Lacto
Ovo
American
Beer/Wine
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Hawaiian style atmosphere. Has vegetarian dishes. Open Tue-Sun 11:30am-8:00pm.
54 Reviews
First Review by kmdavenport
HappySurfer144
Points +76
What a little find! - Edit
Lovely staff and incredible vegan tofu taco plate!
Read more4 tacos, rice, beans, salad, sauce!
Then onto the huge peanut butter, chocolate tofu slice for dessert!
Good price for one.. and relaxed vibe!
Pros: Portion size, Food
Cons: None
Guest
marianimagines56
Points +131
Delicious vegan options - Edit
My husband has the tempah BBQ hoagie, and loved it. I had the Mana loaf with gravy and rice, delicious. Upstairs outside seating isn't open after labor day, just so you know. Quirky spot too but with a stop.
Read morePros: The service, Flavors, Options
Cons: Outside seating closed
Guest
AngieG55
Points +34
You must go here - Edit
They have several vegans options as well as dessert. I got the buffalo cauliflower tacos and they were the best Ive had.
Read morePros: Basil aïoli, Vegan Mac Salad, Service
Guest
happytreenova
Points +28
Great Vegan Options - Edit
Tempeh & Cauliflower wings are both amazing - I alternate between them every time I come. The hearts of palm salad (no cheese) with tofu is GREAT.
Read moreGuest
NicoleNaditz
Points +38
Rocky start but actually great - Edit
Neither my husband nor I can be in the sun for medical reasons so we were very disappointed to find the indoor portion completely closed and only serving outside where there’s no shade. As a result we had to leave. But I came back for dinner. I had the vegan gazpacho which is incredibly fresh and delicious. For gazpacho connoisseur, it is important to note that this is not blended or puréed though. And then I tried the vegan version of what they call their Mana Meal. It’s kind of like a meatloaf with gravy meal, but with a grain-based loaf instead of meat. Served with vegetables and brown rice. Also delicious! My husband is an omnivore so he had the shrimp scampi and it was delicious too. And we topped it off with a delicious vegan chocolate peanut butter mousse dessert.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-15
Guest
jwhite518
Points +41
Just Ok - Edit
The veggie tempura had a good mix of veggies but the batter was not light tempura batter. It was hard and crunchy, something completely different from Japanese tempura. And the dipping sauce was thick peanut sauce. Good for a peanut sauce but not the typical. We finished it anyway.
Read moreOur other two dishes were meat dishes, so veg/vegans can stop here. The Jambalaya Salad was weird. It had zero heat, the sausage was odd-tasting and cut into little bits, the shrimp was tiny and bland. Rice was OK. All served on top of a green salad overdressed with ranch dressing. I wanted to like it, other reviewers loved it, but it didn’t work at all.
Teriyaki chicken had a good portion of chix, well cooked. And nice veg assortment. Just over sauced, completely drenched in sweet teriyaki sauce.
Pros: Good service , Nice rooftop patio, View of lake
Cons: Food not up to par
Guest
ministerof_fate
Points +163
Heck yeah!! - Edit
Loved this place! Good amount of options, multiple protein choices for meat dishes, and overall offered some new and unique dishes that I haven’t had vegan before! Wish we’d had more time in Tahoe to eat here again. The tempeh wings (mango habanero) were STELLAR. I would eat my physical weight in them.
Read moreGuest
sparkley_vegan
Points +119
Freshies lives up to their name - Edit
I recently enjoyed the vegan sweet potato and quinoa cakes. They were decent, though I would have preferred them to be cooked or fried more. The shredded sweet potato was a little crunchy for my taste and the cakes didn’t hold together. The dressing was flavorful though, and the side of veggies and brown rice were cooked perfectly.
Read moreThey make a vegan macaroni salad that was creamy and had crispy bites of celery and radish in there too, which I found delicious.
We also ordered the kids plate with tofu, which was only flavored very lightly but I really enjoyed the taste of it. Plus, it’s a large serving of tofu, about the size of half a block!
If you have the patience for fresh-made food, Freshies is a great bite in town.
Pros: Plenty of clearly-labeled vegan options, Good variety of vegan options, Kids’ menu with generous portion sizes!
Cons: Service is usually slow, Pricey
Guest
Evangelina
Points +32
Always helpful - Edit
Freshies a good amount of vegan options and they are always up to changing things if they can. I have had the same waitress 2 times and she is always helpful.
