Laughing Seed Cafe

I stopped by the Laughing Seed Cafe for dinner with my family while visiting Asheville for the first time. We approached the host's stand and told the girl there that we had a party of 6; the server at the stand (girl with pink and blonde hair) rolled her eyes and then walked away. We then witnessed her go up to another server and that server then proceeded to roll her eyes as well. When she came back to the host stand I apologized for any inconvenience as I could tell there was a level of attitude, and she just said that in order for us to be seated she would have to move two tables together as though we should just leave, but did not make any effort to lighten the situation with a simple "no worries, just give me a moment to group tables together." After finally being sat, I ordered a Margarita. The Margarita came with a long blonde strand of hair in it. I asked for a new margarita and apologized yet again for any inconvenience. This time when the Margarita came, there was a black shard of glass in it. A shard of GLASS!?! I was appalled, but did not make a scene because I was with my family and this was suppose to be a nice evening and I did not want to ruin it. Instead I simply informed the server that there was now glass in my drink and I will just drink my water. She did not apologize or anything, she just grabbed the drink and left.

Shortly after, I got up to use the restroom and as I walked past our server, the blonde who initially greeted us at the host stand, I heard her say to another employee "there is that party of 6 that put glass in their drink and blamed it on me." I stopped and told her that I can hear her talking about us, and her response was to mock me word for word "oh I can hear you talking about us." I could not believe the level of disrespect.. I continued walking towards the restroom, ignoring her at this point, and once my back was turned towards her she called me, and I quote, "a f*ing fat a$$." Wow. Just wow...

Our party finished our meals and my mom left a generous tip regardless of the extremely unpleasant situation, however I attempted numerous times to reach out to management and have yet to hear back from them. I have written Joan a detailed email, attempted to call several times and even contacted their accounting department, yet I have not received so much as an apology. This is truly unacceptable and needless to say I will never return. Shame on that server and shame on Laughing Seed Cafe.

Laughing Seed has something for everyone. Amazing vegan menu and great drinks. I am currently thinking about the chipotle ranch.

Was in town to visit recently and couldn't believe how poor the service was. It was POURING down rain and we had our dog with us. They were kind enough to wipe off a table under some covering on the patio. You could tell we were not welcome right off the bat. Our server was an older woman I had seen a few years before. She was incredibly condescending and verging on argumentative. I was suspicious that was GF bread wasn't vegan so I tried to contact the bakery they source their bread from. They were closed and my server acted like she had never been asked if the bread was vegan. Thankfully the kitchen manager assured me that their bread is special order and is egg free. I am so disappointed that my favorite Asheville establishment left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I am hoping they were just having a bad day.

Updated from previous review on Tuesday February 16, 2016


Updated from previous review on 2016-02-17

My family and I stopped by the Laughing Seed Cafe for Sunday brunch during a day trip to Asheville. I am very disappointed in the service. Our waitress was not very friendly and pretty much ignored us. After ordering, we waited for about an hour for our food, which showed no signs of showing up. Out waitress only came once during that whole time to refill our waters so we ended up just getting up and leaving.
It seemed like such a nice place too, very quaint and cozy on the inside, but the service and wait was enough to run us off before getting to try the food.

We tried their sloppy Jo, fish filet, and pakoras. All were quite tasty. We had our pup with us, so we sat out on the patio. They gave her some water, which was lovely, but our waitress pretty much ignored us. Maybe because it was quite cold that day and she wasn't dressed for the wind. Despite that, we enjoyed the food and would try it again sometime.

Laughing Seed has been around a long time and I know plenty of omnivores who love it just as much as vegetarians. Their brunch on weekends is amazing and many things on the menu are available as vegan and are delicious. Great lunch and dinner menu and delicious smoothies. Highly recommend!

Laughing Seed was one of the first restaurants we visited during our house hunting trips in Asheville. 10 months later in our new home, this has become one of our favorite, go-to spots. All food is fresh with really creative flavors. This is a vegetarian restaurant with many vegan and GF options. They are also super accommodating. If you come to Asheville and you don't go to Laughing Seed, you're missing out! Heads up - they're closed on Monday and Tuesday. Wed-Sat. is lunch and dinner and Sunday is brunch only.

We really enjoyed our meal here. Very tasty food, our waitress was helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and provided great service. The Reuben sandwich and the "raw" manicotti was excellent! I loved the raspberry/jalapeño lemonade! Wow! We'll be back next time we're in Asheville. I'll recommend.

