want to argue."
Furthermore, their vegan options are limited to salad and steamed veggies. Are you kidding? Most steakhouses can do better than that. I just posted the place in case someone has heard of it and wanted to know what it's all about. Don't eat here!
The first time I went here, I thought the cupcakes were disgusting and didn't know what all the fuss was about. The second time around, I had some mini chocolate brownie bites, which were delicious. Later, I had a cookie sandwich with mint cream filling (from 24 Carrots Juice Bar on the Upper West Side), and it was also delicious.
I hear a lot of good things about this place, so I think my first visit was just on an off-day.
Delish!!!!! It's so tough to get vegan Mexican food beyond the usual beans and rice so I was really happy to eat at Benny's. I've also been to the Ave A location, which seems to have a slightly different menu and also charges for chips & salsa. I had a veggie beef burrito at the Ave A location, which I didn't see on the menu here, but this place had a curry veggie burrito special (which I didn't get), that I never saw at the place on Ave A.
My friends and I got free chips and salsa here, but they weren't that great. I had the "Super Chicken Burrito" but subbed tofu for the chicken and it was GREAT! It came with beans, guac, salsa, tofu, sour cream (I got the tofu sour cream), and it usually comes w/ cheese but since I didn't feel like paying $1.75 to get soy cheese, I just left it off.
We went on a Friday night so it was super busy. We waited about 35 minutes for a table but it was worth the wait and the staff was really friendly.
Also, I really like that the delivery guys here are provided helmets and reflective jackets, as many restaurants don't provide anything and totally step all over them. I spoke w/ one of the delivery guys and he says that the restaurant treats them pretty well.
I really enjoyed this place. They had SO many veg burrito/taco/fajita options, not to mention vegan toppings (vegan sour cream and cheese, in addition to typical toppings) which is fairly hard to come by in Mexican restaurants in NYC. I had the veggie beef burrito, and while there wasn't much veggie beef inside, there was plenty of other stuff and the sour cream--which tasted home made--was very good.
It was slightly annoying that you have to order chips and salsa separately and don't get them automatically, like you do in most Mexican places.
I happened to walk by this place about a year ago and noticed their "50% discount for anyone arriving on a bike" sign. I couldn't believe the discount. I didn't think they'd have vegan cookies, but when I went in to check, they actually did! They weren't my favorite, but I kept going back since I love the idea of this place and it's better than packaged vegan cookies.
I prefer the chocolate chip to the oatmeal raisin cookie, and I definitely like the cookies more than I used to. They're good cookies, I just tend to prefer softer cookies. The only time I had something other than the cookie (I believe it was a raspberry cupcake or something), I didn't particularly care for it. It was too healthy tasting to be a cupcake.
Also, the bike discount has since decreased to 25%, but it's still a huge discount.
I've been going to their East Village location for about 2 years but just visited this place for the first time last week. The vegan selections are the same and I still prefer the chocolate chip cookie to the oatmeal raisin.
When I stopped in, they had a raspberry muffin but it looked so heavy on flax and sesame seeds that it appeared super heavy and resembling more of a Cliff-bar like hiking refueler than a sweet snack.
I also really like that this location has some seating so my friends and I were able to lounge for a bit, instead of having to stand around in the cold outside and eat our cookies, as is the case at the East Village location.
This is a lovely upscale restaurant with good food and good decor. The portions were pretty small for the price, but I guess that is to be expected at a fancy restaurant.
The cheese pizza with caramelized onions was incredible! I have been dreaming about it ever since.
I've been here a million times for events but have never eaten or gotten coffee here. This is a really good place to support because all of the events are free (although some suggest a donation) and they cover a range of progressive topics like animal rights, environmentalism, hunger/homelessness, race relations, gender equality, and more.
They've recently started to have more events focusing on Latino issues (they just had, what I believe to be their first, event in Spanish), which I think is necessary for the surrounding Puerto Rican community.
It's a nice place to grab a quick lunch because their salad bar already has everything prepared so they can easily whip you up a salad, sandwich, or wrap in a few minutes. They have a good selection of pates and salad fixins but could use more desserts.
I like their 1lb. sample platter because it allows you to try some of everything. I particularly like the macadamia nut meat and this cauliflower/carrot/green bean mixture, but I'm not a fan of the squash salad or pumpkin/poppy pate.
I tried the blueberry/banana ice cream, and wasn't impressed, particularly because it was $5 for what tasted like a banana pureed with frozen blueberries.
I've been here three times and have always enjoyed my meal. They are heavy on fake meat, but their preparation style is much different than the million Pan-Asian sort of restaurants in NYC. I always get the vegan fried shrimp for an appetizer, and if the fried shrimp weren't good enough, they come on top of steamed and deliciously seasoned broccoli, sprinkled with candied walnuts. Outstanding. The only thing that would make this better is if it came with cocktail sauce instead of plain vegan mayo.
I've had a number of the entrees, all of which were good, but I mostly enjoy the General Tso's Chicken, which is what the waiters often recommend. Most recently, I had the vegan steak lunch special, which was really good, and had a nice balance of faux meat and veggies, but I don't think the texture was as good as other menu items.
Buddha Bodai, while known for great food, is not known for good service, which is often slow and can be inattentive. When I last went with my boyfriend and his brother (who are Mexican), the service was exceptionally slow, and we had to ask for water twice, and then ask for take-out containers, and then ask for the bill. I can't help but wonder if the staff is even mildly racist (nearly all restaurant patrons are Chinese or white), and I was offended when the waiter said "adios" to us when we were done. Perhaps it was an honest effort to communicate with them, as they don't speak much English, but the entire situation just made me uneasy.
I like that Cafe Blossom offers both higher-end items (like seitan with lemon-caper sauce, mashed potatoes, and chard) and more affordable items like vegan cheeseburgers and Philly steaks. The higher-end items are very involved and unique, but even the burgers are far from typical, being served on foccacia bread with chipotle aioli.
My favorite item is the seitan w/ caper sauce (mentioned above), as it's very interesting and unique, but I also really like the veggie burgers. The vegan bacon cheeseburger (sans mushrooms) is my favorite. I also really like the southern burger, which has avocado and caramelized onions. It also has the chipotle aioli, but I needed to ask for an extra side of it last time to fill up the sandwich. I like you can get sweet potato fries or cajun sweet potato fries instead of plain fries w/ your sandwich for no extra cost. I ordered the cajun sweet potato fries but think they gave me the regular sweet potato fries. Either way, they were very fresh and tasty.
I have to say that one of my favorite features of Cafe Blossom (and Blossom, for that matter), is that they make their own desserts and don't just cop out and sell Vegan Treats cakes like about 20 other veg spots in the city. I've had a few of their cakes and they've all been good, but not as rich or moist as I'd expect from an upscale restaurant.
I really like this place because it's cheap, good, and says "vegetarian food" on the awning, which is always a plus for me. I usually just get the falafel with hummus, which is $4.50. The flavor is really good (not spectacular, but good), and I like that the tahini sauce is nice and garlicky.
When the weather is nice, I like to sit at the outdoor tables and watch people, as it's right near 1st Ave, which is a good people-watching area. :)
I really enjoyed the food here. The plates are large and the food is beautifully presented. When you order an entree (which is usually a mock meat and a side like potatoes or rice), you also get to choose 2 sides (collard greens, mac and cheese, various steamed vegetables, fried plantain, etc).
I was very surprised at how involved and flavorful the food was. I ordered the curry mock duck with brown rice and for my 2 sides, I got mac and cheese and collard greens. The brown rice wasn't the plain rice I was expecting; it was a delicious rice mixture with chunks of carrots, herbs, and seasonings. The collard greens also were sauteed with onions, carrots, and seasonings (a bit too oily, but very good). This huge plate of food was only $8!
I also tried the "Harlem chicken nuggets", which were 4 crispy soy chicken chunks for only $2.50. They were SO good, but I was upset that they came with two plastic cups of ketchup instead of a good sauce. The waitress said they usually have a sauce but were out. They have a number of $2-3 appetizers, like spinach rolls and eggplant fritters.
Lastly, I wasn't impressed with the service. The guy who greeted me and another lady (manager?) were very friendly, but my waitress seemed annoyed to be working. She was really slow, went around taking other people's orders before even giving me a menu, didn't bring water until my food came, and didn't bring my check (I had to go get it myself after waiting 10 minutes). I hope it was just her an not others that work there, but the bad service is the only reason I'm not giving an "excellent" rating.
I've been to the 2nd Ave location a million times but this was my first time uptown. I was really surprised by how different the two locations are. The East Village/2nd Ave location really promotes being veg/vegan and has a really cool, young crowd. The uptown location is full of middle class moms pushing strollers and they barely mention they're veg.
The pizza signs say the soy cheese contains casein but the manager told me they JUST started using Follow Your Heart (vegan) cheese but haven't updated the signs yet. This location doesn't have nearly as many vegan options as the 2nd Ave location and they only say "vegan" in small letters. The menu here also seems to be much larger.
I had the Naturale pizza, which had egggplant, red pepper, and spinach. I thought it was a bit dry and I didn't like the eggplant. I was disappointed that there was only one other vegan option and since it was full of mushrooms, I didn't get it.
I had dinner here a couple years ago and really enjoyed my meal. One thing I remember is that there was wine in a LOT of dishes, so watch out if you're straightedge or abstain from alcohol for another reason. The service is very friendly and the restaurant is beautiful.
I just had brunch here for the first time this past weekend and it was spectacular. I dined with a non-veg friend and she was very impressed with the food. I had the breakfast burrito, which had seitan, rice, carmelized onions, beans, and spinach, and it was really good. She had the multi-grain waffles with fresh fruit and cranberry butter and that was excellent. I liked that the whole grains made them healthier, but it wasn't the super-gritty mess you sometimes get with whole grains.
We shared the salad of the day, which was absolutely spectacular, and I'm not even a salad person. It had arugula, black rice, hearts of palm, avocado, tomatoes, radishes, and had a basil dressing. Outstanding. We also shared the apple phyllo dough tart, which was their homemade apple ice cream, topped with an apple sauce, surrounded with crispy phyllo dough and drizzled with a sweet sauce. Very good, but the dough was sort of hard to eat since so crispy.
I had the recommended green drink, but I wasn't really into it. I'm generally not into green drinks but figured it was worth a try. It's probably good if you like green drinks, but next time I'll get OJ for breakfast. My friend had fresh apple juice, which was good, but it had a hair in the glass, so they got her a new one, and comped both the drinks and our dessert, which was very thoughtful.
People seem to really rave about this place but I've been there a number of times and wasn't impressed. Everyone suggested the "chicken" nachos but they tasted pretty average to me, something I cold easily make at home. I've also had a raw salad that was pretty good (if you're into raw food), and a smoothie that was really small and not very flavorful.
I do, however, love the ambiance. The live music and the lighting is just right and if you're able to get a table outside, it's a lovely experience.
The lunch buffet is pretty good, but nothing spectacular. It tastes like all the other buffets in the area. This place tends to be pretty crowded so maybe others know something I don't know. The only thing I've had off the menu is the behl puri and that's really good. The menu has plenty of vegan food and the dairy items are clearly marked.
It is quite the rare occasion that I meet a falafel that I don't like, but I really didn't like Chickpea's falafel. While I appreciate their effort to offer a healthier falafel by baking it versus frying it, I feel that the taste is totally compromised.
I tried both the original and broccoli falafel in a pita, and both had a mushy and crumbly texture. Although I usually like veggies stuffed into most of my food, the broccoli bits seemed inappropriate in the falafel and made the already awkward texture that much more awkward. The jalapeno-scallion hummus was really good, but there wasn't that much on the pita.
That said, I appreciated that they let me charge a $5 falafel, as I was totally out of cash and many restaurants have $10 minimums.
Delicious food and beautiful atmosphere.
I tried a number of dishes but the vegetable mosaic platter was definitely my favorite. It had orange scented fennel, spicy quinoa, whipped sweet potatoes, garlic green beans, and a few other veggies. All were cooked and seasoned perfectly, were very distinct, yet none clashed with each other.
Their veggie burger has a magnificent flavor, but the texture is unexpectedly soft. The nicoise-style white bean and pesto soup has an amazing flavor, but could use a bit more pesto. The seitan tenderloin is also good, but I don't think it's one of their best dishes. It's not particularly creative or exceptionally flavorful.
Yum. Definitely a good place to hang out with friends. They actually have crayons at the table so you can color on your place mat!
Their garlic greens and cornbread are incredible, as are their peach pancakes (I think it was a brunch special when I was there).
The first time I was there, the waitress seemed pretty clueless about veganism and which options were vegan, but I haven't had any problems since then.
Visit 1:
I was very satisfied with my meal here. The food was very flavorful and the service was exceptional. I had the Rose Petal dish, which was $15 (a bit overpriced), but was a delicious soy meat dish with perfectly steamed vegetables and red/brown rice. I also had the rice noodles with veggies and faux meats, which was around $10 and very good, although it could have benefited from more vegetables. Both dishes were large portions and were more than enough for one person.
Visit 2:
Because I was so satisfied with my first visit there, during dinner time, I decided to check it out for lunch. Bad idea. The lunch specials are very cheap, but the quality is poor. I got the sesame soy nuggets with broccoli (which I was pleased to see came with red rice and a spring roll), but was very disappointed with the entree. The soy nuggets were very tough and lacked flavor and while some of the broccoli was piping hot, some of it was still frozen. I suppose this isn't a surprise, as they brought me my food within 5 minutes of ordering, but it's especially disappointing, as the restaurant wasn't busy and they could have spent more time preparing my dish.
Aside from the veggie spring rolls, which were delicious, I found the food here to be pretty blah. I had the veggie steamed rice rolls but thought they were just soggy and lacking flavor. The soy bean dumplings were so-so and I didn't touch the mushroom dumplings (because I HATE mushrooms), but my dining partner tried them and said they were terrible.
Even though the food was not so great, the prices were low enough that it wasn't a totally unpleasant experience. I wouldn't go here again if I had a choice of another place, but I'd go here if I was hungry and didn't know where else to go that had vegan options.
I really like this place. I'm a sucker for lunch buffets, so this is what I usually have here and I haven't been disappointed, although I'd like to see fewer buffet items with butter and cream.
I had some sort of potato puff balls thing with sauce and lots of spice but I can't remember what it was called. It's probably an appetizer or a small plate (I ordered this separately, it wasn't off the buffet), and it was delicious.
DELICIOUS!!!!
This has to be one of my new favorite places. The food is quick, cheap, and delicious. I ordered the pan-seared veggie dumplings, which were slightly greasy, but was told they're quicker to make than the steamed variety and I was in a rush. The dumplings came out in about 5 minutes and were piping hot. I threw on some soy sauce and Siracha sauce and called it a day.
I also had the banana coin (dessert dumpling w/ banana, pine nut, and goji berry), which was amazing. It was only $1 so I wish I would have ordered more.
I might have to start stopping in between 3-5pm on a regular basis, because their 6 dumplings for $3.50 special is a really good deal! 6 dumplings is a pretty good snack or a really small dinner. I love dumplings so I'd probably get two of the 2 6-packs and call it a night.
This is a lovely grocery and cafe with tons of vegan options. There is a nice seating area upstairs which is great because you can eat, read, check e-mail, and people-watch down in the store.
One of my friends once ordered a vegan egg salad sandwich and got real egg, but aside from that, I've never had or known of any problems.
I was super glad to be able to find a place with so many tofu cream cheeses (although I was a bit dismayed to see the tofu-fish spread) so I didn't mind waiting 10 minutes in line for a bagel.
I decided on the pumpernickle bagel with tofu sundried-tomato spread since I've never seen that vegan cream cheese flavor elsewhere. The bagel was good, but I was disappointed that they didn't toast the bagel (maybe they are too busy). Since the bagel wasn't warm, my cream cheese didn't melt at all, which I really like. Also, I thought the cream cheese had a very strong basil or oregano flavor that was a bit too strong.
Although I wasn't super happy with my bagel, I sampled my friend's everything bagel with scallion tofu cream cheese (which was warm for some reason) and really enjoyed it.
Half the food I had here was very good, the other half was good, but not nearly as good as I was expecting. I was also expecting more authentic Korean, vs. Korean fusion. I tried a number of appetizers and entrees and the pancake sampler (corn/cilantro, scallion, kimchee) was my favorite. The yam chips with tomato/dill dip sounded amazing but pretty much tasted like potato chips.
I was very impressed with this place. This place serves meat, but they had so many more interesting vegan dishes than I've seen at most veg restaurants!
We started with the yuca fries (pretty good, but could have been cut thinner and cooked longer) and the red quinoa coated soy drumsticks (the quinoa coating was pretty tough, but it was a worthwhile shot).
For an entree, I had the vegan Caeser Salad (and I am NOT a salad person) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had avocado, vegan hemp caseser dressing, lotus crostini, caper blossoms, and cornmeal crusted tofu. Delish! I sampled my friend's rosemary tofu skewers with grilled papaya and it was amazing. The skewers were actual rosemary twigs and the flavor was completely infused in the tofu.
I really like Gobo. I have been there so much that I always feel like "Oh great, Gobo, again?" when somebody suggests it, but I am always happy we go.
