`\|
Reviews written by `\|
never had their coffee, but i did like the vegan plate i got that had cornbread, chili, and some greens (wouldnt exactly call it a salad, tho!) prices are a bit high and portions small, which is often the case in a coffee shop cafe.
Good food, BUT everything is served on styrofoam, plastic and tin foil, even when you are eating in the restaurant. I feel that they should at least use biodegradable dishes if not washable, permanent plates. If you agree, consider letting them know in person or by phone: 612-788-4571
cafe mac has definitely improved over the last couple of years for vegan and vegetarian options; it seems that on most nights, more than half of the food is vegetarian, which is great. the downsides include the price (if you arent a student, i believe it comes to around $11 to get in for dinner) and also that the food is generally overcooked and over-warmed. the way mass amounts of food in a cafeteria are...but slightly better than most colleges. still, probably not worth the money nor the alienating experience if you are not a macalester student.
Best part about this stand are the condiments!!
Lots of different pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, ramp mustard, daikon. cool stuff
we went to the buffet a couple months ago, and it was one of the worst experiences...yes, the service was nice, one woman who sat at a table making it just us and her in the entire restaurant on a saturday at lunch. the emptiness shouldve been a sign. the second we walked up to the buffet line, i got the feeling that this wasnt a good idea, but i was too embarassed to walk out. we took the plunge instead, and put four different kinds of slop on our plates, each one tasting just as bland as the next. we managed to eat a couple plates for our $10 (yikes) and then moaned all the way home, where we then passed out, literally, then reawoke with terrible headaches. it was the kind of reaction i would get from eating food with msg. and as far as fresh or frozen goes, i was convinced that everything came from cans or the freezer, and none of it was even heated very well. i just dont understand the positive reviews for this place, its like we ate at separate restaurants.
the food is always amazing and never disappoints. i know a main complaint is with the prices; dont be discouraged by a $13 plate because most of them are large enough to be shared. for example, the tostadas, flaxjack pancakes, rawmletes come in pairs, and the other dishes are heaping helpings that can satisfy more than one person. for a light meal, even the cashew cheese log (at $8) can be shared, or try getting a couple smoothies ($4-5). dont forget to check for daily specials, including delicious desserts and sauerkraut / kim chi!
i have liked evergreen for a while now. i used to love getting dishes like lemongrass mock beef and the wheat gluten with spicy pickled vegetables (this one is so good and unlike any other dish ive ever had). i ate there today for the first time since pursuing a raw diet, and i was still satisfied by the cold appetizer selection. the lotus, which is not on the menu, was so lovely and gingery. the seaweed knots with ginger and garlic are excellent, too. both dishes were $1.75 and enough food for me! it is a great restaurant to go if in a group with meateaters and fellow vegetarians and vegans.
hard times has been my favorite restaurant in the twin cities for a couple years. the excellent vegetarian / vegan food and extremely reasonable prices make it somewhere i like to eat again and again. i went last weekend for the first time since becoming a raw food enthusiast, and i was at first nervous because i couldnt get my favorite sandwiches (the reuben or the banh mi, which is soooooo good) and the wonderful vegan baked goods (they also have 1/2 price ones that are only a day old and still tasty). but i ordered the garden salad, and at first i was only given a small bowl that lacked all the vegetables as stated on the menu. i was disappointed that this salad cost $5. i wasnt sure what to do at first, but i went back up to the counter and politely asked if it was the correct salad, and the cook was so nice to fix it right away and without a bad attitude at all. anyway, theres been a lot of reviews lately saying that the workers are rude, and i have never found that to be the case. my most recent visit proved very enjoyable and my interaction with the staff was certainly pleasant.
went back a second time and had the buffet; best in the cities! very inexpensive at $7.75, and over half the options were vegetarian, many vegan. there was an okra and green bean dish that was just delicious, and even the salad offering was way above average for a buffet. i will be going here lots for lunch.
i went to jakeeno's tonight for a salad. the counter staff were very nice and helpful. i got the first salad on the menu with baby greens, walnuts, and balsamic. they were happy to substitute the asiago for mushrooms (or another veg of my choice). $7 for a large salad that was filling and pretty tasty, although next time i will request dressing on the side. im not a pizza nor pasta eater, so i can only recommend the salad.
The Banh Mi is okay, though it isn't filling. Without knowing how this sandwich "should" taste, I prefer the Hard Times Cafe version.
