I had a chance to try their Buddha's Delight (aka Chinese Jai), and it was absolutely delicious!…read more It tasted just like my Mom used to make it. I went back on a Monday and had lunch. The place was quiet and had a calming atmosphere. Service was attentive and nice. I ordered the Yee Fu Won Ton Soup and Sesame Cold Noodles. My server made sure I understood that the Yee Fu Won Ton Soup had eggs in it. We discussed it's recipe, and she told me the dumplings have a tofu filling. The egg flower soup was perfect, and I could of enjoyed it without the won ton dumplings. The Sesame Cold Noodles were great. I was full from the won ton soup, but one taste of the Sesame Noodles made me want to keep eating it. The thick ropey noodles had a balanced savory taste of nuts, sesame, garlic, chili oil and vinegar. I had the idea of taking it home to finish it, but the dish seemed addictive. The great thing about being retired is that life slows down. I can take my time and enjoy my food. I definitely enjoyed my lunch at Laughing Buddha. I wish I knew about this restaurant sooner, because it's walking distance from Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. Come try this restaurant, and try a unique style of asian cooking.

Ordered Sizzling Rice Soup with soy meat ham and Crispy Basil Shiitake & Tofu plus the Longetivity…read moretea to share. Service was really attentive and good. The sizzling rice soup was very unique and was the right balance of flavor and lightness. The soy ham really tasted like The basil tofu with mushrooms was sweet and savory with the right balance of both. Tea was light and refreshing. Nice local veggie spot.

I'm not even vegan and I gladly park down the street and walk my chubby butt down here because of…read morehow PHENOMENAL the food is! If you don't get the tuna melt or the pesto chicken with a side of their pasta salad, you're doing life wrong. Also, treat yourself to one of the cannolis - you won't regret it. For your ambience, sit outside. It's seriously so cute and lovely back there and you'll be surprised how little of the busy street you hear. It's seriously like stepping into someone's backyard for some of the best food you've ever had.

I've been here twice, so I'm surprised I haven't posted a review yet. The food is really good!…read more Parking in the area can be tough, but I've lucked out with finding a spot across the street both times, though I did have to drive around a bit on my first visit. I like that they have a patio area, but it's been full each time I've been, so I haven't had a chance to sit outside. The staff is kind, though they tend to be a bit slow when taking orders at the front. I guess it's nice that they don't rush things, but it can be a bit frustrating when the line is long and they're chatting with each person ordering, which feels like forever. However, once you sit down, the food is delivered quickly. During my first visit, I ordered the Lobster Roll with fries, a donut to-go, and we shared an order of Fried Mozzarella Sticks. The donut was very mild; I've had way better vegan donuts, so I wouldn't get one again. I thought the lobster roll was good, but not great. It did not remind me of a lobster roll at all and was too acidic in my opinion, so I wouldn't get that again either. I loved the mozzarella sticks, though. As a vegan, that typically dislikes vegan cheese, they were a hit. My non-vegan best friend loved them too! During my second visit, I ordered a Jalapeño Business sandwich with potato salad, rocky road to-go, and mozzarella sticks to share since I loved them so much the first time. My friend got a Buffalo Ranch Fried Chicken sandwich, and we decided to swap halves to try more things. I love spicy food, so if I had to choose a favorite, I'd pick my sandwich over hers, but both sandwiches were fantastic! The potato salad was good, but kind of bland for my taste. The rocky road was so yummy, and like last time, the mozzarella sticks did not disappoint. I love supporting fully vegan restaurants and will definitely go back to try more items on the menu. Maybe brunch next time I'm in the area? Not sure, but I highly recommend dropping by. Whether you're vegan or not, they have something tasty for everyone. In fact, each time I've gone, it's been with non-vegan friends, and they all say they'd eat here again.

An unassailable Berkeley institution. The fact that they've managed to survive for over 50 years…read moregives me hope for the future. Prices have at least doubled since the time I ate here as a broke college student, but it's still a great value for the quality and quantity. It's one of the very rare places where you can get vegan hot and sour soup; just ask for no egg and you'll be golden. That, plus the blistered string beans and vegan "duck" in black bean sauce are an absolute must. Their mock meat game is on point. Grab a lunch special and dine in for best results.

