47
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CLOSED: Garden Fresh
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89
Closed
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Vegan
Vegan
Chinese
Take-out
Vegetarian Chinese restaurant with 2 locations. Its extensive vegan food menu features a variety of vegetable, tofu, faux meat, and wheat gluten dishes, and includes western style desserts. Seating for 25 people. Try the scallion pancake. Reported closed April 2023.
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460 Ramona St (at downtown), Palo Alto, California, USA, 94301
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Last update on 07 Apr 2023 by villain
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Added by dman4444 on 02 Apr 2010
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46 Reviews
First Review by VeggieLover1014
joanna240
Points +281
Family-run vegan - Edit
Update: Garden Fresh is permanently closed at this location.
Read moreOriginal review: We've gotten takeout from Garden Fresh, oh, a few hundred times. It's all vegan, it's consistently delicious, and Alice and her staff care about each customer. Kind of like having a home cooked meal, if you were lucky enough to grow up in a household where anyone cooked.
Most of the dishes feature fake meat, but also have a fair amount of fresh vegetables. Leftovers are great too, but we rarely have any.
I have also dined there, but table space is limited, so plan accordingly!
Updated from previous review on 2022-09-01
todlo
Sister site in Mountain View (El Camino & Shoreline) is still open for now! We went there yesterday, Alice was there, it was great to see her after so long. Food was delicious, as always.
Read moreGuest
andyjng
Points +3612
Decent Chinese Food - Edit
Garden Fresh popped in our radar as it was a vegan spot I hadn't tried yet and it was close to the IKEA in Palo Alto. They feature an entirely veganized Chinese-American menu which I am always excited about.
Read moreWe started with the Spinach Wonton Soup and the Scallion Pancakes for an app. The soup itself felt a bit bland although I appreciated the helping of fresh spinach and veggie wontons. Pancakes were great though and probably our favorite part of the meal.
Then, we wanted to order their Veggie Rolls, which were mushrooms wrapped with tofu skin. Unfortunately they were out and so our server recommended another dish that was similar. However, when it actually came out, I don't think it was anything like the original dish.
Our mains consisted of their Cashew Chicken and the replacement to the Veggie Rolls, which was essentially stir-fried soy protein with a teriyaki sauce. The cashew chicken dish didn't have a lot of cashew and the chicken felt more like plant-based meatballs. This dish was okay but felt the sauce could have been better. Our other dish was simply not what we were expecting so at the end, both were just okay.
Service here was nice although we felt a bit rushed to order. There are a few other vegan friendly Asian restaurants scattered around the South Bay that are up more my alley, so I don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. Nonetheless, Garden Fresh is still a spot to check out if you are in the area for good vegan takes on classic Chinese-American food.
Guest
AshaKeddy
Points +31
Excellent food and hospitality - Edit
All vegan and delicious. Good place to support. Different styles of food depending on your preferences
Read moreGuest
JustinDavidCarl
Points +107
Pretty good Vegan Chinese food. - Edit
We enjoyed this spot which is within biking distance of our home. Lots of options and would likely come back!
Read morePros: Lots of Vegan Chinese food.
BaileySchneider
Just went to the one in Mountain View last weekend and it was pretty good!
Read moreGuest
MeghnaNatraj
Points +211
Amaaazing! - Edit
The lady who runs is just so lovely and sweet! Absolutely wholesome 🎉 Please do visit this place and support them 🥰 and the food is just fabulous!!! ♥️ Their best dish is the veggie duck (I’m someone who grew up eating chicken, yet love this the most).
Read moreBest dish: Veggie duck
Really good: Szechuan chicken
Others: Black pepper chicken
Spice: order the spiciest level possible because even that is not spicy at all (I can’t handle spice so trust me on this one)
Texture: The texture of the chicken is not too - chicken like, but the texture of the duck is amazing! (Meat like)
Updated from previous review on 2022-08-08
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Small business, good morals
Guest
chazzratazz
Points +136
Solid vegan Chinese food - Edit
The food was excellent & they got it out really fast. Owners were really friendly & made sure they got our order right. All the options we got were so good & tasted like the real deal!
