Lan Cafe
Categories: Vegetarian, Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village342 E 6th Street
(between 1st Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003 (212) 228-8325
- Nearest Transit:
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
Astor Place (6)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: None
23 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/SoHo
"Wow, wow, wow.. What's up with this place? This is the best restaurant I have never heard of.. In fact, it might be the best restaurant that…" read more »
27 Reviews for Lan Cafe
This little hole in the wall nestled on 6th Street is a great find for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. The food is wholesome and good. It's nothing to write home about, but for the price it's hard to beat. As for the comments that the food lacks spice, my lemongrass seitan with noodles came with a squeeze bottle of chili paste served on the side. As someone who likes some but not a lot of heat, I appreciated the chance to spice up my meal myself. But the tacky squeeze bottle gives a hint of the overall tacky feel Lan Cafe. They could really do better than wrinkled posters of mangoes and behind plexiglass on the walls. Overall this is a fun place to drop in on for a cheap, good Vietnamese meal if you're in the East Village, but definitely not worth a special trip.
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You don't have to be a vegetarian or vegan to like this place. This hole-in-the-wall offers delicious meals for very very low prices. Vegetarian/vegan food does not have to be bland, and Cafe Lan's food is proof of that. Everything had very distinct, bold flavors.
I had the Seitan Lemongrass Curry and had a bit of my friends' Grill Lemongrass Seitan On Steamed Hair Rice Vermicelli. The Seitan on vermicelli just had a wonderfully grilled flavor.
Pass up on dessert. I got some sort of bean-based dessert that came wrapped in cellophane (never a good sign). It tasted like artificial banana flavoring, very odd and yet very intriguing, which explains why I pretty much finished the whole thing.
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I miss my mom's food and Au Lac Vegetarian in California.
To get my fix of Vietnamese food in New York, I come to Lan Cafe. It's not the best Vietnamese food, but it's definitely one of the better choices here.
I've had the egg rolls, meatball baguette, stewed eggplant, and grilled seitan - all vegetarian & delicious! There are two grilled seitan entrees - one with vermicelli ("bun" in Vietnamese) and one with steamed thin rice vermicelli ("banh hoi"). I personally like the thin rice vermicelli better, but they're basically the same.
Note: CASH ONLY!
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It's tiny and cute and the wait staff is adorable but I sort of felt under whelmed here. I know David will kill me for this review because he loves this place so... but the dishes are ok... just ok. Being a vegetarian it's hard to get a good and well spiced meal sometimes. But here many of the dishes were a tad on the bland side. I've had the hot and sour soup, which was decent and plentiful, as well as the tofu with veggies but that was just fried- I probably will give it one more chance but it better try harder at impressing me.
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I kinda don't get it. While the staff are certainly unique, they're also really overworked and can't possibly keep up with the volume of customers. It was almost comical watching what was going on, in a sort of sad way.
The food is ok but not amazing. I might go back during the week when it's less packed, but definitely not on a friday night again..
Tiny, but cute, this restaurant was delicious. i had the spring rolls and then a grilled seitan sandwich, which tasted just like typical Vietnamese bbq. I'm Vietnamese but have become highly allergic to shrimp, so that I cannot go out and eat my peoples' food anymore without risk of contamination. However, this place allows me to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine safely (and affordably!), which makes me very happy.
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At this mom-and-pop vegetarian vietnamese restaurant, I had one of the best meals of my life. In fact, I'm going to have to re-evaluate all my other reviews on Yelp because of this.
For starters, the spring rolls far outshined any I've ever had before--not even close. The fake meat banh mi was quite solid, the fresh vegetables were crisp, and the bread was soft and flaky. The pho proved that meat is not necessary to make an excellent broth. And the curry string beans were the best of all; the gravy was so good I wanted to lick the platter, even though I was already quite full.
I also like the indie zines and the Buddhist pamphlets and DVDs that are there for the taking. These allow one to walk away nourished on an aesthetic and spiritual level as well.
