Ahimsa Vegan Cafe

Great food and atmosphere. Probably not worth driving across So Cal to visit, but if you're in the area, it's always a solid option.

Updated from previous review on 2017-02-26

I have walked past this place several times over the years, but it was never a good time for me to stop. So I finally decided to make a lunch date with myself and stop in on my to a meeting. Oh I am so glad I did, I wasn't very hungry, but couldn't resist ordering the tomato and basil grilled cheese; This was served with corn chips and salsa. The salsa and chips were meh, they tasted like they came out of a bag/jar. The grilled cheese was great the fresh basil was so nice and the cheese ratio wasn't low or high to the bread tomato.

The staff was awesome, check on me made sure I had was taken care of and even asked me if I wanted my drink in a to go cup for after my meal. Oh and speaking of my drink they have a deal where if you hashtag them you get a free ginger lemonade. This lemonade was amazing and not just because of the price. It wasn't to sweet and the ginger was perfect for after a meal.

The store was clean staff was great and I can't wait to go back a try more menu items.

I can imagine eating here frequently as a cool place to hang out. The staff is very friendly, has a great vibe, and I saw a lot of young families around when I visited.

I was excited to try a new vegan restaurant, and the indoor decor was encouraging, but I ended up very disappointed. I ordered the Hippy Kale Bowl. The rice was damp and tasted like somebody spilled salt all over it. Service was not rude, but was not welcoming either.

Here in Long Beach on business, I was so happy to find this place. Fantastic selection and delicious food. Friendly staff, it is a real kitchen with meals made to order. I had the tempeh reuben today and it was so delicious. Blueberry pie for dessert. If this place were in DC where I live, I would be here every day.

This place has so much potential. I have been here several times and have almost always been disappointed. They are always out of many food items, making it very difficult to ever order any of my top five choices. When they have the ingredients, their food is delicious. Service is also extremely slow; one time I was the only customer and still had to wait almost 40 minutes for my two items. Be prepared to make many substitutions and wait a very long time.

We came with a group of friends after the Long Beach Vegan Food and Music Festival. We all ordered separately, one right after the other. We got the tempeh reuben, fiesta bowl and sweet potato fries. They were good, but not special. Our food came fairly quickly, but other members of our party had to repeatedly ask about their food. One person did not receive her sandwich until the rest of us were already done. Another person's smoothie was finally given at the end in a to-go cup as we were leaving and it was poorly blended. We all really wanted to like this place as it's all vegan, but the poor service, with no apology or anything, left a sour taste.

I immediately loved the name and look of the cafe. I was so overwhelmed by choices that it took awhile to decide, but I got the BLT, nachos, and a slice of apple pie and my friend got samosas, something else, and pie. Didn't see any sushi, but we both really enjoyed our food and trying each others. We also got a free ginger lemonade that was surprisingly good for taking a picture by their cool wall and posting it on Instagram. Definitely coming back next time I'm in over here.

I have given this place several chances...and have always been disappointed. The food is mediocre, the staff is lackluster & the service is slow...also they are consistently out of several items. The sad thing is Long Beach is in need of a good vegan spot! The potential is there, but Ahimsa keeps dropping the ball. I am sad to say, I won't be back

The space is warm and inviting but the service was terrible. We ordered a Fiesta bowl, lemon herb chik'n burger, soup, cookie and smoothie. The only things that they brought to our table were the burger and bowl. We waited over 30 minutes and had to go back and ask for the cookie, smoothie and soup. We then asked for the soup to go and it came less than full. The smoothie was okay but I really would have preferred to have it with my meal. They SOLD our cookie to someone else and offered pie instead. We declined and asked for the money back. Super weird experience. Won't be back.

Found this place cause they have vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. The whole menu is good, everything I've tried has been rad. Tasty drinks available too. Ahimsa is my #1 go to veg spot in Long Beach.

I've tried:
Tempeh Reuben - AMAZING. So much flavor, my non-vegan bf loved it. A great balance of flavors.
Spring Rolls - This is always a go-to for me. They're actually pretty feeling and the ginger tahini sauce is bomb.
Brown Rice Sushi Roll- Um wow! The flavors in this roll are explosive you don't know where to look.
Hippie Salad - It's tasty with all the fixings but I prefer other filling dishes than getting their salads.
Cherry Pie - The pie isn't the best thing on the menu. I wouldn't get it again.
Chocolate Chip Cookie - It's like a crunchy better than Original Chips Ahoy Cookie. They've only had them once. PLEASE HAVE THEM MORE OFTEN

I've never actually dined in, always get take out. The employees are always kind when I pick up my food though.

