The Modern Vegan — Restaurant in Paradise

I was extremely disappointed with this restaurant. As two ethical vegans, my friend and I were excited to find a place in Vegas with such an array of options on an all vegan menu. On their website, it notes that your first online order gets 20% off. We put our cart together, but couldn't figure out how to apply the 20%. We placed the order and added a comment asking that 20% be applied. We received a call informing us that because their online ordering is through a third party, they couldn't apply the 20%. We had also asked for a substitution on one of the meals due to an allergy (tofu scramble instead of taco meat on the nachos). On the phone, we were told that there couldn't be the substitution without paying the full amount for the substitution. After a brief conversation, we were told that the substitution could be made on the house in a way to remedy not being able to use the 20% off.

When we got to the restaurant, we ended up getting a table and eating inside. When we opened the boxes, everything was wrong. We got the nachos and asked for all the toppings on the side (due to an allergy) and everything was on the chips/mixed together. The pancake order was supposed to have tofu scramble instead of sausage and sausage was received. We asked about the mistakes and were apologized to and told that what they could do was remake the nachos with everything on the side, but not substitute the sausage. As they took the incorrect nachos away, we asked if they would be throwing it away & they said yes. We asked if we could take it to give it to someone. We were told it had to be thrown away per the manager's rules. We expressed the impact of this decision, noting food waste, and the person continued to take the food and throw it out.

They brought the new nachos (with everything in plastic to go containers although we were eating in) with everything on the side. They refused to fix the issue with the sausage and took the container and threw it away before we could say anything. We paid for the sausage and I would’ve given it to someone.

We began eating and the food was just as disappointing as the service. The tofu scramble was watery and flavorless, the butter for the dry pancakes was completely melted, the chips were soggy and cold, and only three beans and barely any vegetables for the nachos. We were hungry and just ate the food.

When we were done, we were brought a promotion flyer and a bill. We were confused by the bill since we paid online. When we asked, we were told we had to pay for the tofu scramble. We noted that we were told twice it would be on the house. The manager then came over and firmly and apathetically said that we had to pay because the tofu scramble was made in the kitchen and given out. We noted that the nachos that were originally made incorrectly had the tofu scramble on it and if we hadn't sat down, we wouldn't have paid for it and would've had it comped like we were told. The manager said that the owner, Gia, has a strict no modification or switching policy even if there's an allergy. We reiterated that we were told we wouldn't have to pay and the manager said there wasn't anything they could do and we had to pay. I said if had known that, we wouldn't have accepted it and that we didn't have the funds for an almost $11 substitution on an almost $65 bill for two meals. They just stood there. We ended with saying, "to summarize, even though there was miscommunication and we were told we wouldn't have to pay and that it is not our fault this situation happened, and that the original nachos made had the tofu scramble and we could've left without paying extra, and even though the substitution was due to an allergy, we would have to pay." The manager coldly replied saying yes.

Review continued in...

I was excited to try this restaurant as my partner is a long-time vegan, but any enthusiasm I had was quickly quelled due to abhorrent service and mediocre food. We went for a late-night bite around 930pm on Saturday (their hours are open until 11p), when we arrived there was one other couple but that was it. There appeared to be one waitress and three cooks. The restaurant set up is the seating area directly in front of the kitchen, there were no doors or separation from them. We were sat (at an un-prepared table) and given menus. I am glad they had such an extensive menu, but it was made overwhelming by the fine print and graphic design choices. After waiting a bit, the waitress came by to take our orders. Of note, we still had not received utensils, napkins, or waters. Due to a cashew allergy, I asked what type of vegan cheese they used (vegan cheddar cheeses can be made from cashews). The waitress told me they had cheddar and swiss. I then explained I was inquiring the brand or specific ingredients due to a cashew allergy. She said she would ask the kitchen, and left without taking any additional orders or questions. She appeared to go back into the kitchen area. She returned after approx 15 minutes to tell me that their cheese was made from "predominantly carrots". I explained that due to a food allergy, I was asking about the full ingredient list OR just if they used nuts. She could not tell me. I have had many an unfortunate restaurant experience due to my allergies, but this was by far the most bizarre due to the waitress evading my questions and inability to answer when pressed further. At this point, she still had not gotten us waters but took our orders otherwise. She finally returned with waters and utensils after asking while we ordered. We could see that there were at least 2 people in the kitchen and could hear things being put in the fryer frequently. Despite this, our food came out after 40 and 60 minutes, respectively; the orders did not come out together (by 20 minutes). To note, we were 1 of 2 total parties in the entire restaurant. The waitress frequently disappeared to what I assume was the back of the restaurant. Whenever she did come around, and we asked about our meals, she said she would ask the kitchen and then would take at least 15+min to return to us with the answer of "just a few more minutes". Surprise: it was not just a "few more minutes". While waiting for our food, they also kept turning off and on the lights in the restaurant as well as the open sign. This led to a very uncomfortable environment. We ended up asking for them to box our food to-go since they were giving clear signs they wanted us out of the restaurant (even though were not expressing any sign of urgency to get us our food). We had to walk up to the kitchen and ask for this as well as the bill because again, the waitress was MIA. We left and had our food at home. I got a waffle, which tasted nothing more exciting than a Holiday Inn continental breakfast waffle with some off-brand Hersey's syrup on it and 1/4 of a very brown banana. My partner got a wrap, which looked (and tasted) to be some Gardein brand chix strips with wilted vegetables and a grainy attempt at ranch dressing. Overall, this was an incredibly bizarre, expensive, and disappointing experience. I would not recommend this...

I would love to give this restaurant 10 stars the food is the best vegan food I've had in Nevada and the atmosphere is one of chill and calm, perfect for having conversations while eating or even watching the game while you eat. I come to Vegas 2 times a year for a week each stay and I always eat at The Modern Vegan twice in each week. I always get a cocktail no matter how early it is since I get the joy to actually enjoy a vegan cocktail. We usually order something different each time to experience a new dish. Everything is always created to perfection.

Every visit has been a delight except for this last one. The waitress Nicole seem to be having an off day. Seems she needed to have extra comments and trouble with providing what was asked for. I ordered the Crab Cake Benedict asked to have extra tomatoes and NO asparagus (I'm allergic) with the sauce on the side and a Espresso Martini, my husband ordered the Frenchie with coffee and we tried the macaroni and cheese ( it's to die for). Our drinks came out perfect. When my food was delivery everything was right except no extra tomatoes and she brought out the asparagus and told me she guess he can't sub out the asparagus for the tomatoes that are literally apart of the order. When I came in Tuesday earlier that same week, they were able to provide the extra tomatoes in place of the asparagus. Instead of her taking them back and apologizing for the mix up, she offered my husband the asparagus with his french toast, seriously. She finally took it back to the kitchen.

Later on during our visit when came back to check to see if more coffee was needed, I asked for more napkins. She decided to point out the 2 that we had and then said she'd guess she could get us more. I'm so confused by the attitude that she gave from the moment she came to our table.

No matter how good the food is bad customer service will tank a restaurant. I work in the customer service industry and always like to tip at the minimal of 20% but was only able to give 10% because of the horrible customer service experience received from Nicole. It was unnecessary. Food was delicious and...