Their pine nut lettuce wraps are amazing (it's a hot, spicy pine nut mixture-not raw), and their pineapple fried rice is also very good (and cheap, relative to other items). Their "avocado wasabi tartare" was recommended as the best item on the menu but it pretty much just tastes like really expensive guacamole. Their soy protein spinach rolls are great but the butternut squash risotto isn't too spectacular (it's also a pretty small serving).
They also have good juices and desserts, although I generally go across the street to Lifethyme Natural Food for dessert.
Lunch specials are WAY cheaper than dinner ($10 vs. $25), but the food doesn't seem as high in quality and the restaurant is empty so you don't get the full dining experience.
For lunch, I had a spicy tofu and veggie soup with rice, which was good, but I wouldn't say it was spectacular. It was mostly cabbage, tomato broth, and the tofu was soft, which isn't my favorite--especially in soup. I also had the steamed dumplings with nut filling for an appetizer, and this was phenomenal.
For dinner, I had the rice cakes w/ mixed veggies, which was okay but I thought the "rice cake" texture was a bit odd (I'm not really used to Korean food). The cakes were big chunks of glutenous rice flour or something, but the sauce and veggies were good. A friend ordered the Mongolian tofu, which I sampled and thought was phenomenal.
The restaurant is absolutely beautiful and the service is impeccable. Definitely a great place to bring a date or bring folks skeptical of the quality of vegan food.
This place is really cute, the food is good, and the service is very friendly. My friend and I shared an ackee patty and a soy patty and both were good, although I preferred the soy patty. The ackee seems like it may be an acquired taste.
One of the workers let me sample a raw curry plantain dish, which was absolutely delicious. I'm not raw food expert, but this thing didn't taste raw at all. It had a strong, robust flavor, and the seasoning blend was different from any raw food I've had before.
I love that this place has a separate veg/vegan section on their menu and identifies items that AREN'T vegan. They have a great range of options and even offer brown rice as an option (50 cents extra).
It's annoying that neither of the soups on the lunch special are vegan. I tried getting a spring roll instead but they wouldn't let me. I thought this was rude. I later found that they have miso soup, so I'm wondering why they didn't offer that (perhaps they don't allow it).
I had the broccoli with garlic sauce over brown rice and it was pretty good. The broccoli had a great flavor (although I wonder if they use MSG), but the rice was a bit dry.
Their food was HORRIBLE!!! Seriously, this is the worst vegan Chinese food I've ever had. The flavors were bland, the textures weren't appetizing, and most of the food came out luke-warm. The "fake meats" didn't taste like fake me should, and this place has no excuse, considering how close they are to May Wah (veg grocery store that sells tons of fake meats to the public and to restaurants).
Furthermore, the service was poor and the waitress actually reminded us to give her a tip before we even walked away from the table.
This location is usually very busy so I have never been motivated to stop in. I had take-out from here once and thought the hummus was so-so. I hear from an Israeli friend that the hummus here is extremely authentic but it's just not my thing. I'm guessing this is because, despite being authentic, it's not as fatty, sweet, and salty as the Americanized versions I've likely grown accustomed to.
I've had a number of sides at the St. Marks location (which is less busy), including the stuffed grape leaves, healthy salad, and falafel, and enjoyed them. I'm assuming the items here would be the same.
Considering the name of this place is "Hummus Place", I anticipated enjoying the hummus more. That said, an Israeli friend told me this is one of the only places she can get authentic hummus, so perhaps this stuff is really traditional and I just like the sweet, salty, fattening stuff offered at most American places. :)
I ordered the 3 appetizers for $8.95 (normally $3.50 each), but since they mixed up what I ordered, I actually got to try four items. I had the chickpea-topped hummus (I forget how it's referred to on the menu), falafel, healthy salad, and stuffed grape leaves. The healthy salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro) was pretty plain but it made a great topping for the hummus and pita (whole wheat). The falafel was also good and came with this cilantro-lemon sauce and tahini.
I like this location because it's a little more low-key and less crowded than the MacDougal location. I also love that the kitchen is open and I got to sit at a table in direct view of the kitchen so I could see the cooks making my food.
Integral Yoga Natural Foods has a wide variety of vegan products--although my first stop is always the 4th Street Food Co-op (all veg food co-op). They have an extensive bulk section and TONS of bulk spices, which is really hard to come by.
They specialize in organic products and sometimes have in-store tastings for new or featured products. You can come by really good deals (I once found carob rice milk for $1.19 per carton), but the store is usually pretty busy.
The food here is creative and very tasty, but the prices are pretty high ($20 for a piece of lasagna and $10 for a slice of pie). However, I've liked everything I've had from here. I especially liked this "ground beef" stuffed cabbage with spicy orange sauce, called "bergolia" or something. It has a strong, spicy flavor and doesn't just taste like a nut pate lettuce wrap. Their "a-nut" (faux tuna) spread is also really good, especially on their flax crackers.
I've had a number of their spreads (pesto, alfredo, cheddar), and I think my favorite is the cheddar because it's bold and spicy. I had it on their onion rings, which are a tad salty, but taste like raw, healthy French's fried onions.
They have an amazing Irish moss parfait (strawberry or chocolate), and many delicious desserts. I had the chocolate cream pie, which was very tasty and rich, but the somewhat strong coconut flavor was unexpected.
This neighborhood has tons of vegetarian and veg-friendly Indian joints, but most are sit-down restaurants that are big on their buffets. I was walking around, looking for something quick that could be eaten on the go so Kabob Factory seemed perfect. They had a sign outside that said they have vegetarian food, and I loved that the menu had "vegetarian" and "non-vegetarian" items, versus "vegetarian" and "normal", which is just insulting.
The cook confirmed that I'm a "pure vegetarian", which apparently is what they call somebody who eats no meat, and he confirmed that no ghee or dairy was in what I was ordering. I couldn't decide between the potato and the spinach kathi rolls, so he put both into the roll. I asked for hot sauce, which he said they don't have, which I found weird. Indian food can get HOT, so it was odd that he suggested I stop at McDonalds to pick up hot sauce.
I was really happy with my find until I saw that he was cooking my veggies like 4 inches from someone's chicken tikki masala. He was using the same utensils on both of them and I could see the red sauce from the chicken getting on my veggies. I asked why they don't separate the food and use different utensils and he assured me that wasn't my food and that they take special caution to not mix anything. 1 minute later, he scooped of the same veggies I was looking at, rolled them up, and gave it to me. I questioned this and we had a bit of a discussion, and he assured me that many vegetarians eat there and that no meat gets onto the veggies. I disagreed because I saw him cooking.
This was a huge turn off for this restaurant and I don't want to go back, but as I have never been in the kitchen of non-vegetarian Indian restaurants, this may be what is done in every kitchen, Kabob Factory just has their kitchen in open view so you see it. Next time, I'll opt for one of the all-veg Indian spots around there (like Madras Mahal or Chennai Garden), but not Tiffin Wallah, that steals all the waiters tips.
This is a great hangout and is good for large groups but the food is pretty average and not worth the price. I was really excited to try their "shrimp" bites but it was pretty much battered tofu bites with cocktail sauce. Their mashed potatoes are amazing but their brunch is totally not worth it (super plain tofu scramble).
Their desserts are also not very good--go to Atlas (2nd Ave btw 4th and 5th) for dessert.
Great food for a great price. You can get a tasty meal (soup, noodles, stirfry) for about $7/8 any time of day. It's pretty much lunch prices all day long. I especially like their pho soup and lemongrass curry. The service isn't anything to brag about and can be a bit slow but considering the taste and price, it's well worth it.
They have a decent number of vegan options, but I think this place is way overpriced. I had vegan chili, which was really plain and tasted like canned chili. My friend got a vegetarian quesadilla, which I didn't try, but he said it was decent, but plain.
I love Lifethyme Natural Foods! Their organic buffet (both hot and cold) is nearly all vegan and they sell tons of vegan goodies like deli slices, ice cream, pudding, and cheese. Their deli section is nearly all vegetarian and has tons of vegan options (both raw and cooked), and their bakery is vegan - organic - kosher, and is the BEST vegan bakery in town. The cake is always fresh and moist and I think the flavors are a lot more creative than the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting you get at most places.
I was initially put off by the number of smoothies that contain unnecesarily non-vegan ingredients like chocolate whey powder and honey, but was happy to see that the friendy staff would sub pretty much anything for the non-vegan ingredients. I've tried both a tropical style smoothie, that was mostly fruit and ice, and a richer ice cream style smoothie that was soy milk, fruit and peanut butter, and both were really good.
I didn't look at ever single dessert item, but noticed that most (if not all) were vegan, which was really nice, considering so many vegetarian places skimp on the vegan desserts.
The food is pretty mediocre, but considering you get a big plate and bowl for $4, it's a decent place to go if you're cheap and hungry.
A lot of the vegetables on the buffet seem to be just plain frozen or canned veggies (corn, green beans, etc.) with some margarine, salt, and pepper. The vegan eggplant and tofu dish was very good, and the salad bar portion had a fair amount of toppings and interesting salad dressings to chose from. The vegan Russian salad dressing was my favorite.
My friend and I shared a coconut macaroon sort of dessert, which was pretty good, especially since it was only $1. I like that they have lots of mini desserts so you can sample a number of them instead of committing to one huge piece of cake that may or may not taste too good.
I first visited Lula's the first week they opened, and unfortunately for me, due to the unexpected immediate success of the parlor, they were out of pretty much everything. I returned to Lula's again last week and was pleasently surprised with everything I tasted.
I sampled nearly all of the ice creams (which are homemade in very small batches), and then ordered a few scoops of my favorites. The cinnamon pecan was absolutely amazing, and it was an unexpected combination, as the only somewhat non-traditional pairing of cinnamon is usually with chocolate. I also had the cake batter ice cream, which was outstanding.
Blythe (one of the owners) allowed my friend and me to sample the soft serve, which was good, but not nearly as good as the small batches. The soft serve is Temptation ice cream, which is also a great small, vegan company to support, and it definitely hits the spot if you would prefer soft serve to traditional ice cream.
This is an excellent establishment to support. It's a small company, vegan powered, offers excellent service, has beautiful and original decor, and serves AMAZING vegan ice cream. Go here!
I have been to the lunch buffet a few times, and although it's a couple dollars more than other places (Tiffin Wallah is only $6), I feel the food is higher quality and there are a couple more options. I also really like that they bring you a dish with these sort of Indian-style breadsticks, which are delicious.
While the food was really good, and the waiters were friendly, on my last visit here, I thought the man ringing my friend and me up was rude. He was acting as though they didn't have any change if we paid with a $20 (not a huge bill), so we thought he was just trying to keep an extra $5 for himself for a tip. I've never seen this happen here before so it may not happen on a regular basis.
Fast, cheap, yummy. You can get a falafel (plain or with hummus or baba ganouj) in about 1 minute for about $2.50-$3. Deal. They get really packed late night on the weekends, but the food still comes fast so you're in and out in 5 minutes, even when there's a long line. Don't count on getting a seat because they only have a few seats so you're usually better off to get it to go and eat in the park.
I just had the worst falafel experience at Mamoun's St. Marks the other day. I made such a huge mess and it was a total disaster. The taste of the falafel was okay, but not spectacular, but I guess that's what you get for $2.50. I actually had hummus with my falafel so it was $3.
What really got me was how sloppy the sandwich was. Granted, falafel isn't meant to be a super neat food, but I was really astounded with how messy this was. It seems like with every single bite I took, a few pieces of lettuce and tomato fell out. I was sitting at the table out front and I made a huge mess all over the table and on the ground. It just seemed like a poorly made sandwich (and I used to be a Sandwich Artist at Subway, so I am a real expert :) ). I also got a nice big hot sauce stain on my pants. Unfortunately, as there were no napkins inside I couldn't clean up my mess. It was pretty embarrassing but as I was alone, I just got up and walked away like nothing happened. :)
DELICIOUS!!!! I had the "mini" falafel, which was a regular sized pita with 2 falafel in it and I stuffed it beyond belief with pickled carrots, tomato salad, tabbouleh, and roasted cauliflower and broccoli. The roasted cauliflower and broccoli were absolutely amazing so I went back and re-filled my dish after I finished off the sandwich.
The falafels are a bit pricier than other falafel places, but it's well worth it, considering you get to chose from so many interesting toppings. Also, this is an all-veg establishment so you don't have to stare at a rotating dead lamb behind the counter.
Nearly everything here is vegan and they even have veg versions of meats like squid and eel. I have no desire to try them, but you never know when they may come in handy.
My favorite are the vegan chicken drumsticks--these are the ones that Red Bamboo, Foodswings, and so many other restaurants serve. You can just throw them in the microwave and pour on BBQ sauce, but I prefer to marinate them (lemon rosemary or spicy citrus) and either grill or bake them.
My meat-eating family tried them when they visited and couldn't believe how good they are. My sister is even going to start ordering them in bulk and having them shipped to Wisconsin!
The food was a little expensive and the menu slightly confusing but the food was SOOOO good. Unfortunately, Mexican Radio doesn't give you free chips and salsa, but a basket of mixed fried chips (yellow, blue, red corn tortilla chips) and homemade salsa is only $3 and it is out of this world.
There is a vegetarian/vegan-friendly symbol, but unfortunately, there is only one symbol so there's a couple vegetarian items that aren't vegan. I was upset to learn that the chimichangas were one such item because there is cheese or something already in the batter. My 2nd choice was seitan flautas that were labeled as "choose your own filling" (their "fillings" section includes seitan, mixed veggies, and a few other veg options), but was told that the only fillings offered were beef, chicken, or mushrooms. Glad they offered a veg option but I don't do mushrooms so had to find a 3rd choice.
I decided on the mixed mole enchilada platter, which had 3 enchiladas, each containing a different mole sauce (there are 5 in all and they're all vegan). I think my favorite was the raspberry mole. The plate of 2 enchiladas was $16 so I got the plate of 3 for $18, which seemed like a much better deal. They were good, although the beans and rice were a bit plain, but I don't think it was worth $18.
My friend ordered the seitan burrito w/ vegan cheese and sour cream, which was absolutely amazing, but definitely overpriced at $17.
The ambiance here is sort of chill but tacky, with Christmas lights hung up all over the place. However, there was not one single Mexican person eating there so that's a pretty good sign that the food isn't authentic, although it's pretty good.
I had the Red Menace burrito which has tofu, rice, beans, soy cheese, tofu sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes with a mole-style enchilada sauce on top. I wasn't a big fan of the enchilada sauce, as it was too sweet for me (cloves and cinnamon flavor), but the burrito was really good. I also really enjoyed the hot salsa (tasted like homemade habanero salsa) and the guacamole was really fresh.
Also, I'm really excited about any place that uses Chicago Soy Dairy cheese, as they're some of the coolest dudes out there.
I really enjoyed their food and the service was very nice. We started with the sampler appetizer, which was very good, especially the "spring rolls", which tasted like lentil/potato filled spring rolls that were breaded and fried.
I love this guy. Delicious and cheap vegan food. You can't go wrong with a dosa and a drumstick. The only problem is that you get SO much packaging for each meal (plate, fork, cup for soup, cups for sauces, etc.). However, he'll let you bring your own dishes and serve you on those. (-:
Unfortunately, he sometimes goes days or weeks at a time without being there (usually when he's busy catering or something), so have a back up plan. Madras Mahal on 2nd Ave between 4th and 5th street is probably the closest veg Indian place.
***NOTE***
If you just want a samosa, drumstick, or other quick, fried item, you can get it from the take-out window in front of the cart and don't have to wait in line (which is often quite long), which is for food that needs to be cooked, i.e. dosas, curries, etc.
I'm a pretty big fan of this place, as Chelsea isn't the easiest area to find interesting vegan options, especially at groceries and delis. I generally just grab a container of hummus or a vegan cookie for a snack, but they do have an extensive selection of ready-to-go vegan meals and box/can/jar/frozen items you can take home to prepare.
I also really like that they have such a large gluten-free section (both in the baking area, and then gluten-free, vegan cookies with the other vegan cookies). They also have a ton of Ezekiel and sprouted grain breads, and not just the typical variety.
YUUUUUUUUUM. Not the largest selection of tofu cream cheeses, but three varieties isn't bad. I had the sourdough bagel, which was very tasty, as was the tofu scallion cream cheese that topped it.
I really liked that this place toasts the bagel first so that it's nice and warm and the cream cheese melts a bit. I prefer it to Ess-a-Bagel for this reason (also because Ess often has a long line), and perhaps it's why they charge about 40 cents more.
The falafel isn't as good as Taim or Maoz, but it's still pretty good and they have a great selection of vegan items. I had the cauliflower falafel, which was basically a regular falafel with fried cauliflower. I really liked it, although the breading seemed a bit to heavy to remain within their "healthy food" description.
I love this place and am never disappointed by it. Interesting combinations and friendly service. My favorite appetizer is the curry Thai pancake and I have too many favorite entrees to chose. This is a great place to bring a meat-eater (assuming they like Thai), as the food is pretty "realistic."
On a side note, their bathroom and bathroom sink are pretty cool so you should also be sure to stop in there.
