| Santa Monica |
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Real Food Daily 
 based on 27 member reviews
514 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica California
90401
310-451-7544
Type: Vegan, Organic, Catering, American, Wine, Juice bar, Take-out
Info: Vegan restaurant offering options from starters, salads, daily soup, sandwiches, to hot plates featuring either beans, tofu, seitan, or tempeh. Fresh juices, beverages, and desserts available. Small space and very busy on weekends. Prices moderate to expensive. Also a location in West Hollywood. Accepts credit cards. Open daily 11:30am-10pm. Price: Moderate.
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| "These Nachos are Better than Your Nachos!"
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My Rating |
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7 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 |
Review: Best nachos I've ever had in my whole life. These vegan nachos destroy every and any nachos plate I've orderedin the past. The burrito with Fakn Bacon or whatever they call it was exceptional as well. Once in a while you might have a snobby waitress but who cares...My wife and I love this place. I love that there is a comic book store across the street too. I'm vegan and a nerd too!
Pros: Nachos * Nachos * Nachos
Cons: Semi Snobby Staff * * |
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| "Same food as WeHo, but more crowded"
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My Rating |
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69 |
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Posted on: Friday, September 18, 2009 |
Review: We make it here about once a year with another veggie friend who lives closer to this location. While the food is tasty, I much prefer the WeHo location as it's less crowded. In any case, try the nachos, club sandwich and red potato salad. Yummy.
Pros: tasty vegan comfort food * *
Cons: crowded space * * |
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| "Viva RFD"
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My Rating |
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16 |
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Posted on: Sunday, June 14, 2009 |
Review: My wife and I were taken to RFD by friends who have eaten there a few times before, so we had some guidance as to what is good and what to stay away from. This was the first time I have seen a "TV Dinner" on a restaurant menu, and was tempted to try it just for that reason, but I gave it a miss. We ordered the nachos to share, which are officially an appetizer, but would also work fine for a whole meal. Then we stuck with the Mexican theme and got the el bandito rojo (enchiladas). I was definately impressed, since I hadn't had enchiladas since I went vegan 7 years ago. They had their own "cheezy sauce" inside, which hardly resembled cheese, but was tasty nonetheless. If you like Mexican food, you will definately be satisfied. After reading some of the other reviews, I'm glad I didn't order some of the other things. The only slightly negative aspect was that the place was crowded, so we were crammed into the small space upstairs, which lacks the pleasant atmosphere the downstairs section has.
Pros: large portions * quality organic ingredients *
Cons: the upstairs section is a little tight * * |
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| "Real Food Daily"
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My Rating |
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19 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 |
Review: Real Food Daily has so much to offer. From comfort foods like vegan nachos and club sandwiches to macrobiotic plates and fancy specials to delicious desserts, there is something for everyone. I've been a repeat customer for over 10 years!
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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| "sunday brunch"
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My Rating |
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64 |
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Posted on: Sunday, March 22, 2009 |
Review: i went to check opening times to get lucky with real food daily's sunday brunch. during the time we were the place was getting busy and i think the brunch is a winner. there was a selection of four or five mains, but a larger selection of build your own brunch choices. the food was good but as always you yanks make the portions way too big, and as always i finished the lot.
Pros: staff * food * atmospere
Cons: * * |
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| "Real Good"
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My Rating |
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7 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 |
Review: I love Real Food Daily. The food is the next best in Los Angeles after Madeleine Bistro. And since I can only afford to eat at Madeleine Bistro once or twice a year, I go to Real Food Daily more often. Both the West Hollywood and Santa Monica locations consistently serve great food, and our waiters have been very friendly.
The restaurant has great weekly and salad specials. From the regular menu, the nachos (get them with seitan and jalapeno "cheese") are stupendous. I love to get their salads (so far I've enjoyed both the house salad and the farm chop) with the caesar dressing, which I can't get enough of. The house (tahini) dressing and the peanut sauce are also quite good. I love the El Bandito Rojo, which I get topped with the jalapeno "cheese." Also good are the mashed potatoes and gravy and the chai soy latte.
The desserts vary a bit more in quality, some (the chocolate hazelnut cake and the chocolate espresso truffle) are excellent, while others (the cupcake and the brownies with ice cream) are okay but not as great.
The great thing about RFD is that the menu is huge and everything is vegan. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I go there. It's thrilling to be asked "Would you like that with rice milk or soy milk?" when I order a chai. There are many menu items I haven't tried yet and I look forward to sampling them.
