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Vegan-friendly
Beer/Wine
Spanish
Tapas
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Ask for separate vegan menu. Open Mon-Tue 4:00pm-9:00pm, Wed-Sat 9:00am-9:00pm, Sun 9:00am-4:00pm.
7 Reviews
First Review by happycowgirl
TurnipForPlants
Points +2173
Spaniard Tapas in Grand Rapids - Edit
San Chez Bistro offers a Spaniard style tapas meal that is best served with a large group of people than solitary.
Read moreThey offer a separate menu that gives a breakdown of dietary restrictions within their menu and lists how to customize to make items vegan (or vegetarian, pescatarian, etc.). There are no additional choices that are not listed on the regular menu, but this helps customize orders to suit your plant-based needs.
The quinoa white bean patties are a highlight. And their pitchers of sangria are great for sharing with a group.
The location is gorgeous and clean, and a lot of fun to look at the eccentricities. I go here when I want to bring a big group to share food and share a good time.
Pros: Vegan options, Separate Dietary Menu, Friendly staff
Cons: Not entirely vegan
Guest
Meanderingvegetarians
Points +126
Absolutely love San Chez! - Edit
We went for my birthday and they did not disappoint! So many good veggie dishes. We love it so much, we went back for brunch about a week later 🙂 Highly recommend! #Veganuary
Read morePros: Vegan options, Flavorful, Good vibes
Guest
AlexandraBryant
Points +231
Quinoa white bean fritters w lemon sauce - Edit
Those little fritters are delicious. We also got the garlic bread, and the roasted garlic could have used quite a bit of salt, but there was no salt on the table. We were really not a fan of the champiñones at all. The oyster mushrooms were very tough and difficult to eat, and the little mushrooms were cooked without being trimmed and cleaned properly, so there was dirt still on the ends of the mushrooms in the oil. I would go back and get the quinoa white bean fritters again, and next time we will just try other vegan options like the patatas bravas without the aoli, the artichoke paella, and the bread with the salsa verde.
Read moreGuest
Kashi
Points +23
Great for a night out - Edit
They have menus online and in the restaurant for many different preferences/ allergies such as gluten free, vegan, soy free, tree nut free, etc. They offer tapas which are smaller plates. When we go, we order a few of them and share. We also eat the gluten free bread which is one of the best I have tasted. I find their servers very knowledgeable if you need to avoid an ingredient. Price is a bit high for me, but we use it as a special occasion visit.
Read morePros: Clearly labeled menus, Small plates to try different food, Great taste
Cons: Fewer choices for vegans, Higher prices
Guest
Regi
Points +645
Loved it - Edit
Visited Grand Rapids and stopped at this tapas restaurant, they serve meat but have vegetarian options. The service is awesome, the food I like it a lot, and happy to enjoy Spanish food. I wanted the typical pan con tomate but they don’t have it now. Lot of yummy garlic.
Read morePros: Good quality food, Good service everyone very friendly , Some vegetarian options (don’t know if vegan)
Guest
vrieskie55
Points +40
Disappointing - Edit
I ate at San Chez Bistro (the cafe) for the second time yesterday and was very disappointed. It seems inexcusable to me that a restaurant of this caliber seems confused about what vegan means. First of all, you have to request a special vegan/vegetarian menu. This special menu must be a reprint of some of the recipes from their main menu because almost all of the recipes have meat and eggs in them with the option to swap these ingredients out for things like mushrooms and their mysterious non vegan egg substitute.
Read moreThere were approximately 3 vegan lunch meals that weren't salads. My husband ordered a falafel type sandwich and that seemed to go well, it even came with some tasty (if very greasy) potatoes. One of the other vegan sandwiches had an option to swap the meat for mushrooms but still came with eggs, so that was obviously not an option. This sandwich, by the way, was clearly labeled as vegan on their menu but just as clearly, was not vegan. I ordered the third choice which seemed to be vegan. Apparently it was not and I had to clarify to the waitress several times that yes, I am vegan and that means I won't eat an egg substitute that is not vegan. They ended up dropping the fake non vegan eggs and adding extra spinach and guacamole to my sandwich which they charged me extra for. I basically ended up with the same sandwich as my husband only I was charged extra to make it vegan.
Overall this was a very frustrating experience. I would love to love this restaurant. It's in a great location and is a fun place to go. But, unless you're in a mood for a salad where you have them hold the animals foods, I'd avoid this place until they put some actual effort into their vegan menu.
Pros: location, in a beautiful building, friendly staff
Cons: not vegan friendly
Guest
happycowgirl
Points +5631
Secret Vegan Menu - Edit
Here's the deal, once you're seated you have to tell the server you're vegan and they bring you out a special vegan menu. It's awesome that they offer a vegan menu. The trouble is, unless you know to ask for it, you'll never know they have it. That really ticks me off. It would be wonderful if they could put a small note or asterick on the bottom of the regular menu that lets customers know there is a "vegan menu available upon request" or something like that. Better yet, list the vegan items on the main menu and put a green leaf or asterick next to the items that can be made vegan. It is not only vegans who enjoy eating vegan food.
Read moreIronically, I found out about the secret vegan menu *after* we ate. So I ordered off the regular menu that eveyone gets when they're seated. The regular menu has a pretty impressive "vegetariano" section, so I give them kudos for that. It was just such a let down finding out at the end of my meal that I could have ordered off the vegan menu and had a much easier go of it. Oh well, don't make the same mistake I did.
Helpful staff. Beautiful interior. Kid-friendly.
Guest
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