Punjabi is an excellent example of price vs. quality. The food is good, not great, but you can't beat the price. $3 for a bowl of rice, lentils and veggies! Note that none of the dishes are marked as being spicy (but they are!) so be sure to ask if you don't like spicy food.
I really hate that this place serves fish, as it's completely vegetarian otherwise. However, they do have a lot of vegan options and some of them are really good. Their mock chicken burrito is good, but their salsa is the worst of I've ever had in my life. You can taste the canned tomato sauce! I also ordered chips and guacamole, and the guac would have been good, but it was mostly green peppers, which were inappropriate and overpowering.
I tried the chocolate vegan soy shake and it tasted good, but doesn't hit the spot if you're in the mood for a thick milkshake (in which case, get a vegan one from Red Bamboo, a few blocks away).
This place was amazing. The menu is exceedingly interesting and the staff is very knowledgeable about the dishes, and individual ingredients, which is great if you have allergies. The dishes are decent sized portions, and even the smaller dishes are filling because they are nutritionally dense.
I went with a group of friends and we shared the following dishes:
-Nori rolls stuffed with cream cheese (very good, small meal. Comes with a side salad that is sort of plain but has a delicious dressing)
-Indian platter (amazing--could hardly believe it was raw, large portion. It came with 3 or 4 items, all very different and very tasty)
-Meat balls and gravy (delicious--the meatballs didn't taste raw, and were very hearty. The cauliflower mashed potatoes were light but very good.
-Dessert Platter (This came with 4 desserts on it and we weren't impressed with any of them. It was a $20 platter and was pretty disappointing.)
I absolutely loved the food here and found it to be much more unique than raw food found elsewhere. I had the raw enchiladas, which were flax tortillas, nut meat filling, tomato sauce, pine nut cheese, and olives. It was outstanding and surprisingly filling. I have also had the combo plate, which features half a wrap, half a burger, and a mini pizza. This was SO good--all three dishes with distinct flavors--and was very filling.
I've also had their raw lasagna and chocolate-coconut cheesecake at 24 Carrots Juice Bar (72nd and Broadway) and absolutely loved both.
All my vegan friends want to go here when they're in town and all the AR groups cater through Red Bamboo so I'm pretty sick of their food, but it is very good.
I've taken a lot of meat eater friends here and they've all enjoyed the food, especially the BBQ drumsticks and the chicken parmesan sandwich.
The food is reasonably priced, but the lunch specials (about $7) are a WAY better deal than the dinner platters ($12).
I absolutely love this place. Their tapas are incredibly unique and delicious, as is everything else on the menu. Their daily tapas specials are always the best, especially the hummus.
They have lunch bowls for only $6 that feature either rice or noodles, plus a mock meat and veggies. Their weekend brunch is really good but is very pricey. Their scones (especially blueberry) are out of this world.
I wasn't particularly impressed with this place. I was with friends who wanted to try a veg Indian lunch buffet and the staff made it seem like they had a lunch buffet, but after we entered the restaurant, we realized they didn't have a lunch buffet, they only had lunch specials.
The menu was terribly confusing, with a picture of the lunch special, but no price or description. The only lunch special actually listed on the menu (and highlighted) was twice as much ($14.95) as the lunch special we were quoted ($6.95). We ordered the $6.95 lunch special, and I requested no dairy. They said it comes on the side so I asked that they just not include it at all. They gave me a big bowl of dairy soup and dish of yogurt. Additionally, my soup (I believe it was mulligatawny) was only broth.
I found the waiters to be unhelpful and it seemed like they were just starving for business since they were MUCH slower than the restaurants offering buffets. I must say, however, the quality of the food here is definitely better than what you get in a buffet and the price is reasonable.
I took my mom here for dinner and we both thoroughly enjoyed this place. We were a bit confused by the menu, as the "pizza and wine" pairing didn't indicate that the $21 was per person, and not for two people. As I don't drink, I asked the waiter if I could get something in place of the wine and he said I could have an extra appetizer. He was being so accommodating and kept adding things we could "have" but then we found out that the special was per person, which we weren't interested in. He said to not worry about it and that he would still bring us a lot of stuff. He hadn't yet placed the order so he could have canceled it so he was being really nice.
We tried both the bruschetta and hummus appetizers, the former being a little bland (basically just tomatoes and basil in a bowl), and the latter being outstanding (some of the best hummus I've ever had, topped with tons of kalamata olives). We tried the taste of India pizza w/ yucca cheese, which was good--very unique and tasty, but I think chickpeas are a little hearty for a pizza topping; the pesto pizza with rice cheese (which was fabulous), and the bruschetta pizza w/ soy cheese, which was probably our favorite.
I will definitely be back here because the service was excellent and the pizzas were very original and tasty. When our waiter was telling me about the yucca cheese, which I had never heard of, I asked for a sample and he brought me a small bowl with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to try! Very nice. We sampled a little bit then sprinkled it on top of the other pizzas.
Everyone is always raving about Souen so I figured I had to try it. I thought the atmosphere was absolutely beautiful and inviting, but I wasn't impressed with the food. In fact, I was disappointed with my meal, but perhaps that was because based on friends' experiences, I was expecting it to be the best meal I've ever have.
My friend and I sat upstairs, right at the gate that overlooks the main floor. I absolutely loved this location, as it was like an indoor balcony, allowing us to see everything that was going on both upstairs and downstairs, while not freezing outside. :) This place is cute, cozy, and inviting, and I'm hoping that I just happened to have a super average meal here. I do plan on returning.
I am ecstatic to finally have a place in NYC to get vegan sushi that includes more than just avocado, cucumber and plum. Soy and Sake has such interesting combinations as soy salmon and avocado and vegan tuna and cucumber (note that the fish options taste like tuna salad or salmon salad with vegan mayo, and not chunks of soy fish).
As an appetizer, a friend and I shared the vegan fried shrimp with mayo. The unexpected presentation was chopped up fried shrimp mixed with the vegan mayo, sitting on top of rice noodles inside a margarita glass. What was really odd was the clear plastic cube placed inside the noodles that flashed blue and red lights from inside the glass. Weird. We also shared a sushi platter and my favorite was either the avocado with soy tuna or salmon (can't recall which, as they tasted similar). We had a big plate of 3 kinds of sushi (6 of each), and it was only $11 for the lunch special. What a deal!
I was, however, very turned off by the huge fish tank in the middle of the dining room. I think the restaurant is mostly there for the trendy crowd, and not so much the animal rights community. It's unfortunate tropical fish are stuck living in a glass box for the amusement of restaurant patrons, but I do hope that the larger community dines here instead of the other meaty places in the neighborhood.
I agree with all of Dave's points below. The ice cream is fabulous but it's really overpriced and it's disappointing that they only have plastic dishes (no real dishes and no cones). Apparently they're having difficulty making a vegan waffle cone. Vegan waffle cones exist but maybe they just aren't as high of quality as what Stogo wants, as they are definitely higher end.
I sampled like 7 kinds of ice cream and then got a pint of ice cream with 4 flavors. Everything I tried was delicious but I especially liked the strawberry sorbet, which was like fresh strawberries, blended to an icy perfection. The pomegranate chip had a great flavor, as did the Mexican chocolate, which was very nicely spiced.
I was told that the 3 flavors can fit into the "regular" portion (about $6.50), but she told me she could probably get 4 flavors into the pint. I figured it would be only $1 or $2 more, but it ended up being $9.70. Whoa!!!! $10 for a pint of ice cream is absolutely outrageous, regardless of how good it is.
I'm sure I'll be back here because the ice cream is SO good, but I won't go much since it's so pricey.
I usually go to Uptown Juice Bar because they have a wider selection, but they usually have the same thing over and over, so Strictly Roots is a nice alternative. This place also has a cozier and more authentic atmosphere than Uptown Juice Bar.
They don't have many options, but whatever they do have is good and the staff is friendly. I had lasagna and fried plantains and they were both really good. I tried the cassava dessert but didn't really care for it.
Vegetarian restaurants are EXTREMELY hard to come by in Times Square, but this place is all-veg and is very good. I had the bhel poori (puffed rice, crispy poori, potatoes, and onions), and the aloo papdi chat (flour crisps with potato, beans, onions, and loads of sauces). Both were great and the latter was particularly creative and tasty--I have yet to try non-chickpea beans in an Indian restaurant.
My friend had the vegetable biryani (basmati rice, mixed veggies, and spices) that was very good and it came with an extremely pungent piece of pickled mango. The flavor was good but was not spectacular. Like many restaurants, this (and perhaps other dishes) was prepared using canned or frozen veggies instead of fresh veggies. We also had some sort of lentil-potato ball that was listed under the samosas. There were 3 tiny balls for about $6, so although they were pretty good, I'd say they weren't worth it.
I think the falafel here is pretty good. I've eaten here a few times and the flavor has been consistent. I like that in addition to lettuce, tomato and tahini (which is standard), you also can get sauerkraut and hot peppers if you like.
The one thing I don't like about this place is that they have a HUGE outdoor sign that reads "20% student discount" up front, but they only have small signs inside saying that the discount only applies to sandwiches. I ordered a falafel platter and was then told that the discount only applied to sandwiches. I explained to the owner that he should put that on the large sign outside because it's misleading so he reluctantly gave me the platter at the price of a falafel sandwich. I've only ordered sandwiches since then and the customer service has been pretty good.
I sampled all three falafels, and all were very fresh and tasty. I couldn't tell much of a difference between the red pepper and the harissa, but the green (with cilantro and mint) was definitely my favorite. The hummus and salad in the falafel sandwich were both good and the pita was really soft and chewy.
Note that the babaganouj and saffron aioli are NOT vegan (both contain mayonaise).
Teany's menu looked pretty good, but I was only in there for tea. I had the pumpkin Teanychino and it was really good. It was smooth, nicely spiced, and I loved the froth on top. While they have a nice menu and huge tea selection, I was disappointed that they offered the usual Vegan Treats cake and brownie selection that every other veg restaurant also offers instead of making their own desserts.
I must say, however, that I found Teany to be awfully pretentious. Everyone there was young, white, and stylish, and it just didn't seem to be my vibe. Nobody was rude, they just felt much more self-absorbed than my usual crowd.
The service is very friendly and they are always happy to have you there. Everything is vegan except for one item (I believe it's battered zucchini). All the vegan items are marked as "vegetarian" and the one non-vegan item isn't marked as vegetarian.
There is a GREAT array of food, but the fried food does get dry toward the end of the night.
I used to love this place...until I started dating somebody there that told me more about the owner and their policies. I ate at their lunch buffet at least once a week and had dinner a few time (liked the spicy potato/jalapeno dosa)
There is always plenty of staff, ready to help you, but they are paid below minimum wage and the owner actually steals ALL the tips left on the table and in the tip jar at the register (the owner rings up people 90% of the time). Not only is this unethical, but it is illegal in New York City. He gets away with it because most of his staff are illegal immigrants who are afraid to say anything.
The lunchtime buffet is all vegetarian and the owner was always very friendly and willing to show me the few items that weren't vegan. I later learned from my boyfriend that there were many non-vegan dishes that the owner tried passing off as vegan (either they contained milk and/or ghee, including the chapattis, which the owner specifically said are vegan).
The owner is very disrespectful and unappreciative of the staff, forcing most of them to work 6 12-hour days per week, not paying any over time. He even forces the delivery guys to provide their own bikes and doesn't give them helmets, lights, or reflective gear.
If you are vegan based on ethics, I strongly encourage you to not patronize this restaurant, as the owner is very unethical in dealing with his staff. In fact, I encourage you to call the owner and complain.
I ended up not getting anything to eat here after speaking with the staff, but still wanted to write a review because I was so pleased with the service. It's really disappointed that the bun, sauce, cheese, and tofu bacon on their "famous" veggie burger aren't vegan, but I was really impressed with the knowledge of the employee I was speaking with. She went over all the vegan options and how different menu items could be modified to be vegan.
I felt sort of bad not getting anything after talking with her, but I felt they couldn't offer more than a plain Jane sandwich I could make at home. I suggested that they switch to using vegan buns and tofu bacon (at minimum) so that not only vegetarians, but also vegans, could enjoy the sandwiches, but there didn't seem much interest. Hopefully more people will ask for vegan options there and they'll decide to be more vegan-friendly
Searching for vegan food after getting off a long train ride is no fun so I was really excited to find vegan pizza-by-the slice here. I had the "Mother Earth" veggie slice, which was the only cheeseless piece they offered. I've had the same slice at other locations and it was really good, but at this particular location, it was pretty dry, likely because it was nearly closing time, which isn't the best time for fresh pizza.
I really like this location. There's not many vegan-friendly places on the Upper East Side (relative to other neighborhoods), especially that offer affordable and fast food (I love Candle, but it's sit down and pricey).
I had the Mother Earth pizza by the slice and it was REALLY good...after I picked off all the mushrooms. I saw some green sauce in the fridge behind the guy ringing me up and I asked what it was. He said it's a jalapeno pesto and that it was vegan (but NOT the basil pesto). I asked to try it so he gave me a little cup full of it and it was delicious.
Everyone in this restaurant was really friendly and seemed happy enough to work there. Like most restaurants in New York, the cooks were all Mexican, but what I really liked was that those who appeared to be managers were also Latino and treated there employees with respect (something that does NOT happen in most restaurants).
In a word, pretentious. The pizza is pretty good but is unbelievably overpriced. The menu is thoroughly off-putting, emphasizing that they only take cash, don't serve slices, and that they don't do substitutions (they only have like 5 ingredients!). I asked the waiter about garlic bread and he looked at me like I had just asked for a side of crack or something; as though garlic bread is unheard of in a pizza place.
After the waiter dropped off the pizza, he never came and checked on us again, even though there was only one other table in the restaurant. This place is NOT worth it. Go to Viva Pizzeria on 2nd and 12th.
The food here is pretty good but a bit overpriced, even taking into account the fact that it's organic. A sandwich and small salad (which is more of a coleslaw that is definitely more interesting than the usual Romaine and tomato concoction most restaurants serve up), is around $10 or $11, when I think it should be about $8 or $9.
My friend and I split the tempeh Reuben and the grilled tofu sandwich. Both were really good, but I think the Reuben had more flavor. However, the tofu sandwich came on slightly greasy toasted bread which was delicious. They both also came with a pickle, which made my day. :)
I love this place! They have amazing fake meats and they know how to make veggies taste good (although I rarely order veggies when I'm there because the fake meats are so good). The portions are really big, so unless you're VERY hungry, you'd be good with a small plate.
Their cheese pizza is good but they always seem to be out of it (as they are with their fabled vegan fish sandwich) but their desserts are horrible. They taste like sweet bread with no icing. I hear they started carrying Vegan Treats cakes so look out for that.
Watch out for their hot sauce. It will kick your ass. I advise you to put it on the side and dip your food in it. I was sweating and could barely breathe last time I had it.
Yum.
This pita is definitely better than the $2.50 pita you can get at about a million places in NYC, but it's not as good as the one you can get at Maoz for the same price. I has a falafel and hummus pita that I totally overstuffed with an embarrassing amount of salad bar toppings (see photo I uploaded). The hummus and falafel itself were good, as was the fresh-baked whole wheat pita, but the salad bar toppings were really cold, which was sort of disappointing. The cole slaw and tomato/cucumber salad were great cold, but the roasted cauliflower and garlicky carrots would have been better warm, or at least at room temperature. That said, the carrots were delicious! :)
I think the hummus/falafel platters are a bit overpriced, around $11, given this is more of a fast food joint, but the pita is a pretty good deal, given what you get.
The guy who helped me was super nice and even let me "enjoy my meal before paying", which is totally unheard of at most of these restaurants. He told me all the salad bar toppings are vegan (minus the garlic sauce, which has dairy), but one of the cole slaws looked particularly creamy so I avoided it.
This place is amazing. All the food is really good and the dim sum is cheap. Their regular menu items are fairly pricey, but most of the dim sum is around $3 an item and you can fill up on 3 or 4 if you're pretty hungry. The turnip cakes are definitely my favorite.
My friends and I went on Chinese New Year and it was exceedingly busy. Fortunately, one friend was Cantonese and ordered us some traditional Chinese New Year foods that they had specially prepared that day.
Get the crispy soul chicken. It is absolutely amazing and I have yet to meet a meat-eater who didn't absolutely love it! I've eaten here a million times and have pretty much enjoyed everything I've had, except their "paella", which was nothing more than huge vegetable chunks and rice. It didn't resemble paella at all and should have been called a stirfry. Their vegan milkshakes are also really watery. Other than that, the food is great.
Their lunch specials are a great deal--you get a big plate of stirfry, a sandwich, or noodles for about $7, plus soup, a spring roll, or chicken satay. Definitely a better deal than dinners, which are about $12-14.
This place is great for a (somewhat) late night snack and is a really good hangout. They usually offer about 5 or 6 kids of vegan pizza but they tend to run out at the end of the night. My favorites are the Sicilian (spicy marinara on white crust) and the Picante (spicy vegan sausage and peppers). Unfortunately, the soy cheese they use isn't vegan and the "garlic knots" aren't very good--although they're really cheap.
