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Categories: Vegetarian, Dim Sum [Edit]
Neighborhood: International DistrictMon., Wed-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
"The dim sum is amazing. It's hot, it's plentiful, it's cheap, and most importantly, it's GOOD. There are a few places in the ID that are…" read more »
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Whether you're a strict vegetarian or just like to have a vague sense of what substances you might digest before you go "all in" with dim sum, the veggie dim sum option is a great solution.
All the foods we tried were delish, and the staff helpfully offered suggestions on what we might like to try, how much to order, etc. in a way that enhanced the experience. The radish cakes and pear-shaped potato fritters were two particular highlights.
A great way to while away a rainy Seattle afternoon, working your way through pots of hot tea and rotating the lazy susan to sample the menu's offerings with a group of friends.
We were shocked by how low the bill was when we were done given how much we ordered - a great value! And good for large groups!
The other day I had plans to meet a friend at Phnom Penh Noodle House for lunch. Unfortunately for us it was on a Wednesday and guess what that's the one day they are closed. So with only an hour for lunch we decided to hit up Vegetarian Bistro right next door. Now I'm not a vegetarian and I don't like fake meat but I decided to give it a try.
We sit down read the menu and I have a bunch of questions, see there are a handful of veggies I won't eat and when the menu just states mixed vegetables I need to know what vegetables they are talking about. So I finally ask the waitress what's in certain dishes and she tells me and after a few minutes of analyzing the menu options we pick some dishes, I ask to double check if there were celery or bell peppers in the dishes and was told no I said good because I HATE celery and bell peppers. Our dished come out vegetable chow mein which we wanted soft came out crunchy was filled with celery, and Ma Po Tofu which was suppose to be spicy but wasn't. We also orders some green onion pancakes too. The green onion pancakes tasted like they bought them frozen from Uwajimaya and microwaved them for us. I wasn't impressed.
Maybe it's because I'm not a vegetarian but I didn't like this place one bit and I won't be going back anytime soon, plus the service was odd, very, very odd.
Anyone who puts celery, bell peppers or cucumbers in my food when I ask them not to automatically gets one star, they have to earn more and Vegetarian Bistro did nothing to try and earn anymore from me.
I really don't know how to handle this one.
The food. Pretty good. My boyfriend and I have been there twice and only one thing made us raise an eyebrow... the steamed veggie dumplings came, and would have been good, if they'd not been half frozen in the middle still. Disappointing, but otherwise the food has made us both quite happy.
The service. Tanks! Inattentive! Sadly, disappointing at best.
Every time we go, and we've gone during "dinner-hours" both times now the place has been almost creepy-empty. Us and one other couple each time. Thats it.
Nice Decor and at least its a nice quiet atmosphere. But still... the service is pretty terrible, leaving me less interested to go back.
The food is good but the service is lacking.
Being the only vegetarian in the group I thought the food was good. It was nice to be able to go to dim sum and have multiple options. My non-veggie co-workers also seemed to enjoy their meatless food.
I was here for lunch with my co-workers and although we had a larger group (7 of us and one kid) the waitress didn't seem to think we had ordered enough. She kept coming back and pressuring us to order more saying, "that's not enough for all of you, you want to order more?" Of course one of my co-workers being the sucker that he is kept ordering more despite objections from the rest of the table. We ended up with more than we could eat.
Whoa ... i haven't been to seattle since i lived there a few years ago. I am visiting next month. All i can think about is veggie dim sum!
I wish i could offer a more useful review... i can't because it's been 3 years. i mostly remember that the service was OK, everything i tried there was either great, even for carnivores or i disliked it mostly because of my personal taste.
love love love the 'pork' bun things.
i can't wait
Who in the world recommended me this place for dim sum!? They are obviously a frenemy.
Vegetarian Bistro is only recommended for vegetarians that have forgotten (or never known) what meat tastes like. The dim sum on offer are only a pale imitation of their meaty counterparts (one exception: deep fried mash potato). If I had my memory erased, I would enjoy eating here.