Read morePros: Large variety, Decently priced , Delicious
Cons: Not open late
Guest
ToddACollins
Points +233
Fantastic Chinese Cuisine, Wow! - Edit
See above! See above! See above!
Read morePros: Great food, Lots of choices, The chocolate cake!
Cons: Not in Huntington Beach
Guest
maxitg
Points +31
One of my favorites in the area - Edit
Faux meats here are incredible! Both in variety and quality.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-11
Pros: High quality, elaborate options, Large menu
Guest
ShakedRegev
Points +77
Awesome close to campus restaurant - Edit
I take people here any chance I get. Everything is delicious it's the only vegan place in Palo Alto. It is fully vegan, despite the description. Great value lunch specials
Read morePros: All vegan, Delicious, Lunch specials
Guest
StaceyP
Points +564
Delicious! - Edit
Delicious Chinese food offering a variety of mock meats.
Read moreGuest
DaveC
Points +54
Solid vegan Chinese food with lots of fake meat options - Edit
Lots of options including many fake meats. I Love the General’s Chick’n and Basil Tempura. It is pricey for what you get (although lunch specials are a good value). And some dishes like the ham and mixed veggie tofu are mediocre.
Read morePros: Lots of options including many fake meats, Lunch specials are a good deal
Cons: A bit pricey for what you get , Some of the dishes are mediocre
Guest
philippeb
Points +27
Excellent experience every time - Edit
Very good Chinese vegan food. A lot of choices on the menu. I really like the spicy dishes and appreciate that you can choose how spicy you want them to be. I had Hunan tofu for lunch today and thought it was delicious. Never disappointed. Service is courteous and fast which is great, especially during lunch time.
Read moreGuest
GauraangKhurana
Points +43
Best vegan restaurant - Edit
This is my fav vegan restaurant and I have never had anything tasting better, their mock meats are so close to the actual ones that you cannot distinguish.
Read morePros: 100% Vegan restaurant - order anything 😆, Delicious, Fast service
Cons: Lil Expensive but worth it
Guest
BiancaMK
Points +44
Yummy All Vegan Chinese - Edit
Our favorite is the Honey Walnut Prawns!! I mean, how do they do that!! Haven’t had that dish in over 5 years since becoming vegan and now we crave it all the time. A must order:)
Read morePros: All Vegan
Cons: Addictive
Guest
TravisJackson
Points +18
Good food. Only found one thing I didn’t like in 5 trips so far - Edit
Orange chicken not good. Everything else is 100% delicious
Read morePros: All vegan
Cons: Orange chicken
Guest
Lila.hope
Points +30
Excellent All Vegan Menu - Edit
All vegan menu so order with confidence! An assortment of dishes not limited to veggie and tofu. Appetizers, soup, noodle, rice and stir fries — so many familiar flavors veganized!
Read morePros: All vegan menu so order with confidence!, An assortment of traditional flavors, Not limited to veggie and tofu!
Guest
elizabeth123
Points +70
AMAZING vegan food - Edit
I’ve been going to this place for years and their food and service is amazing. I take all my non vegan friends here and they all say this is one of their favorite places to go.
Read morePros: all vegan, great service
Guest
Clean&Green
Points +1177
Yes please! - Edit
Have eaten here twice now and enjoyed every dish. The shrimp and walnuts were incredible! A great place to bring omni friends who like Chinese food - I don't think they'll be able to tell the difference between their usual favs and the vegan version.
Read moreAs others have mentioned it is a small place and sometimes service seems to move a little slow (had to ask twice for a glass of water). However, I the food makes up for it in my opinion.
Pros: Great food
Guest
MelodyVeganJoy
Points +7336
Tasty, but plates are on the small size - Edit
we ordered 4 dishes to split amongst, spent $68 pre-tip, and were still hungry afterwards.
