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Lacto
Ovo
American
Organic
Beer/Wine
Mexican
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Calm atmopshere, a few blocks from Monterey Bay Aquarium. Offers organic food with many vegetarian dishes (sandwiches, Mexican food, hot plates, pasta). Uses dairy and egg, so vegans be sure to specify. Flexible menu. Reported closed, Jul 2018.
20 Reviews
First Review by prezeliz
gr8vegan
Points +2357
not bad - Edit
They'll veganize anything, but I had a baked potato and veggies. Not bad, very nice service, water bottles on the table, great pit stop on trip
Read moreGuest
DonD
Points +106
Great vegan options, a good go-to place - Edit
My wife and I went here for to-go dinners last weekend (our first visit). There are lots of vegan choices, including deserts. The staff was really friendly (not sure why others had issues), restroom was clean (with hot water) and food very tasty. I'll return, no problem! Great to have a very vegan-friendly cafe in there middle of the typical touristy, steak and veal restaurant choices.
Read morePros: great vegan choices, friendly staff, good value
Guest
LotteDanish
Points +107
Fabulous for vegans - Edit
Loved this little place. Great vegan scramble and home baked vegan carrot cake. Owner around and cares... great veggies.
Read morePros: Loved the vegan scramble
Guest
twovegans
Points +223
Still Serving Good Food - Edit
This was an old standby when we lived in the area 20 years ago. We were pleasantly surprised to find things exactly the same. The woman seating us was the same, the menu was basically the same, and the restaurant itself looked the same. A few vegan options, including vegan desserts. It's a decent place to enjoy a meal near the bay.
Read moreGuest
Calicoastchick
Points +20
delicious! - Edit
Service was friendly and helpful. Food was delicious. They accommodated our request for minimal oil.
Read moreGuest
Benedict_Avocado
Points +21
memorable service, coffee & vegan meal - Edit
Tillie Gort's has been around since 1969 but it is beautifully modern with its local artwork, large wine selection & vegan/vegetarian menu options. I fell in love with the walnut pesto tofu scramble and my husband had a chicken sausage omelet with Odwalla OJ. The service was kind and accommodating and the atmosphere was lovely. Definitely on my favorites list!
Read morePros: separate vegan section on menu , separate vegetarian section on menu , homemade jam :-D
Guest
CatLovesBeets
Points +83
Enjoyable salads and cakes - Edit
My mum and I enjoyed some delicious and generous sized salads at Tillie Gort's. There were plenty of options to pick from (we don't mind asking for something vegetarian to be "veganised" eg. Hold the sour cream). There were a couple of vegan cakes for dessert and we shared a huge piece of carrot cake.
Read moreService was friendly and the atmosphere was cosy and charming. I'd recommend it!
We had never heard of Tillie Gort's so perhaps people giving negative reviews are influenced by nostalgia or hype?
Pros: fresh and tasty, good selection for vegetarians with veganisation a, a rare vegan find in fish-loving Monterey!
Guest
Jessi F.
Points +32
Flavorless and overpriced vegan breakfast - Edit
The food here is overpriced and terrible. The vegan blueberry pancakes were very tough/over-mixed and had no flavor. The syrup was the fake kind, and there’s no vegan margarine. Plus, they charge an extra $2.75 more for vegan pancakes than they do for the regular ones, so you end up paying $10.76 for two flavorless pancakes. The Greek tofu scramble was also flavorless, and the portion was very small (the plate is dominated by toast and potatoes). I see that another reviewer heard from the server that they don’t put a lot of salt in the food because some people don’t want salt – but those people should specify as such, and there are a lot of other ways to add flavor to food besides salt. Adding salt and pepper to food that’s already cooked is not the same as getting food that’s flavorful and well-seasoned. The coffee was also terrible. We were so excited to eat here because it can be hard to find vegan breakfast options, but we really wished we hadn’t wasted our time and money here.
Read moreCons: Very bland, Expensive
Guest
megzzzz26
Points +16
WONDERFUL - Edit
The food was great, homey, without the pretentiousness of some equally veggie-based places.
Read moreGuest
BruceWayne
Points +57
Breakfast in Monterey - Edit
We almost didn't come due to the negative reviews, but I'm so glad we decided to ignore them. We got the Pesto scramble and the Greek scramble and were happy with both.
