Vegan
American
Indian
Organic
Buffet
Salad bar
Hare Krishna
Casual restaurant that's part of the Radha Govinda Temple Center. Get all-you-can-eat buffet or one serving plate by weight. Opened since 2007. Despite the name, menu is fully vegan as of Feb 2020. Reported closed November 2022.
23 Reviews
First Review by groovyvegan
RichardZisser
Points +116
Healthy, affordable, delicious! - Edit
Really the only place in Eugene for a great WFPB lunch. I never regret coming here and always feel great afterwards! Even though it's named "vegetarian" it is actually fully vegan.
Read moreGuest
ViriditasBe
Points +21
Wonderful Hidden Treasure - Edit
All vegan, all AMAZING, all economical! So many fantastic spices, yet did not feel overloaded! The curry sauce is sooo delicious! The gluten free bread-like items are mysteriously marvellous! We had a little of everything and everything was so great! I'll definitely come back.
Read morePros: Loads of super yummy vegan Indian food!!, Sweet people
Cons: outdoor seating is on a busy street corner, kinda far away
Guest
musclerussell4434
Points +100
Affordable Vegan Food - Edit
Lots of options, I sampled it all!
Read moreGuest
Tofumaster
Points +36
Tasty Vegan - Edit
Don’t let the name fool you…Govinda’s Vegetarian Buffet is all vegan…and very tasty at that. Served cafeteria style, owner David serves up tasty salads with homemade vegan dressings, and a variety of Indian-style dishes that includes delicious steamed rice & lentil cakes with house-made chutneys like pineapple, tamarind and tomato. All at a very affordable price.
Read morePros: Lot of vegan options, Excellent prices , Friendly service
Cons: No cons
Guest
SaraIgl
Points +394
Excellent source of extra unprocessed vegetables - Edit
Unpretentious humble no frills they serve “buffet” that features basmati rice, coconut curry, pineapple chutney, pasta with vegan meatballs, soups, etc. Priced by your selection, humble offerings for moderate price allow you to get you vegetables in.
Read morePros: Vegan and Gluten Free, Soup, salad, Hot Bar, and Breads, Unprocessed vegetables
Cons: Moderate Price, Not All you can you eat
Guest
DonnaPB
Points +42
A Delicious Find in Eugene! - Edit
Very, very tasty vegan lunch for us on a driving trip through Oregon. Appreciate the fact they are 100% vegan as of 2020. Cozy atmosphere and friendly clientele and proprietor. Each of the six items we ate was delicious and healthy. We will be sure to visit again on our next trip through Eugene.
Read moreGuest
Dianalorene
Points +18
This is my favorite restaurant! - Edit
I love Govindas. The food is always so good and healthy. The staff are sweet and professional. There is salad with your choice of homemade dressing. There are usually two soups and a few choices of breads to go with. Then the hot bar has brown rice, basmati rice, chickpeas and a couple of vegetable dishes plus little sides. The prices are so cheap!!
Read moreGuest
RachelAutran
Points +19
Absolutely phenomenal! - Edit
This was THE BEST vegan restaurant I've ever been ! The owner and workers are so kind, gentle and efficient. The food is absolutely phenomenal, generous and super healthy. I wish I lived here in the city to have lunch there every single day😄
Read moreGuest
MW33
Points +82
Very good - Edit
Stopped by here after the Oregon Country Fair wrapped up a couple of years ago. Was happy with the decision. The food was inexpensive and very good.
Read morePros: Vegan, Gluten free, Inexpensive
Cons: Got kind of a weird vibe from the employee
Guest
im1_ur2
Points +191
Devotion to the lifestyle and food - Edit
Six dollar plates of food is both satisfying and healthy. Clearly the kind of place that vegans should eat to promote a peaceful lifestyle.
Read morePros: Very affordable, tasty Indian style dishes
Guest
evenloveflows
Points +244
Peaceful Restaurant with great vibes - Edit
The owner is a very blessed man and very kind service. You can tell the food is good quality and healthy. Definitely will be going there again, will make one of my go-to vegan spots when i come to this area. Not to mention great prices!
Read morePros: great energy, great prices!, amazing vegan options
Guest
MorganCole
Points +30
Simple, but filling - Edit
Tasty food. Very filling. My father who is not vegan, enjoyed the food as well.