I definitely like this place better than the Wild Ginger in Brooklyn, although I think they have the same menu. I have had the soy nugget and soy cheese wontons, both of which were delicious, although the soy cheese wontons were actually spinach wontons with a few chunks of frozen tofu (the cheese?) inside.
I was less impressed with the appetizers, of which I've had the yaki udon (stir fried udon noodles), which had very few vegetables, and the vegan "seafood" platter. The veggie fish and shrimp had a sort of sea taste to them, but an accompanying, unidentafiable flavor that I didn't care for.
As excited as I am about having a veg fast food joint in Manhattan, I'm really disappointed of the lack of vegan options. Out of about 12 sandwiches, only 2 are vegan--the super plain ZenBurger, and the tofu wrap. All the fancy "buffalo", "ranch", and faux chicken and shrimp items contain milk and/or eggs.
I talked with the manager, who says they are trying to get more vegan options but admits that their target market is not vegetarian or vegans, it's the general population. He says they've tried making more vegan sandwiches but can't get the right consistency without the casien.
I had the ZenBurger and fries. The fries were great (taste like what I remember Burger King fries tasting like), but the burger was really plain. It was sort of dry and lacked flavor. A meat-eating friend I was with had the vegetarian BBQ chicken sandwich (veg but not vegan) and said he really enjoyed it.
I was so pleased to find an all-veg restaurant in the middle of McDonalds and Bubba Gump Shrimps in Times Square but I was pretty confused when I found this place because it was listed as an all-veg restaurant in the NYC Vegan Restaurant Guide, yet there was a big sushi bar up front that smelled like fish. It was a bit off-putting but I'm glad I stayed because the food was really good and the service was friendly.
I generally don't care for eggplant but I tasted an absolutely delicious eggplant dish off their lunch menu, along with a pumpkin entree. Their lunch specials are very reasonably priced and they give you a coupon for free wine on your next visit (not sure what to do with it because I don't drink).
I'm pretty excited about Jin's because up until I found this place, I had difficulty finding veg stuff in the neighborhood. Jin's had a huge 'Organic food" sign outside, which is what drew me in, and when I got in, I saw that they had pretty much every single vegan item I would want. I also really appreciate that they have quinoa, millet, and rice noodles, along with a lot of organic food.
While some of the veggie meats are a little pricey (probably because they are buying in small quantities), but aside from that, their prices were pretty fair.
This place has a great variety of vegan options. The menu lists what sauce and spices come with the dish, in addition to rice or noodles, then you add veggies, tofu, soy duck, meat, whatever. I like this set up because you're not charged more for getting a veggie option and you have a lot of choices.
I got the soy duck spicy green curry and it was pretty good. There was a lot of soy duck in the dish and I actually wished there were more veggies in it. The dish had really good flavor and a good level of spice. It came with a choice of appetizer and I chose the spring roll, which was great. The waiter said a couple of the other appetizers were vegan but I can't recall which.
My favorite thing about this restaurant was that it has lunch specials ALL week, even on the weekend. My friend in Queens told me that this practice isn't totally uncommon in Queens, but I've never seen lunch specials in Manhattan or Brooklyn (or most other cities for that matter), outside of the usual Monday-Friday. I stopped in at 11:30am on a Sunday morn (on my way to a Mets game, woohoo!) and got a delicious meal for only $6.95. I was the only one in the restaurant, which was clean and pretty, and had a really nice server. I'd definitely return.
This place is SOOOO good, I like it even better than the original Veggie Castle in Brooklyn (R.I.P.). They had pretty much the same selection of faux meats, veggies, and starches, but what I did see here that I haven't seen elsewhere is the peppered "pork". It was delicious! It had a bold flavor and was slightly sweet. I tasted a hint of black licorice and perhaps some cinnamon. I also had the mac & cheese (so-so, too much mustard), lo mein (very good!), and curried chicken (pretty good).
It was about a 15 mile roundtrip bike ride for lunch but it was well worth it. The staff was friendly and even offered me a sample, which the other Veggie Castle NEVER did.
I felt the food here was very good, but the prices--like many Ethiopian restaurats--were ridiculous. A friend and I shared the vegetarian combo platter (with 5 or 6 items on it), and were charged double the price of a single platter, but not given substantially more food. I've been told by others that frequent the restaurant that you're better off getting the single platter and sharing it.
I love co-ops so this place automatically gets a "great". They have a great selection of bulk and vegan items, but I was disappointed to see so many packaged goods and non-organic produce items. They have a large selection of vegan desserts, including treats from Pattycakes vegan bakery, which is a great plus, since the bakery closes a few hours before the co-op.
I had the veggie burrito with soy cheese and tofu sour cream. While I wasn't overly impressed with the taste/quality (although it's up to Chipotle or Qdoba standards), I was very happy they provided vegan cheese options. I really liked that they had tofu sour cream, which appeared to be homemade, and they don't charge you extra for it.
I got a side of chips and guacamole, and could not believe that I was handed an entire (huge!) bag of chips, a big container of guacamole AND a big container of salsa. It was SO much food for only $5. The pineapple-habanero salsa was really spicy and had a good flavor, but the guacamole looked like it was lacking lime juice, as it was already turning brown and you could taste it. Yuck.
I was very impressed with this place; not so much because of the food (which was good), but with the fact that they use organic and local ingredients and that they have little table placards that promote Community Supported Agriculture.
I had a vegan blueberry smoothie, which was very good, and a Northstar burger, which was even better. The bread it came on was a bit thick but the burger itself (which I hear contains rice and beats), was surprisingly flavorful. I also sampled my friend's Buddha Bowl, which was good, but not terribly impressive.
I visited the bakery (very cute) and had the chocolate raspberry cake, which was delicious. I also taste two of their treats at the Clintonville Co-op. I had a an orange-frosted butterfly cookie (delicious), and a cinnamon bun (yummy, but probably better fresh). They have a great selection of items and it looks like a better range than most vegan bakeries and restaurants. Definitely worth stopping in.
My friend and I both had pizza here and I would say it's so-so, but nothing to brag about. I love avocado more than anything in the world so I had the "guacamole pizza" and it was pretty much guacamole on a pizza crust. It would have been good if it were served as a guac side dish, but it didn't taste anything like pizza so it was a bit of a disappointment. We also had a few of the desserts, which were okay, but not great.
This place was great and it's right next to a huge park/hiking area, so you can spend the whole day working up an appetite then chowing down on vegan food. I had the salad bar and a pizza and both were really good and reasonably priced.
I really enjoyed the food here and the staff was really nice. I had the raw cashew hummus, which was a tad salty but had a magnificent flavor otherwise. I also had the tempeh salad (the two items come in an appetizer combo) and that was also really good.
The spicy avocado and tofu sandwich was recommended to I went with that. I thought it had a good flavor, but I feel I could easily make it at home, along with pretty much all the other sandwiches and wraps. I think this restaurant's forte is their creative raw food, so perhaps I'll steer more in that direction next time.
Everyone raves about their soft serve ice cream so I was hoping to try that, but the flavor when I was there was green tea, which is the only flavor on earth that I don't like.
They have a great selection of products, but as mentioned before, you can find most of them elsewhere. However, they have some really hard to find items like Scheese cheese and vegetarian haggis. They have a lot of items you can find at ANY store, like bread and soy milk, but that also makes it convenient to get everything all in one stop.
My one complaint about the store is that they really profess the political and anti-religious views of the owners which is unrelated to the store's mission and is off-putting to customeres who don't agree with them.
A friend and I had brunch here today and although the food was pretty good, it took nearly an hour for us to get it, which is way too long to wait for food, regardless of how busy the restaurant is. This is on top of the 20 minutes we spent waiting for the table.
We both had the vegan French toast, garden sausage, and tofu scramble and we shared the vegan potatoes, which came with various veggies and a wonderful tofu cream sauce. The prices were reasonable and the food was surprisingly good, considering they don't offer that many items.
The servers were really nice and our waitress even brought us a bag of ice for me to put on my swollen ankle (I was on crutches.)
This was a cute little cafe with plenty of vegan options, including some raw, if that's your thing. They had a number of burritos, but the Che Guevarra seemed to be the best. I also had some plantains with BBQ sauce because they sounded so interesting. They tasted like they were sauted and the BBQ sauce was sort of a BBQ-salsa mix. Pretty good.
I'd say my favorite item was the vegan peanut butter and jelly smoothie, which tasted like a strawberry-peanut butter milkshake. Delicious.
The outdoor patio was great, but I didn't like that people were smoking.
The food was AMAZING. These were literally the best pancakes I've ever had in my life. I can't believe a non-vegan place makes such amazing vegan food. My friend and I shared blueberry pancakes and the vegan breakfast burrito (tofu, beans, rice, veggie sausage, salsa) and fried potatoes. The food was to die for and the service was fast and friendly. Go here!
I haven't gotten a tattoo here so I can't comment on that, but I've seen a lot of their work and it's beautiful. I also met some of the guys who work there when I was at a Food Fight potluck next door and they were all really nice and friendly.
These doughnuts were AMAZING and they had more of a selection than I expected--about 8 vegan doughnuts. Not bad, considering a lot of places will have one or two vegan dessert options.
I had the chic-o-stick doughnut and the chocolate coconut and both were great. I was told those two are the best sellers. It looks like they make one standard vegan doughnut and then put various toppings on them. Other options I saw were Oreo cookie, glazed, nut, chocolate, maple syrup, and plain.
Yum.
Although I am pretty sick of Vegan Treats, as nearly every veg restaurant has been offering the same 5 Vegan Treats cakes for the last 5 years, but I was still really excited to visit the actual Vegan Treats store.
I was SOOOOO happy to see a million more things than what is available in NYC. There were some beautiful mini cheesecakes, but I happen to not like cheesecake so I passed. The doughnuts are my favorite, and I love the Death By Chocolate cake, although it's super rich and requires a glass of soy milk.
On this particular day, I went with a sticky bun w/ carmelized nuts on top. Amazing. They actually offer 3 kinds of sticky buns, which is really impressive.
The shop is cute and they sell some really adorable t-shirts to go with their treats.
I was seriously disappointed with this place. First off, it took the waitress like 15 minutes to bring us our water and take our orders (there was only one other table there so it wasn't busy). Also, while the waitress was talkative and very friendly and pleasant, she didn't check on us once during our meal, fill our empty water glasses, or let us know it would take about an hour to get our food. After an hour drive to get to this place, we weren't prepared to wait so long for what ended up being mediocre food.
As for the food, I tried my friend's BBQ "chicken" sandwich and potato wedges, which was really good and a great deal for only $8, but I was disappointed by the $7 and REALLY small appetizers we got. They were tasty, but only about 4 bites worth. I was in the mood for something substantial so I ordered the $12 BBQ tofu over veggies, but was disappointed that:
1) There was barely any tofu (although the sauce was good)
2) The veggies had absolutely no seasoning, I had to ask for salt, pepper, and hot sauce
3) The already plain veggies were actually cold the second they were brought out to me
I ended up boxing up my food and taking it home to season and re-cook. I was really in the mood for dessert (especially because they're one of the few Philly places that doesn't rely on Vegan Treats), but after a disappointing appetizer and entree, I didn't want to risk it.
I've been here a few times and I keep coming back because I love the idea of vegan pizza and cake but I'm consistently let down. The food is mediocre and the staff is completely clueless. The cheese, the BBQ chicken, and the red pepper and artichoke pizzas (vegan varieties) are all pretty good, but they always seemed dried out.
I tried the Philly cheesesteak, and I have no idea what sort of faux meat they use, but it seriously looks and tastes like puppy kibble. Gross. It's like chunks of flavorless soy with an unidentifiable sauce over it. Yuck.
The desserts have been hit or miss--the cannoli is always good--but I had the blueberry cake last time and it was hard and tasted like baking soda. I also think they copied all of Vegan Treats cakes (out of Bethlehem, PA) and don't give them credit. Not cool.
There were a good number of vegan options but I felt I could make any of their sandwiches or salads at home so I didn't think it was worth the trip. Their sticky bun, however, was really good, and definitely worth it.
This place is amazing. You get a HUGE vegan dim sum spread for only $10 (2 person minimum) and you get at least 7 or 8 items. The sesame chicken are hit or miss--they can be the most amazing thing you've ever tasted but they're disgusting when they're dried out, which happens too frequently.
One of my favorites it the turnip cakes (which looks and tastes nothing like turnips) and I also really like the tofu skin, which looks like a little egg crepe. I can't tell the difference between all the steamed dumplings but they are all consistently good.
Be sure to ask for to-go boxes if you can't finish everything--which is likely--because they'll let you take your leftovers home.
The only other Maoz I've been to is in New York City, and while the two (and likely all other chain locations) were virtually identical, I did find a couple differences.
I had the regular falafel sandwich, which was $4, but since I only had a credit card, I had to add hummus to bring the total up to $5. I got my usual toppings, including roasted broccoli, dilly cucumbers, hot sauce, and tomato/onion mix. Yum.
In addition to the usual tahini sauce, this location had a mango curry sauce on the salad bar, which was absolutely delicious. It was pretty strong and I probably wouldn't want it on the entire dish, but just a little on half of my falafel was great.
I have to say that my favorite feature of this restaurant was the public sink they had for people to wash their hands. I hate eating without washing my hands first (especially messy finger foods like falafel), so I was really happy to see the sink. I was also glad they had a bathroom for customers, which New York Maoz also lacks. The space was huge (another difference from the NY locations), and so it was nice to not have to fight for a seat and be able to relax.
This place is great! They only allow members to shop there, but they'll let the general public shop once before deciding to join. I was just visiting for the weekend so this was perfect for me. The store is small but they have everything you need.
I didn't see any meat (although I saw lots of faux meats), so I am thinking this place is all veg, aside from the organic fish sauce I saw, which contains anchovies. They had a great selection of vegan cheese, ice cream, and snacks, along with tons of organic produce and bulk grains.
My one complaint is that they have a lot of non-organic stuff or items that are organic, but are made by shady corporations. That said, this would be my first place to shop in PA, I'm just spoiled because my co-op really focuses on organic and small brands.
This place is fabulous. The food is the same as at Kingdom (same owner), but for some reason, I enjoyed the food more. I also felt the service was exceptional (although Kingdom's service is also great).
I tried a number of items for dim sum, but my favorites were the pan fried turnip cakes, the fried taro balls, and the steamed veggie buns.
Apparently this place used to be called "New Samosa" (some of their menus still say that), but the front sign says "San Samosa", but people sometimes refer to it just as "Samosa."
I thought this place was pretty good. The lunch buffet was nearly vegan on the day I went; only 2 items had dairy (not including the yogurt sauces) and the owner happily pointed them out to us. I especially enjoyed the chickpea dish and the naan (which was vegan!) was fresh and hot. The fritters were a little dry, but the samosas were fresh and tasty; I guess it all depends on what time you get there.
$7 is a good price for the lunch buffet and I would definitely go back.
I had the Malaysian chicken noodles, as another reviewer suggested, but I didn't really enjoy it. The "chicken" was okay, but the sauce was like a funny, oddly sweet barbaque sauce on top of Asian food. Weird. The dish by itself was $10, but they had a dinner special for $12.50, which included soup and a small plate of appetizers so I went with that.
I chose the New Year soup, which was really good. It had bits of soy ham and tofu, corn, carrots, and other veggies, and had a really good broth. As for the appetizer platter, I loved the spring roll, but the two dumplings it came with were pretty average.
I tasted my friend's double wheat gluten dish, which was pretty good, but didn't really impress me.
The service was friendly and I was happy to receive a plate of orange slices to finish off the meal. :)
This is my friend's favorite restaurant in Philly so I had really high expectations. My friend always gets the same dish, the sesame seitan, which I sampled and really enjoyed. However, my dish, the General Tso's veg (which differs from General Tso's tofu because it has wheat gluten) was mediocre. The sauce and broccoli were good, but the wheat gluten tasted extremely overcooked. The pieces were so dry, that I honestly couldn't tell what it was supposed to resemble.
For my side dish, I had the spring roll, which was really good, as was the lotus root and peanut soup. The broth for the soup was really good, but it was sort of weird to have steamed peanuts in a soup, or served anyhow, for that matter. My friend had the baked/braised tofu as his side dish and it was very flavorful. The flavor was a bit intense, with TONS of sauce and salt, given that the tofu was just served alone, but it would be amazing with some noodles and veggies mixed in.
The food was pretty good and the restaurant was beautiful but the prices were way too high and the service was lacking. I was happy to find a vegetarian section of the menu but all but one of the Indian options had cheese. Of the Thai options, only the pad thai could be made vegan (get with tofu or veggies and omit the egg).
Most dishes were around $17, which is pretty normal for Condado, but is still a lot for San Juan in general. I got the tom kha soup ($7)and subbed tofu for the chicken (they assured me the broth had no meat or milk in it) and it was prettz good but I didnt like how soft the tofu was. I also had the veggie roll ($7), which had avocado and maybe 2 other veggies in it and it was also good.
As for the service. our waitress seemed miserable, very uninterested in serving us, so it was annoying to find that a 15% gratuity had been added to a bill for a party of six. Also note that this place is totally for tourists - expensive and the entire menu appearing in only English - so avoid if you are looking to mingle with locals.