I have eaten here on two occasions. The brunch on the weekend was a bit disappointing. Everything was overcooked and dry, the wait staff did not seem very efficient, the atmosphere was loud and hectic. On another occasion my lunch was ok, but nothing to rave about. The only thing that still makes my mouth water were the spicy fries. I hope my disappointing experience was an exception, I will try them again next time I come to Asheville.

I have been here several times and have enjoyed my visit each time. There are several vegan items as well as many vegetarian items that can easily be converted to vegan. The staff is wonderful, as well as the menu. I have had both their dinner and brunch, both of which are nom worthy. They have a lot of international dishes that are quite interesting.

This place is heavenly! I went with my omni boss on a business trip and we were both very impressed. I had raw vegan zucchini manicotti that was out of this world. The vegan sushi special appetizer was incredible. My boss had the V roll and loved it. I splurged on dessert and had a vegan cookie a la mode with the most wonderful vanilla vegan ice cream. The server was delightful and the atmosphere is lovely. Highly recommended.

love it! nothing more to say.

This restaurant has been voted by locals for years as best place to dine for.vegetarian food. I agree. Always fresh and delicious. They offer some awesome smoothies and juices too. Have a nice bar where they made some cocktails also. Highly recommend eating here if you are in the area and looking for this type of food. Right downtown within all the city action. They have a nice outdoor patio to sit at during nice weather. Very popular place. Wait staff is attentive and friendly.

As soon as I arrived in Asheville, it was already after 2pm, so the first stop was at The Laughing Seed Cafe. There were so many options on the menu, and everything looked good, but I had read about the raw manicotti online. It was freezing, so I thought it would be crazy to eat raw. I started with a cup of the cream of broccoli soup. It was so delicious! Once warmed up, I had the raw spinach pesto manicotti with cashew ricotta cheese. It was sooooo good! I tried a few of the jalapeno onion fries with vegan ranch which were awesome! Cute, casual cafe (upstairs from Jack in the Wood Celtic bar) with very friendly staff and good service.

It's a nice place. The pate of the day was spot on served with fresh warm pita. The bahn mi sandwich was just ok for the price.

We took a family vacation in Asheville in June and this was the first restaurant we visited. The next day I forced my family to return for lunch so I could try the Banh Mi sandwich, which I regretted not ordering at dinner the previous night.

We tried some of the specials and we ordered many of the items from the standard menu.

Everything was just okay. Don't know what the problem was, exactly, but no one "loved" anything they ordered. Fresh vegetables in all of the dishes, but they lacked flavor and oomph. It is an expensive restaurant and for those prices the food should have been lick-the-plate delicious.

Sorry to post this vaguely negative review about a veg stalwart but I do think there is room for improvement.

I had heard of and wanted to try the Laughing Seed Cafe in downtown Asheville. It was also highly recommended by several friends so we decided to have a bit of a late lunch/early-dinner. Well we were not disappointed. I had a sort of combination bowl (hot/warm) called the Harmony Bowl – Excellent! A LOT of food. Nancy had a veg-burger that was just OK. The best was the Jalapeno Onion Fries; try some!

Awesome menu! I got a zucchini marinara dish which was amazing. They also have juices and smoothies and kombucha. But most awesomely they have tonics! The tonics are mixtures of awesome herbs for digestion etc.

This is a definite good place for dinner
The daily special has two vegan soups, three vegan appetizers, and two wonderful appetizers... Also great vegan dessert selections. See photos

A good selection of healthy items menu items. Service is fast and staff is knowledgeable of ingredients and food preparation. Upbeat atmosphere and happy customers keep the place full, even during off-peak hours.

If your vegetarian vegan gluten-free or even raw you can find a tasty dish here. They're healthy options for the kids. It should definitely be on your list of places to eat in Asheville.

I love Laughing Seed for its variety and location. Some meals are delicious (raw dish) and some are just ok (barbecue Seitan sandwich). Definitely come here, just choose wisely!

In the area on vacation found it on Happy Cow.
Food was good but no wow factor.
Menu had a good variety to select from.
I tried the Apple Parsnip soup pretty blah.
Onion Jalapeno fries were pricey but good.
Would try again.

