Visited Goji on three separate occasions during a short-break in York. I'm vegan and found they had a good choice each day. Tried three savoury dishes and three sweet - every single one delicious! Nice relaxed atmosphere too. Highly recommended. Next time I visit the city, I'll be making a bee-line for this place.
Pros: Excellent Food, Nice Atmosphere, Reasonably PricedThe food at Goji Cafe food is simple but good, and the restaurant itself is very cute. We enjoyed the hummus plate, soup of the day, and mushroom burger. Although it's a vegetarian restaurant, they offer an extensive vegan menu - almost all of the desserts are vegan, too - which is really lovely, as I find that vegetarian restaurants are (surprisingly) sometimes less vegan-friendly than non-vegetarian ones. Goji also offers takeaway, which was wonderful to be able to grab a bunch of things for the road one day - and their scones were to die for! The service could have been a little better; our server was rushed and thus a little abrupt. Otherwise, Goji is a nice cafe - nothing fancy - with good food.
Updated from previous review on Monday December 17, 2012
I stumbled upon Goji accidentally and was lured in by the display of (mostly vegan) cakes in the window. I ordered the soup, butternut squash and apple, as well as a roast vegetable and tofu wrap. It was the best meal I have eaten in the UK. Many of those around me ordered the quiche (again vegan option available) and I immediately grew irrationally jealous - everything is so fresh and beautiful. On top of the quality of the food, the staff were brilliant, and as I left to pay the server suggested I make use of the student discount. This will be my go-to in York from now on!
Pros: Fresh, healthy, delicious food, Very affordable, Attentive staffI want to say from the start, the food here is nice and I follow them on facebook so I can see they are quite imaginative, but I went here once for dinner and had awful service. Every drink had to be asked for twice with our final jug of water asked for 3 times and we never ended up getting it. Half the menu was off and orders mixed up. It was also extremely slow.
I have since tried to go for lunch twice, neither at peak times, and once I was quite rudely ordered away from the restaurant area when I peaked round to see if there was a free table and another time the only member of staff kept disapearing and hadn't yet served the two couples in front of us even though we had waited at least 5 minutes, she had still not got to the queue. I don't blame her, I blame the fact they were understaffed.
Needless to say both times we walked out.
As I say the food is good when you get it, its just getting it that is the problem.
Pros: tasty healthy foodEven in a city like York a choice of good vegetarian food is hard to find. Which is why I always choose Gogji whenever I am in York.
Everything is vegetarian with some vegan choices and they will always accommodate vegan alternatives where possible. All food is freshly prepared and well worth the wait. Add to that friendly, helpful staff and a great atmosphere and you have the reason for my choice.
Went here for lunch with a few friends whilst visiting York.
Lovely small cafe with a good range of vegan options. I opted for the Goji mushroom burger with smoked tofu and the pesto was to die for. The sweet potato wedges were cooked to perfection and I was just disappointed that having had such an amazing lunch, I had no room for dessert.
Pros: Range of options, Friendly staffWe had a great lunch here on 16 February 2012. The menu has lots of really nice dishes including lots of vegan options. We had the soup and wrap combo and the hot dog and were pleased with both. The hot dog was in a huge baguette so a lot of eating but very tasty. We still managed dessert and the lemon and poppyseed cake has to be one of the best vegan cakes ever tasted.
We ate here end December 2011. The place is quite small but they manage to get everyone a table. The menu was quite extensive for vegans - vegan options or veggie adaptable. I had the weener sandwich which came in a warm bagette with salad. It cost around £6 which was good value as it was filling. Can recommend this cafe to everyone and we'll certainly go again the next time we're in York (which is great for shopping, sightseeing, touristing)
Pros: great food, reasonably priced, central locationI've visited Goji a few times since it opened. Mainly to take away - the vegan hotdogs (My daughter loves them). This little cafe has great potential- the last few times I've been it's been really busy, people have been waiting for a table. Luckily I was wanting take out but service at the counter was slow (maybe just because the cafe was busy?).
The food is great - the hotdogs are freshly cooked, I overheard one of the waitresses saying that they didn't use microwaves. The cakes are amazing. They have vegan wraps, vegan hotdogs, soup, salad, bread, quiche all available to take out.
One item my boyfriend was not happy about was the mushroom burger he ordered to take out. It was £4.50, when he got it outside he was disappointed to find that all he had gotten for his money was a mushroom (albeit a rather large one) in a bun. It didn't explain on the takeaway menu that that was all it was and had it said that he would have gone for the hotdog instead (which was cheaper!).
Pros: great food, good value, vegan hotdogsWe popped in for lunch on Sunday 5th June 2011. We wore quite torn between the daily specials or the standard menu, we finally opted for the Mushroom Burger. It was gorgeous. Glad I did, however looking at the food being served to others I would happily try something else next time.
Good food, lovely portion sizes.
We weren't going to have dessert, but I was swayed by the apple and cider crumble. You could taste the cider, the crumble was... was.. crumbly and not overwhelmingly sweet like other crumbles. Delicious.
I am looking forward to my next visit to York.
