"Fun"   My Rating
5 oregonveg	Posted on: Monday, September 28, 2009
	Review: This is a neat spot. They do americanized chinese food with mock meat ingredients. I originally thought the place would be expensive because the name "Lotus Garden" sounded trendy, but the prices are surprisingly low.   Pros: fun * affordable * it tastes like american chinese food Cons: * * it tastes like american chinese food
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"Affordable and tasty vegetarian Chinese!"   My Rating
3 Eric Devin	Posted on: Saturday, June 13, 2009
	Review: My name is Eric Devin, and I am the server and manager at Lotus Garden. I wanted to write a review of the restaurant as objectively as possible, mostly with the intent of clearing up misconceptions regarding the way food is prepared and MSG. First of all, I believe that our food is pretty good. I've worked at Lotus Garden for more than a year now and haven't gotten tired of it. I've lived in Washington DC, Ann Arbor, and spent an extensive amount of time in New York. Lotus Garden doesn't make my top ten restaurants of all time, but it does so a fantastic job of being what it aims to be. That is to say, fresh, delicious and unpretentious vegetarian Chinese food, served in a casual and friendly atmosphere. My personal favorites are the Potstickers (made fresh at least every other day), Won Ton Soup (Hot and Sour is also popular), Cashew Vegetable, Twice Cooked Soy Slices, Special Chow Mein, Long Life Vegetables and Mu Shu Brown Slices. Lotus Delight and Sweet & Sour Nuggets are also very popular. I should also stress here that every single entree and soup is made fresh to order; if you have diet concerns, please make sure to talk with your server (probably me) and we will make sure that you get a meal that is both delicious and prepared with the ingredients that you care for. Be sure to ask about our gluten-free soy sauce, which can be used to prepare almost any dish gluten-free! I want to take a moment now to clear up a few mischaracterizations, especially those posted below by the user kindlizard (I lost your messages that you sent me, if you want to discuss this again, pm me FIRST). Yes, there is MSG in the veggie beef, chicken and pork that we have. That being said, even a look at Wikipedia will show links demonstrating that there have been NO conclusive studies about MSG having a negative effect on human health beyond that of an allergen, much as gluten. It affects individuals in different ways; it cannot be limited by a blanket statement demonizing it. If you want to avoid MSG, switch it for tofu, made locally by Surata! All of the vegetables that we use except for the bamboo, peas and corn are fresh. We also make our own potstickers (which are pan-fried by definition) and won tons fresh 2-3 times a week. As stated above, every single entree and soup is made fresh, when it is ordered. If you don't want something deep fried, or canned vegetables, say so; we are more than happy to make substitutions at no charge. Also, we use no eggs in any dish.   Pros: Variety of dishes * Fresh veggies * Kid-friendly Cons: Parking * No delivery * Relatively early closing time
4 of 6 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(7) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • As a first time customer, you cannot expect people to make special orders!! You should list a "*=contains MSG" on your menu. You should say "^= deep fried" on your menu. Other than my diligence in this matter, it would have not come to light, for which you should thank me for bringing this truth to light. It is also now your responsibility to fix it. Go to your cafe and make the changes, or do only happycow readers deserve the truth? Even w all that said, it wouldn't help the food itself, which is hardly edible at times. And for reviews, you can't expect it to be done w special orders, but I think ordering off the menu is the only way to do it. If normal isn't good enough, change the way normal orders are done.. response by kindlizard • From Healing w Whole Foods, listed in my profile as my fave book as well as fave book of our very own esteemed Webmaster of Happycow: pg 167 on MSG: "Small amounts of the flavor enhancer ... MSG have been shown to cause nerve and brain damage in young lab animals. Its heavy handed application in Chinese and other Oriental restaurants has been ALARMING". If your food tastes pre-made and tasteless, sauces taste to me (and I have a great palette) that they are just a ton of white sugar mixed w pre-made store bought sauces, and your (cafe not Eric Devin) lies of MSG irritates me mentally and physically as well as your menu, as composed w/o trying to special order or whatever, is heavily deep fried and unhealthy. I notice no dispute over how I ranked in % what was deep fried as compare to steamed or sauteed. That is not libelous, no.... response by kindlizard • You act as though you are the only server. Have a friend call the cafe and ask if there is MSG and the response will be a quick 'no'. And sorry if you feel honest reviews are libelous, but that is insane... your crew has lied, see clarity's response who worked there for years not knowing about MSG!!! Talk about suing others for misinformation!!! Your food is disgusting, freshly made or not. Obviously I give the impression as a diner, and it tastes like it is NOT