Red's Leaf Café — Restaurant in Metuchen

A hidden gem in the middle of Metuchen which serves excellent and healthy vegan food. I've been to this restaurant twice now and have thoroughly enjoyed each food I've tasted. The owner/host/server, Natalie, greets you with an infectious smile upon entering. The positive vibe and attitude definitely elevates the dining experience. I came here with brother during my second visit and I most definitely have to leave a review from my last visit.

Appetizers Oysmushrooms: These are crisp king oyster mushrooms served with a sweet chili sauce on the side. I would liken them to calamari in terms of taste and texture. They’re crispy on the outside but it retains that juicy and moist meaty texture on the inside. I’m surprised that these are not deep fried with oils but oven fried which is a big plus for me and especially if you’re trying to eat healthy. Chimchurri Seitan: The grilled skewered seitan cubes were excellent especially with the chimchurri sauce. Again, its almost like having grilled meat or bbq. The chimchurri sauce was so good that I had no problem eating it with the raw kale which I believe is just for garnishing.

Main Course Lion’s mane: Seitan cubes marinated in a zesty/citrus sauce and this came with coconut rice topped with fried shaved coconut. Kind of similar to an orange chicken but the flavor is different as there was some turmeric used and I got a hint of curry flavor especially with the coconut and turmeric. Highly recommended for anyone to try this out. Roasted Cauliflower: Cauliflower was roasted perfectly, not burnt but just charred enough. Cauliflower was topped with vegan cheese and herbs which accentuated the flavor. It comes with a salad topped with roasted(?) lentils which is a first for me. Never had roasted/fried lentils in my salad before but they’ll beat any croutons for salad topping.

Dessert Zucchini Chocolate brownies topped with vegan ice cream and crushed pistachio/ walnuts: Yes, you read that right, a zucchini in a brownie. I don’t know how it’s possible that they’ve managed to incorporate zucchini in a comfort food, but it tasted excellent. You have the option of heating up the brownie which I highly recommend. The combination of the soft brownie, with the melting ice cream and crunch from the walnut/pistachio is glorious.

I’d recommend this restaurant even if you’re not a vegan. Natalie not only is a gracious host, but she definitely took her time prepping and garnishing the food making it Instagram worthy. I’ll certainly be back to...

Wouldn't come back.

Came here for breakfast. I am really surprised this place has 5 star reviews. Let's get into it.

Edit: we ordered coffee and it was really bad. The server mentioned the chai latte was made from mushrooms. We assumed the coffee was made from mushrooms too because of the strange taste. Apparently it didn't. We drink a lot of coffee. Never had anything like this. It wasn't pleasant.

My bf was bothered by the fact that the dishes are named something like tofu scramble (when in fact it is cubes and not scrambled) and pancakes (when they are more like baked cake or biscuit or something) - that doesn't bother me as much. I looked online at pictures to know what to expect. We ordered the blueberry pancakes and the blueberries were too sour and there was uncooked batter inside the pancake. This place is seemingly trying to be like healthy but their maple syrup looks like it's the fake processed stuff. The tofu scramble didn't have any salt. There were lots of ingredients in there yet somehow didn't have much flavor. The salt will help it pop. Thankfully I ordered the seasoned potatoes on the side (the best thing we ate) and that really enhanced the tofu scramble. Probably could have used some hot sauce but the waitress was never around to actually provide service to us, so how were we supposed to get that? I wasn't even brought a glass of water to be seated, which is so strange. Finally, the kale salad that comes with the tofu needs to be massaged with olive oil. I like kale, and this was even too bitter for me. Oh and the side of almond butter that I ordered made the subpar pancakes manageable. I just had to get over eating uncooked batter in a few bites.

We're both vegan. Appreciate having a fully vegan place to eat and we like supporting small businesses. But this was not good. Hatch44 down the road does vegan food...

I’ve tried this establishment twice now. The first time, I didn’t enjoy my food but chalked it up to a possible off day since the reviews are generally rated pretty high. I decided to give it another shot and ordered takeout this time.

I ordered the Chimichurri Seitan, Lion’s Mane Orange Bites with Coconut Rice, and the Banana Soufflé with vanilla ice cream.

Unfortunately, the Seitan was a miss, it was rubbery, overcooked, and lacked flavor. The Lion’s Mane was just okay; while the coconut rice was tasty, the mushrooms were a bit soggy and could have used more crispiness and sauce.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the Banana Soufflé, which was delicious. My only critique is the $6 up charge for the vanilla ice cream especially considering it was just a small scoop.

I really want to love this place and support more vegan restaurants in the area, but after two underwhelming experiences, I’m not sure I’d return. I hope the owners and chef take this feedback constructively, because the concept is great and with some adjustments, it could...