I sat there and I thought long and hard about what this restaurant is trying to be. The interior is upscale but completely empty. The exterior is low-key. The service is attentive but borders on needy. At its heart, the food is flawed. The decor and the prices and the name of the restaurant sets expectations high; I want to see beautifully executed vegetarian dishes that makes me re-consider being a carnivore. It's not. It's down-to-earth homestyle cooking that you find all over the ID but, if you're willing to eat meat, you can find better quality for a lower price within a stone's throw.
Xie xie!!! Oh, how I love dim sum.
Before going Vegan, I was a dim sum junkie, & I just wasn't sure if I would get to experience dim sum at a restaurant the way I used to when I still ate meat & seafood. I remember how hard it was when I brought a Vegetarian friend of mine to dim sum a while back. I was never really conscientious before of how much meat there truly is in traditional dim sum. Thank goodness for Vegetarian Bistro. I cannot wait until my friend visits again so I can take her to a place we won't have to compromise, and instead be able to indulge.
The presentation of the food was beautiful. The service was ultra friendly. The dishes we tried were pretty well-varied: steamed Hum Bun (w/veggie-pork filling), sauteed spicy green beans, pan fried pot stickers, deep fried mash potato (pretty - shaped like pears, potato wrapped around chopped black mushroom & tofu shrimp), shu mai (wrapped, seasoned sticky rice w/mushroom) & there were others, but I want to get the name exactly right if I'm going to list them here. You get about 3-4 pieces on each dim sum plate.
All of the items made my stomach do a flip, and in a good way! For those that crave the taste of meat, you might not appreciate the flavors & textures of a strictly-vegetable diet because your taste buds may be looking for a different experience to feel satiated, but still give this place a shot and you may be pleasantly surprised. For Veg*ns, you'll have a wonderful array of guilt-free Chinese delicacies to choose from. Next time I'll leave room for dessert. Oh - they have Vegan fortune cookies, too (just ask for them instead of the regular stuff)! So cool.
My first time in Seattle, and I will definitely be back. Especially for the General Tsao's Chicken. I've been a vegetarian for 13 years, and have never had mock meat this good. It was incredible.
Perfectly crisp on the outside. Tender (not chewy) on the inside. We were the only ones in the restaurant, but I'm not sure why. The food was fantastic. Later, several Asian families joined us - which I found to be a good sign. If the Chinese families gave their seal of approval, then I could certainly be on board! :)
I was excited about the vegetarian Dim Sum. I ordered 3 or 4 kinds. All were great, but had the exact same filling. (Which I found very disappointing). I expected some to have mock meat, some to have tofu and veggies, some just veggies, etc. However, all were stuffed with mushrooms and sometimes a mushroom/waterchestnut combo.
That would be great if you like mushrooms, but I'm one of those rare vegans that hates the shrooms. I ate the Dim Sum anyway, as they were perfectly sauteed and/or fried. The Bean Curd dim sum was incredible. The outside was fried-egg-like in texture - in a good way - and crispy outside. Even with the mushrooms, I found it to be delicious.
I'd give the restaurant 5 stars - because it's clean, friendly, and delicious, but the fact that all the dim sum options had the same filling was slightly disappointing.
Other than that, I would have given it a perfect rating. Food, service, cleanliness, etc. were all perfect.
I will definitely be back!!!!
*Disclaimer*
This review is written by a meat lover and a very pregnant woman with an attitude.
*End of disclaimer*
We ended up here not by choice and I went in knowing it was veggie munchers. But after reading up on the place here and trying to be open minded, we went prepared for an experience.
I tried everything put in front of me and in general, felt like I was eating wet waded up paper or couch cushions. The potstickers were filled with some sort of white mushy thing and could only be consumed with loads of soy. The "shrimp" balls were not shrimp but some sort of hybrid that made me gag. And the steamed hom bow contained flavorless fake pork BBQ. Most of my food ended up on the boy's plate and I left hungry. The boy was nice enough to buy me a roast beef sandwich later.
As for the good things, the decor is lovely, the wait staff accommodating, and the location is great. From the array of dim sum, the radish cakes were fairly good. Thick and flavorful without the need of soy. And the General Tso's fake chicken had an incredible sauce, mostly due to the peppers, that hid the fake chicken enough for me to consume more than one.