freshly made. Is your broth in the hot & sour from a packet? Are all the ingredients composed in that moment? If so, I could surely not tell. It is by far the WORST hot & sour soup ever, except it tastes exactly as bad as a place in Ptd I will not mention here that made me think the broth must be from a mix to mimic how awful they both are. If you take time to read.... response by kindlizard • (And this is where libel comes into play) I personally have ALWAYS (I've worked there since June 2008) told customers which meat substitutes have MSG in them, and been 100% honest about ingredients and cooking processes. I have no control over what the other server or past servers have done. I have not lied, nor have I ever. For you to state this as fact without definitive knowledge of this is libel, as it could be fairly demonstrated in a courtroom that your intent is to harm the economic well-being of the business. And while, yes, you have written a lot of reviews, that doesn't change the fact that your incessant and poorly-reasoned attacks of Lotus Garden have become tiresome. If you don't like the food, that's fine. I can understand how someone wouldn't, and I have no problem with that. However, your misinformed stateme.... response by Eric Devin • Points: Our white sugar is vegan; bone char has generally been replaced with synthetic filters, especially if it has been processed in the US. I have made it a point to call consumer relations for our sugar to confirm. If you actually read what I wrote, I said that Wikipedia, regarding MSG provides links to studies that demonstrate that it does not have any deleterious effects on the general population beyond that of an allergen. Of course no one in their right mind would cite Wikipedia, I was merely mentioning it as a place to go to obtain more information, including scientific articles. Again, if you actually read what I wrote, every entree and soup is made fresh to order; I make no mention of the appetizers. You are (through poor reading comprehension) conflating the two statements. The potstickers are obviously not made to.... response by Eric Devin • Further, while you are calling me out, go through your menu here in the responses. Just numbers. Number of entrees, how many of those are deep fried, sauteed, and steamed. You claim it is fresh and light, I'm sure your rundown will prove anything but that. You may have 2 of 30something entrees that are steamed. I would fathom 70% deep fried, 25% pan fried, and 5% steamed. So, mostly, deep fried MSG laden fake meat w a few broc florets is fresh to you. Not this vegan, nor most healthy eating people I know. Also, I have 100 reviews on here. Lotus Garden is in the bottom tier of all the places I have been. It may be the worst of all the places in that bottom tier truthfully. There is one other place that comes to mind when considering the worst veg places in America. Look at your lies RE MSG. The folks in the reviews that say the.... response by kindlizard • White sugar is NOT vegan. Look at the response to my review by Clarity. You have some discrepancies with her response in your review. If you two cannot agree, than how are we the consumers to know what is true? I don't think using MSG and then saying it is not a big deal and citing Wiki is reasonable. Ever heard that you read what you want to agree with? Not cool. And while you are calling me out for my honest opinion of vegan Chinese food, which I have eaten in all major Chinatowns in America and then some, you fail to mention how everything in your store is deep fried beyond recognition, MSG laden, and heavily sauced w non-vegetarian white sugar. Anyone w a discerning palette will tell you that Lotus Garden is beyond edible. You say its made to order then say you make them 2-3 times a week. I could argue more detail.... response by kindlizard - report abuse -

"Delicious - Just know what to order"   My Rating
1 KellyB	Posted on: Saturday, March 28, 2009
	Review: I love lotus. I go there when I'm feeling under the weather for a spicy pick-me-up, and I go there when I am well. I love lotus. I have heard many newbies complain about the menu and I believe it is a case of not knowing what to order - I would like to suggest: special chow main (sp?), lotus delight, twice cooked soy slices, hunan veggie beef, the pot stickers, the spring rolls. The experience is wonderful from the tea to the service to the meal - I had some sweet and sour once and did not enjoy it however, others may feel differently. The staff is ALWAYS friendly, something missing in Eugene, and I highly recommend it to vegans, veggies, and carnivores alike - especially those visiting from the east coast. I was glad to find out for sure that there is NO MSG in their food and would be quite disappointed if that rumor was true. Having never eaten at a Chinese food restaurant in Eugene other than lotus, I cannot compare it to the traditional chinese available. I can tell you that Lotus tastes clean and delicious. Highly Recommended. Be Sure and call before stopping by to make sure they are open since they have strange hours and split up their days, closing between lunch and dinner.   Pros: Friendly Service * Delicious Food * Cons: Not open at all hours of the day * *