Read moreThe atmosphere was very calm and welcoming and it felt like a neighbor's kitchen. Our server Alexie (spelling?) was so nice and we chatted about the town and places to visit.
The food came out fast and was delicious. Some of these reviews mention that the food is bland, but Alexie told us the kitchen does not salt the food due to most people not wanting so much salt. There are salt and pepper shakers at each table so there is really nothing to worry about. Definitely a place to go if you are in Monterey and want a nice calm breakfast.
Pros: Many vegan options, Calm atmosphere , Good chefs
Cons: You might need to lift the salt shaker
Guest
PAL
Points +71
End of an era? - Edit
We hadn't been to the Monterey peninsula for years, but decided to stay there overnight on the way back from SoCal. Wanted to have lunch before getting on the road, & did not have computer access, so browsed a city-produced "dining out" pamphlet & were happy to see that Tillie Gort's was STILL there. ("Vegan" seems to be a dirty word in the gourmandish peninsula.) We drove there with our dog in the car, & had to take turns going in to look at the menu to order, got the food "to go" & ate in our car - since I was told that it was "not legal" for us to sit at one of the OUTSIDE tables with the dog. Weird, since a few miles away, Carmel goes out of its way to be dog-friendly. I did ask to use the rest room, & was astonished to find that there is no hot water in there - just hope the staff have their own rest room which DOES have hot water running! Was also very dismayed to discover that there are all sorts of meat items on the menu. Normally, I won't eat food made in a kitchen that also has meat around (too many bad past experiences) but my husband was getting very hungry, & said he didn't care, so we did order food. My 'tofu scramble' was heavy on the rice & black beans side-dish. The tofu was in large cubes. There were a few pieces of mushroom, some runny tomatoes & a fair amount of spinach. There did not appear to be any seasoning in anything. The only tastes were the ones that come directly from the ingredients. All my husband got was rice & beans (with 2 small corn tortillas & a small container of salsa), & he shared my small tofu 'scramble." "ALL" that for $20?! While waiting for my order, I studied the photos near the front door, recording the social evolution of the place since 1974. The staff & friends back then were sure a bunch of happy looking hippies, posing with an assortment of kids & dogs - their faces seem to radiate enthusiasm, idealism, and commitment. The woman who took our order today was about as un-hippie as you can get. I suppose it's not possible for the same people to still be there working hard 40 years later, & probably there came a time when the original owners decided it was time to retire & sell. Maybe it would have been better for them to close it outright, or if they needed to cash out, specify in the contract that the name and purported "veggie" association be dropped, and only the actual facility change hands. Sometimes it's better for a business's era to end, than to limp along, a pitiful caricature of its former self.
Read morePros: not many veg choices in town
Cons: serves meat, funky bathroom, bland & overpriced
Guest
mickeythemystic
Points +54
Has gone way down hill - Edit
We have eaten here every time in Monterey for many, many years. We should have listened to all of the many recent negative reviews. Poor quality food, over-priced, served by grumpy people. Hoping it returns to the old standard!
Read moreGuest
1vegan
Points +149
Good Eats - Edit
Dinner with family.
Read morePros: awesome prices, vegan options
Cons: waiter a little grumpy
Guest
usa.de.sa
Points +20
High prices for unimpressive and limited cuisine. - Edit
I bought a $20 certificate for $10 to try Tillie Gort's recently.
Read moreWanting to see what vegan cuisine was available in my area, I was fooled by the advertisement's promise of "organic vegan and vegetarian cuisine." One weekday evening we headed to the restaurant.
Upon arrival, we chose a table near the window and had a seat. I ordered a flavored, unsweetened iced tea (the highlight of my meal), and my husband had root beer.
We had quite a lot of trouble finding anything vegan on the menu, and I ordered the lentil soup with baguette. It wasn't exactly what I was looking forward to, but it seemed to be the lightest vegan option. As I recall, not one of the salads was without animal products without modification. My husband and I were both surprised to find chicken, tuna, turkey, and even bacon dominating the menu. As we were both hard-pressed to find vegan options, my husband ordered tacos "hold the cheese and sour cream." He wanted to order tacos with "soy strips," but they were out, so he ordered it with a chopped up veggie burger...
