Asian cuisine restaurant est. 2015. Extensive menu with dishes like vege chicken salad with peanuts or with sweet and sour sauce, chao style fried rice, pan fried noodle with tofu and curry sauce, vege beef with black pepper sauce over chow fun. Uses lots of different mock meats. No garlic or alliums used. Relocated from 25036 Hesperian Blvd. Reported fully vegan July 2022. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-9:00pm.
-
1169 West A St, Hayward, California, USA, 94541
-
Loading...
-
-
Last update on 21 Sep 2023 by Zombiecynthia
Update business info -
Added by pinkcarnations000 on 04 May 2015
-
-
58 Reviews
First Review by pinkcarnations000
steveoliverc
Points +144
Best Cantonese there is - Edit
This place beats any traditional Cantonese food because the variety of vegetable flavors gets to shine without all the thick syrupy sauces you usually get at other places. And you get tons of protein because many of the dishes have tofu in addition to a mock meat. Generous portions. The fried pumpkin and sizzling eggplant & fish are especially good. Hot and sour soup is so good and your non-vegan friends won't know it's vegan. Can't wait to go back and try more items.
Read morePros: Incredible flavors without lots of sugar and oil, Huge menu selection , Fried pumpkin!
Cons: A smidge over-priced, Closes promptly at 3:00 for lunch
Guest
Brycew
Points +2626
Awesome Old School Cantonese Restaurant - Edit
Veggie Lee offers amazing vegan Cantonese cuisine in a full-service setting. They’re super nice people, the menu is huge, and the experience will leave you wanting more!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-28
Guest
SherrieSwaim
Points +28
I wish I still lived in Hayward! - Edit
Omg, everything was so delicious, extra props for the salt n pepper pumpkin! Even my omni bestie loved everything we had. We ate leftovers for breakfast and I even took some with me as I left for Yuma AZ. I wish we had something like this in Yuma!
Read morePros: The food was fantastic!, The service was great, Wish the location was everywhere!
Cons: Salt n pepper pumpkin, Pan fried bean curd roll, Fresh bean curd skin and vegetables
Guest
DianaCarter
Points +362
Huge Variety of Vegan Dishes - Edit
Absolutely loved the sweet and sour tofu, the sweet and sour chicken, and the General Tso’s chicken. Husband is a fan of the beef and broccoli. Leftovers were great the next day.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-08-01
Pros: Variety - huge menu, Take Out, Mock meats
Cons: Not a fan of the fried rice
Guest
Zurv
Points +2325
Only vegan in the area! - Edit
Only vegan restaurant in the area. Great general tso chicken. Super friendly staff too. The sesame balls are yummy too!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-29
Guest
MadreDePerros
Points +51
Bland - Edit
Ordered 4 entrees (Vegan Chicken with Broccoli, Chinese Broccoli Basil Chow Fun, Kung Pao Tofu “spicy”, and Sauteed Fried Tofu with Eggplant) with high hopes that they’d be excellent given the positive reviews and the extensive vegan menu. The restaurant throws in a free fried rice with $70 order. Disappointingly, all 5 of the items were totally bland. I didn’t know it was a fully garlic and onion free restaurant initially but I’d expect they’d find some other way to flavor the food. Everything left me feeling sad and craving flavor. The lady at the counter also seemed annoyed to have to look up from her phone to help a customer. Big miss on all fronts 🙁
Read moreshoyusaana
Unfortunately, this is exactly how I felt too when I visited. It was a big group and we had multiple dishes family style and everything was too bland and flavourless for my taste.
Read moreJaRan
It's sad that it seems like this place hasn't gotten any better from when I reviewed it. You would think they would add some flavor to the food.
Read moreGuest
Forakora
Points +592
Big menu! - Edit
Small little place, but a big menu and everything is vegan! Had 2 entrees and they were both delicious
Read morePros: Many options, Tons of flavor, Fair pricing
Guest
JaRan
Points +70
I wanted to love this place - Edit
Honestly, I was disappointed in this place. I placed a large takeout order. In my opinion, the food lacked flavor and was kind of bland. The veggies used seemed fresh. The sauces were quite bland. They used too much cornstarch in their mostly tasteless sauces. In addition, I found it to be expensive for what it was. When I got there to pick up our food, it was dinnertime, and the place was empty.
Read moreUnfortunately, this won't be on my "Come Back" list.