4 of 6 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(3) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • Kelly, please read Eric Devin's review atop the page where he tells of MSG in the food at Lotus Garden. You can apologize to me for accusing me of rumor mongering. I will accept it, its hard to know when the cafe lies to us the consumers.. response by kindlizard • oh yeah, and white sugar is not vegan. All their sauces are heavily sugar based. Not cool to lie about food!!!. response by kindlizard • Actually, the "rumor" about MSG was in fact confirmed to me in pms here on HC by a worker there. His attitude was "So what", that it is safe. It is NOT safe. Also, if you look at a response to my review, you will see another person confirming that the MSG was a fact of the matter, and its current status is debatable. The current employee told me in pm that it was confined to their mock meats, they could not find one that didn't have it. Also, why would you encourage East Coasters to eat here? They have the best of the best out there and this would be a sad disappointment, truly. You even acknowledge that not everything here is good, and you only think a few items on the menu are worthwhile. And I need to disagree again w you about their hours, it is very common and not unusual at all for cafes to close between lunch and din.... response by kindlizard - report abuse -

"Real comfort food"   My Rating
20 Richard Myers	Posted on: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
	Review: Well, we quite enjoyed this restaurant for supper. We don't normally have Chinese food except when on vacation because our city doesn't have vegan Chinese. On vacation, it is great to find a restaurant like this when it is fun to have some mockmeat. It hardly rates as health food except for the veggies but it sure tastes good. The restaurant was not crowded and the server spent a lot of time helping us to order the best dishes as well as sharing information about Eugene and the world in general.   Pros: rich taste * friendly service * inexpensive Cons: * *
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"Vegan Chinese Food"   My Rating
2 veganscarl et	Posted on: Sunday, October 05, 2008
	Review: Lotus Garden is a fun place with lots of Chinese dishes, and it's great to be able to order anything on the menu and know that it's free of animal products. I also know non-vegans who really enjoy this place. In fact, it's a really good option for dining with non-vegan friends. The Cashew Vegetable is delicious, as is the Vegetable Chow Mein, and they have a fun selection of appetizers. I have friends who love the Pot Stickers, and I enjoy the Spring Rolls. A lot of the dishes have faux meat in them (having avoided meat since childhood, I can't say if the faux meat tastes genuine or not); and there are a good selection of tofu dishes as well. It does seem like all the dishes could have a bit more veggies in them, but everything I've tried has been tasty. You can order your food less (or more) spicy than they normally offer, and they also have brown rice as a healthy option. Lotus Garden is a very popular restaurant and I've heard that they do no advertising - just word of mouth. Many evenings it is packed, yet the staff is friendly even when a bit hurried by all the customers. The prices are quite reasonable and the portions are large enough that you'll probably take some home to enjoy later.   Pros: vegan * tasty food * good prices Cons: parking is challenging * *
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"Lets try this again"   My Rating
99 kindlizard	Posted on: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
	Review: Trying to balance the need for honest feedback for potential customers and being as constructive as possible for the cafe, a cafe I really had issues with legitimately, here goes: First off, when I went there, they admittedly used MSG in their food. apparently, according to some feedback, they may have limited their food to what their fake meats are, however, I have bought those often at wholesale Asian markets and did not have those in mine. Perhaps a constructive suggestion would be to find some that did not contain MSG, there are many that don't have that. However, it seems that the staff, according to the message I got, does NOT believe that MSG is or should be a problem. So in their eyes, it is NOT a potential problem. The dumplings I had contained frozen veg in the middle of them and were overcooked on the edges. I believe that they are frozen and then deep-fried. This point was disputed, that they aren't frozen but fridged. My const sug would be to lower the temp in the fridge and protect the delicate nature of the dumplings from freezer burn. The hot & sour is not good. It seems to be from a mix, it has a smoky flavor that is unusual for trad'l h&S soup. I go tot lots of Veg Chinese and LOVE it when its good. This is NOT good, and they inevitably in the past lied about what was vegan and what contained MSG. I hate liars more than I dislike bad food. Hopefully all the food is now vegan, they used white sugar before, plus had egg in some apps. They deep fry too much, most of their food is deep fried. The other have a very sweet sauce that seems like sugar. The other complaint is that a lot of the veggies are frozen. There is an abundance of great local, fresh produce in eugene; why not take advantage of it? Your food would benefit greatly from fresh food. People who love food don't love frozen veggies, you can still taste it. I hope this review seems more fair to the people of Lotus Garden. This place has made me feel not so great afterwards, and I just want to balance that experience for my vegan friends and also acknowledge that they seem to care about their rep; though I'd focus on the food rather than websites. I would not suggest this place, esp if you know and love great vegan Chinese. But if you are in the area and don't know otherwise, I guess... though I think frozen foods are being used and deep frying is unhealthy. Sorry... perhaps if they changed from deep fry to healthier methods and use fresh veg.   Pros: * * Cons: inconsistent telling of veg and MSG * frozen food * deep fry/ sugar/overall quality
