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Vegan-friendly
Asian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Burmese regional cuisine with many vegan dishes. Open Mon 11:30am-2:00pm, 4:30pm-8:00pm, Tue-Sat 11:00am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-9:00pm.
19 Reviews
First Review by TPR
kellynicole27
Points +112
Unique and delicious - Edit
Excellent food and lots of vegan options! I’ll be sure to come back so I can try more.
Read moreGuest
Embe97
Points +100
Unique flavors - Edit
First time and tried a few vegan appetizers, ginger salad, and kaukswe-thoke. All were good and tasted very different from each other. Like the variety of textures too. Will be on the list if the area again and saved up some spending money.
Read moreGuest
RebeccaX13
Points +147
Try the tea leaf salad! - Edit
This little gem of a restaurant can almost be missed in the strip mall where it is located, but don’t miss out! Many vegan options and everything is clearly marked. I love love love the chickpea tofu and the test leaf salad. It’s a very unique taste.
Read morePros: Vegan options are clearly marked
Guest
Commensal
Points +96
Wow! - Edit
First time here, but it won't be the last. The food was amazing. A new favorite place of ours.
Read moreGuest
JZimD
Points +21
Delicious food. Helpful staff. Well labeled menu - Edit
We dined in during lunch. I was happy to see multiple vegan options in each section of the menu. The waiter was nice and very helpful. He gave us recommendations to craft a well-rounded order for our group. All the dishes we received were delicious. The complimentary vegan soup/ broth given at the beginning of the meal was both tasty and a pleasant surprise. As a heads up, the tofu and vegan broth are made in house daily, and if there is high demand, they can run out. We will definitely go there again.
Read morePros: Many delicious vegan options, Good portion sizes, Very helpful and kind staff
Cons: Dining in experience is extremely casual.
Guest
ellen.montague
Points +285
Fresh, light, authentic. Hidden gem! - Edit
If you love cilantro and fried onion, this is your place! Fresh flavors and wonderfully kind service! Very accommodating and knowledgeable for vegan and vegetarian and any other food restrictions.
Read moreGuest
GiannaRizzotti
Points +474
Very vegan knowledgeable - Edit
Good vegan options, and knowledable caring owner. The meals come with soup- I went with a bunch Omni’s and they gave me a different vegan soup option. They have yummy tofu apps and entrees
Read moreGuest
chiveg
Points +229
Delicious! - Edit
I've been wanting to try this place for a long time and finally got the opportunity there are lots of vegan options that are clearly marked. Everything I tried was very delicious including the chickpea tofu & Tea Leaf salad. This is a wonderful small business that really needs support. How wonderful to have access to Burmese food.
Read moreGuest
ms319
Points +109
Good food, helpful service - Edit
Highly recommend! Very helpful service and quite a few vegan options, plus large portions.
Read morePros: lots of clearly marked vegan options, helpful service, excellent food
Guest
kayjones16
Points +161
10000/10 - Edit
They are adding beyond and impossible!!! Cooked perfectly and made the noodle dish even better!!!!! I absolutely love this place and they love vegans!!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2019-09-15
Pros: So many vegan options , Cheap, good portions, Amazing quality
Cons: No cons
PaLian
Thank you for your support. Pls copy and paste on google review,when u got a chance.
Read moreThanks agian and much Appreciated
Guest
AzaHurwitz
Points +58
Deserves a 5 star - Edit
Delicious with many vegan options. All the dishes had incredibly unique flavors and the housemade chickpea tofu is a must try for all. Yummmmy!! Also the staff is super sweet and helped us get the right food for our taste buds.
Read moreGuest
SeedubL
Points +28
Great choice in Wheaton - Edit
Completely different food than anything I've ever had. The menu shows what is vegan, but they can point out what other items can be made vegan upon request. Very knowledgeable.
Read moreGuest
LJYoung
Points +36
Excellent service, unique flavors - Edit
Newly vegan, we are exploring restaurant options in our area (what a delightful way to be shaken out of old habits!) and were happy to find Pa Lian. The owner was charming and happily pointed out the many vegan options on the menu (and those that could be converted). The chickpea tofu appetizer was accompanied by a tasty sauce (like a thai sweet chili sauce but not cloyingly sweet). The tea leaf salad was a fun find with lots of great texture and flavors unlike anything I have had before. The Kyarzan Thoke was pleasant comfort food (I'd put it in a pad thai type category in that respect). Tasty but needed a little lift...but then again the broth at the start of the meal was so nicely spicy that maybe anything would have seemed mild after. It was tasty, don't get me wrong, but I'll likely search for a spicier entree next visit. Good news is I was so full I had plenty to take home so I could add a few more veggies (and maybe a little lime and/or chili pepper flakes) and extend a very lovely experience.
