• 4
• Great selection of vegan food in deli case!

While on a business trip to Charlottesville, I stopped at Integral Yoga Natural Foods to pick up some lunch, as -- according to Happy Cow -- it was the surest place for me to find some vegan food. It's a quick five-minute drive from the UVa campus; just from walking through the front door of the shop, it seems like a nice little co-op with a standard variety of health-food items, vitamins, herbs, holistic medicine items, and books. (Note: I didn't do any shopping; I went straight for the deli/juice bar.) The tiny cold case in the back of the store was crammed with at least 10 different clearly-labeled vegan and/or raw items -- eggplant manicotti, dolmades, spring rolls, nori rolls, balsamic veggie salad, and blueberry "cream" pie, just to name a few. The food I tried was flavorful and filling -- I felt like I was eating something I had made myself. They also have a fully-stocked juice bar; my wheatgrass shot was fresh and tasty. Unfortunately, the store has no place to sit and eat -- a few outside tables would be nice -- but that's a small price to pay for delicious (yet cold) home-cooked vegan goodness. One minor downside was that the employee behind the deli case was pretty rude: she repeatedly rolled her eyes and sighed as she scooped out my selected food items, and she didn't make eye contact with me even ONE time while begrudgingly taking my order. Not sure what the deal was there. The cashier at the front of the store was pleasant enough, and I picked up a napkin and a fork on my way out the store to go eat in my car. A nicer deli employee would have made this a five-star (or five-cow) review. Otherwise, a sure bet for fresh vegan/raw food on-the-go! They offer a 10% student discount (with ID), too.