If I could change one thing about RFD it would be the prices. They are sadly typical of Los Angeles -- it is not uncommon to pay $14 or $15 for an entree. On the upside, at least you are getting a full meal when you plop down that kind of cash, which is not the case everywhere in this town (Madeleine Bistro, I'm looking at you). Still, RFD is one of the places that makes me glad to be in LA, and I recommend it highly.
Pros: delicious food * great selection * all vegan
Cons: pricey * * |
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| "Eh..."
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My Rating |
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11 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 |
Review: I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. My boyfriend & I tried RFD after hearing countless raves, and we were severely disappointed. I had probably the most bland pita & hummus in the world, and it cost me over ten dollars! The one thing that kept me from totally writing the place off were the nachos. I think this place is definitely better for hardcore health enthusiasts, not people who just want to pig out.
Pros: Nice servers * *
Cons: Over-priced * Bland * |
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| "Amazing!"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Thursday, August 21, 2008 |
Review: One of the best vegan restaurants I have ever been to! The food is actually really healthy. I had the real food meal and it came with a lot of tasty food. Started off with some fresh veggie juice, a curried yellow split pea soup, a few slices of hemp bread with the most amazing 5 spice carrot spread, the encourse with quinoa, salad from the sea, lentils, cole-slaw, steamed broccoli and carrots, and finished wih the best dessert I have ever had, a brownie with a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream. Their menu is huge and everything on it sounds so good! Service was a little slow, but they were extremely busy. The food makes up for it completely!
Pros: Organic * Huge Portions * Best Food!!!!!
Cons: Crowded * * |
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| "So good it Changes minds"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Sunday, July 13, 2008 |
Review: I have now eaten here twice and have loved it in its entirety both times. The host at the door wore fabulous pink pants with matching cuff links which only added to the experience. The first time I went a girlfriend (a meat eating girlfriend) joined me after a night of dining at what she called a wonderful raw bar that opened her eyes to the delectability of raw beef. She so loved the ceasar salad wrap and chocolate cupcake that she kept asking the waiter if in fact it was truly vegan... of course the answer is a resounding but of course. Time number two pink pants at the door i went with a fellow vegetarian who thought it was over rated saying that plain soy dishes just weren't his thing. So I did the ordering Ruebens for each of us with extra saurkraut and thousand island please. Plus the truly divine chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting for dessert. He is now a RFD fan as well. Really you can't beat whole foods cooked to perfection.
Pros: Excellent cuisine * healthy * friendly staff
Cons: * * |
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| "Exceptional Vegan Restaurant !"
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My Rating |
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2 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
Review: I live in the Los Angeles area and I used to eat at RFD two to three times a week. Just everything on the menu is fabulous ! The cashew cheese is super tasty, I suggest the nachos, and their quiche is amazing. For vegans, the caesar salad is a great replica of the original anchovy-based dressing. MY FAVORITE ITEM ON THE MENU IS *COCONUT CREME PIE* in fact I think it's my favorite food EVER !!! (Call ahead to see if it's available, they rotate the desserts.)
Pros: Great Taste * Awesome Staff * Great Ambiance
Cons: A Little Pricy * * |
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| "Organic Vegan Food"
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My Rating |
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296 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 |
Review: Was recently here in May 08. My family have been frequenting this restaurant for some years now, and our experiences have been both good and bad. The quality of the food can be hit-or-miss. Luckily, our recent dining experience was good.
As usual, the restaurant was busy, and we had to wait for a table. However, when we were finally seated, service was prompt, and we immediately got to place our orders. Four of us shared the nachos appetizer ($11-12), a few cups of the soup-of-the-day which was yellow split pea ($3-4 each), the French polenta special-of-the-month ($16-17), the salisbury seitan entree ($13), and a Mexican mocha cake ($6.25). The savory food was all fairly good, though the portions were small for the price. The cake slice was small and too sweet for our taste. Well, this is Santa Monica, and rent is high. And the food is organic.
From our years of experience at RFD, we generally stay with the "safe" dishes that we know will be consistent in taste and quality (like the salisbury seitan, the mashed potatoes, the tempeh loaf, and a few others), and we generally avoid "specials" that are often hit-or-miss.