Tons of vegan options, this entirely vegetarian restaurant is amazing. I've had pretty much everything on the menu and it's all amazing. The raw manicotti is awesome. If you can- go for brunch!!!! You can sit outside with your dogs, they're super accommodating to make vegetarian items vegan. Brunch is simply out of this world.
Updated from previous review on Saturday November 09, 2013

We were so excited to visit this place on many recommendations. We go to Asheville on a Tuesday only to find out they were closed on Tuesdays. Anyway, we decided to go the following day for lunch. We were the first ones in the door. We started with the jalapeno onion fries...Amazing! I then ordered the vegan Rueben and my girl ordered a veg plate. She got black beans (out of a can), brown rice(dry and chewy), and dahl, which was actually soup? She was gonna just suck it up and eat what she could until I found not 1 hair, not 2 hairs, but 3 hairs in my Rueben. Gross. Needless to say we both lost our appetite. They did comp the entire bill which was nice. Sadly, we will never go back :(

Visiting from NW Indiana and this was one of the places many had recommended; we were a party of 4 and two in the group are omnivores and all were happy with the food choices. Collectively, we ordered the raw manicotti (delish!), the tempeh reuben, tempeh Cuban, and the laughing seed salad. Everything was very good; I will say I was looking for something more w/ the jalapeno/onion fries, but I may have had too high of expectations from the get go. Overall, very good and I will go back if another opportunity presents itself.

I ate the raw manicotti was and it was amazing. I loved it. My husband had the Sloppy Joe which he said was fair. It was mainly lettuce in a bun with some sauce. My daughter had the Indian thali which was very good.
The hummus and pita was good but after being spoiled with the Bombay hummus from Rebar in Victoria BC nothing measures up.
Another reviewer said prices here were half what they are at Plant but I found otherwise. My raw manicotti at Laughing seed was $14 while my raw enchilada at Plant was $15.
The food is a overall better at Plant but they are a bit more expensive. Laughing seed has a better location and is larger. I preferred the atmosphere at Laughing Seed.

My wife and I have been vegan for about for about 14 years and veg 5 years before that. We have an 11 y/o vegan son. We've eaten at the best vegan restaurants in the country. Does it compare to Vedge, in Philly? No. Plant? Eh, questionable. It depends how you're judging.

We've been avoiding meat substitutes and wheat/corn for over a year. This week was vacation and all that went out the window, to have some comfort food. Laughing Seed delivered in a big way. We started with their Sunday brunch. It was a beautiful morning, so we sat outside. What a great setting. The biscuits, gravy and grits were ridiculous.

We followed up with dinner, another night. My son had Indian Dal, I had the Cuban and my wife had barbecued seitan. All delivered, at about half the cost of Plant. Based on that, I score them about equal. Nothing fancy, just good.

One more thing to add. We had different servers, on our two visits. They could not have been nicer, more eager to please people.

Our group of 6 (we all eat meat) loved everything we had at brunch

I've held this place in the holy grail category of veggie restaurants for about 15 years. My hubby and I just went back there again (June 2013) with my parents and had those same high hopes. Dashed, they were, dashed. Unfortunately, the food isn't up to par. Small portions on huge plates, which makes it look even more like they've hit a wall. We had some strange 'vegan chorizo' thing, and the vegetables with it were steamed badly and had (no kidding) no sauce, dressing or anything. It's like they don't care. We tried dessert, mainly because we were still hungry. The chocolate beet cake was good, but incredibly dense. The funniest thing, or worst depending on your outlook, is that they charged $2 for a tablespoon of vegan ice cream. Seriously, a tablespoon size. (Save your money and go to The Hop for vegan ice cream.)
We did find out the ex-head chef left to go to Plant, and clearly took the interest and excitement with them. Most likely won't be going back until we find they've got a new chef with some chutzpah and when they lower their prices below extortion-level.

The atmosphere is cute here, with its themed setting. It is a great place to spend a morning brunch or evening. It is clean, and reasonably priced. The portions are big. I would love it if they were a bit more informed about which items are vegan or not, but overall it was a pleasant experience, and I would go back.

After stuffing myself at plant the night before I slept in and visited Laughing Seed Cafe for brunch. The place was quite busy (tattoo convention in town along with college crowd and people in the city for the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds concert) so it was hard to really rate the service. I thought it was adequate.

The food is priced very reasonably and it pretty tasty. The selection was rather impressive for a mere brunch. There are a lot of elements that are shared between dishes. I ordered the tempeh and root hash which was filling and tasty. I particularly liked the 'Freaky Tiki' drink - just the right type of sweet.

