Elliott

Chakra 4 Herb and Tea House in Phoenix/Tempe Metro, Arizona
Oct 8 08

After visiting the latest vegetarian restaurant in the Valley of the Sun, I feel compelled to write about my dining experience. I went to Chakra 4 on a whim, previously holding out because I knew the prices were rather steep. But, finally, I gave in one night because my dining partner didn't want to go to the Vegetarian House because "it (i.e., the food) takes too long." And while we did enjoy the ambiance of the dimly lit room, as well as the taste of our food, we both felt that Chakra 4 is doing very little to advance the world of vegetarian cuisine. There is so much they could be doing with vegetarian ingredients, but instead they've limited their menu to pricey hummus, wraps, and salads. For example, I had the hummus platter consisting of a dollop of regular hummus (aka "golden") and a dollop of black bean hummus. This comes with some crackers (aka "bread") and some veggies. Again, while this tasted fine, my wallet took a nice hit to the the tune of $18 (including tax and tip). Now I don't know about you, but for $18 I think there could be a little more creativity poured into the menu. I'm not sure who conjured up this rather plain and boring menu, but that is what is a little disappointing about this venue. And while it's nice to have another vegetarian restaurant (albeit a cheese-laden one at that) in town, I can't help but feel I won't be going back here unless the menu undergoes some rather extensive revisions.

Vegetarian House in Phoenix/Tempe Metro, Arizona
Aug 31 07

I'm not typically the type of person to give a venue I like (on a scale of 1-10) an automatic "10"; and places I don't like an automatic "1." But I'm giving this restaurant a 10 because it's one of but a few truly vegetarian restaurants in the Phoenix area, and they gets bonus points for that alone. I've eaten here dozens of times, and have been reasonably happy time with the food. Service really does vary; it can be incredibly slow, but not always. And the food can really vary, depending on what you order. Just because you order something that doesn't suit your taste doesn't necessarily mean the other 99+ other things on the menu are equally distasteful. I say that because it's the food that keeps me going back and again and again for more; food that's consistently tasty and predictable in portion size and quality, depending on what you order! And who can beat the prices? Entrees in the $5-6 range? Granted, this place is not a 5-star restaurant, but if you're going into a place like this with that kind of expectations (for entrees that are $5-6), you'll probably be disappointed with everything about this place. Nevertheless, the Vegetarian House is my favorite restaurant in the entire Valley! Try it yourself!