- Top Rated Bakery in Tucson
-
Govinda's Natural Foods Buffet
-
65Loading...
-
Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Indian
International
Buffet
Salad bar
Take-out
Bakery
Catering
Vegetarian and vegan buffet and mostly organic salad bar, operating since 1992. In addition to fresh baked breads you will find a varied range of dishes like pasta, spinach filo, tamale pie, lasagna, and more. Cozy interior plus patio. Thursday is all vegan night. Sunday brunch service. Wed-Fri everything is vegan. Open Tue-Sat 5:00pm-8:00pm, Wed-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, Sun 11:00am-2:30pm.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
-
Loading...
-
-
Last update on 31 Mar 2024 by HyperVegan
Update business info -
Are you the owner?
Claim this business
-
-
48 Reviews
First Review by maynard7
DarylBrice
Points +22
Sunday Brunch - Edit
Fantastic Sunday brunch buffet style. So good
Read morePros: live music on patio, water fountain on patio
Guest
TracyByers
Points +8
will be returning!!! - Edit
I was able to try new dishes that were so yummy! I've heard that at one point they had beautiful peacocks living in the garden but were re-homed and only brought back occasionally. At least that's what I was told. It's very peaceful and beautiful.
Read moreGuest
WhatDoYouEatThen
Points +488
1st Lunch @ Govinda's - Edit
Ate lunch at a prasadam (spiritual vegetarian) restaurant
Read moreAt a Hare Krishna temple
It was a good meal, very nice people, good food
Interesting place too, a real experience
All you can eat vegan food for $10 is great !!
Updated from previous review on 2017-08-23
Pros: Good Food, Nice place, Friendly Staff, seems like good variety, but i'll need to go back
Cons: price a bit high, have to walk through the gift shop (hard to find), small place, not large tables
Guest
Unograd09
Points +84
Not for us - Edit
Went there last night after reading some rave reviews. We've been to a number of vegetarian buffets in different cities and we were excited to try this one closer to home.
Read moreFood was really bland for my taste- zero spice. Honestly overpriced for what it was.
Also reaffirming what another reviewer said- the cashier had no idea what was vegan and what wasn't- kept repeating that the stuff marked 'non-dairy' was vegan. Does it have honey, eggs?
I wish we liked it- the grounds are very pretty and I like the MO of their entire collective.
Pros: Bland, Lack of knowledge between Veg and Vegan
Cons: Grounds are pretty
Guest
DadulMaharaj
Points +31
excellent buffet! - Edit
Great organic variety and tasty dishes! Reasonable price for great food
Read moreGuest
kerili22
Points +73
Indian Awesomeness! - Edit
This place rules! They had SO many vegan choices, and it was a buffet, so we got a TON of food for a super low price. They had to roll my husband and I out of there. Just kidding, but it was seriously awesome and we ate a load of food. Everything I had, from the bread to the veggies to the dishes, was delicious. Great for WFPB as far as I could tell. Very clean filling food. Normally Indian food is a little to spicy for me,but not here. They really didn't make anything super spicy. All in all, this place was a really great restaurant to stop at for dinner while I was in Tucson.
Read morePros: Delicious food, and lots of it!, Not to spicy, Amazing price
Guest
AnnFromIllinois
Points +773
Thursday Night is Vegan Night - Edit
This is not a fine dining spot, but the food is delicious, plentiful and a great value. It's a buffet that's about half salad and half hot dishes. All was clearly marked and we really enjoyed the meal. This is not a restaurant to lounge around and linger. Maybe in the summer when the outside seating is an option it would be ok. But otherwise as the restaurant was busy it would have been too selfish not to move on when finished.
Read morePros: good value, delicious food, fast
Cons: cafeteria feel
Guest
cottrellbentley
Points +235
Good, but can be made to feel awkward - Edit
My family LOVES the food of Govinda's (we've been a bunch of times). You do have to be careful and ask (repeatedly) what is actually vegan and what has eggs/dairy in it. The cashier often doesn't actually know, but will happily say one way or the other based on what they seem to think you want to hear.