Other than that, I've only tried mock duck noodle salad ($7.44). Delicious. I wasn't too excited about this place after trying to make a meal out of the sandwiches, but this salad has got me interested in the rest of the menu. Compared to nearby restaurants of similar fare (Quang, Pho tau bay), Jasmine deli is far better without being more expensive.
they recently began carrying a raw pie in the deli section that is just marvellous! also have, from what i can tell, the best organic young coconut water in a co-op, the edward & sons one; it comes in a can and isnt actually owned by pepsi or hersheys. there are actually a lot of vegan baked goods, including the quick breads that arent labelled as such. what else? some of their prices, such as on produce, are a bit lower than the wedge, and they also have some different fruits & veg. my main complaint is the bulk, where they carry bergin co nuts.
the sushi at midori's is honestly the best ive ever had in the twin cities, and possibly the best i've had outside of japan. i know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it was just marvelous. i was also so pleased to see mugicha (roasted barley tea) on the menu, as well as onigiri (rice balls). the onigiri are cheap, too. they also have mochi ice cream, for those of you not vegan; i used to love that stuff! anyway, excellent menu and variety of foods. we got so full because we just wanted to eat everything! lastly, if you tell your server you are vegan, they are very accommodating. we ordered the chef's selection of veg sushi, and we didnt get anything with egg since we said we are vegan. very nice servers.
i had heard around that this place is good. much to our disappointment, the food at pho tau bay turned out to be low-quality and the vegetarianness questionable. my pho, which was the first or second dish listed under veg section, tasted fishy. the vegetables were not fresh at all, the mock duck was soggy and bland, and the broth didnt have that wonderful taste so unique to vietnamese soup; certain spices were missing, and instead it tasted oily. the place was pretty inexpensive considering how much food one gets. my one pho could have fed me for three meals, but i ended up leaving my leftovers on the street for someone else, since i didnt want to eat it again. disappointing
we had a dessert from here, the mung bean with coconut cream, that was good. we went back for lunch and had veg spring rolls, which were bland and pretty uninspired. probably the dipping sauce had fish in it, or it tasted funny. for entree, we shared the veg stir fry dish with rice. it was a lot of food, but it tasted mainly of oil and the carrots were overcooked, the tofu was spongy and yellow (not really fried), and it seemed like the cook didn't care. we got another dessert, which was some spongy bread that had a coconut flavor and almost bouncy texture. this was good, as was the first dessert we had from there. but clearly the main dishes are lacking in taste and quality.
rustica's loaves are certainly delish. the multigrain rolls are so good, pumpkin seeds! i wouldnt recommend the pastries, though, which are full of butter and eggs and cream, anyway.
edit: the olive loaves and fruit & nut bread are also amazing and vegan.
ive never been that impressed with seward cafe. as a big fan of hardtimes, i would much rather go there if i have my choice. although i like the quality of food and how seward operates (as a collective), i find the food a bit bland. rice and beans for $3 is pretty awesome, though, and you can add a tortilla for .50...theres a cheap, healthy burrito! but as far as certain breakfast items go, especially the biscuits and gravy, hardtimes has seward beat. my favorite dish at seward is the tempeh-lettuce-tomato sandwich with vegannaise. the steamed vegetables and rice plate is a good, simple way to go, too.
best: jupiter bars, peanut butter cups
worst: prices, smallish menu, blandy
food that is pretty gross and definitely overpriced. i could make the same things at home for a lot less, and it would probably be healthier. and vegetarian. i am convinced that the food i had was cooked right next to some bacon; it tasted like it. i feel kind of sick in my stomach now. i guess thats why they have pepto bismol available in the bathroom vending machine...
from what i could tell, from the day-old muffins we had...one of each flavor: cornmeal blueberry, multigrain cranberry, the smart, and pumpkin...they were pretty good! a little dry, but thats to be expected. the multigrain is the moistest and really great; the smart seemed the driest and kind of bland, and the other two were just fine :)
the food was quite yummy, and my only complaint would be with the quantity and price. my partner got the $8 burrito, which was a lot of food and could easily be shared; definitely the best value on the menu from what we experienced. the cashew sour cream is also sooo good. my collard wrap came with the sour cream and that was probably the best part about the dish. for $10, you get two small wraps, not enough for a meal. it does taste very fresh and nice, though, and the cashew hummus is delicious. my mom got one of the bowls, and the ginger sauce was great, but for $8 you just get a bowl of rice, beans, and kale; i think it could have used some more vegetables. anyway, everything tasted great and the atmosphere wasnt that bad, contrary to what i had heard. i didnt mind the nearby yoga studio and the counter staff seemed friendly enough.
i have been here twice. the first time was a year ago and i got the sauerkraut and the sunflower cheeze; both were really good, although it was pretty expensive (maybe $10 total for about 1/2 lb of each). today i went in and was pleasantly surprised that the pizzas were on sale for $3 a slice, normally $6 a slice. well, i dont even think what i got was worth that...it was pretty dry and extremely bland, and had barely any toppings. ive had much better raw pizza (ecopolitan in mpls). but the salad bar at papa g's is pretty great, and the raw dressing of the day--strawberry vinegarette--was delicious. we also got the housemade strawberry kefir, which tasted yummy and had a light carbonation. overall, i like papa g's and the food available, but it does tend to be a bit spendy and i wouldnt recommend the pizza.
