| Berkeley |
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Herbivore  
 based on 19 member reviews
2451 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley California
94704
510-665-1675
Type: Vegan, Organic, American, International, Juice bar, Beer/Wine, Take-out
Info: Berkeley vegan restaurant. Serving contemporary vegetarian cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Wide range of offerings from fresh squeeze juices and pancakes, to sandwiches, salads, main entrees, and cocktails. Casual, modern decor. Also 2 locations in San Francisco city. Open Sun-Thur 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm. Accepts credit cards. Price: Moderate.
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| "Great food. Great service."
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 |
Review: I was recently at the Herbivore in San Francisco for a morning brunch. I was impressed with all four of our meals (we shared). The price was fair, service was very good, all in all a good experience. I will definitely go back when we are back in SF.
Pros: great food * friendly staff * little waiting
Cons: * * |
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| "The Thrill is Gone"
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My Rating |
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9 |
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Posted on: Friday, June 19, 2009 |
Review: Herbivore in San Francisco used to be one of my favorite spots, so when they opened one up in Berkeley I was thrilled. But now after eating there and trying just about everything on the menu, I must say that it's just not cutting it. In fact, the last 2 times I ate there I got a sour tummy a few hours later. I hate to pick on a vegan eatery (or what I assume is a vegan eatery), but their standards have really fallen. The food just doesn't taste great anymore. It's runny, mushy, boring, wilted, and uninspired. This place needs a new manager or cook to take a look at what's going on here--the vegan community is VERY small and we talk.
Pros: Hard shell tacos! * Servers are nice *
Cons: Most food tastes old and mushy * Can be cold and drafty * Gotten sick from food twice now |
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| "Mmm"
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My Rating |
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54 |
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Posted on: Thursday, April 23, 2009 |
Review: I just moved to Berkeley recently and since then I have been to the Herbivore in Berkeley twice and the one in the city once. Prior to that I had eaten at the location in the city 3 or 4 times while here on vacation. I always liked eating at Herbivore but found the food to often be mediocre. The last few trips have proved me wrong. My tastebuds have been amazed. I love eating at Herbivore. I highly recommend the portabella mushroom and sundried tomato sandwhich... mmm. The thai/curry dishes are all really good too. And if you are looking for a boozy night with friends their mixed drinks are good and then even have frambois on the menu as a beer offering. I don't recommend the ollallieberry pie but all of the other deserts I have had have been good. The Berkeley location seems to have more seating and is more spacious. Definetly check out Herbivore whether you are in the East Bay or in the City.
Pros: yummy * lots of items to chose from * ambiance
Cons: can be a bit expensive * * |
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| "Great place!"
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My Rating |
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10 |
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Posted on: Monday, March 09, 2009 |
Review: I went to two of their locations while on vacation in California. Their food is awesome!
Pros: Great food! * *
Cons: * * |
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| "AWESOME!"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Friday, February 13, 2009 |
Review: This is a GREAT resturant! Very upbeat, friendly staff and fabulous food and a great price! You can't beat it for fast service and wonderful menu choices!
Pros: excellent food * healthy cuisine * good value
Cons: * * |
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| "Late hours!"
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My Rating |
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7 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 |
Review: I was moving late on a Friday night from the South Bay to the North Bay. Herbivore in Berkeley was on the way and it was open late.
The penne with lemon-herb cream sauce really hit the spot. The carrot cake was good. The service was good, despite the fact the waitress was trying to finish her own dinner.
Having worked in a restaurant myself, I know what it is like to interrupt one's own dinner to serve customers. When you're hungry and your dinner is getting cold, this gets really old.
The place has what appeared (from a distance) to be a full bar. Having also worked as a taxi driver, I've had more than my fill of drunks so this would ordinarily be a drawback, but this crowd seemed quite civil, possibly because by bar standards, this place closes early.
All in all, this is definitely a place I'd go again.
Pros: late hours * good location * good food
Cons: * * |
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| "Good choice for Vegans"
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My Rating |
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4 |
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Posted on: Monday, January 19, 2009 |
Review: Big menu. I usually stick to the soups and salads. Inconsistent service and quality of food.
This is a place my carnivore friends like.
