Name: Veggie Garden
Telephone: +1 650-961-6888
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.55

One of their best-selling dishes, and I understand why! Veggie Garden offers their #veganchicken in a multitude of different styles (lemon, orange peel, orange, general’s, and Hunan, to name just a few,) but I’m such a sucker for #blackpepper that I barely looked twice at the others. Black pepper is up there with black bean sauce as one of my all-time favorite flavors, but I think this dish would be enjoyable even to those who don’t feel quite so passionately. #teamblackpepper #chinese The star of the show is the crisp, bite-sized battered #fakemeat nuggets (made of #soy) enveloped in savory, aromatic pepper sauce. There’s an excellent supporting cast of #vegetables, too: an ample serving of sliced onions, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms helps to round out the plate. According to the menu, they’re not allium-, gluten-, or nut-free, but if you inform the server, they may be able to accommodate you. The amount of protein and vegetables was balanced, in my opinion. It was all incredibly flavorful (maybe a bit on the salty side) — best enjoyed with a side of brown rice! I was happy with the value. $13.95 is pretty affordable for an entree, and the portion was large enough that we ended up with leftovers. I didn’t mind having this again the next day… in fact, I was pretty thrilled!

Black Pepper VG Chicken (黑椒雞)

kyu748 reviews

The classic #chinese #greenbeans dish, now made even tastier with the addition of tender #eggplant! Seems a bit #abillionhacks maybe, but the menu does list them as separate dishes. I think it was about $1 more than the just-beans dish, and so worth the cost to upgrade. Both #vegetables were fresh-tasting and properly cooked in a glossy, savory and slightly sweet brown sauce. Very delicious, but definitely prepared in a more Americanized style. I enjoyed this complementary pairing of vegetables; it’s a great way to add just a little more variety to your plate! #eattherainbow — or, at least, your purples and greens.

Dry Braised String Bean with Eggplant (干煸四季豆茄子)

liberationbby544 reviews

“Soybean strips with bell peppers, bean sprouts, onions and green onions sauteed with special spicy sauce.” —taste was not bad but expected way more veggies!

Mongolian VG Chicken

liberationbby544 reviews

“Stewed brown tofu with mushroom, carrots and baby corns sauteed in black bean sauce.” — okay this was actually simple but so tasty! huge portion, plenty of veggies, & the sauce was a nice kind of savory & slightly sweet ☺️

Tofu Delight

kyu748 reviews

Uncomplicated, delicious, and quite possibly my favorite dish of the night. The tender and chewy flat rice noodles were coated in a delectable #sweetdreamsaremadeofgrease sheen and stir-fried with fresh vegetables (bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, and zucchini,) mushrooms, onions, and fragrant Thai basil leaves. I savored every bite. We forgot to request protein (tofu adds $1) but still came away deeply satisfied — no leftovers! I think these noodles could easily be made gluten-free (if they aren’t already) through the use of tamari; there was a bottle of San-J at every table, which leads me to believe it’d be a painless substitution. One of the cheaper entrees at $10.95, and such a hit with the whole table — I’d be delighted to order it over and over again.

Basil Vegetable Fried Chow Fun (九層素炒粉)

kyu748 reviews

One of those classic #chinese restaurant vegetable dishes! The green beans tasted fresh and crisp; they came tossed in a sticky, garlicky brown sauce that was a tiny bit sweeter than expected. It was a pretty good interpretation, but it doesn’t unseat my absolute favorite (which is, in no particular order, greasier, saltier, spicier, and a good deal more charred!) Veggie Garden has an extensive menu of faux meat dishes, so it’s nice to see that they also live up to their name with a bunch of solid #vegetable offerings.

Dry Braised String Bean (干煸四季豆)

kyu748 reviews

The menu’s description of “soy bean meat with mixed fresh vegetables in special sauce” hardly captures the variety of this jam-packed dish. There was a lot going on at once, to put it mildly. It took me a moment to figure out what the stripey, half-moon-shaped blobs were meant to emulate — they’re #veganshrimp! It was my first time trying them, and while they felt a little mushy, I still thought they were very neat. The dish also featured imitation chicken and beef slices, as well as bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini. There was a bit of an aftertaste to the #mockmeat, but thanks to the generous pool of glossy brown sauce (simultaneously sweet and savory, with loads of minced garlic,) it was hardly noticeable. Although this dish wasn’t one of my all-time favorites, it was still tasty and affordable ($13.95) — like almost everything served at this restaurant. This was my first dinnertime Veggie Garden visit (part of a belated birthday celebration.) I was already familiar with their brisk take-out business, but I was shocked and heartened to see that almost every seat in the small establishment was filled! They efficiently cleared a table for us, though, and we were able to order and eat in a timely manner. This review is getting long, but allow me a little sentimentality. For me, “Happy Family” wasn’t just the dish — it described the whole experience. It was overwhelming, in a good way, to see my family members’ positive reactions: everyone, vegan or not, left full and content. It’s #veganisnotscary moments like this that fill me with hope for the future.

Happy Family (全家福)

kyu748 reviews

My mouth is watering just thinking about this delicious vegan poultry! I ordered carry-out (and it sat in the fridge for a few hours afterward,) so I can’t even imagine how much better it must be fresh. I had only dined at Veggie Garden once (pre-vegan,) and a comped lunch seemed like the perfect excuse to revisit this cozy #chinese eatery. The menu was quite extensive, with a variety of vegetable and protein (mostly soy) options; the food seems affordable overall, especially if you take advantage of their lunch plates. This specialty entree caps the upper end of the price range at $14.95 before tax and tip. The VG duck was succulent, fragrant with five-spice, and nicely presented, even in a plastic to-go box. Although it’s described online as being made of bean curd sheets and shiitake mushrooms, I’d categorize it as true #mockmeat, complete with skin and an almost too-realistic chew. It seems to be more of a braised rather than crispy style — though perhaps the sauce robbed it of its snap in the time between purchase and consumption. Other miscellaneous observations: super efficient service. I ordered through their website and selected pick-up “ASAP;” before I was even in my car, I had a text message telling me my order would be ready within 10 minutes. The restaurant itself was quiet (although I arrived shortly before the 2:30pm lunchtime close) and had a very casual, no-frills atmosphere. I’m very much looking forward to visiting again soon and sharing more vegan gems with everyone!

VG Duck (素鴨)

regimack1,268 reviews

All-vegan Chinese food place. A little under-flavored but still tasty overall.

VG chicken chow fun

Emily166 reviews

Big pile of nicely seasoned salt and pepper tofu, definitely good value and great to share. Didn’t travel as well as I’d hoped, but would definitely try again if I dine in!

Salt and Pepper Tofu

regimack1,268 reviews

I was surprised by the flavor because I always thought a predominant flavor of vegetable fried rice was the egg that's often in it, but that mystery flavor was in this dish and there was no vegan egg in this. They also had chopped cabbage in this, which I found unusual but good. Would probably get this again.