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Ahimsa 
 based on 11 member reviews
1227 Chapel, New Haven Connecticut
06511
203-786-4774
Type: Vegan, Kosher, International, Juice bar
Info: Vegan restaurant with nice, spacious interior. Menu includes raw food options: salads, wraps, sushi rolls, smoothies, fresh juices, and ice cream. Open for lunch and dinner, closed Sunday during summer. Price: Expensive.
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| "You have to know what to order...."
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My Rating |
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8 |
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Posted on: Sunday, August 02, 2009 |
Review: Ahimsa is the type of place non-vegans dread. The food is weird and expensive, the atmosphere is fancy and intimidating, and the tables each have a small sign that says Ahimsa means "no harm" and your meal is created to make you beautiful --> (sounds corny!)
With the above said, if you know what to order here, you'll have a memorable experience.
If you are with non-vegans who look scared, stick to the following:
STARTERS----
(1) empanadas - really tasty appetizer. deep-fried with avocado and nut-cheese.
(2) quesdillas - twist on the above. very good too.
(3) edamame - served with rock salt. very nice starter.
(4) kale salad - they thinly cut raw kale and serve it with apples, walnuts, and a delicious marinade. it's a very fresh tasting zingy salad. the apples add sweetness.
DINNERS--
(1) chole bhature - this is a warm dish of chickpeas/tomatoes/onions. it is served with a puffed indian bread. it's hearty and absolutely delicious.
(2) vegan paella - rice and seitan with fried plaintains. VERY good. especially if you like salty stuff.
DESSRT--
(1) GET THE CHEESECAKES!!!!! GET THEM!!!!!!!
now if you're not a scared non-vegan and you're looking to try raw....
(1) raw pizza
(2) kale salad
(3) and for dinner, try the fettucini alfredo. it is served with edible flowers! and a spicy creamy nutsauce. the pasta is made out of zuccini.
for drinks, get the young coconut water. they stick a straw into a coconut. it's a trip!
skip the lunch buffet. the food was very bland and it wasn't very good :(
Pros: atmosphere * raw menu * cheesecake!
Cons: intimidating menu * kind of pretentious * pricey |
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| "Very, very expensive"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Friday, January 09, 2009 |
Review: I live within two blocks of Ahimsa, and I'm a vegan. You'd think I'd be there often. But, I've only been there once because I can't afford to eat there. When I did go, the food was just decent (I guess it's a tough comparison having come from the Bay Area).
I appreciate that organic, vegan, well-prepared food is not going to be cheap. But, given it's location in a college town, you'd think there'd be a few things on the menu that were a tad bit more affordable.
Pros: Vegan * *
Cons: Expensive * * |
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• Yes it's a college town but the restaurant is in the heart of the Yale area. Most of those students come from wealthy homes and they can afford to pay those prices. Now if the restaurant was in Hamden then I could see lowering the prices.. response by blackroses_78
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| "Love It."
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
Review: I have been working at Ahimsa since last September... wishing i have found this place earlier. It would have been my favorite go-to place in New haven. It still is even though I work here. The Ahimsa family welcomed me with a new outlook on healthful and organic cuisine, and still continues to educate me about the entire Ahimsa philosphy (see www.ahimsa.inc for full overview). Ahimsa is not just a place where you order food and eat. It is much more then that. For the moment you walk in, one is in awe from the warm, cozy, & innovative decor and atmosphere. You are then seated and in glory with the pleathora of organic food options. The owner is always around willing to talk to people about their exprience and to receive comments and suggestions. Ahimsa is willing to accomidate in anyway including glutin free, wheat free, and any specific diet. Ahimsa is a unique and wonderful dining delight that everyone should experience.
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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| "Hidden gem"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 |
Review: My husband and I were visiting New England for a music festival. We were looking for a juice bar near New Haven and we discovered this hidden gem. We were pleasantly surprised to see extensive selection of raw food on their menu. We were in 7th heaven after trying their food. We had avocado basil raw soup, living pizza and soft taco for appetizer, Eggplant manicotti and lasagna for entree. We travel a lot since my husband is a musician and we eat at many raw food restaurants. Let me tel you, Ahimsa is among the best in the country. Very innovative food, busting with flavors and presented artistically. Since we were full, we packed up each one of their 5 raw desserts and some more food for the road. We loved it so much that we had to drive back from Massachusetts the next day to pick up some more... The owner was very kind and waited for us an extra hour since we got stuck in traffic. It is rare to find restaurant owners (vegan family) who are passionate about their food philosophy and not in it just for money.
Pros: great raw food * kind owner * positive atmosphere
Cons: not in every town * * |
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| "Ahimsa rocks"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 |
Review: I have been to this restaurant before but this time I ventured to take my meat eating friends there... without telling them that it was all vegan place! I told them that it was an organic foods restaurant with many raw options. We ordered their appetizer sampler, quesadilla and raw soft tacos as a starter and raw lasagna, spiced chickpea with puffed bread, and malaysian rice, spinach and peanut dish.
The food was exquisite. My friends and I had a wonderful dinning experience. They didn't miss meat at all. The presentation was terrific and the service was friendly and professional. (My friend fell in love with the glass bowl sink in the bathroom). I was in seventh heaven with their vegan tiramisu Yuummm.
This is now my favorite place to bring my friends. I can eat everything on the menu without my friends having to sacrifice their taste buds!
Ahimsa also has a large selection of organic beers. I particularly like Pinkus organic.