Updated from previous review on 2024-11-24
Pros: Easy
Cons: Flavorless, Pricey for what it is
Guest
jadenpb
Points +427
A staple in the East Bay vegan food scene! - Edit
I cannot believe I haven't reviewed Veggie Lee sooner! I've been coming here almost ever since I went vegan 10 years ago at their old location across from Chabot College and I've never been disappointed or let down with whatever I order! My go-to order is the Sesame Chicken lunch special (which comes with broccoli and rice). The owners are very friendly and helpful. Definitely try Veggie Lee if you're in the area!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-11-11
Pros: Delicious food, Friendly staff
Guest
JLeen
Points +380
Great lunch specials - Edit
Update: I love Veggie Lee so much that I'm working my way through the lunch menu. I'll keep posting pics.
Read moreThe lunch special portions were huge and the food was piping hot for take out. We had the sesame chicken and the broccoli beef. Both were delicious. The chef has amazing meat substitute creations. We will definitely be back.
Updated from previous review on 2024-01-12
Pros: Great food, Large and creative menu, Lots of parking
Cons: No outdoor dining
Guest
Ben“Benjamin”Eshed
Points +11
Wow - Edit
Haven't been to Chinese restaurant that is essentially vegan before. Better than white people Chinese by far
Read morePros: Texture, Price, Portions
Guest
Wickedveganghoul
Points +1454
Delicious! - Edit
Had the General Tso’s vegan chick’n. I loved the spices and it was cooked well.
Read moreDidn’t stay in location to try more but definitely stop by if you’re in the area. Worth the trip!
Pros: Great food, good prices, 100% Vegan , Friendly staff
Cons: It’s the only 100% vegan restaurant in that town, Parking is good but cramped
Guest
Yougottabekiddingme
Points +23
Not as good as I had hoped - Edit
The food was a little bland and too oily for my taste.
Read morePros- big portions and lots to chose from
Cons- a bit pricey
JaRan
Yes, I agree. It was bland and pricey for what it is.
Read moreGuest
ktmast
Points +563
Good food, good portions - Edit
The food was good. I have not had Chinese Chicken Salad since going vegan. What a nice surprise! Their vegan chicken is so good I had to keep reminding myself that it’s vegan. (I freak out at the thought of eating animals) I did need to add salt to some dishes but that is so much better than food being over salted.
Read morePros: Good food and so are the portions , Friendly staff , Chicken Salad!
Guest
jumpie
Points +68
Good... - Edit
Tasted good, good amount of food, good price
Read morePros: Tasted good, Good price
Cons: Unfriendly staff
Guest
HCMex
Points +1058
Good but indifferent - Edit
Veggie Lee is located in a dry spell area of vegan restaurants and that automatically gives them points for having something for aspiring plant based eaters.
Read moreThe food ranges from good - great depending on what you get. The good was the Kung pao chicken. Good veggies, but the chicken was overly salted.
The great was the sweet and sour chicken! They use a really good sauce and it comes with green bell peppers pineapples. Price point for each of these dishes were $18-20 each so it is on the pricier side. Given that price point, I'd expect the quality control or quality of ingredients be a bit better than what they offer.
Nevertheless to say it's worth a visit if you're in the area for a prolonged period of the time or if you live nearby and need to place a doordash order. Otherwise, spend the same amount of money you'd spend here at something better in Berkeley/Oakland/San Francisco.
3.5/5
Pros: Sweet and sour chicken, Potstickers, Beef chow fun
Cons: Pricepoint not matching quality at times, Kung Pao Chicken
Guest
Angelo23
Points +290
Veggie me - Edit
I've been here several times for lunch and it's solid especially in Hayward. I typically order more vegetable forward dishes but there are plenty of vegan meat alternatives. It reminds me a lot of one of my first vegan Chinese restaurants in Atl, so feels like an old friend to me. Good value and attentive service.
Read moreGuest
Geeokonkwo
Points +574
Yum! 🤤 - Edit
One thing about me I'ma support the local OG vegan spots!! My first time here and they did not disappoint! Free pot of tea w dine in. Got the curry noodles no Green bell peppers add extra veggies, and a side of taro cake. Both super delicious! Been thinking about em all day haha.
Read morePros: Free tea service , Allium free!, Nice staff
Cons: No desserts
Guest
MilesVeganEats
Points +564
Need more flavor and too much starch - Edit
I was looking for the closest restaurant during one overnight stayed in Oakland.
Read moreSince I grew up in Taiwan, I prefer a more authentic of Chinese food, but don't mind it to be a bit Americanized. Both the soup and eggplant had way too much corn starch for me, and the flavor was a bit bland.
Yougottabekiddingme
I agree.
Read moreJaRan
I agree completely. Way too much cornstarch and it was very bland.