4 of 11 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(3) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • Clarity, see Eric Devin's review atop the page. I have it copied now so if he deletes it you can read it. It states how the food does in fact MSG. He is ok w MSG and disputes its negative connotation rather than addressing it as a problem. He is the manager, perhaps you know him since you worked there. Too bad you didn't know the truth while you were there. You told me and others who read this it is "definitely not in their mock meats". Don't you feel foolish for lying to everyone? I think you owe us all an apology.. response by kindlizard • I worked at the Lotus Garden for two years and I can tell you for sure that they stopped using MSG a long time ago. It is definitely not in their mock meats. I read the ingredients many times, and they are vegan and free of MSG. The dumplings are supposed to be stored frozen. They are steamed not fried. The vegetables are not frozen, but fresh. Eggs are never used in the restaurant. The sugar is white sugar, however. They don't try to hide that fact. I was never able to convince them that white sugar is not vegan, so they continue to use it. You may not have liked the food, but that does not mean that you need to lie about how it was made. Also, the hot and sour soup is not from a mix. It is hand made from scratch. I saw the owners make it many, many times. The owners are dedicated to serving only vegan food, and I can as.... response by clarity • honestly believe this is a one cow, even though it is veg..... response by kindlizard - report abuse -

"Great vegan veggies and tofu"   My Rating
10 suecag	Posted on: Friday, June 06, 2008
	Review: Lotus Garden was great. The entire menu is vegan and that's fantastic. We had Cashew Tofu (fried tofu with broccoli, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, and lots of cashews in brown sauce) and Sweet & Sour Nugget (battered fried mock chicken nuggets with broccoli, carrots, and pineapple in sweet n sour sauce), $8.95 each. Portions were very generous. The Cashew Tofu plate had a ton of fresh veggies and a ton of tofu and cashews - and lots of sauce. Neither was spicy but there were spicy options on the menu if that's your thing. I asked if any of the food contained MSG and the answer was no. The restaurant had a very relaxed atmosphere.   Pros: Vegan * Generous portions * Yummy Cons: * *
3 of 4 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(1) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • Please see Eric Devin's review atop the page. He is the manager of the place and admits to MSG in teh food but his point is it doesn't matter and such. So maybe the cafe denies that MSG is an issue, but they do in fact use it.. response by kindlizard - report abuse -

"A Vegan Mixed Bag"   My Rating
3 oregonanni e	Posted on: Tuesday, January 22, 2008
	Review: I was delighted to find a vegan Chinese restaurant. The atmosphere is pleasant and the service was good. The food all had tofu or seitan as a meat substitute. I've never seen so much tofu on one menu! Personally, I would have been happy with stir fried veggies and rice. We ordered the cashew and tofu, which was excellent, and the sweet and sour tofu which wasn't. The sweet and sour tofu had hardly any vegetables or pineapple with it. It was just tofu in a red, commercial looking sweet-sour sauce. There were a few tiny pieces of pineapple, not more than six, along with a single piece of broccoli. I expected sweet and sour to have pineapple, perhaps green pepper, and carrot. It made a very small dish, lacking veggies. The price was moderate; we spent about $20 for two people. I'd feel like it were a better value if they were more generous with the vegetables. I will go back and try some of the other dishes. Hopefully, the sweet and sour tofu is the exception.   Pros: vegan * convenient location * pleasant environment Cons: some food not good * *
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"Recommended: fresh, "clean" tasting Chinese food."   My Rating
1 3party	Posted on: Tuesday, November 20, 2007
