• CLOSED: Potala Organic Cafe

  • (25)
    55

    Closed

  • White Vegan
Vegan
Macrobiotic
Organic
Asian
Fusion

Serves organic vegan food. Reported closed, Dec 2020.


Venue map for Potala Organic Cafe
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25 Reviews

First Review by Sarah_

AshKenyail

Points +1434

Mostly Veg
13 Sep 2023

Delicious and healthy

I ate here in May 2018. The food was very wholesome, and the ingredients tasted clean. A healthy and tasteful meal!

oak_leaf

Points +1218

Vegan
23 Dec 2019

Very delicious!

The food was very good! The service is fast and friendly.

Pros: Easy menu - pick medium or large size , Quick service

r2277388

Points +74

Vegan
20 Oct 2019

Great simple Tibetan/Nepali restaurant

The food is delicious, you have one decision, "medium" or "large" and medium is more than enough for the non-football playing average vegan (or non vegan).

The key lime pie was also divine. Thank

Pros: Delicious food

Cons: Restaurant needs a facelift. Service is very basic

Vegansnorkeler

Points +46

Vegan
08 Jul 2019

So healthy & delicious

I always get the larger size and never have leftovers since it’s so good. Not for people on restricted sodium diets, though.

Pros: Super healthy

Cons: Salty

vfran

Points +24

Vegan
13 Jun 2019

The Vegetable whisperer!

Have eaten here many times. Great food and nice setting. The perfectly serve vegetables - along with grains and beans (lentils) and the soup is devine also. I have become SOS free as well and they have a Simple Menu that has no salt or oil so this is terrific. One of the only restaurants I can still eat at.

Pros: Good food, healthy

Feathered Gem

Points +23

Vegan
07 May 2019

Awesome Lunch

The kind of food I like to eat: macrobiotic, organic, fresh, tasty. Delicious food. a no-rush attitude and a relaxing space; they even have vegan beer & wine. The mango coconut & strawberry coconut deserts were delish!

Pros: Healthy & delicious, Easy ordering, Pleasant, quick service

hildrcat

Points +46

Mostly Veg
12 Feb 2019

So Good

The staff is so sweet and the food is consistently amazing. A very well balanced meal every time.

christopherjboyce

Points +976

Vegan
27 Sep 2018

Nice place, nice food - highly recommend the dessert

I came here with a friend. I liked the simplicity of the set menu - medium or large plate - plus tea. Varied and totally yummy - fairly good value for money also - I would go back and recommend. I had a dessert and that was very nice

Pros: Vegan, Easy choices, Tasty fresh food

dvcucsc

Points +68

Vegan
01 Jan 2018

set menu of amazingness

Went on Sunday...loved it so much I had to come back the next day
This is a set menu that changes each day and at each meal. You get to choose between medium and large or sauce and plain
All vegan
All organic
They also have a selection of organic vegan wines and desserts
No cell phones allowed
The place has tranquility and the food is amazing

Pros: don't have to bother with a menu

WaterDog

Points +13

Mostly Veg
25 Aug 2017

Fragrant like grandmother's kitchen!

Love the easy ordering . . . large, small or special diet restrictions.
The large plate was generous and entirely scrumptious. And the coconut cream "cheese" pie is delectable. Came to $21 plus tip.

Pros: Vegan simplicity

steveveg

Points +2186

Vegan
28 Feb 2017

Great food

We had a delicious meal here. We all had medium plates that were filling enough. The selections that night were garbanzo bean & veggie soup; wild brown rice; green lentil with onion & carrot; baked yam, potato, carrot, celerey with ginger; steamed collard green with sunflower tofu beet sauce; and mixed salad. The menu changes daily. We also had a wonderful coconut pie. We really enjoyed the dinner.