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Lan is located on the street well known to all as "Indian Row." This small Buddhist family owned and operated Vietnamese Vegetarian is the only vegetarian restaurant on 6th street between 1st and 2nd ave in the East Village.
Lan cafe has an array of tasty and inexpensive appetizers; Vietnamese Seitan sandwiches on toasty crisp baguettes; entrees such as the ever popular pho noodle soup that is" faux pho sure"... and many other vegan delectables to choose from. I was transported by the curry tofu and potato soup (7.50 ) and the grilled lemongrass seitan over vermicelli noodles... a mere ( 7.50). The mother makes her own special vegan sauce..sans animal products..no beef, chicken, pork or fish is used in this sauce. It is outrageous how good it tastes...so tangy, sweet....but not too sweet. Such amazing food cooked with love..and so incredibly reasonable!!!
The vibe is friendly, and welcoming at this cozy simple storefront cafe. You truly feel like you are a special guest at their home eating in the kitchen. So if you are craving a healthy home cooked meal...Lan is the ultimate in comfort food. RUN don't walk!
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Okay, I just moved to NYC from DC and I've been trying to find a good Pho place. I am quasi veggie, so I decided to give this place a try b/c of all the fantastic reviews.
I can only speak about the Pho, not the regular food... that may or may not be good.
But the Pho, oh, the Pho. I wouldn't even call it Pho. The broth was so sweet. It tasted like boiled sugar water. The basil was wilted. But the worst thing about this place was no sriracha!!! They had chili sauce, but it's the kind with pepper flakes floating and had a semi/sweet hot taste. Also, they served lettuce with the Pho???
I also ordered Iced Coffee with the condensed milk. Every Pho place I've eaten at has served it hot at my table and a glass of ice for me to mix. Well not here, they bring it out premade for you. I like to make my own coffee.
I would not recommend this place to anyone who wants good Pho, veggie friendly or not.
Can someone please shed light as to where I can find good Pho? :-/ I've tried Pho Grand and some joint in Chinatown that I can't remember the name and they both are "eh." Anyone tried Pho 75 in Arlington, VA?? That's what I'm looking for.
excellent pho, excellent. summer rolls and grilled asparagus were wonderful too. nice, thick sauces. YUM
Hidden away along the Indian spots on 6th is this AWESOME Vietnamese place. All veg all the time. Its BYOB, so my friend and I grabbed a couple bottles of Sapporo and rolled over. We had the spring rolls (small but tasty), the BBQ Seitan (rockin) and we each had a baguette sandwich. He had the seitan, I the vegi-ham. Both rocked.
Now, I will be honest - I was still a little hungry afterward - but the food was DAMN tasty. If you ever get the hankering for a Vietnamese sandwich - head on over - and grab a bottle (or can) of something on the way!
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Lovely owners, a cute little place.
My friend and I went to Lan Cafe on a Tuesday around 6pm. The place was pretty empty, fortunate for us.
I ordered seitan with noodles and my girlfriend stir fry seitan with vegetables. My dish was a little bit too sweet and her dish too salty. However, eating a little from one plate and then from the other was really deliscious.
It was my first time eating seitan so I dont really know what it is suppose to taste like.
I do recommend the place. The meals are not very big but for the price you cn easily enjoy an apptetizer as well or share a third main with your friend.
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Wow! I went to dinner at Lan Cafe last night after reading Michael O's review of the place and seeing his photo of the seitan lemongrass curry, which makes me salivate. I'm usually somewhat wary of purely vegetarian restaurants, where I sometimes find the food bland or uninteresting. The food at Lan Cafe was anything but that: I had to indulge and get the seitan lemongrass curry myself, together with a Vietnamese ice-tea with condensed milk. The curry, which comes with jasmine rice, was absolutely delicious... I've had seitan before that was tough or chewy: the seitan at Lan Cafe was very soft and tasty (I suppose it tasted like lemongrass). This is serious competition for Wild Ginger.
