Top Vegetarian Restaurant in Palo Alto
sweetgreen
581 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
As always, delicious, fresh, natural food! Many vegan and vegetarian options. The architecture of this Sweetgreen is one of the cutest I have ever been and I love the quiet surroundings. There is public free parking in front of the restaurant and a juice store just around the corner (need to try it out, but it seems like the perfect lunch combination). Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. But, as other people mentioned, did not understand the employees attitude. They are not rude, but very apathetic for a Sweetgreen where one usually finds a lot of friendly faces. But this is just a minor downside, especially when the interaction with employees is just for 1 minute as you build your bowl. I will definitely come back!
Darbar Indian Cuisine
129 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I started going to Darbar right before Covid started, my go to dish has always been the non vegetarian thali. I love that I’m able to try out different items from the menu with just one dish. The malai kofta is wonderful, it’s subtly sweet and savory with the lamb. I’m so glad they started doing dine in again! The staff is always kind and asks me how I’m doing. When it’s not so busy they’ll chat with me if I’m waiting for my take out. Rather than just ignoring me like other restaurants I go to. Darbar is my go to Indian restaurant, I’ve tried many Indian restaurants in the Bay Area. They can’t beat Darbar’s quality and price for what you get!
True Food Kitchen
180 El Camino Real Ste 1140, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
Fantastic restaurant that offers quite a number of delicious options. We tried the ancient grains bowl and the Korean bowl. The ancient grains bowl was fantastic and had so many flavor profiles. It looked very catchy and every bite was umami.I went to the Palo Alto location on a busy Saturday afternoon for lunch. Though the wait was initially 45 mins, they were able to accommodate me in 20. Its a pretty large restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating area and is quite lively.There are many vegetarian and vegan options as all.The only downside is the cost. The bowls do not come with protein and even a handful of chopped tofu is 5 dollars extra. For this reason alone, this cannot be your regular weekend Haven. It can easily cost you 30 plus per person.
Ikes Love & Sandwiches
401 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Ive been to this location for a year, working in the area. Been here once since they revamped the store. Its the same as before.The food is okay and above average in some cases, would be my go to spot for sandwiches at a reasonable price in Palo Alto. However, the service is lackluster to barren. There usually 2 or 3 people working there, one of which seems like a manager and the two others usually a seasonal teen or young adult. The orders can take a long time as a result and they dont have a system to handout sandwiches in a timely manner.For instance, I like to order in advance on the phone. Whenever I come there, my order is usually ready but they make no effort to show it. Id keep looking at their done sandwich shelf, seeing others get their orders first, while mine is on a hidden shelf. Because theres little staff, its hard for me to ask for that shelf. The last time I tried walking to the shelf, I got yelled at and didnt eat there for a few months. I see nothing much has changed while I waited an additional 20min in the store for my cold order while there is a wave of bodies walking in, ordering, and getting theirs first.Laslty, the place is kinda filthy. I locked eyes with one of the seasonal young adults that dropped sliced deli meats on the floor, picked it up and used it for a sandwich. The teen in the front for the orders will drop online receipts from online orders, so their orders might be missed as a result.All in all, its an Ikes, its got the decent selection and ingredients, just really held back from the staff. YMMV, this is my experience from a somewhat patient person whos ordered from a multitude of online food apps.
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Namaste Indian Cuisine
447 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
We stumbled upon this place when looking for a good Indian restaurant that doesn’t serve same taste through all dishes and I am glad we chose this place absolutely delightfully different.The paneer shashlik was beautifully served with a side of 3 types of sauces the paneer was bit hard and not well marinated but the presentation was good.Then came the mix veg in coconut milk absolutely fantastic and flavourful. The malai kofta was a bit on the sweeter side but totally delicious. The garlic naan was decent. The mix veg came with a side of white rice, the rice was hard to chew.The staff was very very attentive, what really touch my heart was I requested for warm water and the person attending us got the 1st time and after a while. She was so kind and attentive she got another set of warm water glasses and I really appreciate that kinda attention.Apparently while chatting with the host we got to know the place is starting new and they really go the extra mile to get along the customer.The best part is there are a lot of options for vegetarians. The place is totally worth going again and again.