I'm sure all the vegetarians you know will adore it.
Tonight we set out on a hunt for the rare elusive veggie meats. Nothing but a piece of gluten magically transformed in every kind of meatish product would do. Just to be clear though no amount of crafty cooking can make mock meat real and the best mock meat have the texture or slight taste of meat without being too meat. sounds odd but once you've had the good stuff even if you are a happy carnivore like me, you'll understand.
Driving around International District we thought we had hit pay dirt seeing the name Vegetarian Bistro in the window. But it was not to be our nirvana.
The place was dead, no one except us. I was totally excited for all veggie dim sum and we had three kinds, the shrimp buns, pan fried radish cakes and deep fried spring rolls. while the fried food was good the shrimp buns were cold and taste less.
We also order a plate of the broccoli and "beef". The was super rubbery and we left most it. It was hard to judge the taste when you are chewing for so long.
Alas our quest for the tasty mock meats continues.
the food was very affordable (3 dollars for each dim sum) and most stuff under 10 dollars but if you can't eat it, it's not worth any money.
Will I go back? no thanks?
When all but two items on the entire menu are vegan, how can one complain? Faux chicken and shrimp pop up all over the hilariously unedited menu ("fired rice" and "chief specalties" are most notable), which is a bit like being a kid in a candy store. But instead of candy, you have strangely developed fake meats and hippie spices.
All dishes tasted were awesome, particularly the vegetarian pot stickers. There wasn't a single plate on my table or neighboring tables that didn't look totally edible and spittle-worthy.
My only beef was the tea: loose leaf teas are awesome - when contained in a tea ball. I hate to nitpick but there is something totally unappealing about seeing your friends pick leaves from various crevices in their mouth.
I had a really good experience here with a few friends and some young ones too. Their vegetarian dishes seriously are some of the best that I've had. The restaurant was pretty empty, but that doesn't indicate a bad restaurant. The staff was always ready and available to attend to us when asked.
The General Tsao's Chicken is bangin'! I loved it. I will go here again, over and over.
Not a bad place to enjoy vegetarian fare.
I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food or dim sum for that matter, however, I thought this place was pretty good!
We ordered WAY too much fried food, but it was all quite tasty & filling and we will prolly go back again to try out other dishes.
Things of note to eat:
Fried mash potato stuffing - oh yah, that's comfort food for you!
General Tso's "chicken" - flavourful
Enoki mushroom - our favourite!
This place is fab-delicious. HOWEVER, I do second the opinion that I was mildly disappointed to find out that the dim sum doesn't come around in little carts. I had a heated philosophical debate with my friends about this issue afterwards. If it doesn't come around in the little carts - IS IT DIM SUM? Some were of the opinion yes, because it still comes in little threes. Plus, they reminded me it's a lot fresher this way and NOT EVERYONE IS A VEGETARIAN LIKE YOU so this place just isn't as popular as traditional dim sum places. Touche. Point well taken. I guess it's better than having the food cold. But there is something so fabulous about the little carts. I don't know the names of everything, but the hum buns were GREAT! And we got some other great things too. I am still trying to decide if I should retract a star for the lack of carts.
Thanks Shoshanna for finding this!!!!
UPDATE -- I think this place has closed down. Sign on door saying Thanks for the Business on 12/19/08.
I went here back in August with a group of teenage girls, two of whom are lifelong vegetarians. Meaning they actually eat vegetables, not just french fries and cheese (common dietary preference of newly minted fad-oriented teen vegetarians).
All 5 of us really enjoyed it. The things which were not so faux-meat were preferred. If it is in fact not closed, I would go back.
Our main complaint was the bathroom. It was clean and all, and not down a mysterious hallway or anything. But it had a candle burning in it, and I'm not sure if it was the candle or some deep underlying mustiness that the candle was trying to conceal, but it had a powerful clingy smell, the kind of thing that you can smell in your hair later like cigarette smoke. Of course it is an ancient building and no doubt there are drainage problems.
Vegetarian dim sum! It is so exciting! Small buns of meatless delight.