I would like to visit again during dinner service to see what aspects I was missing out on.

I give it three cows for now, but has potential for 4 if I make it back.

I travel to Asheville from Durham about once a year. I always used to go to Laughing Seed at least once per visit--but no longer. Don't get me wrong: I love that they are entirely vegetarian. There's nothing like it here in Durham. But lately, I've been disappointed: The menu is smaller (still lots of great choices), and the prices are high. On my most recent visit, I ordered a daily special tempeh dish, and I just didn't really enjoy it. Aside from the tempeh being rather bland, the food was not HOT. When I'm paying $15 for an entree, I don't think it's a lot to ask to have the food served PIPING HOT. In this case, I sent back my plate--and it came back only slightly warmer. Henceforth, I'll be frequenting alternatives in Asheville, such as Nine Mile and Green Sage, which are less expensive, have very tasty food, and serve their food HOT.

My wife and I enjoyed brunch so much we went back for dinner the same day. I had the Sunday Sooner, WOW, amazing breakfast/brunch extravaganza (pic added) that included home fries, gravy, sauteed spinach, tofu scramble, grits, toasted pita triangles, seitan, and guacamole for only $7!! I would eat this every Sunday if I lived in Asheville, and it was enough to share, in my opinion. My wife had the waffles with fruit but quickly started eating off my plate... The services for brunch was great as well.

Dinner was less exciting but was still tasty. I had the reuben, which in its original state is practically all animal based, was decent but not worth writing home about. My wife had a pasta dish which she devoured.

Laughing Seed offers a great local beer selection and cute clothing sporting their logo. Indoor and outdoor seating available with great decor.

Visited Asheville over Thanksgiving and came here for dinner. Sat at the bar and had the Tempeh Rueben and the Tempeh Cuban, both were very good! Would totally go back here next time Im in town.

I have been here probably 6 times. Some highlights: The rueben sandwich is tasty but salty. Their fries are salty too. Maybe ask them to use less salt? Asian salad is great. Pakoras are a nice appetizer. Wagon Wheel was a special and it was great (husband got it & liked it A LOT). Recently ate the Mayan Brownie for dessert and it was really DRY. The waitress knew this and offered another dessert- the carrot cake and that was tastier. My husband got the cobbler and he said it tasted like instant oatmeal- maybe skip their desserts?

The hostess was gracious and seated myself and husband and two children outside. After that more than one server looked over at our table but never came over. Other tables were seated after us and drinks served...we left after 10-15min. of getting no attention and walked right past a server on the way out who did not make eye contact. Deplorable service, very dissapointing.

Yum yum yum. Great restaurant. Everything clearly labelled as vegan, raw etc. We enjoyed the jalapeno fries to start followed by panang seitan curry for me and raw manicotti for my (non vegan non raw dad). Both meals were spectacular - the raw dish winning by a hair. definitely give this place a try.

Food was very tasty, though the sauce was overdone on the low country pancakey things. And that's my biggest complaint.

Baby friendly and generally a pleasure to eat at. We'd go again.

I love Asheville NC because it is so vegetarian friendly! It's hard to choose which vegetarian restaurant to go to.

I picked Laughing Seed this day, and loved it. It was late in the afternoon, so they still had the "lunch" menu out. I ordered a Sloppy Joe that was quite tasty. It came with blue corn chips, a pickle and cole slaw. I was stuffed when I was done eating it. It was really delicious, and the price was $10.

I think the prices are a tad on the high side; that's the only negative thing I have to say. The inside is beautiful and clean, but because it was such a nice day, everyone was eating outside. There is plenty of seating, inside and out. The service was FANTASTIC.

I really enjoyed my meal here and will be back. It is a way-different vibe than other vegetarian places I enjoy here -- a little more on the upscale side; I'm just happy to have choices when I'm in Asheville!

UPDATE: I enjoyed another meal at Laughing Seed today; I had the Reuben sandwich (marinated organic tempeh, house-made organic purple sauerkraut with cracked juniper and caraway,caramelized onions, and Swiss cheese on grilled multigrain bread with vegan Russian dressing). Ooooooh - it was so delicious! $10 for the sandwich and chips.

