Govinda's Vegetarian Cuisine — Restaurant in Houston

There is something going on with the food here. Don’t get me wrong. The food tastes fantastic! It looks and tastes amazing. But I have a gallbladder issue. It is important for me not to overeat, eat a lot of fat, or have too many items at the same time. But that is exactly what I did while dining at Govinda’s in Houston. I couldn’t resist. I ate till I was full, then ate a little more; and then I had, not one, but two different desserts--they were so good! Afterward, my companion and I took a tour of the temple. I was hoping to walk-off the calories, but I was anxious how I was going to sleep—breaking my dietary rules usually results in indigestion and a night of restless sleep. Lo and behold! I slept like a baby. I even woke up feeling happy. For the next three days, for no reason at all, I felt happy.

During my tour of the temple, I talked to people and observed closely the unique situation occurring at this piece of Houston real estate. Number one: the people here are mad about their “Lord Kirshna”. Day and night there is the chanting of mantra and dancing and singing for their Lord. They call it Bhakti or devotion. Their stance is to try to see the Lord everywhere. I am the Lord; you are the Lord; the Lord resides in everything according to a Bhakti Yoga (Someone correct me if I am wrong. I am not a specialist in Eastern religion). The restaurant is attached to the temple where all this worship is going on. The devotees who prepare the food and cook in the kitchen take off their shoes before entering as if it is a devotional space. They never taste the food before offering to their Lord Kirshna. As they work, they imagine they are preparing delicacies for the pleasure of their Lord.

I am not saying that the molecular structure of the food changes under these circumstances, but all this chanting in Sanskrit and ideation on Love effectively transforms the food in a powerful way. I think of my college roommate heating up a bowl of soup in a dorm microwave vs. my grandmother making me a bowl of soup when I am sick. The latter is infused with its own kind of power. Grandmother’s soup heals in a way that my roommate’s soup cannot. There is a ‘life-force vitality” that is infused at the food at Govinda’s. It might be explained in terms of vibrational frequency. The electrons in the atoms of the rice resonate at a higher velocity as if they are dancing the same way the devotees are dancing in the hall next door. This is just a story. I don’t know how else...

I have to say, I am not vegan, or even vegetarian so having Thanksgiving dinner here was not high on my bucket list yet it was such a wonderful experience I wouldn't have missed it for the world. The restaurant is located inside the Hara Krishna temple facility which I watched being built for what seemed like two decades. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the landscaping is gorgeous, you almost feel instantly at peace with mother earth, and nature, upon entering the gates and the feelings of peace and serenity are abundant. The restaurant was cafeteria style with the kitchen in open view right behind the serving line and I must say grandma only wished her kitchen was that clean on Thanksgiving day. The mustard vinaigrette salad dressing was unexpectedly amazing, and how it is they made that vegan cream gravy so incredibly good is mind boggling. I pride myself on making great gravy from scratch and this one put mine to shame, it left me speechless as to how they could achieve such a delicious white cream gravy with no meat or dairy product in it!?!? They had table service for the typically self serve drink station yet due to the pandemic they had ample staff, all of whom were in mask and clean gloves, and very friendly. They do not offer sodas, which was a refreshing idea in itself. They do however make a homemade ginger mint lemonade which will make you want to "kiss the chef" who came up with this incredibly simple, yet perfected, and mastered recipe. It was by far the best lemonade I have ever had. The entire experience was delightful and I look forward to returning there on a more regular basis in the future so if you're looking for a new experience I highly...

Nut allergy warning: I can't recommend eating here if you have a severe allergy. Although dishes are clearly labeled with ingredients, I still had an allergic reaction with a dish. Since the dishes are different every day, there's really no guarantee that you'll be safe, and cross contamination is a possibility since it's a buffet line. I tried to email ahead of time but never got a reply.

We arrived around noon on a Wednesday and there was plenty of seating inside. There is a lot directly across the street for Govinda's customers.

Cafeteria buffet-style line. Don't overcrowd your plate, just go back for seconds. Since the menu changes daily, I don't think there's much of a point to review specific dishes. I will say that there's a nice variety of salad, soup, and homemade feeling Indian dishes that everyone really liked. I particularly enjoyed the salad dressing (an avocado cream), the veggie lentil soup, and the spinach potato dish. Unfortunately, the special of the day or a dish near it (the soya Manchurian? Or the curry?) triggered some kind of inflammatory allergic reaction for me, so I had to stop eating. I did try some of the mango cake, which had a great soft and moist texture that I'd definitely have again.

-1 star because of the allergic reaction but overall, everyone I went with really enjoyed the food and the service was welcoming and attentive for a buffet. The ambiance is great and it's a lovely...