I'll add another star if they start using the little cart instead of menus. Dim sum needs the little cart. It is necessary.
Addendum: it may be true that there are not enough people here for the little carts. Solution: everybody go and have dim sum here and then it will be a party! And there will be carts!
Addendum the second: I don't care about the little carts any more. This place rules.
Tried this as a closer alternative to Bamboo Garden and was delightfully pleased. Walked in on a Saturday for lunch and the place was completely empty with hushed muzak playing--a nice zen contrast to the insanity of the ID on weekends.
General Tsos chicken was fantastic. The "chicken" had a satisfying chew. We requested extra spicy and they said they could accomodate, but the result was a disappointing 1 or 2 stars equivelant. (I've had this problem all around town with General Tsos, so maybe it's me; that's what the chili oil is there for.)
Three kinds of mushrooms over pea greens was amazing. Like most Chinese dishes, the sauce makes or breaks it, and this sauce did not disappoint. I could do without the "baloney" mushrooms, but eh.
Hot and sour soup was a faithful reproduction of the traditional version made with pork, with the tangy addition of a pickled cabbage of some sort.
Quality brown rice and tea, cutesy matching dishware and quiet ambiance round out an overall tasty, healthy and filling Chinese experience. Grab a to-go-/lunch menu on the way out.
I LOVE IT HERE.
Growing up I was not allowed to have american chinese food for many reasons I will not dive into.
I ached for Sweet and Sour, General Tso's etc. etc.
Also, I become a vegetarian and more restrictions applied. UNTIL I CAME HERE!
I had me some General Tso 'chicken' which was really flavorful and the fake meat wasn't bad either. It even pulls apart like meat.. how do they do it.
The service was really prompt and polite as ever, oh the chinese!
I've tried this place twice (dim sum; lunch). The atmosphere is pretty, and the service is good. The food is so-so. The soup which automatically comes with lunch was very bland - we barely ate it. The entrees were ok, just not great.
It's good to have a place in the ID that is veggie-safe, but based on food, I'd rather go to Bamboo Garden.
We came here the other night with two vegans and two carnivores. Everyone felt this was the best dim sum, and in fact the best overall Chinese dishes, we had ever had. The orange fried "chicken" has a light flaky crust, the steamed barbecue "pork" buns are sinful, and anything with their fresh mango must be superb. It can be a little hard to decide since not many menu items have photos, but we ordered 10 items, and all exceeded our expectations. Another Seattle gem!
I love Vegitarian Bistro! The owner is very friendly and accommodating and will most likely remember your face if you've dined at her restaurant before.
Though I like the entrees more than the Dim Sum, Vegetarian Bistro offers a lot to vegans and vegetarians alike with favorite Chinese dishes made sans meat. The setting is very serene and the service is prompt and friendly.
This is one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants of all time. I will never get tired of going there! My favorites on the menu: Pan-Fried Green Onion Cake, Pan-Fried Radish Cake and Fried Enoki Mushrooms.
I attend a weekly dim sum group and a few of our members are actually vegetarians. They'll pick out any pieces of Chinese broccoli that weren't hit by the oyster sauce or they'll stick to dessert. Finally we managed to organize a visit to Vegetarian Bistro and no one was disappointed by the lack of meat. Standout dishes were the mashed potato pears and the pea vine with shiitake mushrooms. I'm really excited to go back. I love dim sum as much as the next person but it's nice when everyone at the table can enjoy the food.
I'd say this restaurant is all right. I've been there couple of times, because I like their black bean sauce fried taro fish- but the more I came back - the less I'm liking the dishes I ordered.
However, the salt and pepper tofu is probably the best I've had.
Mongolian Beef was not very good- it was like eating a rubber-
Although- the shrimp was very tasty- kind of taste like eating the real one.
Overall, I would say food 3-4 stars, and service 4 stars
Service was good- always very friendly and nice. Food came fast too.
This is the prettiest menu I've ever seen! Watercolor paintings are on each page and provide such a relaxing way to view the menu. Plus, the prices are very affordable. The menu variety is good, too.