The place was pretty much empty when I went: there were only three people there. The place is simple but cute, and the service was friendly if a bit slow (but it was certainly worth the wait). As mentioned by Michael O, notice the shrine above the door to the kitchen, and another smaller shrine on the floor in one of the corners of the dining room. I'll definitely be back.
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After reading the reviews on here, I just had to check this place out, and thank god I did. If you are a vegetarian with a craving for Vietnamese, this is absolutely the place to go.
I went with my bf and a friend, and we ordered the meatball banh mi, the pancake tofu , and the tofu lemongrass curry. The curry was pretty standard and the rice that came with it (honestly) was a pathetic portion.
BUT the banh mi was excellent - really delicious! And the pancake tofu - while not the best I've had - totally hit the spot and came with all the wonderful fixin's (rice crepe, cucumber, shredded carrot, cilantro, lettuce, and a sweet sauce).
I love that all these Asian restaurants in the Buddhist tradition are popping up all over Manhattan. It really saves me all the worry of having to press waiters about oyster and fish sauce. I may have to stop in later in the week to get one of those banh mi all to myself...
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Second time dining at Lan Cafe this week. First experience was dining in and Better 1/2 and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner of:
-eggplant salad
-grilled seitan over rice vermicelli
-potato and tofu curry
All were equally good but the grilled seitan and eggplant salad were stand outs.
So the second time around I decided to try the sandwiches for a quick lunch. Ordered the grilled seitan sandwich and the vegetarian sausage sandwich. Both are made on a warm, toasty and flaky baguette. The veggie meats were perfectly flavored (and spiced) while the key ingredients: julienned carrots and fresh cilantro add flavors and crunchiness to each bite.
I would be going here a third time this week if I wasn't out of town this weekend!
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yum, yum, and more yum. you MUST try the sticky rice with mushrooms - its heaven. this restaurant is a must for any vegan/vegetarian.
A fantastic selection of Vietnamese dishes - all vegetarian. According to the omnivores of my dining party, the pho was on par with any they'd had. "It's faux pho ... hahaha" as they'd say ..groan. But everything is delicious, especially the crepe with mushroom.
It is a small restaurant with a few booths, but the staff is so kind, and the atmosphere so relaxing, that it ends up feeling cozy. Also, they are BYOB, supplying my lush friends and myself with glasses for the beer and wine that we brought.
Yummy, fairly cheap for veggie food in the City, and fulfilled my craving for Vietnamese food. What more could I ask for?
The Lemongrass Seitan is beautiful. Freakily meat-like, even more so than normal seitan. I loved it, and my dinner-mates loved their baguettes. I'll be coming back here for $5 lunches for sure!
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Lan is a completely refreshing change from the usual experience of dining on 6th (aka Indian Row). The food is absolutely fresh, the service is kind, comfortable and homey. The restaurant itself feels like a small family run place, and I think that's exactly what it is.
The menu is unique and offers a range of interesting options. We had the avocado and papaya shakes, and seitan and tofu in lemongrass and curry. The papaya salad was fresh and spicy.
I love the shrine over the entrance to the kitchen and the no meat sign outside - clearly this business has a conscience and they live by what they believe. You can eat here knowing that you are supporting Right Livelihood.
Overall, the freshness of the food and the complete lack of attitude from the owners/staff make this my favorite Asian place in NYC.
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The most desirable part of Lan Cafe is the BYOB perk in the East Village. The menu is interesting, but not entirely authentic Vietnamese (ex: Pad Thai is one of the offered entrees). I had the Vietnamese Pan Cake Tofu-stuffed with bean sprouts, carrots, mushroom, rice papers, and soy sauce. I had never had anything like it before and it was delicious and not too heavy. A nice aspect of this restaurant is that the food isn't too heavy to eat right before heading out for the night. We made a reservation since we had a large party and they were willing to make an exception to their "no reservations" policy. We realized upon arrival why a reservation wasn't entirely necessary. The atmosphere reminded me of your average hole in the wall restaurant where there is a counter at the back and you could order take out. They were very accommodating and didn't mind when our party lingered at the table and failed to use inside voices. Lan Caf only seats about 20 patrons at a time. The wait staff was not overbearing and generally waited until we looked up to them or signaled them to come over, which was nice. BYOB combined with generous portions made Lan Caf a winner.
