Fine Dining For Herbivores:
The Foundation
About.com ... One of Vancouver's best vegetarian and vegan restaurants, the Foundation is a little bit hippie, a little bit skater, and always crowded.
The Foundation
2301 Main St.
Vancouver
604-708-0881
2301 Main St.
Vancouver
604-708-0881
Pros
- Fresh, healthy & unusual vegetarian food
- Vegan options
- Generous portions
Cons
- Long wait times at peak hours
- No place to sit while waiting for a table - must stand in small entry way
- Street parking can be difficult to find
Description
- Open Sunday - Thursday 12pm - 1am
Friday & Saturday 12pm - 2am - Über casual
- Most entrées under $10
- Not really small-child friendly
- Darkly lit at night / in winter
Guide Review - The Foundation
When it comes to Vancouver vegetarian food, Kitsilano's Naam usually comes in first place, the Foundation in second. (That's the way it played out in The Georgia Straight Reader's Choice Awards.) The Naam is very good, but I prefer the Foundation.
True, the decor is a bit "nihilist university student" and the meager candles in the winter make it so dark you can barely see what you're eating, but the food is so unique, flavourful and inventive that none of that matters. It's cheaper than the Naam, too.
First-timers should try the $12 A Kattered Affair to get a taste of many of the menu's best items. The large sample platter--perfect for sharing--includes savory Moulton Tofu and broccoli, the Serial Salad, a mix of seed, organic grains, and fruit that's delicious on the accompanying pita bread, and their Mingling Yams dip.
The Utopian Nachos are particularly popular, but it's their salads and burgers that truly shine. The $7 Tight Spin is a spinach salad done right, with plenty of pears and "sheepy" cheese; the $9 Foundation Burger has a thick patty made of tofu, vegetables, flax and oats.
The only downside to the Foundation is the wait times at peak hours; if it's very crowded, your order can take over 45 minutes, and the only place to wait for a table is the small entry way, which has no seats.
Whole Vegetarian Restaurant
3068 Main St
Vancouver, BC V5T 3G5Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
(604) 876-8899
This is probably my favorite restaurant in the world. There's just something about it in here. As others mentioned, everything is precisely as it was when this place was called Bo Kong. The food is wonderfully varied. The menu is pretty big, but I've never been disappointed by anything I've ordered. The service is generally very good (though there's been less wait staff lately). Favorites are the bean curd skin rolls with black bean sauce and the ginger on fresh bean curd skin sheet.
The decor is pretty plain but very nice. I've always said that if heaven had a cafeteria it would probably be this place, it's that kind of spare, efficient, but very comfortable and clean environment.
It's also open pretty late now, which is great news as you can work late and still catch take-out or a quick late meal!
The decor is pretty plain but very nice. I've always said that if heaven had a cafeteria it would probably be this place, it's that kind of spare, efficient, but very comfortable and clean environment.
It's also open pretty late now, which is great news as you can work late and still catch take-out or a quick late meal!
1334 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5V3E4
Tel: (604) 876-3088 Vancouver, BC V5V3E4
It was a sad day for many vegans and vegetarians in Vancouver when Bo Kong Vegetarian Restaurant on Main Street closed its doors a year ago.
Soon after, Bo Kong’s other location in Richmond also shut down.
Now, there’s good news for those of us who’ve been missing Bo Kong’s special brand of deep-fried taro and soya milk, and “tasty fresh” shiitake mushrooms.
Earlier this month, Po Kong Vegetarian Restaurant opened at 1334 Kingsway at Clark Drive.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, one can’t help but recognize the familiar menu posted on the window, same pictures and all.
During a visit this week, a server told our dinner party that Po Kong has the same owners, chefs, and staff as Bo Kong.
The food also hasn’t changed much.
In addition to the aforementioned dishes, we ordered the stuffed wonton soup, braised bean curd skin rolls, and chef’s special fried rice.
While the taro and soy milk combination, as well as the bean curd rolls, were slightly less delicious than I remember, the food looked and tasted pretty much the same as it did on Main.
Soon after, Bo Kong’s other location in Richmond also shut down.
Now, there’s good news for those of us who’ve been missing Bo Kong’s special brand of deep-fried taro and soya milk, and “tasty fresh” shiitake mushrooms.
Earlier this month, Po Kong Vegetarian Restaurant opened at 1334 Kingsway at Clark Drive.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, one can’t help but recognize the familiar menu posted on the window, same pictures and all.
During a visit this week, a server told our dinner party that Po Kong has the same owners, chefs, and staff as Bo Kong.
The food also hasn’t changed much.
In addition to the aforementioned dishes, we ordered the stuffed wonton soup, braised bean curd skin rolls, and chef’s special fried rice.
While the taro and soy milk combination, as well as the bean curd rolls, were slightly less delicious than I remember, the food looked and tasted pretty much the same as it did on Main.
