Vegan
Chinese
Take-out

Vegetarian Chinese restaurant with 2 locations. Its extensive vegan food menu features a variety of vegetable, tofu, faux meat, and wheat gluten dishes, and includes western style desserts. Seating for 25 people. Try the scallion pancake. Reported closed April 2023.


Venue map for Garden Fresh
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44 Reviews

First Review by VeggieLover1014

joanna240

Points +317

Vegan
31 Mar 2023

Family-run vegan

Update: Garden Fresh is permanently closed at this location.

Original review: We've gotten takeout from Garden Fresh, oh, a few hundred times. It's all vegan, it's consistently delicious, and Alice and her staff care about each customer. Kind of like having a home cooked meal, if you were lucky enough to grow up in a household where anyone cooked.

Most of the dishes feature fake meat, but also have a fair amount of fresh vegetables. Leftovers are great too, but we rarely have any.

I have also dined there, but table space is limited, so plan accordingly!

Updated from previous review on 2022-09-01

todlo

16 Jul 2023

Sister site in Mountain View (El Camino & Shoreline) is still open for now! We went there yesterday, Alice was there, it was great to see her after so long. Food was delicious, as always.

andyjng

Points +4513

Vegan
22 Nov 2022

Decent Chinese Food

Garden Fresh popped in our radar as it was a vegan spot I hadn't tried yet and it was close to the IKEA in Palo Alto. They feature an entirely veganized Chinese-American menu which I am always excited about.

We started with the Spinach Wonton Soup and the Scallion Pancakes for an app. The soup itself felt a bit bland although I appreciated the helping of fresh spinach and veggie wontons. Pancakes were great though and probably our favorite part of the meal.

Then, we wanted to order their Veggie Rolls, which were mushrooms wrapped with tofu skin. Unfortunately they were out and so our server recommended another dish that was similar. However, when it actually came out, I don't think it was anything like the original dish.

Our mains consisted of their Cashew Chicken and the replacement to the Veggie Rolls, which was essentially stir-fried soy protein with a teriyaki sauce. The cashew chicken dish didn't have a lot of cashew and the chicken felt more like plant-based meatballs. This dish was okay but felt the sauce could have been better. Our other dish was simply not what we were expecting so at the end, both were just okay.

Service here was nice although we felt a bit rushed to order. There are a few other vegan friendly Asian restaurants scattered around the South Bay that are up more my alley, so I don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. Nonetheless, Garden Fresh is still a spot to check out if you are in the area for good vegan takes on classic Chinese-American food.

AshaKeddy

Points +31

Vegan
17 Aug 2022

Excellent food and hospitality

All vegan and delicious. Good place to support. Different styles of food depending on your preferences

JustinDavidCarl

Points +107

Vegan
12 Aug 2022

Pretty good Vegan Chinese food.

We enjoyed this spot which is within biking distance of our home. Lots of options and would likely come back!

Pros: Lots of Vegan Chinese food.

BaileySchneider

13 Aug 2022

Just went to the one in Mountain View last weekend and it was pretty good!

MeghnaNatraj

Points +231

Vegan
08 Aug 2022

Amaaazing!

The lady who runs is just so lovely and sweet! Absolutely wholesome 🎉 Please do visit this place and support them 🥰 and the food is just fabulous!!! ♥️ Their best dish is the veggie duck (I’m someone who grew up eating chicken, yet love this the most).

Best dish: Veggie duck
Really good: Szechuan chicken
Others: Black pepper chicken

Spice: order the spiciest level possible because even that is not spicy at all (I can’t handle spice so trust me on this one)

Texture: The texture of the chicken is not too - chicken like, but the texture of the duck is amazing! (Meat like)

Updated from previous review on 2022-08-08

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Small business, good morals

chazzratazz

Points +136

Vegan
23 Jun 2022

Solid vegan Chinese food

The food was excellent & they got it out really fast. Owners were really friendly & made sure they got our order right. All the options we got were so good & tasted like the real deal!