Read morePros: All vegan and gluten free
Cons: Could have some more options
Guest
pikesperk
Points +1301
No frills but good! - Edit
Buffet style Indian. All vegan the day I was there. Good soup, chutney, vegetables and curry. Breads were too sugary and not great but the salad bar and Indian food was great. Location is no frills in some kind of an old fast food place. But quick and tasty.
Read morePros: All/most vegan, Inexpensive , Quick
Cons: Atmosphere
Guest
junkfoodvegan
Points +170
Something for everyone - Edit
Great little salad bar and Indian food buffet. Almost everything vegan and gluten free. It’s healthy and yummy.
Read morePros: Salad bar, Gluten free options, Indian food
Cons: Not all vegan but so close it’s annoying
Guest
shortkozmo
Points +55
Tasty for everyone - Edit
We love Govinda’s. They have many options on the salad bar, lots of different dressings and tasty Indian food. Lunch is always vegan and other meals just have to ask. Most of the buffet is made in small batches and cycled through quickly, so it’s always fresh! Yumm
Read morePros: Mostly vegan, Cater to gluten free as well, They do take out
Cons: A little expensive, but have a rewards program
Guest
jstensland
Points +41
good food - Edit
Love the buffet. Not too spicy. My friends liked it too.
Read morePros: Good prices
Cons: Not very spicy
Guest
bitebitebite
Points +88
Strange place, ok food - Edit
This place has a peculiar atmosphere and staff. Sort of low budget, no frills with some religious iconry sprinkled on top. Some might find it charming and homely. I found it odd, though not off-putting. It doesn't inspire confidence or a strong desire to linger and eat inside.
Read moreThe food was decent and reasonably priced.
Guest
LizCratty
Points +80
Good food - Edit
This is a very convenient place to get good vegan food. I always ask what is not vegan, and invariably it is a dessert. Everything is good. The options seem to not change often, so this is not a place I would frequent weekly, but my husband and I are always happy we went there.
Read moreGuest
twovegans
Points +223
Good food but not plentiful - Edit
We enjoy this restaurant with one exception. They seem to run out of food. One time we arrived at 5:30 (they open at 5:00), and we got the last of the beets on the salad bar. The folks after us were out of luck. Really? You don't have any other beets on hand? We were also there one night when the vegan entree ran out so that vegans could only eat the salad, bread, rice and soup. Now when we go, I typically only get the soup, salad, and bread so that I'm not paying for an entree that may run out. I suggest getting there early to be assured of an entree. Nice, friendly people.
Read morePros: Good food, Friendly staff, Easy to get to
Cons: Runs out of food, Never sure what you'll get, Inexpensive
twovegans
Oops! I meant that "inexpensive" is a Pro, not a Con!
Read moreGuest
kindlizard
Points +1144
inexpensive, mostly vegan, fantastic - Edit
Hey, really nice, clean place; pay as you come in. There's a salad bar w some fantastic salad dressings. Then they have two soups, one of which is vegan. The only other non-vegan item was the halavah(sp). Filtered water at the end is also included, as well as 4 great breads, one of which is gluten-free. The hot bar had potato pakora (great), 2 rices, mixed veg that was fresh (as was the salad, but likely not og), a spicy chickpea selection, iddly(sp), sambar, 3 chutneys, a coconut sauce. Other than the coconut sauce I tried everything (that was vegan & well 2 of the 4 breads; but c'mon, I am just one man). Everything was truly excellent.
Read moreI felt relaxed and it was really nice actually to go out and not break the bank too. It was clean, the staff is exceptionally nice and patient.
For anyone that would say it is far, I would just say that in eugene nothing is far from anywhere else. I didn't go out here bc I hadn't realized how good it would be and we both love it and will frequent here. Don't make the same mistake I did, if that would hold you back...
I ate a lot of food and was full, but a light and happy full. That is rare bc I usually feel it more when I overdo it as one might at a buffet.
PEACE!!
Updated from previous review on Thursday September 03, 2009
Pros: excellent food, variety, all can eat, clean, nice staff
Cons: all good
kindlizard
since returning after initial visit I have found the hot food and soups vary greatly in terms of quality and excitement. recently had a very uninspired meal there that was filling but lackluster. I will refrain from going on, but suffice it to say that your visit may depend on what the entrees are on the buffet...
