Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Vegetarian Options in Vancouver


Zucchini Mama

Recommended Posts

Vegetarian Alert!

I had a really lovely lunch at the Dharma Kitchen on 3667 West Broadway (near Alma). It was just the quiet respite I needed as an antidote to Christmas shopping craziness. The decor is simple, but done in bold jewel tones. I'm so glad that restaurants are getting past dusty rose of days gone by! I had a "Free Tibet Bowl" with the best tempeh I have ever eaten. It's got a nice vinegar kick. The bowl is brown basmati rice with a homemade tahini sauce, topped with steamed ginger, sunflower seeds the tempeh and sunflower sprouts. The tahini could have been kicked up a notch, as the rice itself is quite bland, but as long as you had the ginger or the tempeh with the rice it was delicious. The chai was cinnamon-centric, steamed soya milk-based and sweetened with honey. I think there may have been a touch of rosewater in it. There was definitely a secret ingredient. There is one server and one cook. The radical vegans at the table next to me talked loudly of their plans to sabotage the Vancouver restaurant that serves horse meat.

The server was such a lovely person. When he took my order he just looked so delighted. Wow. It is just so inspiring to such genuine happiness. Priceless. They are on the route to UBC, but it's too bad they weren't right on campus, because they would thrive there. I hope they do well.

Note that they have just the kind of spicy rice pudding I've been searching for and I was too full to try it, so I will be back soon!

Zuke

Edited to add: The other night our family went to the monthly Ukrainian dinner on W10th. They have a vegetarian option which I ordered (and then had them pour those lovely bacon and onion drippings on top)! I noticed there were a lot of teeny tiny babies at the dinner. For those of you with wee bairns, this is a great place for a night out with the family. No dinner in January due to it being Ukrainian Christmas, but there is a special Ukrainian Christmas buffet event that you can book tickets for in advance.

Edited by Zucchini Mama (log)

"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."

--Mae West

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Zuke, there's East is East which is located at 3243 West Broadway. It serves Middle Eastern fare; though not exclusively vegetarian, it has lots of non-meat options. Your little one would love their smoothies.

Just upstairs from East is East is its sister restaurant, Chai Gallery. Street address is 3239 West Broadway. Its menu features Ayurvedic cooking with Middle Eastern influences. Click here for a review of Chai Gallery on vancouveryoga.com.

There's also Yogi's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine at 1408 Commercial Drive. Excellent pakoras. One of my favourite dishes is their Aubergine Chana, which is essentially a combination of chana masala and eggplant bhartha served atop naan.

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The radical vegans at the table next to me talked loudly of their plans to sabotage the Vancouver restaurant that serves horse meat.

I wouldn't think they'd have the strength! :laugh: Seriously though ... can't we all just get along?

I see Moosh has mentioned Yogi's ... their Tandoori-Cauliflower is really awesome. Problem is I always end up dropping by Memphis Blue for my protein fix afterwards.

Pretty much any Indian restaurant can handle the needs of the few vegetarians I know.

A.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's also Yogi's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine at 1408 Commercial Drive.  Excellent pakoras.  One of my favourite dishes is their Aubergine Chana, which is essentially a combination of chana masala and eggplant bhartha served atop naan.

I second this recommendation. Yogi's is really tastey and the host/hostess are super nice. I need to go back.

"There are two things every chef needs in the kitchen: fish sauce and duck fat" - Tony Minichiello

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another great place for a quiet vegetarian lunch is The Red Sea Café: Authentic Eritrean and Ethiopian Cuisine at 670 East Broadway (near Fraser). The prices have gone up since I was last there, but 11$ plus tip can get you a choice of four vegetarian dishes of your choice and plenty of injera. The meal is huge, too. I end up taking a large part of it home. The flavours are nuanced so that every bite is a revelation. Who knew that kale could taste this good?

I did hear the bleeps of the microwave that make my heart sink, but hey this is one case where the food still has tons of flavor in spite of the heating method. It's slow food for fast times. If you want the slow-cooked version without the quick reheat, you have to make a night of it at Fasil just a few doors down. I went to a birthday there once, where with about twenty people you can basically fill one long communal table at the restaurant and have a lot of fun and good food. Murrils did a good review of The Red Sea Café in the Georgia Straight.

Zuke

"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."

--Mae West

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm as carnivourous (sp?) as they come but I was pleasantly surprized when I checked out Habibi's located on 1128 W.Broadway. They serve Lebanese inspired vegetarian foods (I was told absolutely no meat was used by the servers).

Habibi's

It's a very tapas oriented cuisine but I'd recommend it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

And of course there's foundation on Main @ 7th. Expanding "soon" to add the space next door. I don't know how they ran a restaurant on those apartment stoves.

Great food, but a bit busy & loud on weekend evenings. I wish they'd add some menu choices, too--I've gone there so much I've eaten through everything.

Around the corner on 8th is Wink, a nice space that's a lot quieter.

And finally, budgie's burritos, around the corner on kingsway. Burritos like I used to get in SF. Death to the faux "wrap" places!

k

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Zuke, I think you already saw my post in the 'Main Street' thread about 'Best Quality Sweets and Restaurant' (all-vegetarian, south Main south of 49th), but for anyone else who hasn't seen it, HERE'S THE LINK. The only problem I have with the place after two tries is the decor. It's as much worse than the All India as the food is better. However it's still worth staying to eat, since it's only eating 'in' that you rrrrreeeeeeaaaalllllllly appreciate the superior freshness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's also Yogi's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine at 1408 Commercial Drive.  Excellent pakoras.  One of my favourite dishes is their Aubergine Chana, which is essentially a combination of chana masala and eggplant bhartha served atop naan.

Yogi's was my favorite restaurant to dine at regularily when I was living on Commercial. Now on main, there is Foundation and of course the well known Bo Kong . Anyone know if Wink is veggie as well?

"There are two things every chef needs in the kitchen: fish sauce and duck fat" - Tony Minichiello

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with many of the above , natch!

We, vegan daughter and non vegan mama, eat often at the Eatery on 9th - great, fun, youthful sushi, Connie's on 4th - fresh and spunky flavours, Feenie's whips up an amazing pasta for her,there's a fun 'buddha' restaurant on 9th almost at Alma - great bowls, Havana adapts readily, and O'Doull's has provided her with the most memorable fancy dinners ever.

Interesting because the "best" experiences for her are evenly split between places that cook veg/vegan only, and the larger, well equipped/trained kitchens who respond with enthusiasm and energy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...