1. the produce section is great, it seemed to be all organic, and they have a reduced area (something i love in a co-op). the prices were very fair, we got avocados for $.99 ea! 2. excellent bulk section with some different things...many kinds of seaweed, raw nuts, everything is clearly labeled where it came from, organic, raw, etc. and they provide used but clean containers to fill up. 3. so many raw foods, many of which are local, also lots of different kinds of kombucha, again many local ones. there is even bulk kombucha, $3.99/lb! this co-op is not very large, but it has so much to offer, lots of local items and unique finds. very fun to shop around.
my favorite restaurant in portland, by far! they have the best reuben and also tempeh-lettuce-tomato with bacon-style tempeh. i have only had the sandwiches, maybe three times, and they are winners. ranks up there with a personal fav, minneapolis's hard times cafe, which is very similar in food and operation
i was a little disappointed. maybe because we came in at around 1 pm, and the vegan baked treats were running a bit low and werent as fresh? i dont know. but we got the carrot cupcake, a chocolate and vanilla cupcake, and a whoopie cake. the cupcakes were rather dry and not very flavorful, and the whoopie cake was fun but just rather sugary. still, it was fun to go in and know that everything was vegan, and they dont even have to put a "v" label or anything. i almost had to ask to make sure the cheesecake didnt have dairy :)
a nice idea, but it kind of makes it seem like vegan food is all snacks and unhealthy replicas of nonvegan food, like twinkies, donuts, and pizza...well, at least instead of calling it a grocery store, they could call it more of a convenience store like the vegan one in portland.
Ratings Without Reviews
- 360 Gourmet
in MSP - Minneapolis / St. Paul, Airports:
- Walmart Supercenter
in Marshall, Minnesota:
- Good Earth Food Co-op
in Saint Cloud, Minnesota:
- River Market Community Cooperative
in Stillwater, Minnesota:
- Acadia Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Akshay-paatram
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- The Bad Waitress
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Birchwood Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Black Sea Restaurant
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Cafe Agri
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Cafe Latte
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Caffrey's Deli and Subs
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Chipotle
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Clicquot Club Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Dulono's Pizza
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Dunn Bros Coffee - West Lake
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Everest on Grand
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Falafel King
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Fasika
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- French Meadow Bakery and Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Fuji-Ya
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Galactic Pizza
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Gandhi Mahal
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Gigi's Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Heartland
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Korea Restaurant
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- La Bodega
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Lotus Restaurant
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- May Day Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Mesa Pizza By The Slice
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Midtown Global Market
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Midtown Produce Exchange
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Mississippi Market - Selby Ave
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Noodles and Company - Highland Park
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Noodles and Company - West Bank
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Pad Thai Grand Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Passage To India
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Pizza Luce
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Pizza Nea
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Q Cumbers
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Saji-Ya
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Sample Room
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Sawatdee Bar & Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Seward Co-op
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- True Thai
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- The Vegetarian
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Victor's 1959 Cafe
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- The Wedge Co-op
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Wienery
in Twin Cities, Minnesota:
- Alberta Co-op Grocery
in Portland, Oregon:
- Food Fight!
in Portland, Oregon:
- Food Front Cooperative Grocery
in Portland, Oregon:
- Food Front Hillsdale
in Portland, Oregon:
- The Healthy Bread Store: Dave's Killer Bread
in Portland, Oregon:
- New Seasons Market - Lake Oswego
in Portland, Oregon:
- Proper Eats Market and Cafe
in Portland, Oregon:
- Voodoo Doughnut
in Portland, Oregon:
- Flying Apron Bakery
in Seattle, Washington:
- My Sweet Lord's Cafe
in Seattle, Washington:
Feb 19
I asked an employee which brand of veggie burgers they use and he checked and then told me, "Morning Star Farms Garden Veggie burgers." This particular burger contains EGG WHITES and CALCIUM CASEINATE and is therefor not vegan. The menu says that the veggie burgers served at French Meadow are their "own special recipe" and can be made vegan if you order them without cheese.
Please call them at the number listed above and ask them to switch to a burger that is actually vegan.