Read moreThe food was tasty, I love the duck dish, but I think I'll otherwise stick to Nature Vegetarian in Oakland
Guest
peanutplans
Points +2254
Authentic chinese food, vegan style - Edit
It was well worth the visit. Food tasted indeed fresh. lots of thought had clearly gone into the meals and even the waiter was authentic from Hong Kong. I highly recommend the Peking duck.
Read morePros: Fully vegan, Excellent service, Great price for large portions
Cons: Not much ambiance
Guest
abhaya
Points +92
Excellent Chinese vegan food - Edit
Has great vegan dishes. The mock fish with spicy instead of the sweet and sour sauce is my favorite.
Read moreGuest
00misha
Points +284
Delicious food, plentiful options - Edit
Cute little place in downtown Palo Alto. I’ve eaten here quite a few times, and my standout dishes are the Mongolian Chicken and the Hunan Tofu. The servers are all friendly, and they get to you pretty quickly even when the place is packed (which is very common, considering the tiny space). I wish they would do something to combat the noise levels that come with the crowds though. Also, the menu is pages long, with tons of options. I am a regular, and I doubt I will ever get to try everything on the menu because it is just so expansive. They could really benefit from trimming the menu, and making each individual dish stand out! Price is honestly pretty good for Palo Alto, but is obviously not cheap.
Read morePros: Food is good, some dishes are great, Good service, Lots of options
Cons: Small, and gets quite loud with a crowd, Menu can be overwhelming with the options
Guest
ParisL
Points +149
Great service, food a little bland - Edit
I tried out this restaurant due to their all vegan menu. It seems to be family owned and operated and the people running it are very friendly and helpful.
Read moreWhen I got to my table it wasn't very clean, there were some food bits on it and some stickiness and I had to brush off my chair before sitting down. That kind of thing doesn't bother me too much but if you care about the place you eat being super clean, this may not be the place for you.
Almost all the items on their menu seem to have some kind of fake meat in them, and while I admire what they're trying to do, I don't even like meat that much so eating a fake version of it isn't high on my list of priorities. I also generally prefer to eat less processed vegan foods than fake meats.
I ordered the Veggie Chicken Chow Mein (#22) and the Vegetable Potstickers I believe. The food was good but a little bland for my tastes, but I may have just accidentally ordered the most bland items on their menu since I try to avoid spicy foods. I ended up having to take some food home in a container because it was too much for me to finish there. Everything was pretty oily, as it usually is with this type of food in the US at least, so if you're trying to limit your oil consumption I don't recommend this place to you.
Pros: All vegan menu, Helpful and friendly staff, Large portions
Cons: Fake meat in most dishes, Table not very clean, Bland, very oily food
Guest
krysteleal
Points +632
Yummy!! - Edit
At Garden Fresh, it's so hard to pick something to eat! Everything on the menu looks good. It's a must-go stop for vegan (and no-vegan!) in Palo Alto. The owners are amiable and the place it's tiny, cozy and familiar.
Read moreGuest
KathrinPeters
Points +248
Ok food in ok place, close to University Ave, but nothing special - Edit
Big portions and very nice owners, extensive menu but nothing special. The restaurant sits about 30 people. Good for a fast and easy lunch when you’re hungry.
Read moreGuest
JackyLu
Points +18
Lovely owners - Edit
The owners of this restaurant are very friendly, and it seems like every customer who goes has a great experience with them. The food is also very authentic Chinese food. This little restaurant is very homey.
Read morePros: Mock meat options
Guest
kaleyeah87
Points +370
Yummy food - Edit
My family and I had lunch here when visiting Palo Alto. I had the sweet and sour pork, which was very good, and my dad really enjoyed the basil tempura. We had yummy carrot cake for dessert. Contrary to the restaurant's name, the food isn't very healthy, but it is certainly delicious.
Read morePros: Good service, Flavorful food, many choices!
Cons: Salty!
Guest
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