They offer $3 dim sum lunches. The Steamed Veggie Dumpling is delicious.
The owner is friendly and I enjoyed talking with him. I could see the passion for his business. Nice.
I have visited this place 2 times and both times I was almost alone. The first time with a tea meetup and the second after a photoshoot. Both times the food was extra good and I have no complaints what so ever.
I went this weekend for some Dim Sum and was pleasantly surprised by the selection hey offered up here, although I was hoping for some steaming cart action it was nice to pick out exactly what I wanted. amazing BBQ "pork" hom bun, and won ton soup. The service was great, although not so many people were in here. The bathrooms on the other hand were somewhat gross, with graffiti everywhere?
So recently I've been inviting my "meat eating" friends, or "heartless demons destined for hell" for short, to vegetarian restaurants. I do this for two reasons, first, to torture them for making me eat fucking french fries or salad at every other place we visit, and second, to show them that being vegetarian isn't torture. At the Vegetarian Bistro this strategy backfired. When we arrived the place was empty and freezing. We were seated next to the thermostat and for the duration of our meal the temperature went from 54 degrees to 55 degrees. In the true "American" spirit we sauntered on and ordered a few dim sum dishes, an entree, and a noodle dish. Soon the dim sum arrived. The first one I tried was the Shumai. Disgusting. It was just a bunch of hard rice bunched up together. My friend commented it was like sushi. I would add: clumsy sushi. I mean, put some fake meat in that bad boy! Anyway I tried the shrimp ball which had some flavor, but didn't stand out in terms of taste or texture. The last one I tried, I don't remember what it was supposed to mimic, but it salvaged my impression of the rest of the dim sum dishes. Next came the crispy orange chicken dish with the brown rice. Two words: fish fillet. Okay let's add another: McDonalds. Now, I haven't eaten at the golden arches in probably ten years, but I believe the taste reminded me of cheap fried batter. Very disappointing. The food arrival was uneven, with the crispy noodle dish showing up a good ten minutes after everything else. This was more "traditional" American Chinese restaurant food and was overall an average noodle dish. I probably won't come back, but if I happen to be in the ID during lunch time, I might sneak in and try some other dim sum.
Yet, before I end this review, my friend happened to say something amazingly awkward at the table to my other friend. Commenting on how cold it was, my other friend offered to warm him up by saying : "do you want me to blow on you?" I had to point out the awesomeness of the offer to her, to which she replied: "WHAT? Do you want me to blow on you too?" Classic.
On my second day of touring Seattle, my girlfriend and I came across Vegetarian Bistro in the International District. As vegans we figure it's always safe to bet there will be at least one vegetarian joint in every town's Chinatown. Voila. Sold.
Nice decor. Loved the dishes and such. Bathrooms clean and bright and graffiti free. Wait staff nice enough. Food, however, not so good.
When the waitress was taking our drink order, she offered us Pepsi or 7Up. I stuck with water, but my girlfriend requested a Diet Pepsi. A few minutes later a very expensive can of Caffeine-free Diet Coke was delivered to the table. Eh, whatever.
I avoided the complimentary tea (CaffeineXFree yo!) although my girlfriend said it was fine.
The included soup was salty as hell. I couldn't eat it though my girlfriend did eat hers, only saying "Well I wouldn't come here for the soup."
Unfortunately the boiled dumplings ordered as an appetizer came out after the meal, and even then they were rubbery and held pockets of dull corn, carrots, and peas. it was like a Del Monte medley from my 70s elementary school cafeteria had been resurrected.
The lunch special of Mongolian "beef" was cold, and tasted like I was chewing on tires. So not a fan. The included spring roll was wicked flaky, greasy, and delicious though.
My girlfriend's "beef" and broccoli was better, but still, nothing to write home about.
Finish it with a couple of fortune cookies and that's the end.
I think it was $19 for the two of us. Not bad, but I'd definitely try somewhere else if I were in the I.D. again.
Freak out your meat-a-tarian friends by taking them here and feeding them the General Tso's Chicken. They'll love it, and you may also significantly decrease their chances of getting bird flu.
