Thanh Luong Vegetarian — Restaurant in Minnetonka

I was home visiting and a few friends of mine had heard of a new Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant in town, so we wanted to check it out. We arrived for dinner on Saturday night and the place was packed. I’ll start with the positives: -Our original (more on this later) waitress was very nice and explained the menu to us. She answered our questions and brought us water quickly. -The food is good and the portions are huge, definitely enough for a takeout second meal. We couldn’t believe the meat wasn’t real. The taste and texture is almost identical to real meat. The atmosphere is nice. It’s very lively and feels very homey. Now for the negatives: -The restaurant runs in a self-seating arrangement. We were told we could “sit wherever”. This makes no sense, especially when it’s busy. We saw a couple seating at a table for 6, and then eventually they had to move a table away to serve a different party. -The biggest negative for us was the difference in when our food was brought out. I was with two other friends. We waited about 15 minutes for the first dish to be brought out. My friend began eating while me and my other friend just sat there waiting. He almost finished eating before the second dish was brought out for my other friend. I had been waiting over 35 minutes at this point for my food when it was finally brought out. My friends and I went out to eat together, not to watch each other eat one by one. Inappropriate handling of food: I saw the waiter, different from our original waitress, spill soup onto his serving tray while walking over to our table. He continued to serve me the bowl, while grabbing the bowl, his fingertips were touching the inside of the bowl where my food was. It was very off-putting seeing that, especially after waiting so long for my food. We saw the front of house arguing with each other at the register, not sure about what but that seemed strange, especially with a full restaurant. -While paying, the cashier didn’t tell us that there was a 3.99% surcharge on credit card payments. We only found out afterwards when we checked the receipt in the car. This is definitely something you need to mention to your customers before they pay. Overall, the difference in serving times and unacceptable food handling were the biggest negatives for me and my friends. Although it’s cool that there’s a Vietnamese place in town now, it’s hard to recommend this place when it’s obvious there’s still a lot they need to improve on. I get they haven’t been open for that long, but there are some things that are just unacceptable. The only reason this review has 2 stars is because of the actual food. Otherwise, the service is mostly...

What a rare, scrumptious find! An ALL vegetarian restaurant! Can't believe my eyes(!!), and in Midwest Minnesota, no less! Been dreaming of a vegetarian restaurant? Where you don't have to endlessly research, wonder, guess at ingredients before ordering. This is it! Their customer service was above and beyond. They even have homemade treats,(yummy vegan jerky!) and seasonal pantry items for purchase. The friendly, effervescent owner, chef, explained, in detail, how to expertly prepare and use the dried mushrooms I purchased. The knowledge, pride, and joy is obvious, with creativity bubbling over to the menu and selections. Menus are descriptive and easy to read. For non-asian diners unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine, the thorough descriptions make it very pleasurable and exciting to order from the menu. While it is a small unassuming, strip-mall establishment, looking like most other casual, asian restaurants, with square tables, a service counter, and some asian pictures, lanterns, decor,(the strip mall space is it's own template, can't get around that), it is light, clean, and spacious. It happens to be the ONLY vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant in Minnesota. Thanh's dishes are 100% vegetarian, and not just accommodating to VEGANS, but actually masterfully inclusive, including a vegan fish sauce. The preparation is beautiful, and portions are gracious. They have more variety of vegan meats than I've ever seen! Dear carnivores: give their plant meats a try. Any animal you normally eat, they've got a plant meat version- pork, beef, chicken, shrimp,- you name it! (try the jicama ribs). You won't be disappointed! You will just savor delicious Vietnamese cuisine, and will not miss animal flesh. Thanh's is a true pioneer to cruelty free, healthy, yummy, yet kind cuisine of the future. From the fresh spring rolls, savory dumplings, crusty, spicy bahn mi sandwiches, a variety of rich, steaming pho and noodle soups, combination vermicelli and broken rice platters, they've got something for every palate: salty, savory, sweet, bitter, sour, umami. They even have unique dishes with bitter melon, and mustard greens, you don't see often, if ever, on menus. And, they don't skimp on the healthful produce and wide array of fresh herbs, which has really taken a downturn at other establishments. Can't praise this place enough! Wish I lived upstairs, to feed my belly and...

Absolutely incredible quality and authentic food. Thanh Luong brings a much needed contribution to Vegetarian options in this area. The whole menu features delicious, traditional Vietnamese dishes with a Vegetarian twist, without sacrificing on flavor or authenticity.

I have tried the egg rolls, stir fried noodles, broken rice, Pho and bun bo hue (beef noodle soup) and I was truly blown away by the flavor. Without using any meat products, they have been able to recreate a timeless dish that still tastes like the real thing. Growing up Vietnamese, I know how difficult these soups and broths are to make, and how reliant they are on meat products as the base for the broth. If I didn't know better, I certainly would not have guessed it was entirely vegetarian. The tofu, vegetable, and soy substitutions used in place of meat toppings are noticeable for what they are, but are nonetheless very good. The tofu substitutes are flavorful, and their texture is reminiscent of the meat item they are meant to imitate. The egg rolls, I honestly could not tell that there was not meat, and by themselves they were among I've ever had.

The Vietnamese Vegetarian cuisine served at Thanh Luong is authentic and true to its traditional roots. It is fresh, high-quality ingredients crafted into incredibly flavorful dishes. If you are vegetarian or vegan, and have felt limited by your dietary options or availability of choice, this is your opportunity to try something truly cultural, and believe me when I say, it tastes just like the real thing. Even if you are not a vegetarian, this is still better and higher quality than a lot of the other places that utilize meat products in their food. It is certainly worth your time. (Source: I am Vietnamese, an avid carnivore, and I'm fat.)

Bonus fact: The owners are genuine members of the local community and have spent a lot of time and effort supporting the local youth programs and temples in the Twin cities. Real...