Pros: Large variety, Decently priced , Delicious

Cons: Not open late

ToddACollins

Points +233

Vegan
09 Jun 2022

Fantastic Chinese Cuisine, Wow!

See above! See above! See above!

Pros: Great food, Lots of choices, The chocolate cake!

Cons: Not in Huntington Beach

maxitg

Points +31

Vegan
11 Feb 2022

One of my favorites in the area

Faux meats here are incredible! Both in variety and quality.

Updated from previous review on 2022-02-11

Pros: High quality, elaborate options, Large menu

ShakedRegev

Points +77

Vegan
23 Sep 2021

Awesome close to campus restaurant

I take people here any chance I get. Everything is delicious it's the only vegan place in Palo Alto. It is fully vegan, despite the description. Great value lunch specials

Pros: All vegan, Delicious, Lunch specials

StaceyP

Points +609

Vegan
04 Aug 2021

Delicious!

Delicious Chinese food offering a variety of mock meats.

DaveC

Points +58

Vegan
11 Oct 2020

Solid vegan Chinese food with lots of fake meat options

Lots of options including many fake meats. I Love the General’s Chick’n and Basil Tempura. It is pricey for what you get (although lunch specials are a good value). And some dishes like the ham and mixed veggie tofu are mediocre.

Pros: Lots of options including many fake meats, Lunch specials are a good deal

Cons: A bit pricey for what you get , Some of the dishes are mediocre

philippeb

Points +27

Vegetarian
28 Jan 2020

Excellent experience every time

Very good Chinese vegan food. A lot of choices on the menu. I really like the spicy dishes and appreciate that you can choose how spicy you want them to be. I had Hunan tofu for lunch today and thought it was delicious. Never disappointed. Service is courteous and fast which is great, especially during lunch time.

GauraangKhurana

Points +55

Vegan
15 Jan 2020

Best vegan restaurant

This is my fav vegan restaurant and I have never had anything tasting better, their mock meats are so close to the actual ones that you cannot distinguish.

Pros: 100% Vegan restaurant - order anything 😆, Delicious, Fast service

Cons: Lil Expensive but worth it

BiancaMK

Points +44

Vegan
22 Dec 2019

Yummy All Vegan Chinese

Our favorite is the Honey Walnut Prawns!! I mean, how do they do that!! Haven’t had that dish in over 5 years since becoming vegan and now we crave it all the time. A must order:)

Pros: All Vegan

Cons: Addictive

TravisJackson

Points +18

Vegan
02 Dec 2019

Good food. Only found one thing I didn’t like in 5 trips so far

Orange chicken not good. Everything else is 100% delicious

Pros: All vegan

Cons: Orange chicken

Lila.hope

Points +30

Vegan
22 Nov 2019

Excellent All Vegan Menu

All vegan menu so order with confidence! An assortment of dishes not limited to veggie and tofu. Appetizers, soup, noodle, rice and stir fries — so many familiar flavors veganized!

Pros: All vegan menu so order with confidence!, An assortment of traditional flavors, Not limited to veggie and tofu!

elizabeth123

Points +70

Vegan
03 Nov 2019

AMAZING vegan food

I’ve been going to this place for years and their food and service is amazing. I take all my non vegan friends here and they all say this is one of their favorite places to go.

Pros: all vegan, great service

Clean&Green

Points +1178

Vegan
30 Aug 2019

Yes please!

Have eaten here twice now and enjoyed every dish. The shrimp and walnuts were incredible! A great place to bring omni friends who like Chinese food - I don't think they'll be able to tell the difference between their usual favs and the vegan version.
As others have mentioned it is a small place and sometimes service seems to move a little slow (had to ask twice for a glass of water). However, I the food makes up for it in my opinion.

Pros: Great food

MelodyVeganJoy

Points +7309

Vegan
27 May 2019

Tasty, but plates are on the small size

we ordered 4 dishes to split amongst, spent $68 pre-tip, and were still hungry afterwards.