Pros: exquisite food * friendly sevice * great music
Cons: * * |
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| "Reluctant to try again"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Friday, November 30, 2007 |
Review: My friend and I were really excited to go to the only all vegan restaurant in town, but it wasn't what we expected. The decor made a great first impression. The food was presented well, but it was bland and way to expensive for what it was worth. Whatever you do, do not get the fried eggplant dish on a bed of spinach! It has absolutely no flavor, not even salt. The service was very slow. They had a really cool bathroom sink, but I don't think that is a good enough reason to go back. Maybe they were having an off night. But for $25.00 per person that's kind of unacceptable.
Pros: nice decor * nice bathroom sink * pretty food
Cons: tasteless food * too expensive * slow service |
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| "Pure bliss"
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My Rating |
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30 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 |
Review: Even though I was just passing through, I had to get food from Ahimsa after reading reviews and seeing the menu. I was not disappointed. It was well worth the stop. The space is beautiful and the service very accommodating. The food was superb! I ordered samosas which were like nothing I've ever eaten before! The texture, flavors and presentation were delightful in every way! I only wish I had more! The entree was splendidly assembled and also had wonderful flavors. I can't remember what it was called, but truly wonderful. As an avid vegan baker, I was a bit disappointed in the carrot cake (no frosting, just icing drizzle). However, the amazing flavor and moist texture made up for the lack of frosting! Lovely! Although pricey, it is understandable, given the depth of flavor and social consciousness that creates these dishes!
Pros: Menu * Organic * Excellent food
Cons: Small portions * * |
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| "We loved it!"
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My Rating |
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7 |
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Posted on: Saturday, October 13, 2007 |
Review: We always are on the lookout for another purely vegan restaurant. And in Ahimsa in New Haven, we found an excellent one to which we shall return many, many times. We ordered their Saturday afternoon buffet, so we could sample their varied ethnic cuisine at one set price. And everything was delicious! We especially loved their exotically seasoned and delicately spiced chick peas and potatoes, which we spooned onto their own tasty flatbread. We also adored their grilled eggplant, as well as their Szhechuan noodles and veggies. We also enjoyed their carrot cake and rice pudding, which we spooned onto the cake -- and all sweetened with agave nectar! And our server was so sweet and helpful. She made us a mango lassi, which was so mangoey and refreshing! We can't wait to go back!
Pros: excellent all-vegan food * friendly staff * inspiring atmosphere
Cons: * * |
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| "Area's best vegetarian/vegan restaurant"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 |
Review: I am a 'regular' customer at Ahimsa, Connecticut's best vegetarian restaurant. Previous (un-fair) review prompted me to write this. Ahimsa is spacious, elegant and cleanest of all vegetarian restaurants in Connecticut with very creative eclectic menu, fantastic presentations and food that is so tasty that it is addictive – I eat there at least twice a week. Pot-stickers – the "steamed dumplings" criticized by the previous reviewer is one of my favorite dishes there. It is delicious, and the bed of sea-weed is really "dynamite" as admired by the New York Times food critic. Nasi Lamak, the second dish blasted by the previous reviewer is in the list of the New York Times "my favorite dishes"! Just to be un-biased, I took my Malaysian friend there to eat this. "Flavorful and authentic" were the words she used to describe it. "It is supposed to be served with un-skinned peanuts" she said.
Look the place is not cheap but it is a good value. Where else can you get gourmet vegetarian, vegan and raw food that is kosher certified and is made with quality organic/fair-trade ingredients with ethical, health and environmental considerations? Even their desserts are guilt-free and use raw agave nectar as a sweetener instead of processed white sugar!
I have been to many so called vegetarian places that serve fish and slap cheese on to every dish or serve tasteless imitation meats. Ahimsa is the only pure vegetarian restaurant with absolutely no animal products, no trans fats, no preservatives, pesticides or GM foods. The family that runs the place is also vegan, very kind and accommodating. We in the vegetarian/vegan community need to support places like Ahimsa and not smear them. I consider myself fortunate to have Ahimsa restaurant in my neighborhood.
Pros: Great taste * healthy food * Good vibes
Cons: Not in every town * Closed on Sunday (for now) * |
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| "too little taste, too high priced"
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My Rating |
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3 |
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Posted on: Sunday, August 19, 2007 |
Review: I was so looking forward to eating here after having read the great reviews and looking at their appetizing menu online. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! I was with a small group of vegans who each had a different appetizer to start with, while I was munching on my bland steamed dumplings over styrofoamed consistency seaweed, I was busily swatting at a fly and shooing away knats. My fellow diners did not have the look of gastronome delight on their faces. The dishes came out aesthetically pleasing with an artistic flare, that is where it begins and ends. My main course came out like a mini volcano cute, well this volcano was not bursting out with flavor. The mountain of rice under the coconut mint infused sauce was tasteless. To top it off it was surrouned by peanuts that still had the red skin coating on it. BLAH!! I was polite and asked my fellow diners to have a taste of my dish which they declined. When the dessert menu came out, I was floored by their high prices and little selection. Fried banana for $7.00, you got to be kidding,,This place is enough to want to make me sink my teeth into a juicy sirloin burger. NOT! In any event, I will continue in search of new and exciting vegetarian places to eat and will report back. If I had the desire to eat pureed baby food this is the place. The staff was friendly though. I AM SCRATCHING THIS ONE OFF MY LIST.
Pros: location * serene setting * did not get sick
Cons: high priced * little selection * tasteless |
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| "Interesting food, too expensive"
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My Rating |
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11 |
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Posted on: Sunday, June 17, 2007 |
Review: We love so many things about this restaurant--the focus on non-violence, the entirely vegan menu with many raw options, the unique and creative dishes, etc. However, the prices are so prohibitively high that we simply cannot afford to eat here very often. If you are a rich vegan, and not the crunchy hippie kind like us (hee hee), enjoy!
Pros: innovative * vegan and raw food * positive energy
Cons: high prices! * * |
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