MizzB

Points +3727

Vegan
08 Dec 2016

Delicious Dining

Deliciously tasty, organic, well seasoned, healthy dining ar Potala today. We had tried their companion restaurant in nearby Oakland, ShangriLa Vegan, and it was good. Food at Potala subtly tastier, more seasoned without the seasonings overpowering the freshness of the organic vegetables. Collard greens are some of my favorites, and these were perfectly cooked, served chiffonade-style cut, topped with a luscious onion shitake mushroom sauce. Going to have to try to duplicate this at home, seriously. Sautéed beets added a very good, interesting note to the northern beans & onions. Food is plated, offered in either a medium or large plate, with dishes available a la carte as well. Menu changes daily based on seasonal availability of fresh, organic vegetables most locally sourced. We were so full from ordering & devouring the large plates that we passed on dessert, yet will keep those in mind for a return trip. Highly recommend. Self serve tea & water. Free wifi. Small, adjacent free parking lot, with on street parking out front. Conveniently located, to Oakland, Berkeley, yet away from heavy traffic. On bus route.

Pros: Deliciously, tasty, affordable, 100% vegan food, Friendly, knowledgeable, welcoming staff, Free parking, wifi

Cons: Menu changes daily

rebeccaj

Points +164

Vegan
04 Nov 2016

delicious home-cooked-style meal

No need to read menu, just order a regular or a large and you'll get generous portions of a tasty meal of several dishes including soup. Fast service - I ordered mine to go and I didn't have to wait long. Packaging was biodegradable.

Pros: lots of food, tasty, healthy

Marthazon

Points +113

Vegan
14 Oct 2016

Relaxing and delicious

My partner and I were in Richmond and seeking a quick vegan lunch. We ended up coming here and it was great! We were confused by the menu at first (food items listed on a white board), but a staff member was quick to assist and was very friendly.

Super simple ordering: Medium or Large dish of about 6 "sides" of delicious food. (A medium dish is plenty of food, trust me!) They also have hot tea (Twig tea. It's awesome!), beer and wine, and dessert (vegan pie!)!

Their menu changes daily based on the freshest seasonal, organic ingredients available. Website is updated daily for current menu.

They are awesome. Please support this restaurant.

Pros: One dish = Simple Ordering, Friendly Staff, Delicious Food made with Love

Cons:

MyVeganJoy

Points +583

Vegan
10 Jul 2016

Delicious Healthy Organic Macrobiotic Food


We love Potala. (And what seems like its sister restaurant - Shangri-La.) Potala is always such a lovely escape into its peaceful and kindness-filled setting, and food that you can feel is made with love. We appreciate a lot that we can trust the kitchen with choosing truly healthy organic ingredients and meals for us with none of the overstimulating or fake stuff. Always a good experience, always delicious and always a happy tummy afterwards. Thank you.

Pros: Delicious, Organic, Seasonal and Local

Allene

Points +11

Mostly Veg
28 Feb 2016

Surprisingly Delicious!

The first time I went here two years ago I was a meat eater. I went with a vegan friend on his birthday. When I looked at what was written on the menu board I had no idea what most of it was and it didn't look at all appetizing. I was quite pleasantly surprised and just keep cooing about the place to any vegetarians or vegans I knew. Then I never went back for 2 years. But I certainly about it all the time, thing was badder food choices won out I wasn't ready yet to make the better choices. Now I've been there 4 times in about a week and a half. I still don't know what most of the food is but I have confidence that I'm going to love it and I always get surprised again each time I eat there.

Pros: Heathy, Location, Prices

Cons: They don't deliver.

SFRobbie

Points +1066

Vegan
15 Dec 2015

Delicious and unique

The staff told me it's a combination of Indian and Korean cuisine, but it definitely felt more like South Asian than Korean. They have one menu of the night and if you order the medium or large plate, you get a plate full of five different dishes and a bowl of soup. The flavors were fantastic, and it's all very reasonably priced. Very casual, comfortable space, with their own parking lot. And it's ALL organic and vegan. Yummy.

Pros: All organic and all delicious

Cons: No choice with the menu so if you're a picky eater

AmeliaIda

Points +17

Mostly Veg
22 Oct 2015

Delish! Vegan cheesecake? Darn tooting!

This is a vegan establishment and it has very tasty dishes that bring a lot of healthy flavor to each item. The menu is limited so don't go in with a hankering for something special. You get what they have prepared for the day! But if you're a vegan / veggie lover I'm sure the dish will be satisfying and enjoyable! It comes with a little salad, some rice, and cooked veg. Dessert is extra to the meal but worth it, very creative and yummy!

ciramitra

Points +18

Herbivore
30 Aug 2015

Wonderful

Peaceful, reasonably priced, delicious. What else could you want?

