July 31, 2007
It's Not Easy, Being Vegan
As you know, we are certainly not vegan
ourselves.
But, some days, maybe we want a nice plate of veggies, prepared by people who only eat veggies and therefore understand that more options exist than just steamed. People who might even try to be innovative with their vegetables-only lifestyle. Plus, since we're pregnant, we tend to be even more interested in eating veggies lately, not for ourselves, of course -- if it were up to us, we'd just eat meat and cheese all day long, but for the baby...
So that's how we found ourselves at the newest outpost of the Bay Area vegan restaurant chain, Herbivore, now open on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.
We'd read that our colleagues over at the East Bay Express were not terribly impressed with the food, though they gave high marks to the style-y modern design. We, however, remember loving the pesto and roasted vegetables from visits past to the Herbivore on Valencia, so we figured, as long as we avoided the maligned lentil loaf, we could give the Shattuck Avenue site a try.
What did we eat? Read more after the jump...
We ordered the Linguine Prima Vera ($9.75) with roasted vegetables and pesto, substituting rice noodles for regular pasta, because that's what we like, and adding the optional tofu ($1). While the uniform gray-beige of the dish was less than appetizing, the flavor of the pesto was still tasty, lemony, and true to memory. The tofu added a not-unpleasant smokiness.
Our only complaints were that the veggies were not uniformly cooked through (raw eggplant being the least pleasant bite), and that the garlic bread was inexplicably soggy, almost like hot water had been poured on it -- when it easily could and should have been crisp. We also don't recall being served the accompanying salad. Although that may have happened. (We have pregnancy brain, so details do get lost.)
We also somewhat enjoyed our celery, apple, spinach, parsley, mint, ginger and lime drink ($3.25), though would have more-so if it had been served cold. Unfortunately it sat for too long between preparation and delivery. The very nice staff offered us some ice, but we opted not to dilute the juice.
There are many more menu options at this vegan haven: wraps, salads, sandwiches, not to mention vegan desserts, and even vegan cocktails (soy milk "Mad Cow," anyone?). Perhaps what most recommends this place is the effort they make to provide so many cultural variations on the vegetables-only dish.
Are YOU an Herbivore fan on either side of the Bay? Let us know which dishes you like -- or don't -- in the comments field below.
Herbivore
2451 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
(510) 665-1675
Open Sunday through Wednesday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 9 a.m. to midnight
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i've always liked the one on Valencia. the service tends to be really slow but its almost always good. the pad thai is real good as are most of the wraps and sandwiches.
TERRIBLE food. Not edible. A poor excuse for a vegetarian restaurant. Seriously, in a city like SF, with soooo many good options - WHY OH WHY do people keep eating at this place??? I've given it three chances, and the only decent thing on the menu is the tofu sandwich. Everything else is completely bland (with rude service to boot).
In a word: bleh.
For better vegetarian food go to Greens or Atlas cafe or Tu Lan or Yumma's or El Toro or ANY other restaurant in the city...
Herbivore is vegetarian food as imagined by meat eaters. It's as if they took the one token vegetarian meal from every type of cuisine and threw it onto a single menu. Pad thai, sure! Polenta, OK! Beans and rice--are you kidding me?! It's completely uninventive. I don't know any vegetarians that actually go there (myself included), and I feel like it's how meat eaters expect vegetarian food to be: bland, boring, predictable. It certainly doesn't do much to elevate the standards of veggie cuisine in SF, which is sad. If we can't do it here, where can we?
try Golden Era in the TL 572 O'farrell//
Same owners/menu have Golden Lotus 13th and Franklin in Oakland 1 block from BART
or
Enjoy Vegetarian 754 Kirkham at 12th Ave
most stuff is vegan but not all, but all is 100% veggie. no booze.
I go to the one on Valencia a couple times a month. The food is just ok and the service is usually pretty bad. But it's close, it's inexpensive and the food is "comfortable." If I'm left feeling wanting after the meal the chocolate and carrot cakes are always awesome.
You know, normally SFist's use of "we" in every post seems to make sense. However, there are certain times where I wish the posters would just type in first person. "we" are pregnant? "we" tend to be even more interested in eating veggies lately?