UPDATE: Ate at Laughing Seed again (May 2012). Another fantastic meal (and service is always great). This time, I tried something new; the Omega Hempnut Burger (V, GF option) - House-made, omega-rich hempseed patty, red pepper aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion, clover sprouts, grated carrots and red cabbage on a housemade whole wheat porter bun. WOW, it was really good - just take a look at my photo! I love Laughing Seed.

my wife and i have visited asheville twice now, and we love that the city has a lot to offer vegans. we've sampled fare from as many veg and veg-friendly restaurants as possible, and laughing seed is one of our favorites. whatever your tastes or preferences, laughing seed is sure to have something on the menu for you. they've introduced some new raw options recently, and they have some great salads and simple dishes like their harmony bowl. but they also have thai- and indian-inspired dishes, and a fantastic brunch menu (on this most recent trip, we sampled the multi-grain rasberry pancakes with pomegranate-port butter, the tempeh and root hash, roasted potatoes, and vegan biscuits -- all superb).

some may complain that their prices are a little high, but i disagree. the portions are large, the food is fresh and creative, and you're supporting a veg establishment that consistently delivers. we love laughing seed, and i know we'll be back on future trips to asheville.

I've ate here twice. It's a bit fancy, much different than _______. The food is good but more expensive. I probably won't go back too often on accounts of that.
Updated from previous review on Thursday March 19, 2009

I realized this probably sounds like an advertisement for another restaurant, so I removed the name I'd previously mentioned. I could care less where you eat.

Delicious food with many vegan options. I had an amazing vegan chocolate cake with cayenne pepper. My dinner was wonderful and the juice I got was so fresh and original in the combination. Definitely going back!

Laughing Seed Cafe is a beautiful restaurant in a quaint little town. There is indoor and outdoor seating. The patio was a great place for people watching. There are numerous vegan options and many of the vegetarian dishes can be made vegan. The food was really good. Flavored well and the presentation was exquisite. I enjoyed the minestrone soup for an appetizer and the Pistachio Seitan Marsala for an entrée. The dish was pricey but was worth every penny. For dessert I had the apple toffee pudding cake which was warm, gooey, and delicious. Good portions, great flavor and friendly staff make the Laughing Seed a must visit in Asheville.

As this appears in many travel guides, the Laughing Seed Cafe can be crowded, but don't let that deter you. I had a late lunch on a Saturday and was seated at the bar. The staff is energetic and always polite. The Tempecado (vegan) sandwich was fresh and hearty, even better than I expected, and the mini-salad it came with was also fresh. I'd certainly go back at any time.

I have gone to Laughing Seed numerous times and most of the visits are usually negative. Either I have to deal with unfriendly staff, long wait, burnt food, or something. The only reason why I still kept going was for the seitan "fish" sandwich and now they have gotten rid of it. The food portions are so small that you leave hungry and it is very pricy for the "kids meal" you end of getting. I am glad there are other veg options around and that is why I haven't been back in almost a year. Im not planning on going back either.

I love it!

Laughing Seed Cafe is a safe bet for all vegans and vegetarians trying to eat out in the Asheville area. The major plus side is that they have an entirely vegetarian menu, most of which can be converted to vegan, and the food is delicious; the downside is that your meal can be rather pricey, and they often have a rather long wait-time. All in all, the positives out-weigh the negatives.

It was my first time to Asheville and was looking for a veg restaurant. I have yet to find one that I don't like. Laughing Seed is delicious. I had the hempnut burger with some pasta as a side. Definitely recommend that. Had Blue Sky cola to wash it down. This is a must visit restaurant for my fellow veggies!

I pretty much love any place where I can purchase a tempeh reuben. I'm simple. Laughing Seed has much more to offer, though. I had the pleasure of dining on the patio during my visit and watching all the foot traffic. It's in a great city spot. The menu is varied and gives you the option of uber-healthy to nicely fried/non greasy comfort food.

The pub below the restaurant is a neat place to visit, as well. Jack of the Woods has bluegrass jams, open mics and live music - as well as a few vegan menu items to boot. The selection of ales are great.

Laughing Seed isn't my favorite veggie spot in Asheville, but it was still nice to stop in and I'd definitely go back.
The menu doesn't have the widest selection, but there are definitely some great options. My favorites are the fries, the potato salad, and the minestrone soup. I had one of the sushi rolls, however, and I really really didn't like it. I'm a sushi-lover, so it's pretty rare that I dislike a roll enough to not even finish it. I think the problem was the tempeh being overly marinated and kinda squishy.
The service has been hit or miss. Some servers are friendlier than others. The restaurant itself is gorgeous.
Give Laughing Seed a visit if you're in town, but I'd go to Rosetta's first.