When the food arrived, we both found it rather lackluster. My soup was very hot and the bowl was large- I was very satisfied after the meal, but I thought the soup was a bit salty. The flour tortillas that came with the tacos were not in any container to keep them warm, so they quickly became cold. The "fixings" included bell peppers, onions, black beans, tomatoes and lettuce, along with the chopped up soy patty. There was no rice with the tacos, which would have been a nice addition. They weren't very flavorful and nothing about them was spicy.
After the meal, we took a chance and ordered the vegan carrot cake, and we were again disappointed. The icing was sweeter than candy and the cake was very dry.
Overall, it was truly less than satisfactory. I love eating out at new veg-friendly spaces, and this restaurant is not recommended for the purpose.
Pros: Good iced tea
Cons: Overpriced, Stale/dry dessert, Lacking veg options
Guest
hippublican
Points +286
Totally underwhelming - Edit
We ate here once and were taken aback by how expensive the food was considering how simple & cheap to make it is.
Read moreThe lackluster food, however, was completely eclipsed by the piss poor service. The server (owner?) didn't bother to give us any smiles, never said thanks, rarely came by our table (only one other table was occupied), and looked completely miserable when we ordered dessert.
If we're such an inconvenience, then I guess we won't bother her anymore.
Cons: awful service, mediocre food, overpriced
Guest
jkohler2
Points +68
No substitutions - Edit
We ate dinner on 2 successive nights at Tillie Gort's. The first night, we were met by a friendly waitress who discussed the special, vegetable curry with rice, and brought us wine before dinner. It was a pleasant experience. The second night, I ordered a veggie burger, from a different waitress on duty. The menu indicted mayonaise and cheese which I asked to be replaced with avocado. The waitress did not understand the word "vegan," apparently and said there would be an extra charge for a substitution. I conclude this restaurant is vegetarian friendly, but not vegan friendly. Sad, too, since their business seemed to be dropping off on these 2 nights, and one would think that a goal would be to accommodate customers to encourage return business. Oh, well.
Read morePros: Vegetable curry , Veggie burger
Cons: rigid rule, no substitutions
Guest
RocketGomez
Points +393
good vegan options - Edit
Ate there recently. The entrees were quite good, but the 2 vegan cakes (one chocolate, the other orange) were dry.
Read moreGuest
sunbaby08
Points +66
Decent but too expensive - Edit
Tillie Gort's is as close to a vegetarian restaurant as we have in Monterey...unfortunately. The food is decent, but nothing amazing. On the plus side they have a couple veggie protein options, but overall they serve more and more meat and the menu has gotten way too expensive. $12 for brown rice, black beans, and steamed veggies? come on now, i could make that at home for like $2.
Read morePros: veggie proteins, good soup, cozy atmosphere
Cons: too expensive, owners are not very friendly
Guest
veggie-biker
Points +29
Been around forever. Not bad considering - Edit
So first off I will say that I've eaten here on a number of occassions. I generally find it to be satisfactory & recognize that there aren't many options in the area, it being "seafood country" & all. Their version of the veggie patty is pretty good & finding vegan options isn't difficult. I am writing to comment about the cakes: Don't buy them! I was there recently on a trip & picked up two different slices. One chocolate, one vanilla. Both were so dry they were unedible. My wife was complaining about hers & I said something glib like "yeah, well I got you a cake & this is the kind of thanks I get." 30 minutes later when I tried mine I begged forgiveness. Not just dry. Dry beyond comparison.
Read moreAgain, other choices on the menu are perfectly fine & you'll have a wide selection. Try the cake if you'd like, but be careful- $7.00 for a frosted toasted tortilla is bit pricy for my tastes.
Pros: There, Lots of options, Friendly staff
Cons: Dry cake, Lots of cheese to avoid, Dry cake
Guest
prezeliz
Points +28
Comfort food - Edit
This is one of my favorite restaurants. After a day at the aquarium, treat yourself to some good home cooking! I love the tomato mushroom soup. Nothing fancy, just good homey food.
Read morePros: tastes like home-cooking, great local art
Guest
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