Read moreGetting take-out is the only way I'd eat here again. Why? Because their "all you can eat" buffet-style only is "all you care to eat" if you don't mind getting questioned and looked at weirdly. We NEVER waste food. Because of this, we always take teeny-tiny portions of a variety of things at a buffet until we know what we actually like. Then, we go back for a dish or two that we liked. Then, we go back again for dessert/last course. All in all, we don't actually take any more food than anyone who does it in one trip, we just make sure we want something so that we don't want to throw anything away... The people here don't seem to understand this, and they'll quiz you to make sure that you aren't wasting food. Takeout is just an empty container that you can fill to it's max. Because of that, it costs about 1/3 the cost to fill my family with takeout than to eat there in person for the same amount of food.
The fare really varies. Check their online daily menu before going. If it's something you like, you'll LOVE the place. If it's something you don't like, well, that's all that will be on the menu that night. They usually have vegan halava; it's great.
One room in the place is a no-shoes area. They also have a little store (fun!) and exotic birds in the courtyard to gaze at.
Pros: Excellent healthy food options, Courtyard, Fun little store
Cons: Made to feel like a person who wastes, Not 100% vegan, except Thursdays
Guest
PurpleMary7
Points +74
Auspicious - Edit
Well worth the price. Good place to go if you have meat eaters with you. They won't miss the meat; plus the buffet is sufficient for any appetite. Not my very favorite(just a personal thing). Recommend it to anyone for a healthy, inexpensive meal. Nice atmosphere also.
Read morePros: Inexpensive , Atmosphere quiet
Cons: Not Vegan necessarily
Guest
sarahtarah
Points +45
Reliably good - Edit
Food is always reliably good. They clearly mark what is vegan and not, usually have vegan desert options and are so nice and accommodating.
Read morePros: All vegetarian, Salad bar, Nice setting
Cons: Sometimes weird food combinations
Guest
DanimalPanda
Points +478
amazing (in contrast only) - Edit
As far as the rest of Tucson, and the world goes, this place is pretty freaking awesome. The food is great, the prices are more than fair, and the setting is comfortable.
Read moreThe seating area inside is rather small, but you can sit outside if the weather is right.
I am 100% vegetable fueled, and I had to ask about a few things, because the labels don't really tell you much... which is frustrating for the ones like me, which society calls "vegan"
I consider vegetarian to mean VEGETABLE POWERED! But here you have to really ask because the labels don't dictate about eggs, and you have to read and make sure the sign states dairy free or wheat free.
I would prefer a little more isolation between the use of animal(lacto) and vegetable food. I feel its a little tainted because they are so close and having to read labels to discern.
Pros: fair prices, soul filling
Cons: not clearly labeled vegetarian(vegan), no vegan desserts
Guest
linaE
Points +70
GREAT natural food buffet, not typical indian rest - Edit
The food is very good here as many have mentioned. If you are coming expecting traditional Indian food, you might be disappointed. Several of the hot entree items have indian spiced flavor and are very mild and tasty. The full buffet is running just under $10, add a yummy samosa $1.50, add herbal tea sweetened with apple juice $1.25. That said, if you want to reduce the cost a little, you can opt for the bread, soup and salad bar portion only (no entree save about $2) They also offer a punch card for frequent patrons. I believe it's prepay for 5 meals get the 6th free. Show student id to get $1 off. The lunch buffet is the better option. There are just as many yummy choices as are on for the dinner buffet.
Read morePros: Super healthy food, Dairy/allergen labels, Wonderful gift shop
Guest
zaphod
Points +103
Good food, nice place - Edit
We had the dinner buffet, and it was very good. Plenty of choices, whatever your taste. Usually, I am not a big fan of Indian food, but their food is good with a lot less of the heavy curry, or fried stuff. A good value, too!
Read morePros: Good food, Good value, Nice atmosphere
Guest
veganese
Points +40
memorable - Edit
Part Indian cult - Part Veggie buffet.
Read moreRun by the Hare Krishnas. Food was pretty good. You had to line up and wait for like 20 minutes before they opened it up. But it was like only $4.00! I liked the outside seating in the court yard. Just let them know you are vegan.