Service was competent but not especially friendly. Food was definitely vegetarian and vegan meant simply removing dairy to accomodate. However, substitute vegan havarti spread on sandwiches for cheese which was good. Vegan fries were over done. :(

I went here for the first time last weekend. Got the pecan seitan and raw spinach/pesto pasta dish... it was as high quality vegan dinner as i've ever had. could have easily been served at one of NYC's top vegan restaurants, except it was half the price. vegan dessert (raw sundae) was excellent too... so good that we returned the next day for sunday brunch, which included vegan versions of all kinds of breakfast staples in a vegan form (grits, biscuits, etc.)including the chef's rendition of bacon, using dehydrated mushrooms -- it tasted exactly like bacon. the chef's got SKILLS! I'll definitely be returning.

I had the hardest time figuring out what to choose. As a vegan, I'm simply not used to having so many options. It was truly overwhelming, but so exciting!

The quality of the food was excellent. Everything from the appetizer to the dessert was filling. We will go back if we go to Asheville again.

Tasty food, but over-priced. Not completely vegan, though most things on the menu can be made vegan.

Very disappointed after going here on vacation, there are so many other awesome veg restaurants in Asheville, sorry we wasted our time & money here. Almost everything on the menu has cheese or dairy in it and my husband couldn't eat anything b/c they refused to make anything w/out oil in it (he's on restrictive diet). He insisted I get the meal I wanted (Reuben, vegan) and it was pretty good, not amazing. Fries are super oily and very crunchy, if you like that. Our server was NOT friendly, rude even. Will absolutely not be back on our next visit there.

This is the best vegetarian restaurant I have ever eaten at!
It is SO good in fact, I have decided to move to Asheville!
Okay, that is NOT the only reason, I fell in love with the city in 1999. Since then, I have gone back several times and a couple of years ago, decided I want to move there.

So, as soon as I can get my house sold here, and find a place there - I will be there! Seriously, PETA had once said that Asheville was voted the most vegetarian friendly SMALL city in the US, and that Portland was the most vegetarian friendly LARGE city in the US.

And, it is true of Asheville, almost every restaurant(even the best BBQ place they have, I hear) has vegetarian and vegan choices on the menu, and are listed as veggie-friendly on the PETA website.

They also have great vegetarian or veggie friendly grocery stores. And it is a great city for Art and culture. I also notice a lot of Hybrid vehicles parked there, so you get what it is all about.

I am from NY originally, have spent a lot of time in California and many other states. There are great vegetarian restaurants in many other cities, but in my opinion, the Laughing Seed is the best.

But the Laughing Seed has always been the highlight of any trip I have taken there, and it is likely to be a frequent eatery once I move there.

My husband and I visit Asheville often and always stop by Laughing Seed for dinner. They have a big menu with a lot of variety. I love their vegan sloppy joe, and my husband likes the harmony bowl. We've tried several items off the menu, and most of it is great. I wasn't a fan of one of their tempeh sandwiches, but I'm not a huge tempeh fan anyway. The hardest thing about eating here is finding a parking spot, and if you go on a weekend night, try to get there early or plan for a little wait. The most we've ever had to wait was 30-40 minutes though. Basically, it's a great atmosphere with great vegan food.

I visited this resturant in September 2009. I was very impressed with the food and the staff was wonderful. I ate there twice on my trip. On my first trip, I started with the pakoras which were great, a little heavy, but hey, their not health food. For the main course I had the mushroom enchiladas which had a great flavor and tasted great with the fresh salad. For desert I had the carrot cake which was rich and dense. The second trip I skipped an appetizer and had the Tico Burrito. This was very large and filling. The sauce on top was very rich and went great with the side salad. I had the chocolate cheesecake while it tasted very good, it was more like a moist cake than a regular cheese cake. I took a wrap to go to eat the next day which was very good and came with a side of quina salad. The prices were very reasonable for the quantity and quality of the food. This resturaunt also cares about the presentation of the food. Overall, this is a great resturaunt in a great area. I would recommend visiting this restuaruant.

I was amazed at how tasty the food was at Laughing Seed! My parents and I (they are not vegetarian) went there and we all loved it so much we went back the next day for the Sunday brunch. The service was amazing, and so was the food. I would eat here every day if I lived in Asheville.

