Cardamom

The menu is 100% vegetarian, and almost everything is vegan, or can be made vegan. The dumplings are made fresh to order, and are a *must*, you can order them as an app or a main course. The tofu balls are amazing. A new favorite in Charlottesville!

Checked out Cardamom today for lunch with my family and a few of our friends and I must say, this place is a total gem!!! The food is vegan for the most part and the mere 1-2 nonvegan items they do offer can be easily made vegan. The service is excellent and no one saw the bottom of their water glass. Also being in a large group of 10 people they were happy to accommodate with no questions asked. Best of all the food came in a timely fashion and the food was both fresh and delicious. The other thing I noticed is that the hand soap in the bathroom was vegan and cruelty free too! My only "cons" to this place is if you have smaller children, they don't really offer a cup with a cover over it or juice if they are expecting more than water so bring the sippy cups from home. Also I should add that there are no highchairs or booster seats. But with that said, they are currently a new restaurant and I am sure these things will happen as they get to better know their clientele. This will be my new go-to spot anytime I am on the Downtown Mall- that is a promise!!!

I'm relatively new to Charlottesville, and it's been difficult finding places to eat, especially if I want to have more than one option (oh, I get to eat another hummus wrap, wow!), so the opening of Cardamom is a huge deal since they have so many different and interesting choices. And it's not just having a choice, their food is really good (some of the best dumplings I've ever had), the staff is super-cool, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is pretty fun.

In talking to the staff, it's clear they're inventive in developing the menu, so I'm also excited that they'll be offering new dishes from time to time. The range of dishes already shows how they are fun and creative.

Their menu currently includes only one non-vegan item, and I hope they take the next, easy step to being fully vegan. Their food is so good, I don't know what could possible hold them back! It's so rare to eat in a place where animals aren't on the menu, and I know lots of people who want to dine in that environment.

This will be a regular destination for dinner and lunch.

Why can't an apparently "progressive" town like Charlottesville have more restaurants like Cardamom?