Pros: organic * vegan * healthy
Cons: expect a wait * gets pricey * hard to find street parking |
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| "Very good!"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 |
Review: I just had the vegetable miso soup today and it was excellent! The vegetables, napa cabbage, carrot, radish, shitake mushroom, onion, seaweed, were cooked just right and they add a delightful sweetness. My favorite is the vegetable loaf and gravy (TV dinner minus the mashed potato, and steamed vegetable since i think the mashed potato was kinda bland, if yukon gold is used then it would be great :-) ). I also tried the El Bandito Rojo combo and the enchiladas were quite tasty. The bread and spread is also good. I don't care too much for the Real Food Meal because the food is mostly steam. Can't wait to try other dishes next time i am in Santa Monica. The staff is quite accomodating and friendly too :-)
Pros: Good food * Friendly staff * Good portion
Cons: A little high in price * * |
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| "Great"
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My Rating |
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2 |
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Posted on: Sunday, May 04, 2008 |
Review: I eat here weekly - sometimes twice a week! I looove the nachoes and the dahl. Everything I have ever had there has been tasty!
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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| "Delicious Vegetarian"
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My Rating |
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2 |
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Posted on: Sunday, March 09, 2008 |
Review: I love it when I can go into a restaurant and order any dish - because I am a vegetarian. At Real Food Daily i enjoyed every bite of the very generous portions - imaginative flavors and good variety. I'm going back more often! The Santa Monica restaurant is a nice environment - I could take a client there. The waiters were personable and attentive.
Pros: excellent Food * good value * friendly staff
Cons: * * |
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| "Just OK"
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My Rating |
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17 |
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Posted on: Thursday, March 06, 2008 |
Review: I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. My food here was pretty bland and unexciting, and the portions were very small. I didn't dislike it, it just wasn't all that great.
Pros: All Vegan * *
Cons: Small Portions * Pretty Bland * |
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| "I liked it."
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 |
Review: Went for brunch at the Hollywood location after the Bishnu Gosh Asana Championship and was very satisfied with the TV Dinner- "Meat"loaf with mashed potatoes and veggies and a fresh made juice. Only problem was that the potatoes were not hot and the veggies-carrots, broccolli and lotus root were not freshly cooked, looked like they were steamed then put in a cheesemelter to keep warm but they got dried out. I ate them anyway because I love my veggies. The wife had the scramble, the jalapeno sauce that comes with it was delish. I'll try it again the next time in LA.
Pros: organic * *
Cons: cold food * * |
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| "If in LA you MUST go here!"
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My Rating |
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54 |
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Posted on: Saturday, December 29, 2007 |
Review: This is my favorite vegan restaurant. I've never been disappointed here. The food can seem pricey at times but it is so worth it. I like the SM location better than the West Hollywood location. Plus its near the beach so you can get your food or a snack to go and nosh at the beach. ;)
Pros: all vegan * mostly organic too! * yummmmy
Cons: * * |
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| "Good Restaurant/Location"
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My Rating |
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162 |
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Posted on: Friday, November 16, 2007 |
Review: I like this location better than the one in Beverly Hills. Overall the food was good and I must say, their potato salad is incredible!
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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• Thanks Chia! Do you know why it closed down? Just curious.. response by SynthVegan
• As of 2007, RFD does not have a location in Beverly Hills. The other one is in the West Hollywood area.. response by Chia
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| "i wouldn't want to eat here daily :("
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My Rating |
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19 |
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Posted on: Monday, November 12, 2007 |
Review: i was recommend to this restaurant by a friend, but am afraid i wasn't very impressed. the crackers were ok... the soup i had (i recall it had carrots in it) was a little too lumpy and not that great.. i did like my juice they made me. and the desert was ok. two cows at best. sorry but i don't think i'll be returning.
Pros: good location * *
Cons: service was just ok * food wasn't that great * |
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| "What a paradise"
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My Rating |
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32 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 |
Review: As a vegan stranded in southwestern Virginia, I had the chance to visit RFD when visiting a friend in Santa Monica. I was blown away by all the choices. I only had enough money for desert--I opted for the cheesecake. Where I'm from, vegan cheesecake is unheard of. I loved it. Amazing!
Pros: selection * healthy * location
Cons: long wait * pricey * |
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| "not so sure..."
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My Rating |
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5 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 |
Review: i had been DYING to go to RFD for years now but could never justify trying something new when we could go to vegan express instead. but, we finally went for my birthday. the nachos with taco mix are AMAZING. i selected the taco entree and expected soft shells.. i was a bit disappointed when they were hard, stale shells. not to mention the fact that it was basically nachos in a different form. my husband had salsbuiry sietan and it was great. the raspberry chocolate cake is good... but stay away from the cheesecake. it's the first time in nine years of being vegan that i've had a terrible vegan cheesecake. while i don't regret going, i don't know if i'd go back. i think i'll just prepare meals from the cookbook instead.