Read morePros: Vegan pork tacos. With avocados
Guest
PaulAtreides
Points +1696
Great View of the Inside of A Strip Mall - Edit
My partner got the veggie meal with loaf and gravy. I got the noodle soup and asked for spicy. The spice level was low-medium and the soup was extremely salty. The broth seemed very soy sauce based and was kind of off putting. I got some bites of the veggie meal and enjoyed that more. Overall, if I lived here I would probably try more things here, but I was not impressed with my first visit. Also, we sat in a just too small wooden booth inside of a strip mall, confused where all these "great views" reviews are coming from.
Read morePros: Well marked vegan options on menu, Lots of vegan options
Cons: Service seemed like they forgot us, Food was rough and varied on quality
Guest
pennypower
Points +1586
Great view - great food - Edit
EXCELLENT VEGAN OPTIONS!!!!! Thank you!
Read moreSeating on the top deck gives a great view of the lake and great for sunsets. The service was fast and friendly. Bummer they were out of the vegan dessert but we were already so full from the food.
I got the vegan curry with tofu. Holy moly was it ever good. Huge portion - I could not eat it all. My husband got the bbq tofu with rice and veggies. So good! And the Buffalo cauliflower app was one of the best I have ever had.
The manager circled around a bit checking in tables and making sure everyone was happy. Nice to see that in restaurants.
Thank you for having great vegan food in Tahoe!
Pros: Beautiful view, Lots of vegan options, Delicious fresh food
Cons: Out of some items
Guest
ajohnson96
Points +24
Yumm! - Edit
Great place to get food with friends and family. May be hard to accommodate large groups. Best for couples or smalls groups. Limited seating but awesome food! I recommend the Hawaiian tempeh burger with seaweed salad!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Able to veganize, Food was amazing
Cons: Not much seating, but worth the wait!
Guest
Conniemm
Points +1971
Smelled liked fried fish - Edit
I was going to eat here based on the good reviews but we entered the restaurant and it smelled overwhelmingly like fried fish. We didn't end up staying and eating.
Read moreCons: Smell
Guest
CattooedVegan
Points +98
Delicious vegan options! - Edit
My partner and I got jerk tofu and it was delicious. Also the mango habanero tempeh wings - lots of heat!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Guest
jamiemichelle_xvx
Points +317
Breath of fresh air - Edit
While many restaurants in the area had vegan options, Freshies by far had the most veg dishes that were clearly labeled. Our server was also vegan and she made recommendations on which dishes were worth trying. We were both pleased with our orders (I only wish they had malt vinegar for the ‘fish’ n chips) and their peanut butter and chocolate mousse pie was rich, creamy, and very tasty. Would definitely come here multiple times on the same trip!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Knowledgeable staff , Dessert option
Guest
Veganmouse
Points +1744
Creative menu, lots of options - Edit
Had the tempeh, buffalo cauliflower and potato cakes as a starter.
Read moreBuffalo cauliflower was the winner, definitely get that! Tempeh also good but the sauce was very similar if not the same as the cauliflower. Potato cakes were decent but not the most flavorsome.
The vegan meatloaf was delicious - came with lots of vegetables. Red curry with tofu was good but would have liked the coconut flavor to be a bit less dominating.
Loved all the ways that could make a dish vegan.
Pros: Lots of options, Reasonably priced
Cons: Needed a little more seasoning
Guest
TyVaughn
Points +38
Eh - Edit
Maybe we got the wrong dishes but it was very underwhelming. We got the spicy thai noodles and swee and spicy vegetarian stir fry. Neither were remotely spicy and the thai noodles are a cold dish. Couldn't even eat our leftovers the next day..
Read moreGuest
Sjjk12
Points +1165
Red curry with tempeh is delicious - Edit
At first, I was like- this place has good vegan apps, not amazing… but then the curry from the dinner menu came. And the pieces. Of. Tempeh. Incredibly buttery and flavorful. This is a great place to stop for vegan food. Order the cauliflower Buffalo wings btw. The sauce is great as well.
Read moreGuest
mrmayer1030
Points +124
Awesome vegan dishes - Edit
We love this place—so many vegan options and the staff is so friendly.
Read morePros: A lot of vegan options, Noodle bowl was delicious and they made it spicy.