Will eat here foreverrrrrrr....

Restaurant was nearly empty but we had to wait over half an hour for our food. Honestly, it just wasn't good. I tried the cheese jalapeno burger and the indian bowl, both were so unpleasant I couldn't finish them. A previous review praised their fries; I'm glad I got them, they were the only thing I liked there.
They were out of a few desserts and all their ice tea when I came at around 2pm. I got an ice cream deluxe for dessert (which was good). I realized pretty quickly that it was just So Delicious coconut ice cream though.
I'd say its not really worth it.

Four kids running around with no home training. Obviously the children of the employees. Throwing dust pans across floor, etc.

We've eaten at Ahimsa Vegan Kitchen many times when visiting Long Beach.

There's a good selection of very satisfying sandwiches, bowls, wraps, salads, and other good stuff, including a variety of vegan desserts.

Those of us trying to avoid or minimize bread appreciate the fact that, for all the sandwiches, they offer the option to substitute the bread with a lettuce wrap.

The quality comes in part from the fact that they use mostly organic produce, including some from their own farm nearby.

They've added fresh juices and smoothies, which for us is a huge plus.

Favorite items:
- Tempeh reuben (one of the best we've had anywhere)
- Chicken's Friend BBQ burger
- Sweet potato fries (great flavor and perfect texture)
- Salads
- Vegan cheesecake

Service was friendly and helpful. Compostable take-out containers are much appreciated.

We'll certainly return whenever we're in town.

Enjoy!

Updated from previous review on Wednesday February 05, 2014

Excellent choice for a healthy vegan meal.

Just had lunch there. Nice relaxed atmosphere. I had the Ahimsa burger, which was flavorful and totally satisfying. The menu has lots of options; it was really hard to limit myself to just the burger!

Was visiting Long Beach and saw Ahmisa listed on HappyCow. Stopped in for lunch and was pleased with my meal. The pies, though looks rather homely and small, were the highlight. I also got a tall cup of fresh green vegetable juice.

The space is very relaxed and casual. Food is all vegan which is a plus.

I was at the a Long Beach Eco/Green event earlier, and my friends and I decided to check out the relatively new Ahimsa restaurant.

We decided to order a bunch of dishes and split them so that we could try a variety of dishes. We ordered the vegan nachos, the tempeh reuben, the vegan BLT, the vegan sushi rolls, and 4 pieces of pie include cherry, blueberry, apple and pumpkin.

If you are looking for a quick bite to eat, this may not be your place, as the service was rather slow.

We started with the nachos. They were decent, but I think this dish could have used a bit of improvement. I think a fresher/homemade vegan sour cream would be a nice addition.

The tempeh reuben was good, but I certainly have had better. What I found a bit strange about this reuben was that it was smothered in barbecue sauce. I think perhaps they ran out of mustard, so they used barbecue sauce instead.

The smoked tempeh on the BLT was tasty, but I figured that both sandwiches we ordered might have been more compelling had they come with sides other than bagged tortilla chips.

The dessert pies were a highlight. The fillings were fresh, and the crust was the perfect sweetness. Although each piece of pie was only 3 dollars, they were a bit on the small side for my taste. We easily demolished the 4 pieces of pie.

Unlike in Los Angeles, where there are loads of vegan restaurants, I cannot be too critical of this restaurant, as there are very few choices in the Long Beach area. I was very satisfied with my meal, and I will definitely come here again if I am ever down in Long Beach.

I visited the former Zephyr restaurant stated in the same address.
I didn't visited Ahimsa yet, but for the experience in visiting other HK restaurants, it might be good.
For me, the fact of being located near the IndyCar street circuit is itself a great advantage.

Ahimsa was only open a few months. It was in location of the Zepher which was in Long Beach for years. It is a Hare Krishna based restaurant but they donot push it. Simple menu. Indian soup was great. Best organic french fries ever. I am a gourmet vegetarian chef of over 40 years, and take pride in making good french fries, and these equaled mine. Looking forward to going back. read my profile to see my history.

I used to come to this place for a while, I love the fact that they have daily specials and at a very reasonable price, I adore their lunch menu with daily soup and salad, very fresh and tasty. And now is even better after the remodeling, they are soon adding a juice bar as well per what I saw last time, they have added new items to the menu and the restaurant is FULLY VEGAN.
Their vegan pies and cakes are absolutely delicious. If you stop by for a salad try their homemade salad dressings, they have a large variety. I love this place!