Veganic Thai Cafe
About
Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian
Price Range : $11-30 ($$)
Location
Adress: 1417 A University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: (619) 230-5540
Work Hours
Business info
- turned_in_notHealth ScoreA
- turned_in_notVegan OptionsYes
- list_altTakes ReservationsYes
- directions_carDeliveryYes
- move_to_inboxTake-outYes
- credit_cardAccepts Credit CardsYes
- thumb_upGood ForLunch, Dinner
- local_parkingParkingStreet
- directions_bikeBike ParkingYes
- turned_in_notWheelchair AccessibleYes
- accessibilityGood for KidsYes
- groupGood for GroupsYes
- insert_emoticonAmbienceCasual, Classy
- volume_upNoise LevelAverage
- local_barAlcoholBeer & Wine Only
- turned_in_notGood For Happy HourNo
- transit_enterexitOutdoor SeatingYes
- wifiWi-FiNo
- tvHas TVYes
- turned_in_notDogs AllowedNo
- turned_in_notWaiter ServiceYes
- fastfoodCatersYes
- turned_in_notGender Neutral RestroomsYes
Reviews
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Joy J.
This is our new favorite restaurant. I barely know where to start. First - the staff was so warm and welcoming...and personable. We appreciated the excellent service. Do not interpret this to mean the food came fast - delicious fresh food is not fast.
So secondly, we sat outside (you can bring your dogs) and it was so relaxing and fun. We weren't trying to race through our night, so we were happy the food didn't come in 5 minutes.
OK the food. I could cry, it was so good. We stopped eating Thai food when we became vegan. I've been vegetarian most of my life and never knew that the Thai dish I used to eat with mock duck wasn't even vegetarian (apparently all Thai restaurants use fish sauce) ...
We ordered Panang curry with mock duck, and Som Tom (a green papaya salad with peanuts and vegetables) and shared them. We would have ordered spring rolls if the portion size was small. But these two dishes would have fed three people. We took food home with us. And we were having so much fun, we ordered dessert.
The dessert deserves it's own paragraph. They have vegan ice cream with fried banana. The ice cream was so good, if you served it to a non-vegan, they wouldn't know it was made from coconut cream instead of dairy. Both texture and flavor were perfect, and the fried bananas were fantastic, and a perfect compliment to the ice cream.
Whether you are vegan or not - if you like Thai food, this is the place. It would be fun to go there just for dessert too. I don't have pictures of the food because we were having such a good time, I never took my phone out. Enough said ... -
Nini T.
This is definitely my favoritest Thai place and it's completely vegan!!!
I took my family here and they're omnivores yet they loved it! We had the cheese wontons, pumpkin curry, yellow curry and pad thai. They were all very flavorful and delicious! Nothing disappointed.
Not only that, but their service was outstanding! Constant checkups and water refills. Our waiter was lovely.
Interior was modern with a bit of traditional thai artwork. Very comfortable and clean. -
Kevin K.
I highly suggest trying this place if you want to experience good vegan food, plus it's good for animal welfare and the environment! The food is surprisingly good and reasonably priced. The interior is pretty too.
For the meat substitutes, you can get mock meats or tofu. I personally liked the steamed tofu as the meat substitute. I've had a lot better mock meats, but if you haven't, it's worth a try!
The Satay peanut sauce is great. The steamed tofu has a nice marinade similar to the traditional chicken skewers but the texture doesn't work as well as real chicken. However, the taste (on the exterior of the tofu) is on point.
The pineapple fried rice is really good. The tofu works very well as a chicken substitute. However, I think the dish is a bit light on the spices compared to other restaurants. This may be due to the dish being lighter because of the presence of tofu instead of chicken.
The pad thai is too sweet. It's good but the sweetness throws the taste off. I would not recommend this dish. I suspect it may be due to the lack of meat but I'm not sure.
Not pictured are curry rice dishes I had the first time I tried this restaurant. The curry is good but be careful of the spice level you choose; they tend to be on the spicier side.
Overall, this place is surprisingly good for a vegan restaurant. Compared to other Thai restaurants, this place can stand on its own, but the vegan aspect really pushes it to the next level. Must try! -
Andrew G.
We had a delicious lunch of fried tofu drunken noodles and pumpkin curry. The drunken noodles were everything you look for from drunken noodles spicy sweet silky and smoky. The pumpkin curry was also awesome it's hard for me to pass on pumpkin curry whenever I see it on the menu.
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Meghna B.
Excellent vegan Thai cuisine... delicious, fresh, flavorful and spicy (as you like it). We are visiting from Sacramento and it was our 1st visit here today for lunch. The staff (server) was friendly and gave wonderful recommendations especially with the spice level You must try their coconut vegan icecream....soo creamy and sweet (but not saccharine). Definitely recommend this place!