BOOOOOOOOOO. I am SO mad at this place. I was initially very excited to go but then was very disappointed when I went. First off, I hate going to restaurants that only print menus in English and only speak in English but I guess thats my fault for going. Anyway, the food was SOOO expensive and the service was terrible.
My friend ordered the soy steak with bananas and strawberry sauce (also came with rice and garlic veggies) and it was outstanding, but definitely not worth $17. I asked the waitress if the dumplings (with tofu, veggies, and plantains) would be good and she said they are very good so I ordered them. When they came out, I realized my $11 dumplings were actually 4 appetiyer-sized dumplings. I was annoyed and she told me its an appetizer. I asked why it was listed with the other entrees and she said it said "appetizer" next to it. I didnt ask to see the menu again but I know for a fact it was listed in the same section as the other veg entrees, so even if it says "appetizer", its misleading because its listed with full plates.
What annoyed me most is that the waitress didnt point out that it was an appetizer when I ordered it (while everyone else ordered full plates), and she did absolutely nothing to try to remedy the situation when she saw I was upset. She also never came to check and see how our meals were and she never refilled our water, even though my glass was empty. We also had to ask for the bill after sitting there with empty plates for 10 minutes.
I will not be returning here.
Their food was delicious, healthy, and very unique. My friends and I ordered the roasted vegetable pizza (artichokes, mushrooms, peppers, & tofu cheese), coconut bacon BLT (it tasted like roasted coconut shavings with smoke flavor), and a Vegelox sandwich (the vegelox was made of carrots, onions, and some other spices and veggies). All the dishes were very interesting and absolutely delicious.
It was reasonably priced and had beautiful outdoor dining, complete with gardens full of flowers. Aux Vivres is great, however, it is not the best place to take a meat eater who doesn't particularly care for vegan food, as they'll likely consider most of the dishes "weird."
Bio-Terre used to have a restaurant attached to it but now they are just a grocery store. They are nearly all vegetarian and have lots of vegan options. Lots of fresh produce and bulk goods, and they also have packaged foods and ready-to-go sandwiches. The staff is friendly and helpful.
The food was great and very reasonably priced. The service was friendly and helpful. I ordered the "Tofu Piquante" sandwich and got a HUGE grilled tofu sandwich with spicy pepper sauce, sprouts, salad and chips and salsa for only $5! I went late afternoon and there were a fair amount of people but it wasn't smoky.
Everything is vegetarian and there are plenty of vegan options. In fact, many of the non-vegan items could easily be made vegan by omitting the pesto mayo and/or cheese.
I really liked the food but I thought it was a bit overpriced and the 5 microwaves behind the buffet table were a bit offputting. The "large" plate was about $11 or $12 but it didn't fill me up. I would only pay about $8 or $9 for that much food, although it did taste really good.
The employees were very friendly and helpful, but some of them didn't speak English. They may speak French, but since I don't speak French, I wasn't able to ask.
They had a good selection of vegetables and fake meats and a great variety of tofu. I'm not sure when they close, but I was there around 8:30pm on a Friday night and they were still open, as were most other stores in Chinatown.
I went to the bakery, expecting it to be all vegan so I was disappointed to find they carry non-vegan (and non-vegetarian) options, but I did get some really good baked goods.
I got a few items that I will call scones, although they were more like really dense sweet bread cookie things. My favorite was the Mexican chocolate which had spicy chiles in it. I also really liked the coconut lemon variety. I picked up an almond one, which was good, but didn't have as much flavor as the other two. All in all, it was a nice little shop with reasonable prices.
Friendly service and good food. The empanadas are reasonably priced ($2.50) and they have plenty of vegetarian options. The mushroom, tofu, and eggplant varieties are all vegan; plus they have a number of vegan burritos and salads. I had the tofu empanada and it was okay, but not that great. I added a bunch of their salsa but it was still sort of bland.
My friends and I visited this restaurant and were really excited to try vegan Spanish food but we decided not to stay. We don't speak very good French and the menu was written in all French. Most of what we could read contained meat and the food was a bit pricey.
Cute little cafe with friendly service. Le Cagibi is all vegetarian but isn't particularly vegan-friendly. Nearly all the items contain some dairy (mostly cheese and mayo). They do have a few vegan burritos, but if you're looking for authentic burritos, you're better off going somewhere else.
The food was good and the service was great, but it was really annoying to see that half of the "vegetarian" section of the menu contained meat (fish sandwiches). I had the tofu sandwich, which was pretty good, but a bit plain considering they don't sub anything else for the mayo when you order it vegan. I also had the poutine fries (no cheese) and they were pretty good. The gravy is vegan and is pretty good, but I don't think it's worth the price.
This store is great. It has tons of frozen fake meats (many vegan) and the staff is very friendly.
I'm vegan so I was upset to find there wasn't a single thing there for me to eat, but there was a good array of vegetarian options. I really like the idea of combining bikes with cafes, so I was really into this place (and wish they had vegan food!). The staff was friendly and the cafe/store is very clean and interesting. I encourage everyone (especially cyclists) to go here and please encourage them to get some vegan options in there.
I didn't eat here because they had no vegan food. I only added the place because the outdoor seating and music made it seem nice and they had plenty of vegetarian options. There really wasn't much vegan stuff in Quebec City (except Le Commensal) so if you go here, or anywhere else, please encourage them to carry more vegan dishes.
I thought the food was fabulous and the atmosphere was very inviting. They had a good mix of cooked and raw food, fake meats, pastas, veggies, and other items. The buffet was mostly vegan and I was pleased to see that there were a number of eclectic dessert options (the hazelnut cake and the berry cream thing were amazing).
They weigh the food but I didn't see them push a special button to indicate if you have a large or a small size plate (which presumably weigh different amounts and would affect the total price) so this is worth asking about if you visit.
I really liked this store, although I would have liked to see more vegan options in the deli case (most veg options looked like they had cheese). I really liked the emphasis on bulk products instead of packaged goods (they even have bulk spices!) and I was pleased to see so many varieties of vegan ice cream, some of which I've never even heard of.
This place is unbelievable. There are a million items to chose from, and although I can't identify everything I am eating, it is all veg and all delicious. Very reasonably priced.
Very good food but WAY overpriced. I would give the food a 10, but you can get food that's nearly as good for a fraction of the price. Their lentil and garlic soup is delicious, as is their chana masala and tofu/veggie curry. I also had the pumpkin pudding, which was good, but not great.
The restaurant is beautiful but it was really frustrating to be in the "non-smoking" section and be sitting 10 feet from a bunch of smokers.
This is the best place I've been to in Japan. Really good size portions AND fake meat--both of which are hard to come by here. I had the lunch buffet and the sweet and sour "pork" was to die for. It's offered as separate item on their menu.
The only thing was that the staff kept staring at us greedy Americans, as though they wanted us to stop eating--although 3 Japanese guys next to us were eating way more than us. They even came and took our plates before we left, something they weren't doing at other tables--likely because they wanted us to leave. Not cool, but we sort of understood.
This place is AMAZING! The food is SO good and is SO cheap, not to mention that it's locally grown by disabled children and that the cafe is run by activists! One of the guys in there was wearing a shirt that said "No G8 in Japan!"
The main meal is 600 yen (about US$5), but since they didn't have much food left when we got there, they whipped up all new food, but still only charged us 300 yen.
The Zapatistas shaped sweet breads (that looked like ALF members) tasted great and were adorable--they had raisin eyes--and the tea was exceptionally tasty (they added fresh mint to it).
My friends and I hung out there a couple hours after close, talking with the people who work there, some of whom speak English.
der Akkord is a cute, tiny little bakery and their baked goods are quite good, although a bit expensive. When I visited, they cut up a bunch of breads and offered us samples, of which, the "figgy" bread was my favorite. I also really enjoyed the curry bean bread, which was sort of like a "Hot Pocket", but stuffed with curry flavored beans. Great snack or mini-meal.
The second time we went here, we saw them baking pizza and asked if they were selling it. They said it was their lunch, but insisted we try it. The workers are SO nice.
This is one of the few places that I've been able to find some non-noodle and non-rice staples (like lentils), along with easy prep items like Fantastic brand products. The mini vegan cakes were expensive (about 400 yen) but amazing. I had the almond and banana roll cake and the fruit and cream parfait.
Unfortunately, despite their natural and organic focus, they use a lot of paper and plastic packaging. At least they charge 5 yen for a reusable wooden spoon, which may discourage people from getting plastic silverware.
This place is run by the same people who run Cafe Eight. The food at both places is good, but I think Cafe Eight has better food and larger portions.
I had the dip and toast sampler, which had mini toasts with tofu/beet, bean, and olive spread. Tasty but very small portion. I also had the veggie burger, which was non-traditional, just a veggie patty w/ marinara sauce. It was good but very pricey and small. I also had the spiced carrot cake and it war really good.
I loved this place! It is very tiny and cozy and the owner/cook is very nice and the food was great. You get a huge portion of food for the price, compared to Japanese standards, and you get a good size portion relative to American standards.
I had the special set of the day (940 yen) and it came with rice, soup, tempura (fried lotus root and sweet potato), fried tofu, pickled veggies, and a white carrot mixture that I didn't recognize. The tofu dish was supposed to have an egg but I said I don't eat egg so she gave me an extra tofu.
The food here tasted pretty good, but the servings were extremely small, especially for the price. The food was light and healthy, but you definitely only get a snack for the price of a meal.
I liked that they had an English menu and the staff was helpful, although a bit slow.
The desserts were good, but you can get them a little cheaper at the cafe next door, although you wouldn't get a dollop of vegan cream at the deli.
I had one of their take-out bowls of mixed veggies and tofu (pictured above). I'm not really big on Japanese food, but their food was very creative and well prepared. It was flavorful (as flavorful as mild Japanese food can be) and very healthy.
I couldn't identify everything I was eating, including some soft, squishy, gelatinous blobs of what may have been tofu. I really liked the sauteed veggie mixtures and the various kinds of marinated and baked tofu.
I also had a cookie but it seemed to healthy to be a cookie, it tasted more like an energy bar. The mini tarts, however, are exceptional. Both the chocolate and the lemon are very good, although they are very pricey, given how tiny they are.
I really did not like the food here, at least what I ordered. We went for the buffet but saw there weren't enough vegan options to feed our hungry bellies so we came back for dinner.
The tofu salad (a mixed green salad w/ fresh tofu and sesame dressing) was very good, but that's about all I enjoyed. I had the Korean-style pancake, expecting it to be like Okonomiyaki, but it was just shredded potatoes and green onions, fried together. It was way too heavy on the green onions and didn't have much flavor.
We also had the "Japanese Mountain Yam with Fermented Soybean". I was thinking "mmmmm...sweet potatoes and tempeh." No. It was raw daikon and nato soybeans, a DISGUSTING fermented soy bean that is very traditional in Japan, but hated by most Westerners. I think it was one of the most disgusting things I've ever tasted. My stomach hurt.
They had no hot sauce! Can you believe that? The hot sauce definitely would have improved the food.
The service was a bit slow (like most Japanese restaurants), but was very friendly. The waitress even took the yam/soy bean item off the menu since we didn't like it, which she didn't have to do.
I've visited about 10 veg places in Tokyo so far, and this is definitely my favorite. The atmosphere is really warm and relaxed and the portions are larger than most other places.
The tofu sandwich and lunch curry were both pretty average, but the Hawaiian fried rice was very good. The peanut butter muffin was dry, but the tiramisu was good, and the banana pudding bread and apple cobbler were outstanding. They come with two big slices and some sort of whip topping that was very tasty. They also sell bags of maple glazed nuts, which were very good.
For dinner, definitely ty their pasta. It's hard to come by vegan pasta here, and they have a great angel hair pasta with a vegan basil cream sauce. Their sauted potato appetizer is also amazing.
If you're into celebrities, I hear Moby likes this place.
Yay, an all-vegan restaurant in Tokyo...and not one of those all-vegan (except one dish) or an all-vegan (except the fish) places. Good food, and the portions aren't quite as small as most other restaurants.
I had the tempeh sausage with rice and it was really good--it came with this unidentifiable cream sauce, but it was tasty. I also sampled my friend's curry, which was good, but pretty average. Then we had the chocolate almond tart and the apple crumble pie and both were excellent. I preferred the tart (which was pretty much chocolate tofu pie).
I enjoyed the food but it was not worth the price. The portions were small (as is the case in most Japanese restaurants) but the price was extremely inflated. I had a stewed vegetable and millet dish, which was quite good, and I sampled a friend's tempeh/tofu burger, which was very good, but very tiny.
I think that just over half of the menu contained fish, and the remaining vegan options were littered with mushrooms (which is great if you like mushrooms but bad if you don't).
Take the west exit of Shinjuku station, go right a couple blocks until you see the Isetan building, and go in the basement to the food court.
The food was pretty good, but the portions were small, but I guess that's pretty much how it is in Japan. I had a sampler platter and really enjoyed the tofu "meatballs" with peppers, and the potato salad, which tasted eerily non-vegan. My favorite item was this sort of breaded patty with cream dipping sauce (tasted sort of like mayonaise). I have no idea what the patty was made out of, perhaps ground up chickpeas, veggies and soy, but it had a pleasant curry taste to it and a great texture.
I only had one item from here but I wasn't impressed with it. I ordered what I thought was BBQ "beef" and rice, but it turned out to taste more like compressed veggies and whole soy than the less healthy, but more tasty, processed soy meats that I'm used to. The flavor and texture were so-so, and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't expected an unhealthier version.
I didn't try their vegan chicken nuggets or spaghetti, but both looked really good.
I had the lunch special (800 yen), which included two options plus rice. I had the two vegan options, the vegetable curry and the lentil dahl. The food isn't nearly as good as that of Nataraj (fancy Indian, vegetarian restaurant), but it's a fraction of the price. I would certainly go back here.
Delicious and very good price! I had the lunch buffet and also had a to-go faux fish sandwich at a Vegetarian Festival. Both were great.
The buffet was large and there was a great mix of fake meats, noodle dishes, soups, and desserts (although the cake tasted store bought). I don't speak or read Japanese so I did my best to avoid products that may contain egg or dairy. Most items were pretty easy to tell.
There weren't a huge number of vegan options (more vegetarian options than vegan), but I felt there were enough and I really enjoyed what I had.
The coconut fried rice came packed inside a young coconut and was absolutely delicious, as was the avocado and sweet basil curry. Many items were around 1200 yen, which is a pretty good price, and although the servings weren't huge, they were larger than many places in Japan.
Also, the restaurant was beautiful, a lot nicer than most places for that money.
I just had a falafel here and it was SOOOOO good. I had the small falafel on wheat ($4.50) and it didn't seem much smaller than the regular ($6.25). I piled it high with some of everything and it tasted great. I really liked the slightly-sweet tomato salsa, paired with loads of tahini, roasted cauliflower, and cucumber salad.
My friend and I also shared the frites (french fries) and they were quite tasty. We tried the peanut sauce (good but very inappropriate for the falafel and fries) and also experimented with fries and tahini. Gross.
I'm not sure if this place is always super crazy but we went right after the Obama concert let out and it was PACKED, with lines out of the door.
I thought this place was horrible. Everybody I know has been talking it up but the food was way below average. I went during the day and it was pretty empty--which I enjoyed--but our waiter barely seemed to make it to our table, even though there were few other customers.
I ordered the "Mexican pizza" which ended up being a pita bread with what tasted like canned chili and a little bit of cheese. Boring. I also had the quesadilla, which wasn't particularly impressive. The waiter recommended the veggie chicken nuggets but they were all out. Again, the food was boring, but at least it was cheap. It's worth a shot if you're hungry and just want cheap vegan food.
I think that the first time I went here, they gave me dairy cheese in my calzone instead of vegan cheese, but they've gotten it right every time I went back. The food is great, the atmosphere is lively, and the staff is really nice. It's the perfect spot to hang out with friends, check your e-mail, or get some work done (assuming you can work with noise).
The food was decent, but nothing to brag about. I had the vegan "chicken and veggies with black bean sauce"--which the waitress recommended, but it was a simple TVP, lacking much flavor, with some peppers and onions. While I appreciated my meal coming very quickly, I'm always nervous about "fresh" food that's delivered in less than 5 minutes.
A few local Ethiopians recommended this place but I didn't particularly care for it. The service was poor, the prices were high, and the food was average. The mixed vegetarian platter was pretty good (but not worth the price), but the sambusa was terribly dry and tasted as though it had been deep fried twice then sat out all day.
We made clear that we were all vegan and wanted no animal products but the waitress kept suggesting meat dishes to one of my friends. She finally suggested a "Dukem Salad" as her entree but it ended up being a small plate of tomatoes with onions and jalapenos.
Go to Meskerem.
The amount of food you get for the price is pretty good but the quality of the food is not very good. I got the vegetable platter and it had two kinds of rice, salad, falafel, hummus, baba ganouj, stuffed grape leaves, green beans, and fava beans.
They microwaved most of the food (including the stuffed grape leaves, which I found odd), and it didn't have much flavor. I was really turned off by the green beans, which were clearly from a can and also overcooked. The tahini sauce and hot sauce seem to be pretty watered down, but they dump so much of it on that it sort of makes up for the weak flavor.