Pros: excellent food, peaceful atmosphere, pleasant staff

Cons: desserts are not their forte

True North

Points +797

Vegan
02 Aug 2015

Best of Berkeley

This place was an incredible find. The daily meal is listed on a board and all you have to do is decide how large a plate you want. Since the salad was listed to include a dressing with olive oil in it, I opted out of that but had everything else. I ordered the medium plate and my boyfriend had the large. First course was a lentil soup that was flavorful and good. Then came a plate filled with about 5 other items, each very tasty and filling. My non-vegan boyfriend said he'd come back anytime (they had beer too, which made him happy). Although I am sugar free right now, their desserts looked divine.

Pros: great meals, peaceful ambiance, Willing to modify

AmeliaIda

22 Oct 2015

evea

Points +48

Vegan
31 Mar 2015

great for pure people

Like other reviewer said simple, plant based, unprocessed whole food. Perhaps it's good for me but I get bored without spices. as an animal rights activist I wonder about the reputation that this type of vegan food makes, Perhaps it's undeserved, but this food can affirm the notion that food without animal bodies/products is bland or tasteless.

Pros: pure, simple

Cons: bland, boring

ScienceGuy

Points +45

Mostly Veg
20 Nov 2014

Health vegans will love

Not all the vegans I've brought here like it. It's earthy, honest food. Not deep fried, not processed, not fake meat.

However, health-nuts (vegan or not) seem to always love it. I also love it. It's so refreshing to eat a filling plate of veggies and beans and actually taste the suffer flavors of all the plant-based components. The soup and teas are a nice touch.

Pros: staff, not greasy, has parking

Cons: quiet (also pro), religious vibe, most fixed menu

HollyCalifornia

Points +47

Vegetarian
02 Aug 2014

One of our favorite restaurants

Delicious organic vegan food. They serve a full or medium meal that comes with soup and tea. The medium is usually enough for me. The menu changes, but a sample meal would be split pea/carrot/spinach soup, brown rice, sauteed cabbage and other veggies, beans of some sort, collard greens and a mixed salad. They have nice dressings and sauces. There is also the simple meal option that usually has brown rice, black eye peas, steamed veggies and collard greens.

Pros: Delicious!, organic, fully vegan restaurant

Cons: limited selection

vallejo222

Points +19

Vegan
27 Sep 2013

Best vegan restaurant in Bay Area!

This place is amazing, particularly if you are health conscious and/or have a sensitivity to gluten. All organic ingredients, all gluten-free, and no processed, fried, or sugary foods. They also have a "simple meal" menu option with no oil or salt, just the delicious flavors of the carefully prepared legumes, green and root vegetables, and brown rice. Best and healthiest vegan restaurant in the Bay Area.

Pros: inexpensive, organic, gluten-free

Cons: none

Sarah_

Points +36

Vegan
01 Dec 2011

Delicious & macrobiotic (vegan)

Potala is an incredibly beautiful food-as-art-form place. I always thought macrobiotic would be dull (I'm paying how much for beans and a pickle?) until I wound up on a trip to Paris eating at a couple of astoundingly good macrobiotic places. So that won me over. And Potala is as good as any place I ate in Paris - the food is both down-to-earth and exquisite.

You can get a full plate of food for $13.95 (it's worth a little extra!), a smaller plate for $11.95, or a simple plate for $8.95. It's always the food of the day, something different every time...a set of dishes arranged to go together perfectly. It doesn't really describe it to say that we had mung bean veggie with tahini soup, followed by a plate composed of a little mound of some kind of tender quinoa with carrots and parsley that had been cooked in a broth and surrounded by piles of a melting slowly cooked vegetable medley (broccoli, carrots, burdock, cauliflower), some kind of weirdly divine kidney bean in sauce, steamed collard greens in a luscious basil parsley sauce, a little bit of some kind of pickle, and a mixed green salad with "vinegar dressing." Then a little pudding-like thing of yam and carrot that was quite good too.

This place is a winner!

Pros: Kind waitstaff, delicious food, feel great afterward




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