The Laughing Seed is one of the best restaurants in Asheville for a vegetarian in my opinion. I really like Sunday brunch. They have a simply wonderful blue plate breakfast with really good gravy or you can choose from several tasty and unique entrees like tofu benedictine to huevos rancheros. After noon a bloody mary or maria is right on time. I go simple usually for lunch or dinner and enjoy the Harmony Bowl made up of rice, beans, steamed veggies, tofu and some rockin' tahini sauce or get a combination plate and select from a list of similar goodness. They have lots of good sandwiches and soup as well as good, but spendy entrees. The restaurant has changed a lot over the years, some for better, some for the worse, but you simply cannot go wrong with the Laughing Seed.

The downside used to be a long wait, but it seems to have decreased as prices have increased over the years. You can still find a wait to get a table usually on a weekend and it can be pricey, some may even find the atmosphere a bit undesirable at times and a vibe that is not quite ideal for them. Very different than Rosetta's for those familiar. I have encountered less than informed and intelligent servers as well as some with nasty attitudes, but the worst are the one or two over the years that possess both "qualities". Please understand that most servers have been good or great.

All in all, two thumbs up!

I went to Laughing Seed for the first time 3 years ago. And it was fantastic. But every time I have gone back (maybe 10 times over the years) it has been progressively worse. I am generally vegan when I go out to eat, for my own reasons. Of the times I can think of off the top of my head, they have put cheese all over the things I specifically ordered vegan version (because they OFFER a vegan option) and they have been rude when I comment on it. The last time, they brought an actual vegan hempnut burger out, but since we already bit into the cheesy one they served us prior, we asked if we could just have them both, since they obviously can't sell the one we started into. They said no. NO? They are the ones who messed up. She was so rude about it too. So we told them to keep the vegan one since she said they could use it. At least we didn't waste an extra one. The staff is generally snobby and the service is SOOOOOOOO slow -- and I mean glacial-- they don't deserve to charge that much. If you are vegan, just don't order something vegan option, go for the things that are always vegan. And don't go unless you have time. But when it is good, it is really good. Best of luck :)

Visiting from Seattle. Far surpassed expectations! Had the shitake corn cakes, asian dumplings, jalapeno fries, blueberry smoothie and took home chocalate raspeberry cake and coconut tart with berry sauce. So delicous, wonderful atmosphere, near lots of nice shops, great prices too.

This is the very best vegetarian restaurant I've ever eaten at!!! I have been lucky enough to try at least half the menu & I've never been disappointed. Everything is AMAZING! They even have the most delicious cocktails...organic vodka & organic juices! They are upstairs from a micro brewery & serve green man ales awesome beer. My favorite meals are low country roll ups, Curried tempeh napoleon, & they have a great indian plate that changes everyday. Most entrees come with a mixed green salad. The dressings are all unique & yummy. The soups are wonderful. The menu is filled with exciting great dishes. Just go!

I went to Laughing Seed with my husband, friend, and two small children. The waitress charged us 20% gratuity because there were 5 or more people! I was offended by this because of the small children. I have been a waitress and know that should never happen. I am a large tipper too and would've given her a bigger tip. I even told her that too. I was not rude, I gave her constructive criticism. Then I gave them my "family" veg discount member card for 10% off and they only gave me .95 off of a $34 bill. I called to speak to a manager and he was beyond rude to me, interrupting me, and even started laughing at me! He said in a snotty voice, you can come get your, what do I owe you? Like $2? I was so offended. I am not going to take my family there anymore. I'll go to Rosetta's where I have never had any problem using my "family" veg discount card! That is why you pay the extra money for the "family" card...So your "family" can get the discount, not one person.

this place friggen rules!! i would fly to asheville all the time just to eat here if i had money.if you go there try the raw food dishes and the hemp nut burger and the sietan and and the bowl thing with black beans and rice and the smoothies and the tea and everything else k? good service. the out door seating area is lovely. wish i lived there.

Laughing Seed is an absolute must for any visit to asheville. Especially for you raw foodies. Everything on the menu is quite edible. They have a raw lunch special that comes with a raw desert. The hempnut burger is awesome, so are the reasonably priced teas. The smoothies and tonics are a little pricey, but worth it. Beautiful place to eat outside.

We ate like Romans here; the bill totaled $100+. Aaah, it was worth it. This is a popular place, we saw many families with kids, and a group of college dudes who were so captivated by the food they didn't even notice that TVs are missing. At one point, a farmer was going around a restaurant selling fresh strawberries. We took a carton home, but didn't eat it until two days later when the food wore off. Make sure you visit this place before the bears from the surrounding mountains descend upon it.