Read moreGuest
MarkUser
Points +92
The Salad Bar is Where It's At - Edit
This place is pretty amazing and very unique for the area. The location is really out of the way and it's unfortunate they moved from where they used to be (near downtown and so much easier to get to). If you live up River Rd. then this doesn't apply of course.
Read moreThe Salad Bar is an easy 10 out of 10, the tofu dill & the ginger miso are the best salad dressings you will ever taste imho. I don't like salad and never have, weird for a vegan to say I know, but the salad bar here makes my mouth water. The Homemade bread especially the carob buckwheat is an easy 10 as well. The soup is bland and under spiced, with way too many beans in every one of the soups. The actual indian-vegan items are really tasteless, the main course is almost always as bland as can be. This is pretty indicative of the usual indian vegan cuisine but it doesn't have to be. I know this guy knows how to spice stuff so why the blandness on the main items? Maybe he want's people to eat less of the main course items I don't know. I was also kind of disappointed to see a sign on the main items saying please take 1 or 2 tiny squares only, is this a buffet or not? The enchiladas aren't all that anyway so don't flatter yourself man.
All that being said, do yourself a favor and give the whole buffet a shot but you will definitely come back for the salad bar itself. They need to sell the dressing in stores so I can actually enjoy a salad at home.
I'm giving this place 5 stars just because of the salad bar and the bread. You can get just the salad bar & bread for 5.50 which is a steal for all you can eat and the quality of the veggies/dressing/bread.
Pros: Salad Bar, Salad Dressing, Bread
Cons: Main Entrees, Kinda Cramped, Location
Guest
Jeffrey
Points +379
Great Place to Eat - Edit
We were visiting and luckily chose this place to eat. The staff is genuinely friendly and tries very hard to cook up the great tasting meals. Since it is a buffet, the food changes somewhat, but we ate here twice and it was similar both times. The salad bar is excellent, and the the curry is good too. If you like simple, tasty meals, this is a great restaurant.
Read moreWe have a little daughter too, and she loved it too. Nothing was too spicy for her to eat.
Pros: Clean, Tasty, Wonderful
Guest
groovyvegan
Points +299
Good salad and vegan soup, mediocre hot food - Edit
Govinda's bills themselves as "all you care to eat buffet" and "80% vegan." All you can eat prices are $7.95 for adults, $6.95 for students and seniors (60+), and $4.95 for 12 and under. In addition, you can have just the salad bar for $4.50; Soup salad and bread for $5.95, or Soup and bread for $3.00. Bottled sodas, juices, chai, and herbal tea are all $1.05.
Read moreI like this place for the delicious salad bar, which unfortunately is not organic. Unfortunately, neither my omni partner nor I are impressed with the hot foods selections, which I'll discuss in a minute. The salad bar has the typical salad bar choices including shredded carrots, beets, red cabbage, sunflower seeds, and garbanzo beans. They also have lentil sprouts. What really makes this salad bar stand out are freshness of the ingredients, and the abundance of delicious vegan salad dressings. I especially liked the almond blend dressing. Other vegan choices include tofu dill, and sesame.
For a typical meal, they'll have two soups, one vegan and one not. I recommend the vegan mung bean soup. My partner recommends the vegan lentil soup, but not the dairy-containing broccoli soup which he found mediocre.
There is typically a vegan hot meal section and a dairy-containing one. The vegan one is often a boring casserole with vegetables. For one meal, they had vegan mashed potatoes which were lacking in flavor and could have used some garlic and salt. I did not like the vegan gravy at all, and I typically like vegan mashed potatoes and gravy. They also typically have white rice, brown rice, plain pasta, and tomato sauce. Their hot food is okay, but nothing spectacular.
They also offer homemade vegan corn bread, which is pretty good but not great, and another type of vegan bread. Sometimes they offer a baked vegan dessert such as an oatmeal raison bar.
I like this place for the salad bar and vegan soup, but the hot food is nothing special. And I would be more excited about the salad bar if it were organic.
Pros: Delicious salad bar, Reasonable Prices, Parking lot
Cons: Mediocre hot food, Not organic, No smoothies
twovegans
I agree! Wish that their food was organic!
Read moreGuest
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