Pinellia Asian Restaurant — Restaurant in South Bend

Only been here a couple times before, with a vague memory of how things tasted. My friend is a Veg head and wanted to go out so I remembered this place. The location is rather unassuming, running next to a quick shop liquor store with a Little Caesars a Save-a-Lot and a couple sundry storefronts. Inside is quite small too, with maybe 5 tables max. Most of their business would have switched to carry out in the pandemic but I don't remember them having a big seating arrangement before either. Place was clean and tidy, nothing there that didn't need to be.

Now, we get to the good stuff. There are two menus, a picture one to give you an idea of some of the dishes, and the written one with everything on it. Drink selection is alright, nothing out of the ordinary and nothing spectacular; sodas waters and some bottled tea. Today, we splurged and went with a medley to share. For Starters we went with the Vietnamese spring roll, which we both really liked. Veggies were fresh and crispy, light and the dipping sauce didn't sit on it too heavily. Would def recommend them. The next starter was the Yam and Taro Tempura. We really liked these. Came hot a fresh right out the fryer. Prob allow to cool for a couple mins before eating, might burn your mouth. Then we had the coconut white rice, which had raisins in it. Not bad, but nothing I'd write home about. Its good mixed with some of the entrees we had but on its own was just okay. The meals we ordered came with a complimentary soup or salad. We both chose the Miso soup, good quality but not breathtaking. Then the Entrees hit! We had done a 3 dish split; the Jade Mushrooms, Singapore Mei Fun and a Veggie General Tso's. The Mei Fun was the least of the three but if thats the low, I can live with it because the Tso's and Jade were outstanding. My friend is strictly veggie and vegan, while I still eat meat. I can say from my perspective the way they cook doesn't make me miss the animal protein at all! The sauces hung on the dishes just the right amount, a good crispy layer and the insides flavorful and delicious on theur own. We might have over ordered though because when we had our fill, there was still a lot of food left over to go.

If you're looking for Vegan or at the very least curious and into Asian Cuisine, try them out. You won't be sorry you did. If you're strictly a meat eater you might be a little disappointed but take a couple of bites and you might just change your mind.

5 out of...

I am SOOO thrilled South Bend has an all-vegan restaurant! I'm from out of town (here from Connecticut) and have been vegan for two years. It's pretty rare to find an all-vegan restaurant so when I did, I had to try it out. Ordering online is expensive after fees and a tip but the prices are really fair in general (you'll understand when you try the food!). I got pad thai and stuffed wantons and I was absolutely in love. My first bite of pad thai brought me right back to the last time I had it YEARS ago except it was even better. I got medium spicy and it was perfect. The wantons were also so delicious, very decadent and tasty. I really want to try the salads and the spring rolls AND the dumplings -- soooo many options, there has to be something for everyone. So happy I ordered from here, I recommend to...

We arrived exhausted, hungry, and needing the restroom after a long drive to another restaurant was foiled (closed due to illness). We were happy to have found a vegan spot, but we could not have anticipated the great food and gracious service. They even charged my phone using their own equipment! The food was good and portions were huge. We enjoyed miso soup, sesame cold green tea noodles, vegan spinach shu mai, satay seitan, Malaysian curry stew, and bibimbap. I felt embarrassed ordering bibimbap, but this spot's interpretation of this dish was sophisticated and saved my pride. The accompanying pumpkin soup was amazing! This is a long deive but we will return as soon as we can! Best of all, each table sports a bottle of angry lady chili sauce, a favorite with several Chinese...