Veggie Village — Restaurant in Phoenix

Don't you get tired of being vegan? I do, it's hard work. You can't go out to breakfast at most places, lunch is really limiting and eating dinner out with friends is an exercise in jealousy. (Me being jealous of what they can eat, and what I can't.) Finally when you do find a vegan restaurant it is typically expensive and you can do it better at home.

Well, here is a wonderful place to relieve some of the tedium of being vegan. If you are near 12th st and Northern, you have to check out this place! This is basically an Asian restaurant with all the variety you would expect. The second surprise is how tasty the food is. The final surprise is how cheap it is. Pretty much everything comes in under $10 bucks. For $15 you will have enough left overs for one or two more meals.

They've got noodles, satay, pot stickers, orange chicken, hot and sour soup, general tso's chicken, curry, fish ,etc., etc. But it's all made with mock meats and or tofu, and it's delicious. Even better, the textures are satisfying and the colors are great. This is really appealing food if you like Asian food. Even you meat eaters will be very pleased.

Most of the meals are vegan with a few exceptions being labeled vegetarian. This restaurant takes seriously the distinction, that soy chicken made with a tiny bit of egg binder is non vegan, and it labels the menu appropriately. They are also very clear on dairy free and gluten free, for those of us who have different dietary preferences. (To be clear, everything in this restaurant is at least vegetarian, and probably 95% can be made vegan just by requesting the vegan version.)

Ok, we've got a restaurant that serves a large variety of food that is delicious and inexpensive and vegan. Would it be too much of a reach if we also asked for good service and a pleasant environment? Thankfully this restaurant has that too!

It's a really nice space. It's not too echoey, and it's not too small, it's just right pleasant. You won't feel over dressed or under dressed, you can come as you are.

The service is really excellent and deserves special mention. Out excellent waiter (Shaw) was really friendly and right on top of it. We felt well taken care of but never intruded upon. He also advised us on our food choices. I asked him some questions later in the meal when I realized what a gem this place is. He told me that his family is Malaysian Chinese and practices a variation of Buddhism that requires them to be vegetarian. It was very difficult for them to find decent food to eat so they decided to open a restaurant that makes what that they can, and want to eat. Shaw himself looks like he is an underclassman in college, but it turns out he is in his 40s. He attributes his youthful appearance to eating healthy food.

Ok, every glowing review has to have some gripes, and here they are. The place is very hard to spot. Look for the very long strip mall on the South side of Northern and about 13th St. Pull in to it. Now start looking for Veggie Village. When you finally find it, the dark window make it look as if it's closed. It probably isn't, so get it of your car and go in. Finally the name Veggie Village somehow doesn't imply restaurant to me. I'm not sure what comes to mind, a tiny grocery store for vegans, a gardening store, a Christian children's book store? Anyway, consider the poor marketing a blessing. It's the only reason that I can think of for it not being swamped 24/7.

Enjoy!

Visited again 8.17.18 and it's still excellent. Our waitress was named Vivian. She was very attentive. Shaw is now...

We enjoyed our time at Veggie Village. We had a nice experience overall. The food and drinks were good. For drinks we got the honeydew chia seed with coconut milk, and the tropical tea. Both tasted great! We shared an appetizer and got the cream cheese wontons. It came with 6. Tasted amazing! I liked them better than real cream cheese wontons. For the meal we got the curry noodle and Kung Fu noodle dishes. They were good. The waiter was very friendly and attentive even with the restaurant being busy he was always there to see how we were doing with a friendly smile. The service was not slow either. I would have given 5 stars but there was a weird smell that I kept smelling where we were sitting. Not sure exactly what it was. It wasn't a food smell. Also, I think the honeydew drink I got should have came with atleast 1 refill for the price. He did offer me water and got me some lemon slices for it. Then there was a huge group of people at the table next to us who were all sick. They kept coughing and it just made me feel grossed out and hoping that the waiter washed his hands everytime he dealed with them. Which I'm sure he did not. Then also I didn't realise that my noodle dish was a soup but it was good. We will definitely go back and give veggie village...

I was pretty skeptical about this place because I hardly ever find good meat replacements but I have to say, their chicken here is pretty awesome. I have only tried two things here so far and that’s because I’m obsessed with both things and haven’t wanted to try anything else besides what I know I love. Their hot and sour soup is amazing and I love all the different textures. I am normally not a fan of the silky tofu but for some reason, it works in this and I love it. My absolutely favorite thing to get here is the orange chicken, extra crispy with no rice and a serving or two more of the chicken. I LOVE the sauce, the chicken is perfect and always cooked well. Although it’s not real meat, I have always enjoyed my my substitutes cooked crispier than it normally would be. I highly recommend this place and will update my review once I venture outside of what I know and try other things. I was referred here by a friend who has tried many items about this menu and has so far agreed that they haven’t had anything bad on this menu. Even if you are not a Vegan, I think you would still really enjoy this food and should try it out! Thanks for a great experience and awesome food every time I order...