Pros: Lovely Food, Good Portions, Friendly StaffWhile on a short break in Scarborough we visited this delightfull little cafe in York. The vegan dish I had was lovely. It is not very often that I can find an eating place for my vegan diet. My husband who is not vegetarian has raved about the veggie food he had. Staff were very friendly, very helpful and service was smart. Prices were most reasonable. When back in York we will certainly visit again. PS the vegan chocolate cake I took away with me was delicious.
Pros: Excellent food, good service, helpful staffOnly opened in Summer 2009. A lovely little place with 100% vegetarian menu and very good vegan choice. I went for the special vegan hot dog with a drink for £3.95 and also bought a slice of vegan chocolate cake for £1.95, vegan date slice for £0.50p and a samosa for £1.10. They also do Sunday roasts and various main courses during the week. There is a salad bar, hot drinks and a selection of vegetarian and vegan snacks. Since my last visit in Oct 2009, I have been back and they are now open on weekend evenings which is fantastic. Try the gourmet Goji burger, it's something special. Definitely go here if in York.
Pros: location, prices, staffWe have now eaten at Goji a few times both during the day and in the evening - we have never been dissapointed. The food is fantastic, it is excellent value and the staff are wonderful. My only suggestion for improvement would concern the decor which is a little dull but in fairness that does not affect the superb food
The reviews here are mixed and it's true the service and the quality of the food has been variable. However, I've had excellent take-away food from there a couple of times. The sandwiches in particular were delicious and very satisfying. Salad here can be good too. Don't avoid it as one reviewer recommends. Go along and give them your feedback politely and then a good cafe will be even better.
Pros: Great sandwiches, Good vegan choices, Mini-marketFinding somewhere to eat out where everything is freshly prepared and good for you is hard to do however Goji has it spot on! My wife and I went for an evening meal and were very impressed with this lovely little cafe/restaurant. The staff were very friendly, service great and the food could not be faulted. The highlights were the trio of pate a great combination of flavours, the sweet potato pancakes and the chocolate roulade, both of which were gluten free which suited my dietry requirements. I cannot reccomend a trip to Goji highly enough, the love and care put into the food clearly comes across - we'll definatly be going back.
Pros: food, service25 years of vegetarianism have shown me how disappointing it can be to eat out. To be fair, things are generally much better these days - reasonable veggie lunchtime options are usually not a problem now. Try to venture beyond a pizza or a curry in an evening, however, and things become rather more tricky. More often than not, I end up with something that I could have done better at home (and I'm no good). I remember a grim vegetarian Xmas 'special' that consisted of a bit of defrosted budget quiche and a pile of watery veg. So it's a pleasure to report that York now has a decent vegetarian restaurant.
I've used Goji during the day a few times since it opened last summer, and I've always enjoyed it. The quality of the food and the service has been up to scratch, and there's a deli at the front where you can find interesting stuff that you rarely see elsewhere. It's got a nice, friendly vibe too.
They started opening for evening meals at Xmas 2009 and now open two or three evenings a week. My partner and I have dined there twice now, and each time has been excellent. The menu offered a reasonably varied choice, and we chose different dishes so that we could taste each other's food. The ingredients are clearly fresh and have been prepared with some care and imagination. All of it tasted pretty good, and it was noticeable on each occasion that other customers were making a point of saying so as well, without any prompting. If there were any drawbacks, they are too minor and insignificant to mention here, and only what you might expect of a relatively new venture branching out a little more. I'll certainly be going back.
If you're a vegetarian (or a vegan), you should definitely go. If you're not, you should still go.
I've been a vegetarian for my entire life (20 years...), and in that time I've sampled a huge range of quality in vegetarian cuisine. As a result, finding something that really stands out is a rare occurrence.
Having visited Goji a number of times over the last few weeks, its time for me to write a review of my experience. I've tried a good selection of dishes from the cafe-style menu - all have been excellent, from the excellent cakes right down to the freshly prepared houmous. The food has been consistently good, and definitely has provoked to return time and again. Their soups are hearty and wholesome, speciality teas very palatable and snacks and meals are tasty and are served as sizeable portions.
My only real concern is that the cafetière coffee is poor - indeed, as is the americano. Whilst not being undrinkable, it has been consistently below my expectations; when stacked up against the quality of the food. Being an ardent coffee fan, it's something that I hope Goji can rectify in the near future.
I have also found the service, whilst being very friendly and warm, to be a little slow at busier times - I suppose this is to be expected anywhere. However, waiting over 30 minutes for pitta and houmous would appear to be a touch on the slow side. I feel as if I am splitting hairs to find fault with what is an overwhelmingly good experience.
In short: give Goji a try, I'm certain it won't disappoint!
Pros: Great selection of dishes;, Friendly staff and warm atmosphere;, Deli a great feature.
Goji Cafe
Thanks for the kind review and constructive feedback. We have now taken steps to improve the cafetiere coffee, which is now freshly ground most days. As a new business we are continually looking to improve our food and service. Hope you visit again soon and enjoy our improved cafetiere coffees.
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Thanks for the review Laura.
The burger comes with melted halloumi cheese or smoked tofu (vegan option), tomato sauce and salad inside the bun. It does not get the gherkins or the sweet potatoes that eat in does. Customers are normaly very pleased so maybe there was a misunderstanding of what he wanted (burger without the trimmings). If this is the case let the staff know next time you are in and we will try and sort something out.
Glad you like the hotdogs and the cakes, we hope to see you again.