If you are a vegetarian visitor to Asheville, this is a must!

In concept, this is a great vegetarian restaurant. The menu choices and the specials are inventive and creative. The decor is calming and friendly. Freshness practically jumps off the plate. Over several years of visits, I have tried many different items, and have never been disappointed. The hempnut burger is one of my favorites. A thali special was delicious.

However, I did use the phrase "in concept..." On the down side, the prices at one time seemed very reasonable; now they seem somewhat high, and some portions have gotten noticeably smaller to the point of being an unsatisfying amount. The servers, while interesting and pleasant, are wildly variable in quality and attentiveness.

We first enjoyed the Laughing Seed about 10 years ago when staying in Asheville. This was our first time back to the area and we were looking forward to eating there again. It did not disappoint!!! Between the three of us across two nights, we had six different dishes that spanned raw, vegan, and vegetarian, and each one was excellent. The outdoor dining is relaxed and comfortable. No complaints regarding the service.

What a treat! The vegetarian crab cakes are heavenly.

I recently ate here while on vacation and was impressed. It's decor was the best of any restaurant I visited and the food was excellent.

I applaud the fact that they have a lot of vegan options. The menu clearly states what is vegan or can be easily made vegan. They don't serve any meat at all, so everything is at least vegetarian.

The prices are a little high, as are almost all vegetarian-based restaurants. Most meals are in the $7-9 range. However, in the "Dinner Specialties" section, prices range from $13-$16.

I had the tempeh Reuben and it was a close contender to another nearby restaurant's vegan Reuben. They were both good, but neither tasted like a Reuben. The one thing that I particularly liked about this Reuben was their homemade Russian dressing sauce.

The only other menu item I tasted was a friend's "Rosemary Cider Braised Seitan". It tasted divine. I wish I had ordered it. However, the price of this meal may give you "sticker shock" - $15.95. It almost tastes like it's worth it, if that is any consolation. It's some of the best seitan I ever tasted. On vacation, I could justify it. On an everyday basis, I would just cook my own seitan.

I wish I had more vacation time to try more of their food. I'll probably go again on my next trip to Asheville.

Wonderful ambiance plus delicious gourmet foods have made this one of my favorite restaurants. My only complaint is that I ate too much.

Laughing Seed has great food and lots of vegan options, including a daily RAW special. Menu is really big and everything I've ever tried here is really good. I agree with some of the others that servers can space out, but they usually get the job done pretty well. They don't take reservations though, so it's hard to plan on going with a large group for a special occasion since it is usually pretty busy. Friendly, nice space. It's also closed on Tuesday, I believe, which is kind of random. But basically if you are a vegetarian in Asheville you have to try it out...

What I like most about Laughing Seed is their selection. They cater to vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists. They are the only rsetaurant I know of that has a raw food special everyday. The atmosphere is great, but a little pricey, but it does serve upscale food. All veg heads must give the Laughing Seed Cafe a try!

Their vegan blue plate brunch is to die for!

I love the fact that I can go to a restaurant and pick anything off the menu! The food is so tasty, and there is so much to choose from. Sitting outside while dining is a nice touch! Like mentioned numerous times before, I've never been happy with the service. It seems like the waitresses forget they have customers. If the food wasn't so great, I wouldn't go at all.

I think the food is better during lunch. At dinner it gets a little crowded and your server will often forget about you and leave your food to get cold (noticed that in another review so I figured it's worth mentioning again) Its a great place to sit outside on a warm day. They've got a full bar, which makes it a nice evening spot as well. Upscale.

The perfect spot at the end of a long day of hiking and mtn biking. I went here recently during a camping trip to the Smoky Mtns area... it can be hard to get enough protein while camping, so this spot was a godsend for the trip. Had the Hempnut Burger... delicious!

I had a good experience with the Laughing Seed. I enjoyed the variety of food on the menu and everything I ordered was fresh and full of flavor. However, what stands out in my mind is the vegetarian sushi appetizer. The sushi was a special and I can only hope that they have since added this extraordinary appetizer to their regular menu. The sushi consisted of gingered carrots, fresh vegetables, and cashew butter! It was out-of-this-world and definately the best sushi I have ever experienced. Next time I am in Asheville, I will be stopping by The Laughing Seed!