Pros: food, price, price
Cons: non-conventional restaurant
Guest
deannafitzgerald
Points +69
Try the Sunday brunch - Edit
It took me a couple of visits to warm up to this place. It's not totally vegan, except on vegan night, and the space for food options is small, so the night I went, I didn't feel like there were enough options for the price. But I've since fallen in love with the Sunday brunch and will get to Vegan night as soon as I can. The pancakes are amazingly light and fluffy, the tofu scramble and potatoes are tasty and they make a vegan hot salsa that is awesome. One of the turnoffs is that everything they serve on is disposable, which is due to the fact that they don't have a kitchen large enough to wash the amount of dishes that they would produce. Since it is a buffet, health codes require you to take a new plate each time you go up, so the landfill garbage that is produced is a little painful to consider. I did find out last time I was there, however, that they will allow you to bring your own plates and use the sink to wash them, which is a great solution. We're going to do that next time we go.
Read morePros: good food, nice Sunday brunch
Cons: disposable plates and wares, not all vegan
Guest
AlphaBravo
Points +37
Just Awwwwwwwww! - Edit
I invited a friend to join me on a Thursday for Vegan night fearing the unknown. Once I stepped in to this quiet, cozy little nook right off of 1st I realized it is the type of place you can go to alone... maybe would even prefer to visit alone! The atmosphere was so calming. I made my way to the cash register and was greeted by a friendly man. He was one of only two people I saw working there. I quickly paid, stopped by the cooler for some water then made my way down the buffet table. Being that it was vegan night I knew that nothing was off limits. I loved that for a reasonable price I would be able to try everything and go back for seconds if I wanted.
Read moreReally, it was like eating dinner at someone's house. It was a truly relaxing and delicious experience. I dined outside between the trickling fountain and the beautiful parrots. I will be going back again and again.
It may have been the time of day I went but it was super quiet... I would check it out before I took my loudest, most chatty friend there to eat with me!
Pros: Good Price, Great Food, Calming Environment
Cons: Step here and there, so be careful!, Super quiet, Item costing seperatley on buffet too
Guest
redman_vf
Points +31
Wonderful Vegan Options - Edit
After moving to Tucson, it was nice to find myself very close to another Hare Krishna kitchen. They have several vegan options nightly and also have a vegan night on Thursday. Most items are clearly marked each night. On the last vegan night we attended there were two items not marked, when I inquired, the attendant said they were pretty sure one of the items was NOT vegan and was not sure about the other and recommended to avoid it since the cooks had left and he could not verify. So ask if you are not sure on vegan night, and hopefully they will be as friendly as they have been with any questions I have had.
Read moreSunday brunch is also wonderful with several options for vegans. No time have I eaten here and left hungry or unsatisfied. The food is a little more bland than Indian food you may be used to, but I would not call it bland.
I would recommend this highly if you like this kind of food.
Pros: Items clearly marked, Outdoor dining option, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Cost
Guest
Keith_Thode
Points +712
Indian Buffet at its Best - Edit
Wide selection of wonderful Indian dishes.
Read moreGuest
jb012
Points +42
Not bad... not brilliant - Edit
I went on a Saturday night. The place was virtually empty, which always concerns me. It was, however, slightly out of the way, being on a poorly-lit side road. The selection was fairly limited but what there was, was not bad. It was a little bland for my taste. As with other Indian restaurants in the US, they seem to cater for the lowest common demoninator! Also it was a little lukewarm. The grounds were nice and the people there, as with other Govinda's I've been to were very friendly. A nice addition to the Tucson veggie scene.
Read morePros: Good value, Healthy Food, Friendly Staff
Cons: Too Bland, Lukewarm, A Bit out of the way.
Guest
TucsonxRob
Points +51
aim for sunday - Edit
the sunday brunch is a must if you live in tucson or are staying for a while. the vegan pancakes are unbeatable. The atmosphere is relaxing and the staff is always friendly.
Read moreGuest
maynard7
Points +4786
A great choice in Tucson - Edit
I went there for Sunday brunch and was very pleased. The buffet only has a few choices, but they were all very tasty. Very healthy food with an Indian flair. Lunch $7.95 Dinner $9.95 Sunday Brunch 8.95 all you can eat. See their web site for complete details (especially the unusual operating hours). http://govindasoftucson.com/
Read morePros: Very good food, Exotic flavors
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 17245 times.