Ginger House Vegan — Restaurant in New York

The food here is good people, can't deny it. I think it is much better than Zen vegetarian on Flatbush Avenue. Ginger house has more flavor and complexity in their sauces and MUCH less grease. Their sauces don't taste like it comes out of a pre-bought package like most Chinese fast food does.

One caveat is that their dining atmosphere is less than ideal. It seems that the main focus of their business is delivery which is fine, of course. But if you're planning to go here and have a sit-down meal just be forewarned that there is a definite lack in ambience.

I went here on a cold winter's day after I got out of work. I was starving and I was really looking forward to having a delicious vegan meal. When I entered the establishment there was only one table that was available. The others had helmets and various delivery related paraphernalia strewn about them. There were also a couple of employees enjoying their food at two of the tables. I sat down at the one available table and waited for someone to come take my order. One of the employees that was eating his soup seated behind me, was slurping his soup and burping loudly. Definitely off putting for me but I heard that slurping and burping is the norm in East Asia so can't hate too much on this point.

A young lady eventually came and took my order and she was quite nice. As I waited for my food it slowly started to dawn on me that my fingers were becoming numb. I found this to be usual and begin to wonder what was happening to me. Then I realized that the freaking heat was not on in the restaurant! The next time the young lady came over to me I asked her if there was something wrong with the heat. She replied that the heat was broken. I believed her at the time but now looking over some of the other reviews here, I realize that this must be a money-saving strategy on their part. I suppose because they don't have a lot of dine-in customers they keep the heat off or very low to save money. I did notice that the heat came on towards the end of my meal so I imagine they must have turned it up a little bit.

I did return here in the spring but I knew what to expect so I forewarned my friends not to expect much in terms of ambiance. But decidedly between two vegans and one omnivore, we found the food to...

Ginger House seems more set up for takeout than dine in. Went by for dinner with a friend not knowing how small this place is. This is an FYI, not a criticism! They have one booth that seats 4-6 persons and a table for two. (The booth was occupied by the owner’s very cute kids.)

The menu is quite large and everything we ordered was very tasty. I got the Lemongrass Soy Protein which came with brown rice and very flavourful miso soup, and the Salt and Pepper King Oyster Mushroom Fritters. Both tasty and generous portions. My friend got the Stir Fried Udon and Barbeque Vegan Ribs, also very good. I definitely recommend the food here.

Something to note is that they serve the food in proper dishes but use disposable plastic cups and utensils. The rice is served in disposable cardboard tubs. I’d recommend bringing your own cups and utensils if dining in, and requesting no utensils at the very least when ordering takeout or delivery. Please consider that these items will be around polluting the planet for centuries in return for a few minutes of convenience. We can’t afford to consume like this.

Also, Ginger House isn’t a vegan business as they serve dairy ice cream and use cow’s milk for beverages. Their other food is animal-free. Please skip the dairy items. Look into what the dairy industry does to the animals and planet, and the pandemic risk it poses, to understand why the dairy industry has no place...

There is so much wrong with this place I don't even know where to start! First off, I am vegan and I go out of my way to support vegan places. But this place isn't really vegan because the first time I went there a few weeks ago, I saw a bottle of non vegan oyster sauce on the counter. When I asked, the waitress let me know that the cooks prepare animal derived food for themselves presumably with the same pots/pans/utensils they provide for their customers. This makes issues such as cross contamination very likely...and THIS may explain why I have a nasty stomach bug today because it is almost impossible to contaminate foods if you are cooking 100% vegan. The place itself is extremely dirty and uninviting. All the tables are dirty with no silverware or napkins on them. Plus there was no soap, paper towels in the bathroom and the toilet paper was on the floor soaking up the nastiness there. Beyond disgusting! It is clear that these folks stopped caring about their customers a long time ago. The food is bland too. I really hope this place closes-I hate to say that but this...