SFist: It's Not Easy, Being Vegan

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:01:37 -0800

from poster #23: also, breakfast? yes please!

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:09:27 -0800

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.

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:05:30 -0800

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).

guest

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:09:00 -0800

obviously none of you have ever tried their soy chicken schwerma. best. fake. meat. ever.

fizzandpop

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:09:18 -0800

Using a condom isn't very Vegan is it? Aren't they made out of squids or something?

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:40:06 -0800

fizz and pop: use your imagination. try a condom, it won't kill you. unlike all those embryos...

p940e

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:58:18 -0800

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.

aj

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:53:27 -0800

I agree, never was much of a Herbivore fan, and they have a location a short walk from my house.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:51:03 -0800

Oh, Golden Era hands down for the widest selection and most delicious vegan food.

Jas

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:48:29 -0800

That photo makes me want to puke. Wait, check that; that photo looks like puke.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:05:21 -0800

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.

Kay

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:56:40 -0800

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.

Ginger

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:07:30 -0800

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.

Ciaran

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:49:36 -0800

I think Herbivore is of the 'eating should not be fun' school of veganism.

City Dweller

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:24:54 -0800

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.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:15:18 -0800

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.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:08:38 -0800

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.

iris

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:56:51 -0800

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.

fizzandpop

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:49:29 -0800

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.

SanFranCitizen

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:44:05 -0800

Oh yeah - they're also the longest running vegan restaurant in that area so gotta give em props for that.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:43:32 -0800

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.

SanFranCitizen

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:42:39 -0800

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.

mariconsoy

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:41:52 -0800

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.

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:38:17 -0800

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?

guest

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:23:52 -0800

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...

joe

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:11:15 -0800

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.