As for this restaurant... I have to agree with #2. I was totally unimpressed last time I went.
Oh yeah - they're also the longest running vegan restaurant in that area so gotta give em props for that.
I can't tell you the amount of Vegans I've accidentally got pregnant. Vegans don't have enough protein in their diet to effectively break down most contraceptive pills, hence their high getknockedupability. This of course is something they fail to tell you when you're makin' the sweet lovin'. I should just pay more attention to their shoes, I guess.
Ananda Fuara is *awesome* vegetarian and vegan food (@ Market & Larkin), even if it is run by a cult. They seem to be nice, peaceful cultists who aren't likely to off themselves or anyone else off any time soon. Props to the neatloaf. I'm not a vegetarian, but I'd pick neatloaf over the meaty stuff any day.
ex-vegan here, who hated herbivore when I was vegan (high -- for me, at the time -- prices and mediocre food/portions did not make it a winner, particularly when it's possible to get jay's awesome seitan cheesesteaks right around the corner from both SF locations), and pretty much still hated it post-meatening, which was a problem, as my girlfriend was a fan.
however, I had a friend recommend the shwarma wrap, and ever since then, i won't wince as much at the prospect of eating there (i don't think the service is 'bad', although it is often slow). the tofu sandwich (mentioned above) is also borderline decent and usually what the girl orders.
Herbivore... I'd prefer to eat vegan food... this restaurant is so close to my house... and yet I never go there.
It's terrible. I've tried many different dishes there. The quality is just bad. They have cornered a market in SF and waste the opportunity. Then again, it's always more than half full of people dining so maybe they just don't feel the need to be better.
Amen Iris! Ananda has a varied and invariably tasty veggie and vegan menu! ABSOLUTELY clean--their last restaurant inspection earned a 100 pt rating! Crowds up at lunch, but you can call ahead for to-go. Nice attentive service. Calming atmosphere. Going to Herbivore (at least the San Francisco version) is a waste of a meal. Food is dull, service frustrating.
I think Herbivore is of the 'eating should not be fun' school of veganism.
Had I been subjected to the type of service you detailed in your review, pregnant or not, I would not have paid a cent for my meal.
Head over to a decent Ethiopian restaurant and have yourself a real veggie/vegan meal.
i live by one, too. not vegan but have many vegetarian friends. the last time a group of us ate at the divisadero location, 2 out of 8 people were happy with their dish, and they ordered the same dish. i get it, vegan, easy-going, hemp-wearing. but our server was so stoned that he kept bringing me drinks i never ordered and didn't bring the table a SINGLE drink that anyone DID order.
Vegan here. Herbivore's entrees are almost all disappointing, but their appetizers, desserts, and breakfast options are all fantastic. I've never had any problems with the service.
That photo makes me want to puke. Wait, check that; that photo looks like puke.
Oh, Golden Era hands down for the widest selection and most delicious vegan food.
I agree, never was much of a Herbivore fan, and they have a location a short walk from my house.
I remember loving herbivore way back in 98. Over the years it's just gotten worse and worse (including the service). What gives? It seems every time they add something new to the menu it's even more of let down.
I will say this though, the schwarma, and the new chicken shwarma are both *soooo* good.
fizz and pop:
use your imagination. try a condom, it won't kill you. unlike all those embryos...
Using a condom isn't very Vegan is it? Aren't they made out of squids or something?
obviously none of you have ever tried their soy chicken schwerma. best. fake. meat. ever.
their curries tasted like tumeric and water, the time i had pad thai it was pure vinegar, and their potatoes always gave me a stomach ache. i don't eat here any more but to their credit they do have some decent sandwiches and hard-to-find vegan milkshakes.
try weird fish for breakfast (mission and 18th?) or mekong (o'farrel and larkin) for good vegan thai (and an eccentric waiter).
Haven't been to Herbivore in a while. I'm pretty blah about it, but the wasabi soba noodles get the job done for me. My wife LOVES the lentil loaf, which keeps us coming back.
from poster #23:
also, breakfast? yes please!