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The Vegetarian
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- None
6 reviews for The Vegetarian
The food is pretty good, but it's slow and the interior is a bit run down. I want to give this place a higher rating because every dish was excellent, but I don't think I can justify a 5 star rating for a restaurant I would only recommend for carryout. Also, if I could give half stars, this would be a 3.5, they get the extra half star because I think the drawbacks are easily avoided by just ordering takeout.
IF they could improve the front end and improve the organization in the kitchen, this place would be a total hit.
Went here last night for my roomate's birthday dinner. I am not a vegetarian by any means, but I loved the food. We had
- paper masala dosa: thin long crepe-like dish covered with masala and rolled up
- onion & pea uthappam: rice pancake that reminded me of a korean jeon pancake, first time for this
-a mushroom curry that was great and pretty spicy even at medium (something tells me "hot" means REALLY hot here)
- a lentil curry with lots of black pepper and other spices
The waitstaff is very friendly and both curries were reccomendations of the house. Also had a salty lassi (yum) and a masala chai (just ok- get the mysoor coffee instead).
They also gave us plenty of free jalebi- "golden sweet pretzels"- but really pure sugar mmmm.
Each dish was around $8-10 bucks so reasonable. Will have to come back for lunch buffet!
If you love aloo paratha - stuffed-potato bread Punjabi style - this place is the best. Your taste-buds will recognize chunks of mildly spiced potatoes, fresh chopped cilantro, julienned ginger, and smell the ghee it has been fried in.
The paper masala dosa and rajma (kidney beans) are also excellent. The chef/owner is conversant with vegetarian and vegan concepts and gladly made a non-cream version of rajma for me. It was incredibly tasty. Understand that lentil/bean dishes served at most Indian restaurants rely heavily on cream for taste. If you request a vegan version be prepared to spend a lot of time explaining what vegan is, maybe deal with the unasked question of 'and why do you eat that way?', and not get it anyway.
This used to be a non-vegetarian resturant but the owner/chef changed it to vegetarian when his daughter became a vegan.
I have not been here recently because the last time I was there the floor and carpet were extremely sticky and in desperate need of a clean-up. Altough I'm not a snob about eating at hole-in-the-wall joints, this one tested my limits.
UPDATE: The food here just isn't doing it for me the way it used to. It's still acceptable, and better than your average strip-mall Indian buffet in Bloomington, but lately the dishes here seem a bit too oily and hastily prepared. And the total lack of ambience and decor in the restaurant, while normally not an issue for me, is starting to stand out now that the food quality has decreased. I'd much rather go to Delights of India instead, which is brighter, fresher and has better food.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
12/31/2008
The Vegetarian has extremely friendly service and a simple menu of basic, honest Indian food. Its… Read more »
I love the vegetarian! I've only been to the lunch buffet, but it is very good and it is nice to not have to worry over whether there is meat in a certain dish. I love the spicy tomato soup that is part of the buffet. MMMMMM. The service is good and unfortunately (for the future of the place) no one is ever there. The only downside for me is that it's a long ride on the 10 into Columbia Heights.
I just need to know why you haven't been here yet, that is all. Quit complaining about the location, because I know you love Indian food.
Even if you aren't a vegetarian (like me) you can love this place.
The decor is interesting, the staff is friendly and easy going the prices are great.
Oh, one more thing. They grind their own fresh spices to make the dishes sing.
Did I say DOSA as big as your head? They even have a lunch buffet, which includes a stuffed dosa, which is enough on its own.
Eat here, tell your friends to eat here then eat here again. If you want to justify the trip to Columbia Heights, take in a movie at the Heights. Make it a date, they will be impressed with your knowledge of the city.