Guest
ErnieVeg
Points +137
Great vegan food - Edit
Had to search for vegan food in Tahoe since there weren’t any fully vegan. Freshies would be my first recommendation. Great food. I had the thai noodles and loved it
Read morePros: Good food
Cons: Not all vegan , No vegan menu
Guest
mfoy
Points +193
Great menu, flavorful food - Edit
We loved the menu. Very vegan friendly. Good food. We loved the sweet potato poke bowl. And a vegan chocolate pie. When we were there, they did not have fully outdoor seating, but the did have private separated booths right outside the restaurant in the small mini mall.
Read morePros: Menu, Vegan choices , Vegan dessert
Guest
shannon5
Points +168
Creative, Filling, & Tasty - Edit
We ordered to-go and had a very pleasant experience. The menu was clearly marked for the vegan dishes we ordered, so there weren’t too many questions. Both meals (Mana & Thai Noodles) were large enough to have leftovers the next day. Mana is comfort food…like meatloaf & gravy. The Thai Noodle dish was served cold with lots of tofu, noodles, and tasty flavors.
Read morePros: Easy to Order, Flavorful & Creative, Friendly Staff
Guest
megkamille
Points +840
The food was great - Edit
I got the Buffalo cauliflower to start with (specify you want vegan) and it was delicious! I got it with the creamy basil sauce for dipping, it was like a basil ranch. Amazing. Then I got the vegetarian stir fry, it was good! I would recommend and I would go back. I’m happy we stopped here.
Read morePros: Tons of vegan options
Cons: Restaurant was freezing cold 🥶
Guest
·X·
Points +28381
Freshies - Edit
I tried to order food to go from Freshies from Tammy and SHOCKINGLY had the worst experience ever. Much different from my more positive experience here last year. That said, I would advise no one ever go to this restaurant while Tammy is working.
Read moreI walked in at 3:15PM and asked Tammy if I could order some food to go (for my ride back to SF). She gave me the menu and when I asked about the vegan version of the Philly, she told me that I could read the menu to find out. Given her tone she seemed irritated about something (not sure if she was having a bad day) so I went and read the menu...which didn't really describe the sandwich...I wanted to know what the burger patty they used was made of, if there was vegan cheese, vegan mayo, etc.).
A very nice gentleman asked if he could help me after Tammy walked away, so I asked him what vegan-friendly items he recommended and proceeded to ask him about the vegan version of the Philly. He started to say he didn't recommend that sandwich for vegans, then Tammy came back and interrupted us, and actually gave the nice gentleman a dirty look (not sure if she was mad that he was helping me). She cut him out of the conversation and in a rude tone said "Didn't you read the menu like I told you to!?" Wow...OK. I still let her horrible demeanor pass. I told her yes, I did read the menu but it was unclear what was in the sandwich, could she give me more information? She grunted and rolled her eyes and shoved the menu in front of me...and that's when I paused and told her that I was getting a negative vibe from her and was, therefore, uncomfortable ordering food from the restaurant. She said fine and shoved the menu out of my hands onto the ground (WOW!!!). I asked for her manager's name and she shoved right past me and refused to give me her manager's name. This was some seriously poor behavior. How does she expect to keep customers coming back to this restaurant??? It seems like she doesn't care otherwise she would respect all customers, regardless if she's having a bad day or not.
If you want to be treated as a human being, do not spend your hard earned money to be treated like a piece of garbage at Freshies. Tammy's customer service is ABSURD. I hope she learns how to treat people the way she wants to be treated, even if she's having a bad day. I also hope she feels better soon, it must not be great to feel that angry.
Guest
badgirlsvegan
Points +2137
Good options - Edit
Not bad for the area. They are very accommodating to vegans which is nice. I liked the texture of the tempeh best out of all the protein options—they make it nice and crispy. I felt like it was salty but not a lot of natural flavors.
Read moreGuest
sabri
Points +102
Great for vegans - Edit
Food is pretty food, a lot of vegan options and they also have dessert, a chocolate peanut butter pie. I will go back.
Read morePros: Friendly team, Great outdoor
Guest
SusanMarsh
Points +169
A few good vegan options - Edit
A fairly small restaurant with a great menu for all culinary tastes. Some great vegan options (tempeh tacos/buffalo cauliflower/tempeh or tofu red curry to name a few). Due to the size of the restaurant we had to wait for a table to become available but worth the wait!
Read moreGuest
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