I went there today with two meat eaters, one has been there once before. I love this place. The owner is very nice, our server was pleasant, and everything was yummy. We had the walnut shrimp, and I have never eaten real shrimp, my friends have, they told me that it tasted like the real thing. We also had the Mongolian beef, green onion pancakes, some veggies and salt and pepper tofu. I would eat there everyday if I could!!
I've never been disappointed here. The place was empty when I went with a group of seven on a Friday night -- lucky for us, I guess, so we could get a table! The radish cakes are delicious, the little pear potato things are fantastic... amazing! No chicken feet = even better. Everyone was disappointed at the lack of the dim sum carts, but you can't have everything! Personally I hope to eat at the Veg Bistro much, much more often.
Service was fine,big menu, food was good - couldn't really fault any of the (many) dishes we ordered, though only a couple were close to really outstanding - the people I was with seemed a lot more impressed, mind.
I'd definitely go there again, and judging by the omnivore reaction it's probably a great place to take people of mixed diets.
This is a vegetarian place though it happens to be mostly (but by no means entirely) vegan too.
I love the Vegetarian Bistro! One of the waiter's acts like he is working in a funeral home, but other than that it is a great experience. The owner is really nice and will recommend her best dishes to you! (Don't get the pumpkin cakes, though.) I love the Won Ton Soup! I ordered it once when I was just getting over food poisoning just to drink the broth and the broth alone was amazing.. The Salt and Pepper Tofu is heavenly. I'd also recommend the bean curd and pan fried radish cakes.. Reminded me of restaurants I ate at in China and Taiwan - very authentic. They also have a very beautiful decor - lots of green and plants. Great place for groups!
As we were seated, the waiter brought over a fresh pot of jasmine tea, which smelled as good as it tasted. We then ordered four different dim sum dishes: pan fried bean curd, pumpkin cakes, deep fried mashed potato stuffing, and steamed hum bun. We also had a main dish of Kung Pow with fake beef, which came to the table first. The King Pow was spicy and the fake beef was tender. Next came the dim sum. My favorite was the steamed hum bun, which tasted like a steamed dumpling with barbecued "chicken."
yum. yum yum yum.
the general tso's chicken is delicious. we have also eaten the pot stickers, the spring rolls, the dumplings, the hot and sour soup and the corn & vegetable soup. all were amazing. unfortunately, i did not really like the chicken & broccoli or the mandarin beef too much. but the other stuff was so good that it fully made up for it.
the service was also great both times we went there, very friendly and accommodating. prices are reasonable, and i am going to start getting takeout from there too.
I am fully aware of the risks I take eating out in the I.D. As opposed to most other places in the city, I'm okay with a borderline nauseating lack of atmosphere or cleanliness. It's a risk you take for good authentic food. The brilliant thing about the Vegetarian Bistro is that you get good food AND a great atmosphere. Including bright green chopsticks in what feels like a spa. Unfortunately, it feels like a spa because it's so quiet. The food is fabulous and mainly guilt-free (just don't order up a bunch of fried things) and I worry that it will close due to not enough peeps. So go. And order the dim sum stuff, you won't regret. Oh, and if you get the grumpy server, forgive her. I think she's someone's mother.
I've only tried the dim sum and had mixed feelings. Some of the dishes were quite good... others had a texture/flavor that just wasn't rockin' it. It lists them by name without a picture, so you'll have to either ask or pick things at random (my preferred tactic ;) Inexpensive, though, and that's a big plus in my book. The atmosphere was nicer than I anticipated... the restaurant looks better than many of the adjacent ones in the international district.
pretty good fake meat stuff. and their dim sum is good. fake meat humbow!
Good food, friendly service. Cute little dishes, all vegetarian wonton, soup, chow mein, egg rolls, general tso's chicken ( an interesting vegan delight). yum, we will go back.
this was my second vegetarian meal of the weekend, and i must admit, i was missing the meat. this place is owned by the same owners of China Gate, so they know a thing or two about running a successful chinese place in chinatown. the food was unique and well made. i still wish this place was TOP GUN, but oh well.
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: SODO
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Central District
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Dim Sum
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