Pros: Large menu * good salads *
Cons: service is inconsistent * * |
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| "THE vegan place to go in Berkeley"
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My Rating |
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5 |
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Posted on: Friday, December 12, 2008 |
Review: This is one of the most versatile vegan restaurants that knows how to prepare tasty meals. Along with Café Gratitude in Berkeley, M Café de Chaya in LA and Angelika Kitchen in New York, this is one of the few restaurants that I can and do bring my friends regardless of what their dietary choices are. Because tasty food is tasty food, and Herbivore is a good place for that. I regret having judged this place from the outer appearance and not trying it sooner. I ended up going there many times in my short stay in Berkeley, and have brought friends at many occasions. From personal experience, I know that it's a good place to go for a nice dinner with your significant other, a good place for an intimate chat with a friend over dinner or lunch, a good place for a small group, a good place for a big group lunch (15 or so would be max) and an excellent place for a satisfying breakfast. Service has been pretty decent. Do I have favorites? Oh, yes! You don't know what you're missing until you try the Southern Style Tofu Scramble for breakfast. Lentil burger is amazing! It's much more amazing than the description, and the portion is huge! I am drooling... The falafel wrap is great for lunch, as are the burritos. I haven't tried many of their soy meats because I don't favor processed foods, so no opinions there. And I was not very pleased with their noodle dishes,they tasted bland to me, but I am not a fan of Asian food so I am probably not the best person to judge. Oh and one thing that they should definitely improve is the vegan sour cream. Yes, it is processed food, but it can be tasty. Watered down Tofutti cream cheese, or something that tastes and feels like it just doesn't do the trick.
Desserts are tricky. I have had very good ones, such as the blueberry pie and ice creams, and bland ones, such as the chocolate cupcake. Their smoothies and juices are great!
Overall, this place rocks! I only wish that they keep their windows and doors more open so the place feels airy all the time.
Pros: tasty food * large menu * good for any occasion
Cons: sometimes stuffy * * |
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| "Killer"
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My Rating |
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25 |
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Posted on: Sunday, September 21, 2008 |
Review: huge menu, it's hard to chose any single item. The service is real good, and the location couldn't be better. It's not too expensive, and you get quite a bit of food.
Pros: huge menu * good location *
Cons: floor is rubber and your chair will fall * * |
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| "thank goodness they are in the East Bay!"
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My Rating |
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16 |
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Posted on: Saturday, July 19, 2008 |
Review: I watched that "Coming Soon" sign like a hawk for YEARS! (may have only been month, but it felt like years...)
We used to schlep into the city to go to Herbivore, but we had a kid... and, well, you know the rest of the story.
AMAZING shwarma, chicken fried rice, polenta, everything curry. love to go late for desserts & cocktails.
got lasagna once & it was lukewarm, potato soy pie was salty. have to admit my kid was not impressed with their mac & cheese or tacos-- they need a kids menu for all us groovy parents that bring lacto-ovo kids.
Pros: amazing food * great cocktails * decor
Cons: slow service * * |
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| "Disappointing experience"
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My Rating |
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4 |
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Posted on: Saturday, July 12, 2008 |
Review: My family and I lived in Southern California when we first visited the Herbivore location in San Francisco. We absolutely loved the food: the cake, the shawarma wrap, the curry, everything. So when we moved to the East Bay and discovered there was an Herbivore in Berkeley, I was, needless to say, overjoyed that good food was so close to home. However, I would soon find out that either Herbivore's quality had gone down since our initial visits or this location just flat out sucked :/
I'm guessing the latter.
We visited twice, and they were VERY inconsistent with their food. We would always order the fried rice with soy chicken for my son. First, it came sour and spongy; second time, it came very spicy and sticky. We also ordered the shawarma wrap, and it was either missing the sauce or missing some other ingredient. Oh, and don't even bother with the lasagna. I'm led to believe they were low on marinara sauce and had to compensate by adding water to the sauce. It was VERY watered down. It's safe to say that my lasagna tastes better than theirs... and I'm a horrible cook! They also served us juice from oranges that were not fresh.
On top of it all, their servers aren't very friendly. They'll take your order and whatnot, but they don't won't even crack a smile or act like they're interested in their job.
