Vegetarian House Vegan — Restaurant in San Jose

Don't let their name fool you... everything on the menu is not vegetarian, but vegan! And AMAZING! For all my fellow meat-eaters out there, this place rocks, truly. Do not fear that this vegan menu may not cater to your protein and flavor needs! This place is great for family style eating because everything is so delicious you'll want to try one of everything ordered! The menu is a unique mix of mostly Asian-type dishes with a sprinkling of dishes like the BLT, stroganoff, spaghetti, gyros, and burger. Personally, the menu descriptions with the Asian dishes sound tastier to me, so I tend to order those.

Some of my favorite dishes: (1) Spicy Cha Cha: described as "yam crescents" (what?!), but basically it's like fried shrimp tossed with some sauces, veggies, and spiciness... how they make yam taste EXACTLY like shrimp is a type of magic I cannot understand, but it is delicious! (2) Crispy Mushroom Delight: flaky and light, savory and salty but a little sweet, overall delicious and difficult to stop eating once you start! Fellow diners of mine who don't like mushrooms have enjoyed this dish! Topped with crispy fried Thai basil, lovely texture! (3) Eggplant Bliss: if you enjoy eggplant, you'll like this fried, saucy tower of deliciously soft and juicy aubergines! (4) Cauli-power (special): fried cauliflower tossed in sweet-salty sauce with a unique and delicious flavor! (5) Spring Roll Noodles: perfect if you love spring rolls!... everything inside a spring roll tossed together deliciously, very refreshing dish

...All the food is fairly light so even if you order and eat a lot, you feel satisfied without feeling heavy or weighed down.

Honestly, I've enjoyed any and anything my dining parties have ordered here. The chefs do a fantastic jobs of creating vibrant, varied flavors and tons of appealing textures for their dishes. I love coming here, especially with vegan friends because they have no bars on what they can or can't order, and it's all unique and delicious food! I will say that this place has the best interpretation and execution of "fake meat" items that I've had at any vegan/vegetarian place.

I definitely recommend anyone who likes Asian/Asian fusion to come to this place regardless of your chosen diet. It's worth the experience! I'll definitely be stopping by many more times...

Other notes about the place: Kinda of a funky, colorful atmosphere. There is a parking lot which is very convenient, so far I've always been able to find a space in the ~5 or so times I've been here. There is a restroom for patrons. The menu is a little on the pricey side, but personally, for how consistently delicious and unique the food it, I think it...

We ordered catering from Vegetarian House for our small wedding last weekend. Sunny was very helpful in helping us choose a menu and was able to accommodate three food allergies. We got 7 large platters and it fed 20 people plus had leftovers for days which kept very well and still tasted delicious just being heated up in the microwave! Everyone (vegans and meat eaters) said the food was delicious and we received absolutely no complaints that there wasn't any meat (which is rare for our families - a real credit to how delicious the food was!). The food also tasted professionally prepared without being overly oily or salty like typical restaurant food, and the amount of vegetables made me feel actually healthy eating it while still feeling like a treat. Everyone loved having the variety of dishes that all had different flavors. We ordered:

Quinoa Sushi - I was skeptical about this because I usually don't like cucumber/avocado rolls, but this was SO flavorful with the variety of vegetables in it, the quinoa was not bitter at all, and half of it was served with cilantro for those who enjoy cilantro, which was great.

Heavenly Salad - really delicious, served with the vinaigrette and peanuts on the side. People didn't eat as much of this but probably because it was cold outside and people were looking for the warm dishes.

Golden Thai Vegetables - A delicious Thai coconut curry that was creamy without being heavy. The variety of different vegetables was delicious and this dish tasted great with the jasmine rice. One of my favorites.

Broccoli Shiitake Tofu - Got this without the tofu to accommodate allergies - tasted great - not too salty and the broccoli was not overcooked.

Spicy Cha Cha - This was a huge hit - everyone gobbled it up even though it was spicy, and the various seasonings/vegetables were amazing with it! Wish we had ordered two large platters of this :)

Gourmet Fried Rice - Another huge hit that people fought over for the leftovers so I also wish we ordered more of this. Really delicious fried rice flavor without being oily.

Chow Mein - Super delicious, a bit of a smoky flavor but in a really good way. Noodles were perfectly cooked and kept really well for...

We walked for 30 minutes from our hotel, filled with high hopes for our meal at Vegetarian House Vegan, which boasted an impressive 4.6 rating on Google Reviews. Upon our arrival, however, we were informed that indoor dining was only available on weekends, leaving us with the outdoor seating option. Initially, we tried to remain optimistic and chose a table, but to our dismay, we were met with a strong smell of urine in that area. We quickly moved to another table, hoping for a better experience.

Next, we attempted to place our order via the QR code, but the process proved frustratingly slow. After about 20 minutes, we still encountered issues with card payment, adding to our stress as we were on a tight schedule for medical appointments.

To make matters worse, our meals were served on disposable plates, bowls, and utensils—something we hadn’t anticipated based on the reviews we read. Regardless of whether these disposables were biodegradable, it detracted significantly from the dining experience. Eating from proper plates and using real cutlery enhances the enjoyment of a meal, and the use of disposables reminded me of the less favorable takeaway experiences during the pandemic. Thankfully, we always carry our own stainless steel chopstick set, which at least provided some comfort.

Now, let’s discuss the food itself. We ordered Bun Hue, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and Malaysian fried curry noodles. As someone from Malaysia, I was particularly looking forward to the curry noodles, but I was disappointed to find them overly saturated with coconut milk—far from the authentic flavors I know. Both noodle dishes were excessively soggy, and the Bun Hue soup had a taste that was quite peculiar. The only redeeming dish was the mixed vegetables, which were nicely prepared.

Overall, the experience felt more like dining in a national park without proper amenities, rather than enjoying a meal at a well-reviewed restaurant. It was disheartening to miss out on what could have been a wonderful dining experience in San...