Read morePros: Friendly, responsive staff, Unique flavors
Guest
brodyf
Points +16
First time trying Burmese - Edit
My wife and I stopped there the first time last night. The very friendly owner walked us through all the vegan options and made recommendations, and the things he suggested were yummy!
Read morePros: Good vegan choices, Very friendly staff , Affordable
PaLian
Thank you for your support. Pls copy and paste on google review,when u got a chance
Read moreThanks agian and much Appreciated
Guest
mtw42
Points +20
A hidden gem with good vegan options - Edit
I recently had some friends in town and wanted a nearby restaurant with both vegan and non-vegan options. The owner was very friendly and made suggestions on dishes that were vegan and house specialties that could be made vegan. Everything was excellent - fresh, well made, good presentation, and delivered quickly. We will definitely go back!
Read morePros: Good vegan options, Great service, Quiet
Cons: BYOB (but there is a grocery store 1 min away)
Guest
Kimberly Steele
Points +45
Unique Vegan Asian Cuisine - Edit
Pa Lian was recommended to me by a Facebook friend, and I'm super glad I went! My friend and I went on an investigatory mission to check it out today. Having never tried Burmese cuisine, I can say I expected it to taste like Thai food. Actually, aside from some cilantro and garlic here and there, it's not like Thai cuisine at all. First of all, they make their own tofu on site... out of CHICKPEAS. Chickpea, obviously soy free tofu. It kind of has a hummus vibe. We had a deep fried chickpea tofu cutlet appetizer with sweet/spicy salsa. Really it was unlike anything I've ever tried. We ordered and shared two main dishes. Burmese cuisine is famous for tea leaf salad, which reminded me of a savory, well herbed and spiced, non-sweet coleslaw with nuts in it. Tea leaves add a tiny bit of bitterness which is ameliorated by lime juice. We also had an udon noodle curry dish. This was not at all similar to an South Indian curry, so it wasn't soupy or saucy. Instead, the curry was applied with the lightest of touches, which made sense because the udon were lighter and fluffier than traditional Japanese udon and a heavier curry would have weighed them down too much.
Read moreThese are restaurant owners who actually know what vegan means and respect it. Prices are reasonable and portions are generous, so bring your own to-go containers. I am excited to return to Pa Lian. They are nice people. That said, for oil-free and oil-limiting dieters, it's the opposite of an oil-free restaurant and in my opinion, you'd be better off modifying recipes from a Burmese cookbook at home. Gluten and soy free people though are in luck: homemade chickpea tofu, anyone? For someone who is vegan for the animals like me, Pa Lian is a fantastic find, and it's healthier than most restaurants.
Pros: Unique, Respectful of vegans, Artisan crafted food
Guest
jfree511
Points +37
Excellent Food (Vegan) and Service! - Edit
Stopped in for lunch today with another vegan friend and were blown away by the quality of the food and the exceptional service. This restaurant offers a number of vegan options and can "vegaanize" many others. I had never eaten Burmese food before and assumed it was like Thai, but I quickly learned the cuisine is very different. The owner was so attentive and explained the difference. I look forward to going back again very soon. BTW--Happy Cow would not let me give it a 5 star rating since it is not 100% vegetarian/vegan, but the place deserves it!
Read morePros: Excellent food, Thoroughly understands what "vegan" really means, Excellent service
Cons: None
Guest
Amiestella
Points +36
Brilliant Experience! - Edit
If you like to try new delicious food, this place is for you.
Read morePros: Many vegan options, Guide you through options depending on your taste, Extremely affordable and in the burbs
PaLian
Thank you for your support. Pls copy and paste on google review,when u got a chance
Read moreThanks agian and much Appreciated
Guest
TPR
Points +17
Try it! - Edit
Staff is great at recommending vegan options and modifying as they can. Lots of options, including apps, salads, and mains. Very tasty and different from other Asian options.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Helpful staff
PaLian
Thank you for your support. Pls copy and paste on google review,when u got a chance
Read moreThanks agian and much Appreciated
Guest
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