Rara
201 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
We were in Palo Alto for a day and came across Rara, a Nepalese restaurant with amazing reviews and so we had to try it and it certainly did not disappoint.We were greeted by Supriya who took our order and explained everything we asked about thoroughly and patiently. Even when she had to go in the kitchen to clarify a few items for us, she kept a smile on her face throughout.We went for almost everything she recommended which were the cauli 8848 and akbare chicken wings for appetisers. They were a little spicy, nothing we couldn't handle, but caution for people who do not take spice well. Overall to us, it was well balanced and we could not stop raving about the flavors.Then came the Momo which we had read in another yelp review claiming that it was the best in the Bay Area, and though I have not tried many, I must say, this was delicious. There were so many types of momo styles to choose from, but we chose the tomato sesame soup in lieu of the cold weather and it felt like a nice warm hug.To keep the experience super authentic, we ordered the dal bhat khana with meat set which we were told is what the locals would usually eat. It is basically a rice platter that comes with dal (lentil soup), meat curry (we chose fish), spinach, fried okra, pickled radishes, tomato chutney and papad (lentil chips). The flavour combinations were interesting and you definitely get some umami out of this. I would say it's value for money because you get one spiced tea or buttermilk drink to try and a dessert at the end.It was paired with shikarni which is a creamy, rich, and decadent dessert made up of hung yoghurt, pistachios, sugar and spices. I believe traditional shikarni does not contain cream cheese from what I've read, but this one did and it totally elevated the dish.We even had the chance to speak to the restaurant manager, Ishav, who shared that this restaurant is only 3 months old but we were surprised to see operations run so smoothly and food tasting like perfection like as if they'd been open for a long time. There is a sense of synergy between everyone who works there, because they come from the same community, everyone is either family or is treated like family in the team and it definitely translates into their food & service.Their mission is to share their cuisine with others and the large, beautiful pictures of Rara lake & mountains is put up in order to invoke curiosity and interest in Nepal as a tourist destination. With that said, the calm music and ambient lighting could mentally transport one to such a place.I would totally come back here again for more! Thank you for the warm hospitality Supriya, Anis, Ishav, and chefs!
Oklava Cafe
205 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I had my first Turkish dessert here. Not only were there sooo many flavors and different kinds to choose from, but their service was immensely appreciated and helpful. I chose the pistachio square, which is their bestseller. I wish every Turkish dessert is like the ones I can find in Oklava Cafe. Will definitely be coming back for presents too.(Edit)I am crying with gratitude and appreciation for the owner and manager at the Oklava Cafe. ?❤️ I first want to express immense gratitude for the person in charge of Google chat who replied at midnight to my desperate chat to find a lost notepad that I had left in the cafe the previous day.❤️ My second gratitude goes to the manager helped me find my most precious notepad, he even offered me a free oat latte with a warm “have a nice day”.This was all so unexpected. I had to leave at 9am for the airport back to Korea after a 2 week-long stay in Palo Alto. I was ready to let go and admit my loss, but then I got the reply back from the cafe at 8:30am that they had it. I had to cancel numerous uber rides which cost me more than $25, but it was so worth it. This notepad contained everything from this trip. I am so glad and thankful that I found it the morning I am flying back to Korea.
LeQuy
3906 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
Seeing a Vietnamese restaurant with such high number of stars piqued our interest. I think it is worth it. Being vegetarian I had the veg banh mi and it was one of the best Ive had, the bread appeared fresh baked so it isnt hard and scratch my mouth like many I have had before, and yet it is still very crunchy but not flaky. Its near perfect. My wife had the clay pot rice and it was very flavorful. My daughter has the salmon rice and it was very nicely grilled with a slight crunchy outside. It could have been cooked less to retain more moisture tho. The menu is slightly more expensive then your usual vietnamese joint but given the location and decor you get what you paid for. Well be back to try other items!
Jimmys Cafe
4131 El Camino Real #100, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
We very much enjoyed our meal at Jimmys cafe! This restaurant is super clean, staff is incredibly kind and attentive, and the food is excellent! We had the gyro box and the meat was tasty and very well prepared. The falafel box was equally delicious! Their rice desert was out of this world!Absolutely loved this place! Mediterranean food at amazingly affordable prices for the area!!! I highly recommend it, please visit it, youll love it too!Cannot wait to be back!P.S. I learned that they do company caterings, and more!
Meyhouse
640 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
We had a wonderful evening full of smiles,laughs and amazing food. We dined at 5:15 and it was already busy. Our waiter was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. He gave great advice on how many dishes we might want. We started of with the Domates Roka salad, it was light and refreshing. The bread and dipping sauce was delicious. We then had the Turkmen Mantisi which was the dish that made me book our reservation as I had to try it. I love manti and this is the big brother version. It was incredible!! The garlic yogurt sauce is so good Id be happy with just that and the bread, but it pairs perfectly with the delicate but flavorful dumplings. It was so good we had a second order of them! We had the borek which were crispy and flavorful, my favorite was the cheese. My fiancé loved the Alinazik, (I had a bite but smoked flavors are hard for me). The meat was so tender and the smoked eggplant labne was creamy and rich. We had 1 cocktail each. I had the cos-MEY-politan which was a little small for my liking but it was very good. Fiancé had the Cappadocia which was also delicious. We finished our meal with some of the best baklava and Turkish coffee. Who I believe was the manager came to check how our meal was and we had a wonderful talk about the evolution of manti. The food took me right back to my favorite dishes I had while in Turkey. A wonderful evening. We will be back!