Pros: variety * *
Cons: nearly useless staff * too expensive * |
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| "Some gret stuff, worth a try"
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My Rating |
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5 |
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Posted on: Sunday, July 29, 2007 |
Review: RFD can be it or miss, I agree, but I have received more hits than misses. I love their Thanksgiving themed food, the mashed yams are awesome! The nachos are awesome, the club sandwich is great, mashed potatoes are rad and so is the gravy. Of course, I can make all this at home for less money. Still, I bring friends here. The dining area is cramped. Wait staff can be a little too snobby and the bathroom is totally gross. Semi-pricey. I hate their lattes and mochas.
Pros: nachos * anything mashed *
Cons: bathroom nasty * pricey * inconsistant |
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| "Hit or Miss"
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My Rating |
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18 |
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Posted on: Friday, July 13, 2007 |
Review: The nachos and mashed potatoes are excellent, but anytime we've veered from the nachos the food has been pretty disgusting. The cupcakes are good but the cookies are really dry and they use carob instead of chocolate so you wont like them if you're not a carob fan. The rice was overcooked and the bbq salad was really horrible with slimy yucky tofu pieces in it. The restaurant is cramped and crowded and I'd avoid sitting upstairs. The waitstaff is a bit snobby.
Pros: nachos * *
Cons: food * cramped and crowded * waitstaff |
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| "My very favorite vegetarian restaurant"
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My Rating |
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Posted on: Friday, July 06, 2007 |
Review: Real Food Daily is the ultimate in vegetarian eating! I absolutely love this place. Although they have many great dishes, my favorite is the salisbury seitan served with mashed potatoes, gravy and salad. It's wonderful. They also have great vegan baked goods for desert and serve up a good brunch!
Pros: all vegan * great menu * good atmosphere
Cons: drink selection * tight fit with seating * |
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| "Food ranges from excellent to bad"
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My Rating |
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24 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 |
Review: In a restaurant where all the food is vegan and organic, I would think I'd have a lot of choices of delicious entrees. Unfortunately, every time I vary from the same 3 items, my meal is mediocre. I recommend the TV dinner, the Salsbury Seitan, and the Nachos. The TV dinner and Salsbury Seitan both come with vegan mashed potatoes which aren't bad. Occasionally there's a good special. Their desserts are hit or miss. I highly recommend their chocolate pudding, and when they have it, peach pie, made with fresh peaches. The banana pie is also pretty good. My omni partner and I find their carob mint cookies about 50% tasty, and 50% boring.
Definitely stay away from the BBQ tofu chop. It's mostly recooked frozen vegetables with cold barely BBQ'd tofu on top. Also, while I usually love cornbread, theres is the worst I've ever had: tasteless wet mixture containing a lot of rice. The hemp bread is good though. Caesar salad is so-so.
The wait staff is friendly and helpful. However, there's one waiter who doesn't write down orders, who often messes up something in the order.
Be advised that this place gets quite noisy when crowded, particularly upstairs. We find it so unpleasant, that we will only sit downstairs or get carryout. Also, there's a single one-seater restroom, and there's often a line.
Link to their menu: http://www.realfood.com/menu.htm
Pros: Vegan * Organic * Some very good dishes
Cons: Some bad dishes * Very Noisy! * Often a restroom line |
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| "great food"
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My Rating |
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10 |
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Posted on: Friday, May 25, 2007 |
Review: great food, a bit expensive and small portions though. seating is TERRIBLE. we are a large vegan family - there are 6 of us. we can never get seating there since it is so small.
Pros: wonderful food * healthy * clean
Cons: small * expensive * |
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| "RFD"
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My Rating |
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38 |
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Posted on: Sunday, December 03, 2006 |
Review: Very good for dinner....or lunch. I always enjoy going here because everything is vegan and love everything on the menu. A little pricy but well worth it.
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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| "my partner loves it; I give it a B-"
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My Rating |
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6 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 |
Review: My partner likes comforting, plain food. I like flavor. He loves this restaurant, so when it's his choice, we go. There's creativity in the kitchen, but it's mostly displayed in the creation of vegan versions of boring food. The desserts are pretty good.
Pros: desserts * organic wine * happy partner
Cons: value * plainness * noise |
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