Long Life Vegi House is my go-to Chinese vegan restaurant. The food never disappoints and is always…read moredelicious. The service is exceptional, as it's a family-run restaurant, and you might even have one of the kids lending a hand. Plus, the prices are reasonable given the location and the current economic climate. Pros: -hot & sour soup no egg -green beans and veggie chicken -Spring rolls Dos cinco dos mil viente cuatro

They are open again!!…read more I visited Millennium the day of the re-opening in June 2026. I was so happy to find out that the food is still among the best food I've eaten, vegan or not. The new concept is prix fixe dinners on the heated, covered patio, and à la carte inside for walk-ins. I ordered from the à la carte menu and it was awesome. So easy. So delicious. My table ordered the cascatelli pasta, smoky glazed tempeh, coriander & arborio crusted oyster mushroom, and for dessert the summer sundae and chocolate tart. We were sharing so I got a taste of everything. Just amazing. It tastes just as good as before but feels much more approachable and affordable with the new concept. And you can still get the fine dining experience if you want it. I can't wait to go back on a Tuesday to try the pizza. I've heard it described as the best vegan pizza in the Bay Area by people who know what good pizza is, and I can't wait to try it. All food is vegan, and almost everything is gluten free.

Oh Millennium....I hate to write this review as it pains my heart to know it will be my last time…read more You were one of the first restaurants I ever went to as a vegan when I first moved to San Francisco in 2012. Back then, it was located on the main floor of a hotel on Geary St. in the heart of Union Square, back when downtown SF was a bustling and busy epicenter of the most beautiful cities in the world. From there, I went back for all my special occasions: anniversaries, birthdays, celebrations. One day, the lease was up, and you found your new permanent home in Oakland. The vibes and atmosphere changed, but the food remained just as iconic. Unfortunately, it was now at least 1 hour commute for me by public transportation, so I stopped going consistently. Now, you are closing your doors after 30 years of serving your vegan community. Some say that it is another casualty of the decline of veganism. Some say that it was inevitable. But I say, give me a list of restaurants in the Bay Area that have survived 30+ years, even with a cross-bay relocation. And ESPECIALLY for a vegan restaurant. I call that a success. I went for the last time this week and ordered the 5-course chef's tasting menu PLUS 2 additional appetizers. As expected, everything was absolutely delicious. Those crusted fried mushroom appetizers are so divine. The BBQ Tempeh melted in your mouth. I will miss it all so. There have been too many times in recent years when my favorite vegan restaurant announces its closure, and I've been heartbroken one too many times. Wishing the staff of Millennium all the best and that this isn't the final chapter. I look forward to what Chef Eric Tucker and his team will do next, and we will be there to support you all when that happens.

We went to Gather on Sunday 6/7/2026 for my aunt's belated birthday dinner. Since my mom made a…read morereservation in advance, we were seated right away. For our drinks, I had the Moonlight Blossom, my aunt had a glass of red wine, and my mom had a cucumber mint spritzer (mocktail as she was the DD). The moonlight blossom tasted similar to cherry limeade. The entrees we had were the mussels, veggie burger, and the chef's market pizza. The mussels themselves were tasty and appreciated that they were able to leave out the chorizo. However, I wish that they brought a spoon and there was more broth. I tried some of my mom's veggie burger and the red color from the beets made it stand out from the usual veggie burger. The fries tasted homemade. I had a slice of the pizza and while I like the ingredients themselves, the combination just didn't do it for me. The crust was good though! We also shared a green goddess salad, which was tasty. The desserts looked amazing but we had no room! Service was friendly and our waitress made good recommendations. Can park on the side streets or the garage. Restaurant was not noisy. Would come back to try other items, especially dessert.