Good food at a reasonable price. I liked the vermicelli bowl which had plenty of tasty vinegar sauce. However, I wish they were more generous with the seitan portions! In general it seems that vegetarian places tend to skimp on the protein in favor of vegis and carbs. It would be great to have a "Double Protein" option for folks with bigger appetites!
This might possibly be my new favorite restaurant in the East Village. There's no atmosphere and the service is slow, but kind. So why four stars?
The food! I've been there three times in the past week. So far, everything has been amazing. My favorites are the baguette with grilled seitan (#4) and grill lemongrass seitan with rice vermicelli (#31).
The price! All the baguette sandwiches are only $4.50.
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Great food - fantastic seitan. The spring rolls are amazing! We just ate there and I want another spring roll! Big portions and inexpensive plates.
The only downside? The same song played the WHOLE time we were there. It took about an hour to get out of my head. I didn't feel like staying for coffee because of it. Hopefully that was just a freak occurrence...
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Lan Cafe is fantastic. One of the better vegetarian places in Manhattan. The produce is always fresh, the soy/seitan is grilled and sauteed to be desired by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The vietnamese flavors and spice are on par with any other eatery; not to mention the sanwiches are far better than most banh mi in Chinatown.
My favorite dishes:
Shredded green papaya Salad
Baguette sandwich with seitan
Grilled Lemongrass Seitan over Steamed Angel Hair
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This place is another wonderful hole in the wall Veggie place. It has great food, and is really reasonably priced. This is a real mom and pop operation, but the food is fresh and has fantastic exotic flavors, try the shrimp and green papaya salad. Plus the have large Vietnamese sandwiches that are perfect for lunch, and only cost $4.50. If you are in the neighborhood, it is a good lunch stop.
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Demoed this "too new to review" all veg Vietnamese last Thursday. Upon arrival, we were happy to see that it fit that ultimate east village niche - passably chic service of reasonably thoughtful asian food priced at less than $10 for entrees. Home sweet home.
On the passably chic side, Lan is on the low end - far too bright and no much effort on the dining room. At least the tables weren't crowded. On the menu is classic Vietnamese -- ban mai, spring and summer rolls, curries, noodles etc. -- minus the flesh, which for us is great (I eat only fish, she won't even take fish sauce).
We started with piping hot and tasty spring rolls+lettuce and mint (one of humanity's great appetizers). Then came a rich, almost stew-like curry soup which I thought was drink out of the bowl delicious. Entrees were a so-so pad thai (forgot to ask for soft tofu) and a strange pancake dish that was sub-par.
Stuffed by the end of it (definitely over-ordered), we left feeling rather smugly satisfied to walk the six blocks home. Barely worth the journey cross town or from an outer borough, Lan is the perfect neighborhood joint for week nights and take out. Hooray for the east village!
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Mmmm... vegetarian home style vietnamese cooking! Very satisfying. I've been here three times this past week - and I don't even live in the East Village - the three sets of friends (omnivores & herbivores) that I went with all enjoyed the food.
I'd highly recommend the mock shrip and green papaya salad - it's priced almost as much as the affordable entrees but is generously portioned with enough to share among two to four people.
For those who abstain from meat & meat based stocks, yummie pho is now available to satify your noodle soup cravings. The sandwiches are very affordable and delicious - 4 bucks each - served on fresh baguettes.
A quick notes on the shakes - the avocado shake was oddly satisfying despite its overtones of play-doh flavor. the strawberry shake was a bit more pedestrian and passably decent.
I agree with Isaac that the decor is nothing to write home about, but the comfortable coziness and the ability to byob more than makes up for any shortcomings the physical space itself.
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