The two guys working were non-native English speakers (surprisingly, it seemed like all the employees of the Mid-Eastern restaurant were African), but they were trying really hard to communicate. One of them didn't understand what I meant when I was specifying no eggs and no dairy, so he called the other guy over, who understood and explained to him what I meant. He also then assured me that the tahini sauce was just sesame and did not contain any dairy, which I thought was very thoughtful.
Ella's pizza is SOOOOOOOOOO good. They use Follow Your Heart cheese and must put it under the broiler becaus it actually melted. My friend and I ordered 3 pizzas:
-Margarita (plain crust / vegan mozz) & we added cheese - Delicious!
-Verdura (Artichokes, olives, tomatoes, vegan mozz) - My favorite!
-Some other kind with spinach, olives, and vegan mozz) - Not my fav, but still pretty good
Our server was very friendly and extremely knowledgable and told us everything on the menu that was vegan or could easily be made vegan.
I wasn't overly impressed with this place. I have been trying to get to this place the last 3 times in DC, so my expectations were really high. I had the sampler platter that had two kinds of rice, spinach, and stew. One of the rices was really good, but the other was just plain (and dry) rice w/ some frozen peas/carrots on top. The spinach was decent but not great, but I really enjoyed the "stew", which was basically just tomatoes and onions which tasted oddly enough like Manwich. :)
I also got the fufu (pounded plantains and cassava), expecting some sort of chopped or fried dish, but it ended up being what looked and tasted like steamed dough. The texture was like undercooked steamed dough (like Chinese food), but was gooey and tasted like half wheat flour and half potato. I don't think it tasted like plantains at all. I cut it open, expecting something delicious to be inside but it was just plain.
The service was kind of here and there. I got my food and then never heard from anyone. As soon as I finished my meal, the owner went to the other side of the restaurant to have lunch, and I sat there for 10 minutes, until I asked the bartender for the bill. However, upon walking out, the owner started a conversation and was very pleasant. I think he was just trying to get me to buy their stew sauce that he says is currently at the Whole Foods in DC and New York.
I've been here a few times and I can't say that it's my favorite but I keep coming here because it's a good hang out sort of place. I feel like some of the sandwiches are boring (basically vegan lunch meat sandwiches I could make at home) and I'm not a fan of Korean food, so their Korean dishes may be great but they just aren't for me. I love that this place has some desserts that aren't Vegan Treats (which I am thoroughly sick of) and a great selection of smoothies.
My absolute favorite part of Java Green is that they aren't just in it to make money off vegetarians, they actually care about animal rights. They do fundraisers for Compassion Over Killing and the owner shows up at animal rights events. Very cool. I wish they were open on Sundays but I guess it doesn't make much sense given their location.
I really liked this place!!! I got a sweet empanada (guava, my favorite), a savory empanada (mixed veggie), and a drink (guava juice) all for about $4--unbelievably cheap! The staff is friendly and the location is convenient...also around the corner from Sticky Fingers vegan bakery
The Veg DC guide says this place uses egg in their dessert empanada topping but not in the savory empanada, but when I talked w/ the restaurant, they assured me that no egg topping is used in either empanada so I guess use your judgement.
This restaurant is very pretty and they have a large and well-marked vegetarian section. However, I wasn't very impressed with the food. The flavors were somewhat bland and the "spicy" entrees weren't very spicy. I tried the ping pik tofu, which was about two packs worth of tofu, cut up and fried with some frozen green beans. There was WAY too much tofu in the dish and the sauce was bland.
I tried my friend's eggplant, which was very good, and another friend's red curry, which had a good flavor but was a very small portion. We also tried the veggie dumpling appetizer (odd flavor) and the mango salad, which was good but contained very little mango. Finally, we had the sticky rice w/ peanut sauce, and while the sticky rice was fine, the peanut sauce was somewhat bland.
My friends and I ordered the veggie combo platter (the only thing I've ever ordered in an Ethiopian restaurant) and it was pretty cheap, $10, but was only so-so. Two of the items, the tomato salad and the potato/carrot mixture, were both very good, but everything else was so-so.
I was especially disappointed with the yellow split peas and the lentil dishes, as they were very undercooked so were a bit hard. I'm not sure if this is authentic or not, but I prefer the overcooked mush that I've been served in every other Ethiopian restaurant. Fortunately, the non-veg friend I was with really liked the food.
We also had the spinach sambusas but they didn't have much flavor. All they had inside was spinach (no potatoes or other veggies), were slightly dry, and aside from being spicy, weren't very well seasoned. This place is slightly cheaper than Meskerem but I don't think the food is nearly as good.
I don't trust this place. Not only is most of their menu bacon and eggs, but they never seem to have the vegan baked goods that this entry (posted by the establishment) says they allegedly have. The vegan baked goods they also say are available across the street at the bakery are also suspiciously never there.
I stopped in again last week to ask about vegan bakery and the staff (in a sketchy manner) said they often do have vegan baked goods but just not right then. I asked when they'd have more and she said maybe the next day, but she didn't sound very convincing so I didn't bother to go back.
Absolutely delicious Ethiopian food and good portions. I was really happy that they're open late and that they are able to accommodate a large group (large seeting area downstairs), although the service was really slow.
I always get the vegetarian platter here that comes with yellow split peas, red lentils, greens, tomato salad, potato salad, green beans, and potato/cabbage/carrot mix. My favorite is the potato salad. It's slightly light a tart, but I haven't seen it at too many Ethiopian restaurants and it compliments the other dishes well.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOO impressed with this place. The food is great, the service is excellent, and the music is wonderful (assuming you like Mexican polka music, which I do :) ).
We ordered a number of different veggie pizzas with the soy cheese, and also had the fried yuca and plantains, along with some pupusas. I was astounded that they could make vegan pupusas (cornmeal pancakes with cheese), using the soy cheese, as I have always wanted a vegan pupusa but never seen soy cheese in an El Salvadorian restaurant.
I was also really impressed with how calm and sweet the staff was, as we walked in with a group of about 25 vegans, and pretty much took over the dining room and ate all their vegan cheese (we tipped well).
My friends weren't very impressed with the falafel here but I thought it was pretty good. I also tried the grilled tofu sandwich, which had a great flavor, but was super heavy on the tofu. It would have benefitted from hummus or something. We also had the organic fries, which appeared to be hand cut and had the skins on. Yum.
This has to be some of the best pizza I've ever had. My friends and I ordered the "Edge of the Woods", which has sauteed spinach, caramelized onion, ricotta, fried Italian eggplant and we subbed the vegan "teese" cheese for the ricotta. I wasn't expecting to really care for the eggplant, but it was sliced so thinly that it got all crispy when it was baked and was absolutely delicious. The cheese melted beautifully (as usual with Teese) and everything was just right.
The dining room was crazy busy because of the Obama inauguration but the staff was super friendly and handling the huge rush really well.
I liked the atmosphere-it was lively and fun-but I thought the pizza was pretty average. I really liked that they brought olives to the table to munch on, but aside from that, I wasn't overly impressed.
This place was CRAZY busy when my friends and I went (day before Obama inauguration) and had a 90-minute wait, but I'm assuming that's not standard. We left so I came back a few days later. In both cases, the first thing I noticed was that the door is not particularly inviting. It's just a regular solid door, like you'd find on any house, without a "welcome" or "Red Rocks" sign, so I kept feeling like I was accidently walking into someone's house. Perhaps they do that to make you feel at home, but I felt sort of like an intruder.
I ordered the marinara pizza, which just had spicy marinara, garlic, and I added soy cheese for $2, bringing the total to $11. The flavor was good (especially the garlic), but the amount of cheese was really minimal and was just in the middle, leaving tons of plain dough on the outside. My friend ordered the plain cheese pizza and subbed the soy cheese (making it $13). Hers seemed pretty much the same but had no garlic but more cheese. I'd probably opt for hers in the future.
The dining room is really pretty and it's nice to sit by a window. I thought the staff was very nice, even helping me with directions to bike to the bus station.
I really love that, not only are vegan and vegetarian items clearly marked, but they get their own separate display case! Some friends and I stopped in here for dessert and unfortunately, they only had one vegan item, a strawberry glazed white cake from Vegan Treats. The cake was so-so (I'm sort of sick of Vegan Treats desserts), but the vegan items in the display case looked really good.
I was in on a Friday night and there was a guitarist playing on the lower level and it was a really nice, and relaxed atmosphere.
I'm trying to figure out why on earth there is a classy-looking picture of biscuits and coffee as the Soul Veg pic. Soul Veg food is not classy, it is greasy, yummy, soul food. There mac & cheese is good, but not as good as people play it up to be. They have a lot of good fake meat and veggie dishes from the hot bar (you can see the food before you order), and they also have some good veggie burgers that are really cheap.
I really like their new location--it's bright, clean, has clever decor, and it has plenty of seating. I think a lot of their desserts are pretty average (I prefer Vegan Treats out of PA), but their chili cheese dog is REALLY good. I also like the Cowvin cookie sandwich but it's a bit sweet for me.
This is a really nice co-op. It's clean and has a great selection of vegan items, yet doesn't have that "corporate co-op" vibe like some places. The produce is great, the selection of vegan ice creams, cheeses, and soy meats is great, and they also have a lot of great fresh bread. Prices are definitely fair, members get a discount, but anyone can shop. Even the dumpsters are great!
The food was good, but I think it's WAY overpriced and you get too small of servings. I had some dumplings, which were listed as a brunch item, but were actually a (really small) appetizer, for like $9. I also had some mini jerk veggie burgers, which were really good, but very small.
I had the grilled veggie burrito, which was amazing, but slightly small. The side of rice and beans were also pretty small, but the rice was really good. My friend had the veggie salad, which comes in a huge fried tortilla shell, which was also very tasty.
I had the fresh squeezed guava juice, which was excellent.
On the dry erase board out front, they have "please don't feed the chickens" written down. I was waiting for the hostess to leave so I could replace "feed" with "eat". She never left so I didn't get a chance. Go here and do it for me! :)
I really enjoyed this place. I've eaten at the buffet here a number of times and have loved everything I've had. My favorites include the quinoa croquettes w/ basil sauce and the BBQ Korean tofu from the hot buffet and then the mock chicken salad (which can also be made into a sandwich/wrap) and the potato salad from the deli. I had a peanut butter/chocolate bar, which was pretty good, but the vegan chocolate cream pie was awesome.
The store has a great selection of vegan products (unfortunately, no vegan sour cream or cream cheese), but as mentioned in the below comment, their produce is very expensive.
I really enjoyed the food here, although it wasn't very spicy. I tried some sort of soup that was a coconut milk base with tofu, zucchini, and eggplant, and it was marked as the "spiciest dish on the menu" but it was barely even moderately spicy.
I also tried the sweet basil and tofu noodles, which were very good. We had the fried tofu with peanut sauce as an appetizer, which was pretty good. The only thing that consistently bothered me about the food was that they use soft tofu instead of firm. I think firm tofu works much better in stirfry and soup items.
The fruit bowls are amazing! I tried both the Amazonian cherry bowl (I don't recall it's actual name) and the deluxe sort of acai bowl that came with granola, berries, bananas, and coconut. The latter was definitely my favorite. Very tasty. It was about $7 but was filling enough for a light meal. It would make a good breakfast.
I didn't try the baked goods, but it was nice to see vegan cakes and bars at a small juice bar. I haven't really seen it much elsewhere.
Good food for a good price. I got the BBQ seitan bowl and it came with vegan potatoes, coleslaw, and some veggies. It was a heaping amount of food for a reasonable price. The place is really tiny and doesn't have any seating so we sat outside on the floor eating then took the rest home to eat.
It's right across from Down To Earth, so it makes a good lunch/dinner stop after buying groceries.
I was drawn to this store because they sold soy milk (Silk), which is hard to come by in Veracruz. I was absolutely thrilled to find that some of the healthyish cookies they sell happen to be vegan! There really isn't much else in the store that's vegan, but vegan cookies and milk was a real treat.
I LOVE Larsen's kringle and am really glad it's available in Milwaukee and not just in Racine. It's supposed to be at the Riverwest Co-op but I don't recall seeing it there. However, it is always available at Outpost. I picked up a few kringle from the Bay View Outpost location this weekend and they were amazing. I had the cherry and the raspberry. Both were delicious but I tend to go for non-cherry desserts so I preferred the raspberry.
All of the varieties I saw (pecan, raspberry, apricot, apple, pecan) were vegan, but they also offer a cheese kringle, which I would assume is not vegan but am not completely sure. I liked that the packaging specifically stated that it contained no animal ingredients or byproducts, something you don't see much on baked goods in Southeastern Wisconsin, especially Racine.
I have been trying to get to this restaurant for a few months and boy am I glad I finally made it. This has got to be my all-time favorite Ethiopian restaurant. The food was not only extremely flavorful and well-priced, but they had more vegetarian selections than I've ever seen in any other Ethiopian restaurant.
My mother and I shared the large combo platter for $15.95. It was enough food for two people, but I'm greedy so I wouldn't be opposed to getting the combo for 2 for $26.25. This platter had about 9 different items on it and all of them were good. The yemisir wot (lentils) and gomen (collards) were especially good but I was astoundingly impressed with the shimbra asa, which is a specialty that is not always featured. It's a spicy chickpea dough cooked to look like a thick fish stew. It was part of the combo platter but is also offered as its own main dish.
We also shared an order of sambusa (lentil and onion-filled fried roll). My mom really enjoyed it but I thought it could benefit from a sauce and would have preferred the filling to be a smooth paste, versus whole lentils.
We also had the Ethiopian tea, which was a delicious homemade tea, and not a Lipton teabag, as I've seen in other Ethiopian restaurants.
This is probably one of the most pleasant locations in Milwaukee. It's right on the lake, has a huge patio, free outdoor music, and great tea (and coffee I'm sure, I just don't drink coffee). Alterra is located in an old pumping station historic building and they've done a great job preserving it.
I went here for a free summer salsa concert a few weeks ago and had a really great time. The patio was packed, as was the entire lawn area around the building, with everyone set up on blankets and lawn chairs. I'm sure they make a ton of money at this event but I'm glad they don't charge to attend.
I then went back a few days later to join a friend for tea. I tried the blueberry roibus, which was very good but I'm not enough of a tea expert to provide a deeper description. My friend and I also shared the louisiana tofu wrap, which had beans, veggies, and all sorts of goodness, including a slightly spicy dipping salsa.
UPDATE:
I just flew into Milwaukee yesterday, and am very happy that Babe's just re-opened from the winter close today, just in time for me to indulge. Unfortunately, The Chocolate Shop in Madison was out of vegan ice cream (increasing demand) so Babe's wasn't able to receive their usual soy ice cream shipment. However, they did have a lemon and raspberry Italian ice swirl that's vegan and DELICIOUS.
I spent a fair amount of time speaking with the owners and their families, which were hanging out in the store, and they were exceedingly nice. One of the kids even attends the same Spanish Immersion elementary school I attended, and that just made my day. They were telling me how committed they are to providing soy ice cream because the see the demand, and after I told them about Chicago Soy Dairy and Temptation vegan ice cream, they said they'd look into it to see if Temptation would allow them to offer more flavors, more consistently.
10-24-08 review
This is the first place I've seen in Milwaukee that has vegan ice cream on hand that doesn't come out of a Tofutti tub. I had the soy mint chocolate chip and the soy blue moon and both were outstanding. I was particulary happy about the blue moon, as I haven't had it since I was 10 years old.
I just realized, however, that just because it's soy doesn't mean that it's vegan. I was referring to it as vegan because soy ice cream is usually vegan, but you may want to ask to see the package when you're in there.
I'm not too big on this place. The food is decent but it's nothing spectacular. Also, they haven't changed their menu in like 6 years so I'm SO sick of the food. Someone else's comment was right on when they said that this place is for meat eaters who want to pat themselves on the back for eating vegetarian (or for eating chicken in a veg-friendly restaurant). Lame.
However, the grocery does carry a lot of vegetarian and vegan options and you can get East Side Ovens fresh vegan bakery there.
I haven't been there in a while, but last time I was there, I was told the veggie dogs weren't vegan either.
I took my 4-year-old niece here today, and although she's not vegetarian, she loved both the veggie burger and the veggie dog. I preferred the veggie dog, as the burger seemed like a plain Gardenburger, however they were both good. They were both $3 each and I got them with "the works", which was free and included ketchup, mustard, pickles, and fried onions.
At first, I was annoyed with the employees, who didn't know what vegan was and didn't seem interested in checking on ingredients. The chick who rang me up went to look at the box and gave me some weird excuse that I didn't understand about why she couldn't confirm the ingredients. I'm not sure if there were no ingredients listed or if she just couldn't bring out the box or what. When I kept asking why there were no ingredients listed (which seems unlikely), she went and asked the manager, who confirmed that both the veggie dog and veggie burger are vegan. He says they used to not be vegan (which is why I was so set on checking ingredients) but says they have since switched to vegan versions.