	Review: I am surprised by some of the negative comments about this restaurant. Although I no longer live in Eugene, when I did, I ate there often, from the time that it opened a few years back. I cannot compare Lotus garden with the best Chinese restaurants in Manhattan. Having been a vegetarian for more than half a century, I have also avoided Chinese restaurants for almost as long. The smells of meat and, often, of reused oil, always put me off. Then this restaurant appeared, and even in very vegetarian-friendly Eugene, most people thought a vegan Chinese restaurant wouldn't make it. They were wrong. The food always seems very fresh, and it is reliably vegan right down to the candy that comes with the check. The premises have none of the above-mentioned scents, and it is an exceptionally clean establishment. This is not the place to find authentically spicy Chinese food, but everything I have tried is wholesome, and tasty enough. I love spicy (Indian) food, but that is not what this place is about. But it isn't bland either. My only gripe is that they have all these fake-meat names for the entrées, like "Chicken," "Steak," etc. If you can get past that (and no booze, although you may bring your own), I strongly recommend this restaurant. (p.s. I am very surprised to see people referring to their using MSG. If true, that's new. Tell them to hold the MSG. Everything is prepared from scratch.)   Pros: Reliably vegan * Very fresh veggies * V. clean & friendly Cons: No beer (BYOB) * Few spicy dishes *
7 of 7 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(2) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • So MSG is heard from your highest authority from Eric himself atop the page. I will accept your apology if you ever login again.. response by kindlizard • Kindlizard, your comment is very misleading and basically untrue. You seem to take pleasure in going to extreme lengths to downgrade what is one of my favorite restaurants ever. Every single goddamn entree is made from scratch, to order as are all the soups, the potstickers and the spring rolls. The sweet and sour sauce is homemade from scratch, as is the potsticker sauce, and the hot mustard. The longevity buns, steamed vegetable buns and mu shu wrappers are the only things that are bought readymade, and the first two are slow sellers, and I challenge you to find a place that makes its own mu shu wrappers. I am friends with Chris (waiter with the red beard who left a little while ago) and Eric (the guy who works there now), so I have this on the highest authority.. response by redsoxvegan - report abuse -

"Boring"   My Rating
11 punkinness	Posted on: Tuesday, September 18, 2007
	Review: The food here seemed really uninspired. A friend and I split a veggie stir fry with tofu and a mock shrimp dish. Both seemed quite flavorless. Everything is fried and many of the mock meats have msg. The potstickers are average, and the red bean buns tasted highly processed and maybe came from the freezer. Eugene is suppose to be known for it's 'green' folk but this is the only totally vegan restaurant that I'm aware of. The lack of vegan options in town is the only thing that will get me back in here.   Pros: vegan * brown rice * price Cons: weird hours * msg * fried food
2 of 6 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(2) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • 3p- there is a lot you can do with veggies rather than "soak 'em in soy sauce". you agree it is bland at Lotus Garden, but in your own review you said it was NOT bland.. response by kindlizard • Punkiness: Try the szechuan tofu. The dishes you ordered are indeed bland -- what can you do with stir-fried veggies, except soak 'em in soy sauce? -- but the place is worth another try. Tell them exactly what you told "us." They are very responsive, and dishes are prepared from scratch. If an ingredient came from the freezer, they made it.. response by 3party - report abuse -

"Lotus Garden is one of the best for vegans!"   My Rating
GUEST	Posted on: Monday, May 14, 2007
	Review: The Lotus Garden offers quality vegan food prepared with a high consciousness and served by a polite and helpful staff. I never personally met a vegan who didn't enjoy their visit to the Lotus Garden immensely. The owners are kind folks who offer their peaceful food to peaceful palates with much generosity of spirit. Eugene would be a lonely city indeed without this marvelous vegan restaurant! Thank goodness there is still a vegan restaurant we can all appreciate, patronize and be grateful for! The yummy cruelty-free food fills your tummy while the high vibrational ambience feeds your spirit. If you're veg and in Eugene, don't miss it. These are good people doing good things and I'm grateful they're here.   Pros: generous portions * brown rice * exquisite taste Cons: that there aren't more * just like them so that * all could enjoy!
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"Where are the veggies!"   My Rating
1 Kathee	Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2007
	Review: This style of cuisine reminds me of Buddist temples like on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The lack of meat is so central to their philosophy that they are obsessed by meat analogs, ie meat-like replacements. I don;t know about you, but one of the reasons I am vegetarian is I don't like meat. I don't want meat substitutes! I want fresh and abundant veggies. Of which I am afraid, this restaurant is sadly missing. While I still eat here occassionally, I find the lack of fresh veggies to be an ultimate turn off. Glad its there, but wish there were veggies, which by the way, health-wise are vital while wheat gluten, alas, is not!   Pros: vegan * no hidden meat in sauces * Cons: cranky staff * no veggies *
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