Maybe I came on bad days. Or maybe that particular location doesn't care much for quality. All I know is that my family and I won't be coming back to this Herbivore location again.
Pros: * *
Cons: Inconsistent * Bad quality * Poor customer service |
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| "Food is really good. DESERT IS SO GOOD"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
Review: They might not have a lot of servers at any time but the food is really good and the staff is really nice. the juice bar is also pretty cool and they will make up any kind of new drink you ask for. wicked good definitely.
also ask for the german chocolate cake. !!! or a chocolate donut with ice cream on top. Going vegan never got so easy!
Pros: Food (entrees and deserts) * Price (definitely really reasonable) * Attitude (everyone is happy there)
Cons: Service a little slow sometimes * * |
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| "Don't say you weren't warned..."
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 |
Review: Like so many other vegans and veggies, I waited with baited breath until Herbivore finally openened. In the beginning, I was just so excited to have a new veg place to eat in the hood that I overlooked a few instances of really bad service & mediocre food. Wait staff were rude - actually argued with me when I politely pointed out that my dish came with quinoa and not rice, which is what they gave me. This was actually for a birthday dinner where several other dishes were either completely wrong - or just sloppy. Even worse - the staff is slow & lazy. Once I actually sat & watched my food sit on the counter for a full 40 mins before it made its way to my table. I was angry at first, but then it became a joke of us betting how long it would take to get my food. The restaurant was mostly empty - there was no excuse for this type of service - except for the staff all congregating behind the counter goofing off. The table next to us was also quite peeved. Already on the fence about continuing to give this restaurant more chances, I convinced myself to give them another shot. The food was inedible & the service was worse - no water, no waiter, all while the staff again goofed off & ignored customers. I gave them at least 6 more chances to get their act together hoping they would improve (I so badly wanted them to be a successful ambassador of veggie food) but I give up. If at all possible, things had gotten worse. My food tasted as if it had sat out all day, veggies were overcooked yet cold, the food was so salty that one bite made our tongues actually sting (not exaggerating - it was disgusting!) and the mashed potatoes were obviously made with vanilla soy/rice milk. When I brought this to my server's attention, they told me that they didn't make the potatoes with vanilla soy milk. Duh! - but someone carelessly did on this occasion as there is no other clear explanation for vanilla flavored potatoes. Yuck! I did not finish my meal and felt like vomiting the rest of the night after this last horrible experience. I naturally asked to speak to the manager & was told that one wouldn't be there until Wednesday - a full 5 days later! Also, it seems there is NEVER a manager on duty there! Bottom line: there is not enough space in this review to tell you all of the many awful experiences I have suffered at Herbivore. Sadly, my friends all feel the same way and we have all vowed never to go back. R.I.P. Herbivore - you could have been great, but you suck!
Pros: None * *
Cons: Poor service * Bad food * No manager to speak to |
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| "WARNING!"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |
Review: I used to eat at herbivore on a consistent basis- until i befriended a longtime server of the company. much to my horror he informed me that the company uses BEEF BROTH in ALL if not a majority of their sauces. He also told me that their fake chicken that i absolutely loved contained EGG! i am DISGUSTED and APPALLED that anyone would blatantly lie about the vegan-purity of their restaurant. thankfully i found their deserts at rainbow in the mission district for frighteningly cheap. how long had i been paying $7/slice for cake that sells in whole for $30? Unfortunately for me I absolutely trust this server and i will head his warning.
Pros: desert * atmosphere *
Cons: not 100% vegan! * * |
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| "Mediocre; not recommended"
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My Rating |
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5 |
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Posted on: Saturday, April 19, 2008 |
Review: Although portions and presentation are decent and the prices are quite reasonable, the bottom line is that the food is bland and uninteresting compared to any of the really fine vegetarian restaurants (Moosewood in Ithaca, NY, is our favorite). So if you want gourmet vegetarian food, you should definitely look elsewhere.
I should mention that we didn't sample the dessert or drink, which I see that several have praised.