Milwaukee's first all vegetarian restaurant and it's absolutely delicious! There's a ton of vegan options and everything is really cheap (like $3-4). The only drawback is they serve everything on styrofoam so it's not very environmentally friendly, although I've heard they'll let you bring your own dishes to use.
It is always disappointing to see a veg restaurant start serving meat, but it's especially disappointing to see the FIRST vegetarian restaurant in Milwaukee--which began serving all-veg fare way before it got popular--add meat to it's menu.
I don't know if Bombay Sweets owners felt that an all-veg restaurant wouldn't do well in upscale Brookfield or what, but I don't even want to go here just to "show them". It's great they offer far more veg stuff than nearly any other restaurant in the area, but I'm so disappointed by their selling meat, that'd I'd prefer to skip Brookfield entirely.
I'm not quite sure why Botana's was added as a veg-friendly restaurant as it is one of the least veg-friendly Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee. The menu says that only vegetable oil is used and not animal fat, but this refers only to the beans. The rice is made with chicken. The menu is gigantic but they only have one dish labeled as vegetarian, and that's cheese-stuffed peppers (be sure to not get the rice with it).
What I find annoying is that the default for all the dishes is meat, and not vegetarian to which one could add meat. Basically, you need to order and pay for a meat and cheese burrito but have it made without the meat and cheese (and without rice in some cases). I had a side of beans, which weren't bad, but didn't have much flavor (I think they're usually served with cheese). I also had the guacamole, which wasn't bad, but wasn't spectacular and didn't have much flavor.
The free chips and salsa are delicious and the service is excellent. Everyone is very friendly and attentive, they just don't have much to work with for vegetarians and vegans. La Fuente, down the street, is a safer bet, as they have a vegetarian section to their menu.
This is my favorite coffee shop in Milwaukee. The guy who runs it, Matt, has always been a friend to animals and to vegans and even if the shop is struggling, he's always willing to donate items to local animal rights groups.
The service is friendly and the food and tea is good (I hear the coffee is good), but since it's run by volunteers, it will occasionally be closed for a few hours here and there if they have nobody to work. This is a great place to meet with a friend or have a small activist/business meeting because they have a table in the back room that can seat about 6-8 people.
Wow! My sister e-mailed me info about this restaurant as soon as it opened a year ago and I have been trying to get there ever since. It's pretty far out, which makes visiting difficult for those on the south/east side of Milwaukee, but it is well worth the hike!
The service here is extremely friendly and accommodating and very willing to ask questions to see what's vegan. The portions are huge, the food is great, and the menu is absolutely beautiful, offering full descriptions of each entree, and clearly marking which items are vegan, gluten-free, and raw!
I dined with my vegetarian mother and meat-eating uncle, and we all loved the place. We shared the coconut cashew hummus appetizer, which was pretty good but I felt the coconut made it too sweet. It was beautifully displayed and came with a ton of crackers, slices of bread, and veggie slices for dipping. The waitress even brought me some raw flax crackers since she wasn't sure if the pita chips were vegan (turns out they were, but she thought they contained honey). We also had the limonade, which was very refreshing.
My uncle ordered the vegan chili, which came in an enormous bowl. I'm a bit of a chili snob, but I thought it was pretty good, and he thought it was wonderful. My mom ordered the Middle-Eastern vegetable stew, which we all thought was outstanding. It had tons of veggies and beans in it, and had a slightly Indian curry sort of flavor. Delish. I ordered the Jamaican-spiced lentil burger with roasted veggies. We all liked the veggie burger, although I would have loved some extra sauce on it. The roasted veggies were fabulous and had much more flavor than I was expecting. I also got a side of wasabi spinach potato salad, which was good, but didn't have a strong wasabi flavor.
There were two vegan dessert options, a fruit crisp, and a fig pudding, which wasn't marked as being vegan on the menu, but the waitress assured us it was. I'm glad they offer those, but I'd love to see some vegan cake on the menu.
This is one of the few (and one of the first) places in Milwaukee to offer a vegetarian buffet. Watch out though, because they generally have one meat dish on their "vegetarian" buffet. The food is really good, but there are a lot of dishes that contain dairy, however, the staff is always willing to tell you what's vegan.
The vegetarian lunch buffet is amazing. There are TONS of options, and usually all but one or two items is vegan. The falafel is always fresh and delicious. Their baklava contains honey, but a friend tells me they recently added another dessert to the buffet, which is vegan.
The service is friendly and it's a great place for large groups, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when they have live music and a belly dancer. Good times.
The salsa is absolutely amazing, and makes the poor service tolerable. The guacamole is also really good. You can make a number of options vegan, but watch out for the beans because one of them is made with lard. The black beans should be vegan, but it wouldn't hurt to double check in case they've changed the recipe.
I was so pleased with this restaurant. The interior design is so unlike everything else in the neighborhood so the classy vibe, table cloths, candles, and music really make it stand out. The food was also really affordable, about $8-12.
The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable of vegan items. I ordered the vegan "meatball" sandwich because I heard it's sometimes out of stock. The meatballs are homemade from mostly lentil and mushrooms and are tasty, but are slightly soft. The sandwich comes with either a salad or pasta salad. I'm a big fan of pasta salad so that's what I went with but was disappointed with it, as it was just pasta, tomato, olive oil, red onion, and a little parsley. It didn't have much flavor, but the flavor it did have was mostly raw onion.
I have to say that my favorite part of the meal was the bread I got at the beginning. Apparently Centro Cafe brings out fresh bread as an appetizer and a small platter, to which you can add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and spices, which they have on the table. Classy and delicious.
The first time I was here, I had the Anne Curry and the Mediterranean. Both were good, but I preferred the Mediterranean, although it was weird having basil and sun-dried tomatoes paired with Tofurkey sausage. Go figure. The Anne Curry was good, but a bit mild. We even got extra curry sauce on it but I feel it could have used more flavor. Their bread sticks are also vegan and quite yummy. You also get a huge order for $4.50, so it's a good way to fill in the meal.
My 2nd time here was disappointing, as the "vegan" cashier tried to push a non-vegan pizza on me. I ordered a spinach/feta cheese slice and asked that the feta be replaced w/ vegan (Follow Your Heart) cheese. The self-proclaimed vegan cashier said this was fine and assured me it would be vegan. After paying and sitting down, she came out and told me the slice actually wouldn't be vegan because all the individual slices have cheese on the crust, which the cooks then top and bake. She asked if it would be okay because there wasn't that much cheese. I told her that I'm vegan so I don't want any dairy cheese. She then offered to scrape off the cheese and then add the soy cheese. At this point, I had to say "Wait, didn't you say you're vegan?" I told her I'd switch to the 9-inch personal vegan pizza (vegan crust) w/ the spinach and soy cheese. She said fine and charged me the $4.50 difference. Lame.
Apparently ONLY the personal pies are vegan, NOT the slices.
I am so done with Comet!!!! I put up with the smoke and the crowds for years (and am really glad they recently switched to non-smoking up until 10pm), but I just can't take their inconsistent service. The last 3 times I have been there, they have been out of the vegan deep fried ribs, which is my all-time favorite. The last time I went, because they were out of the ribs, and also out of a few other vegan items, my group of friends and I all had to get the vegan gyros, which they totally skimped with the seitan on.
This time, I thought I'd call ahead and be safe. The guy answering the phone rudely said they have the ribs. I asked again, explaining that I had come in a few other times in the past, only to find out they were out. Again, he said they had them. Guess what. I got there and they didn't have the ribs.
It's really annoying to drive across town, expecting to get your favorite food, only to find that they're out. It's even more annoying when it happens several times, especially after you call ahead of time.
Screw you, Comet!
East Side Ovens is a vegan staple in Milwaukee and is probably one of the best buisnesses you could support. I used to head up Alliance For Animals (UWM animal rights group) and East Side Ovens was always very supportive of us.
Their chocolate strawberry cake is my favorite cake (they also bake large cakes for parties!) and my favorite pastry is the strawberry rhubarb pie. My mom is a big fan of the blueberry scones. Oh yeah, they're wheat bread (square, not round) is amazing. So, pretty much everything is good, although I find the frozen burritos a bit bland.
This place isn't known for the most amazing service, but the waiter I had was pretty nice and the food was really good and came fast. They have a HUGE menu, which I find a bit frustrating, but some may enjoy. Most items don't list tofu in the description (only list a choice of various meats), but after the price, they list a veg price and you can ask for tofu (no extra charge).
I had the squash curry, which seems to be one of their most popular items, and it was absolutely delicious. The steamed veggies with peanut sauce appetizer was also great. The veggies were perfectly steamed and had a lot of flavor.
I really enjoyed the food here and am happy to see the return of an Ethiopian restaurant to Milwaukee. My friend and I shared the vegetarian platter, which included: yellow split peas, red lentils, greens, and a cabbage/carrot mixture. The flavor was really good and the service was friendly.
I am not sure if their tea is entirely homemade or if they spice up a bag of tea, but either way, it has a good flavor and is a definite improvement over the bag of Lipton I've been served elsewhere (like Meskerem in D.C.)
I just went here for the first time in about 5 years, as I was put off with how smoky it was. I'm really glad that's is smoke-free and the service was actually friendly (unlike their "lousy service" motto, but the food is still nothing to brag about.
I had the fat vegan sandwich (deli meat, artichokes, cucumbers, lettuce, vegan mayo and mustard), and it was good enough, but the stale white bread and extremely measly amount of vegan mayo left me less than satisfied. I also tried the chili, after the cashier assured me that it's good, and it was awful. It tasted like a can of Hormel chili w/ no flavor, and the 50 cent dollop of Tofutti sour cream didn't help much.
The restaurant is beautiful (especially the outdoor patio) and the food was good, but I wasn't overly impressed with the service. I had the curry cashew veggie burger, which had a great flavor, but is a bit dry if you get it without the aioli sauce (which isn't vegan). They don't offer another sauce and this isn't a ketchup-friendly burger. I also had the sweet potato chips with guacamole and mango salsa, which were good, and ended up putting the mango salsa on my burger. There are only about 3 veg options on the menu, but considering their entire menu has something like 10 options, it's not a bad ratio.
My friend ordered the tofu/veggie platter and I sampled it and it was really good, but it's a little expensive ($17). If you're vegan, be sure to omit the aioli sauce that would normally be drizzled over the roasted corn on the platter.
The service was slow and our waiter seemed irritated the entire night. We then found out that he had applied and automatic gratuity to our bill (of only 5 people), so this could be why he wasn't trying to hard to be polite.
I can't believe I am just now visiting this place. They've been around for quite some time, selling veg-friendly food before it got popular, I just happen to not be in this area frequently.
My sister and I stopped in yesterday and were really pleased with both the selection and the prices. Usually, small groceries (which this is, but it is MUCH larger than your typical health food store) can't offer low prices, but Health Hut had reasonable prices and really good sales on some staples like almond milk, vegetable broth, and Kettle chips. :)
They had tons of faux meats, vegan cheese, and organice products, but I was disappointed to see SOOOO much meat. Hopefully we can all go buy tons of veggie foods, which would encourage them to replace current meat options w/ veggie alternatives.
I've been here a few times over the years and always have the same impression "meh". The food is decent, and they have a few vegan things, but nothing spectacular. It's probably the most vegan friendly coffee shop in the neighborhood, which is a big plus, and it's a huge step up from the McDonalds across the street, but it's pretty plain to me.
Also, I can't stand cigarette smoke, and this place is always full of it. If it weren't so obnoxiously smoky, I might like it more, as I love how much light comes into the shop and it's a convenient location.
I have to agree that I was a bit dismayed by the animal heads on the wall, but at the same time, I can't say that it's the only Wisconsin bar/restaurant w/ trophy heads on the wall, so as disgusting as it sounds, it didn't shock me. What I did love about the place is that it's smoke-free.
Given that the people that own this place also own a lot of other vegan-friendly joints (Palomino, Comet, etc.), I would have expected more vegan options. Someone on their staff told me they have more vegan options at brunch so I checked that out and the only real brunch items were tofu scramble or a burrito w/ tofu scramble and veggie sausage. Not bad, but not much variety. They also offered some BBQ pulled pork sandwich veganized and a composter sandwich which was tofu cream cheese and veggies, but neither are brunch items.
I got the tofu scramble burrito which came w/ veggie sausage, tofu sour cream, and salsa. It was good but nothing spectacular. It would have benefitted from some veggies or at least some hot sauce. The fried potatoes it came with, however, were very good. I tried my friend's composter sandwich, which was good, but not very filling, since it was mostly sprouts, tomato, and cucumber. It came on some really good rye bread though, and the fries it came with were great.
Service was friendly but really slow. Granted, it was full on a Saturday morning, but 45 minutes for two items still seems like a long time.
This location no longer has a buffet, although the Franklin/Oak Creek location still does. There are still a number of veg items on the regular menu (tacos, tostadas, burritos, etc.) and you can bring your own Tofutti sour cream to add if you like.
The staff is pretty good about letting you know what is and isn't vegan, but in case they aren't sure, know that the horchata is NOT vegan, it contains both rice milk and cow's milk.
The only bad experience I've had here was getting a fly in my horchata (before I went vegan, maybe 9 years ago), and the waiter then trying to bribe me by bring me gallons of horchata to my job. Since then, no bad experiences, but I tend to go to the Franklin location (partly due to proximity, partly due to the buffet)
The Oak Creek/Franklin area is really lacking vegan options so Jalisco's has always been a favorite of mine. The all-day buffet is really good and it's cheap (like $9 or something). Once, my friend and I brought our own container of Tofutti sour cream to Jalisco's and dumped it all over our tacos and burritos.
The staff is pretty good about letting you know what is and isn't vegan, but in case they aren't sure, know that the horchata is NOT vegan, it contains both rice milk and cow's milk.
Best Mexican food in the city, as La Fuente combines good food, good service, and a good atmosphere. It seems like all the other Mexican places have only one (perhaps two) of those qualities. I've never had a bad meal here, so order whatever strikes your fancy. Definitely try to go on a nice day so you can sit outside, which makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
La Perla is a fun place to eat but isn't the place to go for super authentic Mexican food. The food is good but over the years, it's definitely evolved into the Mexican place where white people eat. I generally opt for La Fuente in this neighborhood but I do enjoy going to La Perla on the weekends to dance some salsa, bachata, and hip hop. :)
Aside from all the smoke, this place is great. The service is always friendly and they have a lot of vegan options (in a really unexpected atmosphere). I've had a number of the vegan pizzas and they were all good. I ordered the stuffed peppers a few years ago, and I think the "vegan" cheese they used had casein because it was so gooey and "cheesey" but I think they've come around because it's all been obviously vegan since then.
In a word: AMAZING. I think I've tasted many a vegan pizza over the years and I am confident saying this was the best vegan pizza I've ever had.
We ordered "(chef) Dan's Vegan Pizza", which has kalamata olives, mushrooms, serrano peppers, and vegan cheese, and we added caramelized onions to it and it was fabulous. We also had "Doc's Garden Pizza" which has green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. We added black olives and subbed vegan cheese for the dairy chesse. This was also very good, but I preferred Dan's vegan pizza.
We also had the bread and spreads appetizer with the olive tapenade, roasted red pepper spread, and the olive oil w/ garlic & herb. I found the tapenade a bit salty, but good. I especially liked the olive oil spread because it had huge chunks of raw garlic. Yum.
The pizzas were huge for the price, and the ambiance was great, as was the service. The chef even came out when we were asking about vegan ingredients and hung out for a bit. Very nice and very dedicated. This place goes highly recommended.
This place seems to always be packed at night but you can call up to 30 minutes ahead to put your name in (they don't do traditional reservations).
I had the veggie jambalaya with smoked tofu, and while the jambalaya could have used more flavor and heat, the smoked tofu was outstanding. The BBQ tofu sandwich is also really good, but it's annoying that sometimes it comes on a roll and sometimes on a bun, sometimes has lettuce and tomato, and sometimes is just tofu and bread. It comes with fries but I recommend paying $1 more to get sweet potato fries. The canjun fries (which make a good $5 side dish for 2 or 3 people), are very flavorful and salty and go well with their homemade BBQ sauce.
Our server was very nice, and although he wasn't too sure about what was vegan, he asked the kitchen a million questions and even said he'd encourage them to carry some vegan desserts.
I love this place! Obviously, Riverwest Co-op is my first pick for grocery shopping, but this is further south and offers an extensive array of vegan foods in their deli if you need a snack. I love how they have samples all over the store and will let you sample foods at their deli before you buy them. It's also a good place to stop if you need a tiny snack and just want to grab some of the free samples. :)
Their falafel is really good, as is their Mid-Eastern rice/lentil/caramelized onion dish, which I hear was stolen by my beloved Sharrazzad restaurant.
This place is wonderful!!! There's a few vegan-friendly Mexican and pizza joints on the near South Side and in Walker's Point, but this is the first place I've seen that actually has vegan brunch! The cafe is somewhat small, but it's really cute, comfortable, and the service is friendly.