Read moreGuest
leahk
Points +333
Huge menu, tasty food - Edit
We love to stop by Veggie Lee’s when we pass through Hayward. The interior isn’t much to write home about but you will be overwhelmed by your choices and served heaping dishes of great vegan Chinese food here.
Read moreTry the salt and pepper pumpkin if you like tempura.
Pros: Huge portions , Fully vegan, Big menu
Cons: Nothing special about the dining area
Guest
ARGuerin
Points +28
Hit the spot! - Edit
I ordered the sweet and sour vegan chicken and rice to go. They were very fast (5 minutes) and so delicious! Highly recommend if you’re in the area or passing through!
Read morePros: Delicious, Fast, Huge menu
Cons: No condiments
Guest
ccbreezy18
Points +138
Vegan Gem in Hayward - Edit
I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to review because I’ve frequented this place for the last 6 years at least…maybe even longer. The only vegan restaurant in the Hayward area and it’s so good.
Read moreVeggie Lee has a large menu with yummy food and quality ingredients. I’ve tried many things but many of my family’s favorites are the vegetable chow mein, vegan sesame chicken, general tso’s vegan chicken, salt and pepper chicken, potstickers, and just about any of their veggie entrees.
I definitely would recommend if you’re ever in the area or even make a special trip to try, it’s worth it.
Updated from previous review on 2023-11-26
Guest
GoodCook
Points +211
Amazing flavor, huge selection - Edit
Everything tasted good, I particularly liked the vegetables, and the salt and pepper fried mushrooms and pumpkin, dumpling noodle soup, soy sauce chow mein and pot stickers,
Read morecan't wait to try more items!
Updated from previous review on 2023-08-28
Pros: The vegetable flavors were amazing, The portions are large, Liking the new location better
Cons: So hard to decide, so many menu items, Can't believe they do not use garlic, its so tasty, want one of everything but my stomach too small
Guest
villain
Points +9370
Best Asian food in the area - Edit
Veggie Lee far exceeded my expectations. The five huge pages of varied menu items made for a fantastic dinner. Far too often among Asian restaurants in the Bay, the menus are quite similar and the dishes taste like they were made with the same recipes. But here the menu had so much more flavor, variety, and creativity!
Read moreWe ordered five dishes here, and all of them were delicious. Each had varying intricate flavors, and unique ingredients.
The Shark's Fin Bamboo Fungus Soup was a pleasant and interesting start to the meal. Followed by two dishes that I'll highly recommend: the Lemon Grass Bean Curd and the Pea Leaves with Abalone Mushrooms. The Pinenuts w/Tooms Fried Rice went great with all of these.
Portions were huge and we had plenty of leftovers. We were too full for the desserts or Boba, but very excited to come back and try them out.
Updated from previous review on 2023-04-18
Pros: Flavors on point, Huge menu full of variety, Massive portions
andyjng
I also really loved the Shark's Fin soup here!
Read moreGuest
DanTorres
Points +22
Good but pricey - Edit
The food is pretty good and nothing amazing but fills you up. My only reason for not going all the time is that it’s a bit more expensive then general Chinese food. The lunch meals are great but when I order for dinner it can start to get up there.
Read moreGuest
andyjng
Points +5999
Best Vegan Chinese but Pricy - Edit
Veggie Lee was my brother's favorite restaurant and one of the few all-vegan spots that I tried years ago before I became plant based. It has new meaning now that I'm WFPB and a way for me to enjoy some classic Chinese dishes with a twist.
Read moreOn my first go-around, I tried their Salt & Pepper Pumpkin, Bean Curd, and Pan Fried Noodle with Vegan Prawns. Everything came in large portions, so this is definitely meant to be family style eating. My favorite of the three were definitely the pumpkin slices. While fried, they weren't heavy and had a great coat of salt & pepper to satisfy my pallet. The Vegan prawns were a great surprise! If you're curious, definitely go for one of the substitute meat options here.
More recently, I got to experience their Shark's Fin Soup with Fungus and it was fantastic. It closely resembled what I used to eat before going plant-based and was a warming soup overall especially in the winter.
My only gripe with Veggie Lee is how expensive everything is, with plates ranging from $14 - $20. It creates a perpetual stereotype that 'vegan food is inaccessible and expensive,' which is something I don't want others to think.
Pros: Family style portions, Huge menu
Cons: Expensive dishes
Guest
AbigailMichelsonPorth
Points +101
Delicious Chinese food! - Edit
Wonderful vegan Chinese restaurant! They don’t use onion or garlic, which was a huge bonus for my family!
Read morePros: Large menu - so many options!, No onions or garlic , Friendly and helpful service
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 0 times.