Pros: Decent portions * Reasonable prices * Good service
Cons: Pedestrian food * Uncomfortable chairs * |
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| "HUGE MENU"
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My Rating |
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9 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 |
Review: Biggest vegan menu I have come across in a while with a wide variety of cuisine. I ordered the wasabi soba noodles cold, however i found it a bit lacking in flavor. my partner ordered the grilled portabello mushroom over creamy polenta. He has never liked \"fake\" cheese (he is NOT vegan or vegetarian), and didn't enjoy the polenta for it lacked in richness and butteriness. He thought everything else tasted good. I, on the other hand thought it tasted quite good, and better than my meal! His mother ordered the Lentil loaf which she enjoyed, especially the sauteed greens. For dessert- carrot cake. EVERYONE LOVED IT.
The atmosphere is very open, and semi-modern. We went in the winter and for some reason they left the back door open...very chilly.
The only major con- parking.
Pros: good price * huge menu *
Cons: cold * parking * |
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| "Extensive Vegan Selection"
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My Rating |
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15 |
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Posted on: Saturday, March 29, 2008 |
Review: Picked out Herbivore from the list of veg places in Berkeley to visit for dinner tonight. After fighting the downtown Berkeley traffic on a Friday night, we finally found a parking spot, and right across the street, lucky! The place was pretty busy but we were able to get a table for two right away. We ordered the spring rolls for an appetizer, which were not bad. We each ordered a cocktail, and both were delicious. They have quite an extensive selection of alcoholic beverages, including a lot of mixed type drinks. I'd recommend trying one of these interesting combos, with organic alcohols, agave nectar, etc. After looking over our menus forever, I finally decided on a barbecue sandwich and chose the potatoes as a side (as recommended by our server). It also came with a small green salad. The portions were very comparable to other similar non-veg type restaurants and prices were reasonable. We also got dessert, he got the German chocolate cake with ice cream and I got a lemon poppy seed donut. Both desserts were very good and I'd recommend either. I had plenty of leftovers to take home for lunch tomorrow. If you get a sandwich, get the potatoes, they are like garlicy french fries and are awesome. Prices are reasonable and restaurant was well lit and clean. I'd definitely go again.
Pros: large portions * huge selection * all vegan
Cons: bad parking * * |
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| "My Berkeley Favorite!"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Saturday, January 26, 2008 |
Review: I have been fortunate to dine at vegan and vegetarian restaurants up and down the California coast, and in my opinion the Herbivore sets a high standard for the rest to achieve. The restaurant itself is bright, immaculate, modern, and comfortable. The wait staff is very helpful and friendly. The menu has a wide variety of dishes and includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner (so many of the vegetarian restaurants I know are not open for breakfast). The food is incredible. The portions and prices are comparable to a non-vegetarian restaurant, which makes them less expensive than many other vegetarian and vegan restaurants. I have to confess that as good as the rest of their food is, my favorite is their desserts--I would recommend coming here for dessert even if you don't have time for a meal.
Pros: Vegan! * Delicious! * Reasonably Priced!
Cons: Not in Southern California (darn)! * * |
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| "Good but didn't floor me"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Saturday, January 12, 2008 |
Review: I've only been for dinner and the food is consistent, but the service isn't! I like the fact that they don't do a lot of mock meat dishes.. don't get me wrong, I'm not against mock meat, but dishes with veggies and grains don't need pretend meat to make them good! The polenta with portobellos is on the bland side, however that is the creamiest polenta I've tried without cheese. The moussaka is good, but again, I was looking for something with more flavor. If you're looking for some comfort food, the lentil loaf entree is a good pile of food, mashed pototoes and all -- this is one of my favs. They also do a decent job on a vegan pesto sauce, but the gnocchi it was served with was mushy. Dessert? Can you lose with a vegan donut? Heck no! They're yummy. Forget the vegan pie, though. I tried the blueberry and not only did it look horrifying.. the texture and flavor were just not there.
Pros: Menu Variety * Fresh Ingredients * Many mockmeat-less dishes
Cons: Disappearing Staff * Sometimes Noisy * |
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| "the real deal"
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My Rating |
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4 |
GUEST |
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Posted on: Monday, October 22, 2007 |
Review: Unless you're feeling like just eating raw (for which Cafe Gratitude might be preferable), this place is the vegan real deal. Everything my friends and I have tried so far we liked, the prices seem realistic (given that this place tries to buy as much organic produce as possible), and the service friendly. Modern (perhaps a little chilly atmosphere).
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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