My friend and I went for brunch and we ordered the vegan banana french toast (very good, with a nice banana batter that was slightly crispy), the jicama/mango/avocado salad with tofu (good, but the there seemed to be way too much tofu and the tofu was slightly plain-it would benefit from being fried or marinated), and the black bean-avocado sandwich, which was pretty good. We also tried a side of the curried cous cous salad and it was amazing. It had fresh apricots, pecans, and all sorts of delicious goodies. For drinks, we had the Sport Tea, which was decent, and the soy chai, which was wonderful.
I'm a chili skeptic, so the staff even let me sample the chili before ordering. I didn't order it since we ordered so much other stuff, but the chili was really good. It was homemade and had lots of veggies in it. Nicely done. My only complaint is that they didn't have any vegan desserts. I hear they sometimes have vegan desserts, but considering that they have tons of other desserts, and the all-vegan East Side Ovens bakery isn't far away, I'd love to see them start stocking some vegan cupcakes, cookies, and scones.
I didn't care for the food at all. I ordered a mock meat dish and the "meat" was really dry and tough. However, a lot of my friends rave about the food and I generally love fake meat and Asian food (I'm vegan), so I think I may have just gone on a bad day.
I initially stopped in because I saw they were called "No. 1 Chinese", which is incredibly unimaginative but is the name of a veg-friendly restaurant in Bay View, which offers mock meats. Apparently, the two restaurants aren't affiliated but this place does offer soy chicken in the "VEGETARIA MEATS" section. :)
I was annoyed that they wouldn't let me sub soy chicken for one of the 30 $4.50-5 meat lunch specials because they expected me to pay nearly twice that just because they don't offer a veg option. They told me to get the mixed veggie lunch special but that sounded boring. I only had $7, which I told them, and asked if I could get a half order of the veg chicken, which was $9. They weren't interested but finally said they'd make me a small order for $7. They didn't seem happy about it and were sort of rude, but whatever. They also don't have brown rice, which just plain stinks.
I got the vegetarian General Tso's chicken, which came w/ a few pieces of broccoli. The soy chicken was a little overcooked and chewy but it wasn't bad. Being spoiled by good NYC vegan food, this place rates pretty low, but given the very limited vegan and fake meat options on Milwaukee's north side, I really appreciate this place having faux chicken and would go back to support them.
The Outpost is certainly a better option than Pick 'n' Save or Jewel, but I'll never forgive them for selling veal. How can an "ethical" co-op sell veal?
Skip Outpost and head to the Riverwest Co-op on Frattney and Clarke.
Even though this location doesn't special order veal like the others, I still have a bad taste in my mouth about all Outpost locations. The Riverwest Co-op is always the best option, but if you live on the south side, this is likely the easiest place to get to.
This store has most of the vegan options as the other locations (tons of refrigerated and frozen novelty items, faux meats, and more), but fewer deli items. I'm especially impressed with the amount of vegan cheese and ice cream this location has.
Review from April 2009
I still like Palomino, and appreciate it was the first place to carry vegan bar food before it became trendy, but I like it less and less every time I go. The place reeks of smoke, the food is super greasy, and I've heard some not-so-great health/cleanliness stories from a vegan friend who used to work here.
Another thing is that they no longer let you get all wheat meat tofullo wings for the same price (you get half tofu and half wheat meat). Additionally, they've changed the wheat meat nuggets they use. I believe these are homemade, which is great, but they just don't taste as good as the last ones.
Review from June 2007
Always a good time and fun atmosphere (minus all the smoke). The food is great and it's a great place to bring meat eaters to try the tofullo wings (wheat meat are better than the tofu). I'm a big fan of the vegan brat with caramelized onions and sauerkraut and the deep fried vegan banana split is great. However, it's too bad Palomino keeps cutting vegan items from their menu or changing them (like you can no longer get the deep fried pickles as a side dish).
They've introduced some new items (fried tempeh-lettuce-tomato sandwich, and a BBQ fried seitan sandwich) and both are very good. Their vegan coleslaw and corn sides are both good, and a great alternative to all the other fried sides, but keep in mind you get a really small portion, versus a huge pile of fries, tater tots, or onion rings.
I really like Pizza Shuttle's atmosphere-fun and friendly-but the smoke really annoys me. The staff is really friendly-most actually know what veganism is and won't try to bullshit you. If you order a cheese pizza without the cheese, they'll even let you replace the cheese with a different topping for no charge.
This is the spot! I LOVE THE CO-OP!!!! They have high ethical standards (I hope the co-op goes all veg soon), and the service is friendly.
The cafe is all vegetarian and has tons of vegan options. The smoothies are vegan and are always amazing, as is the seitan sandwich. They do pizza nights on Saturdays which offer tons of vegan options (including BBQ chicken pizza, roasted veggie pizza, and more), along w/ other themed nights like "Whole Grain Mondays" and "Taco Tuesdays".
They offer brunch on the weekends, which is always delicious. Some options are breakfast burritos, vegan pancakes and French toast, tofu scramble, vegan biscuits and gravy, and more. I think the biscuits are a little hard, but the gravy is good. I also had the special chocolate and mint French toast, which was divine.
I was SOOOO impressed with this place. Milwaukee has tons of Mexican restaurants where you can get vegan rice and beans, but this place has the most varied and interesting vegan/vegetarian menu.
We started with the taquitos de papa appetizer, which was pretty good, but I felt the actual potato taquitos were really small, compared to the huge mound of lettuce and salsa that accomponied it. I had the calebazitas mole with chili verde, which was good, but could have used more spice. I added some of the spicy salsa that came with my taquitos de papa to it and it was much better. My mom had the pastel de Berenjena (sort of veg lasagna w/ no noodles), without the cheese, and that was also pretty good, but I like my food spicy, so I added salsa to it. We both had the vegetarian tortilla soup, which was really good and really flavorful, but was a bit too spicy for my mom.
I loved the artwork in the restaurant and loved the music that was playing, which was nice in the background and not too loud. While the service was really friendly and very willing to accomodate vegan requests, I think it took WAY too long for our server to initially come, and then too long to bring and pick up the check.
I've been here a number of times and the staff is always friendly and they have a great selection of teas. I'd like to see more vegan baked goods there, but they generally do have some.
In general, I really like the idea of this place but I can't stand to be here too long because it's SO smoky. The upstairs is completely unbearable, as it's fulled with smokers and there's no ventilation. There is no smoking downstairs, but if you sit toward the back, a lot of smoke lingers down from upstairs.
I was really impressed with the food that came out of this tiny place. I expected that anything coming from a small take-out window near the airport would be greasy, stale, and lacking in flavor, but I was completely wrong. All the food was extremely fresh and very flavorful. I had the falafel sandwich, which asctually came as a wrap in a big pita bread. It could have used more dressing, the falafel was very tasty. I also had the dolmah (stuffed grape leaves), which were very good. I tried the hummus (very good), baba ganouj (good, but I prefer that of Sharazzad), and the tahini salad (yummy).
The only thing that really disappointed me was the wait. We called ahead and were told that our food would take about 20 minutes since it was busy. We arrived 25 minutes later and ended up waiting ANOTHER 25 minutes. Apparently there's one guy running the show and he got really backed up, which I've heard has happened before, but I'm not sure if it's the norm. Either way, call ahead and allow yourself some extra time.
I saw the word "vegetarian" in their lunch buffet sign so I just had to stop. Korean food is often not particularly vegan friendly so I was pretty excited. While they did have several vegetarian (which were also all vegan) items on the buffet, I don't think it was enough to claim to be a "Korean BBQ AND vegetarian buffet".
Two of the four dishes were sides (rice and noodles). The third dish was a tofu-corn soup, which was so-so and not particularly filling. Stir fried mushrooms and onions seemed to be the main veg option, which might delight some vegetarians, but seriously disappointed me since I think mushrooms are the most disgusting foods on earth. I really liked the noodles, but had to add hot sauce, "special sauce" (soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallions), and raw carrots and bean sprouts from the tiny salad bar.
$8 wasn't a bad price for the lunch buffet, but I wouldn't return unless there was another veg entree (which wasn't mushroom). I had my 4-year old niece with me, and since they didn't seem to have a set price for a kids buffet (some restaurants allow kids to eat free), so the waitress said she'd charge me half price, which seemed fair. Unfortunately, my niece didn't like the food and only had about 1/4 cup of noodles and a few slices of carrots.
This has been one of my favorite restaurants in Milwaukee for years. The service is always friendly and they are very concerned with offering a lot of vegetarian options. The lunch buffet is all vegetarian and it's nearly all vegan. Their baba ganouj is the absolute best I've had anywhere in the country (I seek it out) and their hummus and rosewater lemonade are also delicious.
My mom, who is vegetarian, works in this neighborhood and said it's one of the few places that she's found options, so I decided to check it out. While they told me I could leave off the fish sauce and sub tofu for any meat to make it vegan, but I got the impression that the restaurant didn't really care about vegetarians otherwise. I asked why they don't carry veg items on their buffet and they basically laughed at me.
I ordered the pad thai with tofu and no egg. The basic meal was $10 but the waiter said I should get the one with vegetables for $15. I told him that $5 is quite a bit just to add vegetables but he assured me that the portion with veggies is large enough for 2 people so I got it. While the portion was big enough for two people, the dish lacked flavor. It tasted nothing like pad thai, it just tasted like noodles, frozen veggies, and random "East Asian" seasonings.
I also got the fried tofu appetizer, which came with a sweet peanut dipping sauce, which I thought was pretty good.
Overall, this is probably the worst Thai meal I've ever had, but considering there's so few options in West Allis, I would probably go here again if in the area, just because I know they have tofu and veggies.
I'm really happy with how vegan-friendly this place is and how knowledgeable the staff is. I wouldn't say they have a TON of vegan options, but they didn't stop at just having a veggie burger w/ cheese and soy cheese w/ whey, they made sure they are vegan.
I ordered my food to go so I didn't get to appreciate the ambiance but the bar and restaurant seemed really nice. They were spacious w/ a good feel to them, whatever that means. The woman who took my call was very nice and helpful regarding ingredients and plugged my order in a few ways to see which way it would be cheapest.
I ordered the homemade black bean burger w/ vegan cheddar on the pretzel bun. It was alright but I didnt' think it was great. The burger seemed too thick to get any sort of benefit from a quick minute on the grill. My food sat in my car for like 45 minutes before I ate it so that probably didn't help its flavor, but the food itself seemed to lack flavor. Nothing was wrong w/ it, it just didnt' have much dimension. I got the burger w/ potato wedges, which were good but were sort of a small order. That said, the burger was huge and the both items together were only $9.
This place is outstanding. They actually have vegan onion rings, which totally rocks my socks. The onion rings aren't just any old onion rings, they have this thick, rich, beer batter that is just amazing. I also tried the chickpea tapanade, which was good, but unusually healthy, given the other menu choices.
I've tried both the Bodhi burger (w/ the vegan patty), which had chipotlye-tomatillo salsa, avocado and Romaine lettuce--which was delicious, and the sloppy jofu, which was so-so. The latter had a good sauce, but I wasn't expecting huge chunks of tofu in a sloppy joe, so it was a bit disappointing. The beer-battered fries that the burgers come with were also really good, but I hope to try the homemade applesauce next time. They were out of tofu wingers, but I hear they are fantastic.
I hate that they allow smoking, but fortunately, it wasn't too bad on a cold Sunday night. Our waitress was also great, and happened to be vegan, so she told us all her favorite dishes.
I normally wouldn't add a place like Taco John's to VegGuide.org (seems nearly as useless as adding Taco Bell), but I had a really good experience at this particular location. Also, as a former employee of Southridge Mall for 3 years, I know how difficult it is to get veg options there.
I spoke with two managers at this location and they were both VERY accommodating. They explained to me everything that was vegetarian and vegan and even brought me out an allergy guide to look at.
Unfortunately, Taco John's doesn't have any burritos/tacos that are vegetarian or vegan on their own, but they're happy to leave off the meat and cheese and make substitutions. I had a "beef burrito" with no beef or dairy and the manager had the employees put on a bunch of free guacamole since since I didn't have the meat and such. Super nice people there and totally willing to help.
I've always been impressed with how accommodating the staff is and how willing they are to veganize their dishes. I especially like their curries and am always pleased with the portion size. You usually get enough to fill yourself up and take a little snack home with you.
This has got to be the worst Thai food I have ever had in my life. Seriously. My sister warned me that the food was bad, but I was SOOO excited to have a Thai restaurant in Oak Creek (not much around here), and really impressed that they seem to really try to offer vegetarian options that I just HAD to try it. Huge disappointment.
First off, apparently the owners went out of town for four days but only taped up a sign outside, which of course blew away, so I ended up standing around outside the restaurant, wondering why they weren't open. They also have no answering machine to let you know what the hours are or to record when the place will be unexpectedly closed.
I ordered both the pad thai tofu and the volcano tofu. I was pleased that both items were about $1 cheaper than their meat counterparts, even though the menu didn't say the veg option would be cheaper. The pad thai was TERRIBLE. It tasted nothing like pad thai and was barely generic Asian fusion. It was linguini noodles, lime juice, soggy tofu, and what seemed to be an incredible amount of paprika, which I didn't even know went into pad thai. I also had the volcano tofu, which sounded amazing, but apparently they forgot to add the spicy red sauce that usually comes on the side so I got soggy tofu and cabbage. Not spicy and not delicious.
My sister had ordered the volcano chicken before, which she said came w/ a spicy red sauce on top. I had called ahead to make sure the sauce was vegan and could be put on tofu. They said yeah, but then didn't put it on. I ordered it takeout and called when I got home and saw the mistake but they seemed to not believe me at first. Eventually, they said I could come back in the future and get another dish for free. I really don't want any more of their food, but since I was on my way to the airport, I couldn't head back to get a refund instead of credit, which I'm passing on to my sister, who isn't too enthusiastic about it.
First I'll say that I LOVE that they give a discount to cyclists and those utilizing public transporation. Our waitress was also very knowledgeable (likely because she also works at veg-friendly Beans and Barley cafe/grocery) and very willing to ask the kitchen about vegan items.
My first time here, I had the Tutti Vegetariani (mixed veggies and marinara) without cheese and it was pretty good. I was told they vary the veggies and when I had it, it had artichokes and bell peppers, but could definitely have benefitted from olives. I also had the Bob's Special, which has mushrooms, spinach, onion, and avocado. It normally has garlic sauce, but since it's not vegan, we got marinara instead. The pizza would be better with a non-tomato based sauce, but it was still good, and warm avocado on pizza was surprisingly good. I would say I preferred this pizza of the two.
I just ate here again last week and loved the pizza even more. Due to demand, Transfer will begin offering vegan cheese ($1.50 for a small pizza, $2 for a large); and they're deciding between Tease and Follow Your Heart. I happened to go 3 days before they were set to launch the vegan cheese, but they had a sample of Toffuti cream cheese that was sent to them, which they let us try. I'm surprised we were charged for adding the cheese, since they said it was a sample sent to them and that they wouldn't be using it in the future, but I'm glad we were able to try it.
While I would never think to put cream cheese on pizza, I will admit that it was amazing! We had the zucchini pizza, that came w/ fried zucchini, onions and cheese (soy cheese in our case), and we added fried potatoes to it. It was outstanding! We also had some other pizza that had artichokes and onions with soy cheese, and it was really good, but I preferred the former.
I love Vegan Essentials and am so proud that it's from Wisconsin. While I hate that the new location on the northwest side is SOOOO far from most vegans (who live on the southeast side), I'm so happy that their business has allowed them to expand to such a big warehouse that is conveniently located for the owners.
This was my first time in the new location (I loved the storefront of the old location), and it was weird to be walking through an all-vegan warehouse. It was pretty exciting. The staff was really nice and friendly, even though I know we were interrupting them placing orders. I'm really glad they let us visit in person and my mom and I stocked up on our favorite shampoos, vegan cheese, skin cream, and more.
At the last location, it didn't seem to be a big deal for the owners to ring up in-store purchases, but at the warehouse, the woman helping us had to go online and basically search out everything we bought and place the order online for us. She was really nice, even though this must have been annoying. As mentioned in the main description, they strongly encourage people to place orders online then pick them up in person.
I've only been here once but I had a really great dining experience. The ambiance was warm and welcoming and the food was great. I had a fresh tofu clay pot that was simply amazing. I also had spring rolls and tasted a friends' vegan pho soup, which was outstanding. The portions were pretty small but the flavors were delicious. My only complaint would be that the menu is like an encyclopedia so it takes forever to chose what you want.
I'm normally not one to write a review for Whole Foods (they're all pretty much the same) but there are two great things about this particular Whole Foods (the only one in Milwaukee):
1) The ice cream counter always has vegan sorbets (the gelato is NOT vegan)
2) While the pizza counter doesn't have vegan cheese, they will make a pizza using vegan cheese if you buy it and bring it to them
Not bad. Not bad at all.
May 23
I was here about 3 weeks ago so I can't recall exactly which gate it was near, but it was definitely in the Air Tran wing (terminal 2), near the furthest gate. I believe it was B7, but you could just walk toward the last gate and find it on the right side.
This is probably the most vegan-friendly airport food stand I have ever seen, as they had about 6 or 7 different vegan pre-made meals. Unfortunately, they were about $9 each, which I think is way too expensive, even for an airport. If you just need a cheap(ish) snack, they have plenty of fruit, chips, and granola bars.