The food was tasty, I love the duck dish, but I think I'll otherwise stick to Nature Vegetarian in Oakland

peanutplans

Points +2602

Vegan
08 Mar 2019

Authentic chinese food, vegan style

It was well worth the visit. Food tasted indeed fresh. lots of thought had clearly gone into the meals and even the waiter was authentic from Hong Kong. I highly recommend the Peking duck.

Pros: Fully vegan, Excellent service, Great price for large portions

Cons: Not much ambiance

abhaya

Points +92

Vegan
07 Mar 2019

Excellent Chinese vegan food

Has great vegan dishes. The mock fish with spicy instead of the sweet and sour sauce is my favorite.

00misha

Points +294

Vegan
20 Jan 2019

Delicious food, plentiful options

Cute little place in downtown Palo Alto. I’ve eaten here quite a few times, and my standout dishes are the Mongolian Chicken and the Hunan Tofu. The servers are all friendly, and they get to you pretty quickly even when the place is packed (which is very common, considering the tiny space). I wish they would do something to combat the noise levels that come with the crowds though. Also, the menu is pages long, with tons of options. I am a regular, and I doubt I will ever get to try everything on the menu because it is just so expansive. They could really benefit from trimming the menu, and making each individual dish stand out! Price is honestly pretty good for Palo Alto, but is obviously not cheap.

Pros: Food is good, some dishes are great, Good service, Lots of options

Cons: Small, and gets quite loud with a crowd, Menu can be overwhelming with the options

ParisL

Points +149

Vegan
24 Dec 2018

Great service, food a little bland

I tried out this restaurant due to their all vegan menu. It seems to be family owned and operated and the people running it are very friendly and helpful.
When I got to my table it wasn't very clean, there were some food bits on it and some stickiness and I had to brush off my chair before sitting down. That kind of thing doesn't bother me too much but if you care about the place you eat being super clean, this may not be the place for you.
Almost all the items on their menu seem to have some kind of fake meat in them, and while I admire what they're trying to do, I don't even like meat that much so eating a fake version of it isn't high on my list of priorities. I also generally prefer to eat less processed vegan foods than fake meats.
I ordered the Veggie Chicken Chow Mein (#22) and the Vegetable Potstickers I believe. The food was good but a little bland for my tastes, but I may have just accidentally ordered the most bland items on their menu since I try to avoid spicy foods. I ended up having to take some food home in a container because it was too much for me to finish there. Everything was pretty oily, as it usually is with this type of food in the US at least, so if you're trying to limit your oil consumption I don't recommend this place to you.

Pros: All vegan menu, Helpful and friendly staff, Large portions

Cons: Fake meat in most dishes, Table not very clean, Bland, very oily food

krysteleal

Points +632

Vegan
20 Jul 2018

Yummy!!

At Garden Fresh, it's so hard to pick something to eat! Everything on the menu looks good. It's a must-go stop for vegan (and no-vegan!) in Palo Alto. The owners are amiable and the place it's tiny, cozy and familiar.

KathrinPeters

Points +256

Vegan
17 Jan 2018

Ok food in ok place, close to University Ave, but nothing special

Big portions and very nice owners, extensive menu but nothing special. The restaurant sits about 30 people. Good for a fast and easy lunch when you’re hungry.

JackyLu

Points +18

Vegan
30 Dec 2017

Lovely owners

The owners of this restaurant are very friendly, and it seems like every customer who goes has a great experience with them. The food is also very authentic Chinese food. This little restaurant is very homey.

Pros: Mock meat options

kaleyeah87

Points +375

Vegan
27 Dec 2017

Yummy food

My family and I had lunch here when visiting Palo Alto. I had the sweet and sour pork, which was very good, and my dad really enjoyed the basil tempura. We had yummy carrot cake for dessert. Contrary to the restaurant's name, the food isn't very healthy, but it is certainly delicious.

Pros: Good service, Flavorful food, many choices!

Cons: Salty!




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