My friend and I were looking for some healthy options and after a quick Yelp search we found this…read morerestaurant. Once we arrived, we were able to find a street parking spot! There was no wait time and we were able to get a table. The server was very sweet. I am vegetarian and was looking for veg options. She went through the menu with me and helped me think through. I got the vegan spicy tomato pizza and my friend got the shakshouka. We also got some herbal tea to go on the side. The tea came out pretty quickly and tasted great. The food also came out pretty quickly. The presentation of the pizza was top notch and I could not wait to dig in. The portion size was adequate. The vegan cheese was yummy and the spice level of the pizza was just right. The pizza was packed with flavor and thin crust! My friend liked the shakshouka too. He said it was flavorful and tasted great! Over all, we loved this restaurant. The ambiance is very welcoming and they have farm to table concept. If you are looking for a nice restaurant with farm to table theme, look no further!

I went to a birthday party here. The food is absolutely amazing. I'm not vegan and would go again…read more What a pleasant experience. I also loved the ambience and service. A true gem.

We came back today and all three of us felt the food was insanely salty to the point where we…read morecouldn't even finish the food. Even worse, both my husband and I found pieces of white plastic in our soup! I don't know if we can come back here anytime soon. We understand that there's a different chef on the weekends and maybe the weekend is the only time to eat here. Very disappointed and disgusted.

My husband & I came here for Mother's Day, since their vegan menu looked AMAZING!…read moreJust note, they only take cash or Venmo, so make sure you have one of those payment options. It was pretty busy with not a TON of tables, but the service was still fairly quick. Our rolls came out faster than our appetizers, but at least we got everything eventually. We each ordered a miso soup, which was honestly kind of bland. We added some of their red pepper-type seasoning to it & it made it a little better. We also ordered their vegan bao buns & they were SO delicious! Super doughy, & the stuffing was seasoned really well. Their vegetable tempura wasn't bad. Didn't have the same assortment of vegetables most places have, but it still tasted pretty good. Ours primarily had yam, broccoli, & green beans. For our rolls, we ordered: The Cha-ya Roll (The entire sushi roll, filled with asparagus, yam, avocado, and carrots, is lightly battered and deep-fried, Tempura style. Served with special house sauce.) This one was my personal favorite! We also got the Vegan Roll (A large roll with spinach, atsuage tofu, cucumber, broccolini, pickled burdock, seasoned shiitake and campy gourd, and pickled ginger.) Lastly, we ordered the Haku Roll (Sushi rice with fried yam, shiitake mushroom, rolled up with an outer layer of avocado.) All the rolls were so fresh & flavorful! Next time we are in the area, I'd love to go back & try other things. I wish their menu had pictures on it, because some of the items were hard for us to imagine what it would look/taste like. But their menu online has a lot of pictures, so maybe I'll write down what interests me for next time!

We had a pretty heavy dinner the other day, so today, I was looking to balance that with a greener…read moremeal while we were out. I ended up choosing Cha Ya since it was around the area where we needed to be and it turned out to be the perfect choice. We happened to come around noon on a Monday so it was pretty empty. Parking can be a little hectic around the area, but you can get lucky with residential parking as well. They accept cash or Venmo at this time only. Between my partner and I, we got the Senroppon Salad, Hasami Age and a Hana Gomoku. The Senroppon Salad came pretty quickly. It's composed of a lot of shredded root veggies, some tofu strips, edamame, sprouts and seeds mixed with a light soy vinaigrette. I found some inspiration while having this. It's a very refreshing, non-green, healthy salad. Quite unique! The vinaigrette gets a little stronger when you get to the bottom of the salad since those have been sitting in the dressing for a while. Next, the Hasami Age was something my partner was intrigued about. It's almost like a sushi roll, but made the filling is just corn and tofu. They're wrapped with a soybean sheet and nori and then lightly battered and fried. It turned out really delicious! The batter was indeed on the lighter side and it didn't feel heavy or oily at all. The corn and tofu mix was a little bland, so I wished they put a bit more veggie variety in there for different taste and texture. The almond sauce worked really well with it. If I have to describe this dish, it's like the offspring of a sushi roll and spring roll, haha. Lastly, the Hana Gomoku! This is like a very healthy Buddha bowl. All the ingredients were laid out neatly on top and there was a lot of veggie varieties! I love that they mixed hijiki into the rice, so it not only added flavor to the base, but also some texture. It was beautiful and delicious. We had a nice, quiet, and enjoyable meal here. I hope to try some of their other menu items when we're around Berkeley again!

I've dined at both the SF and Oakland locations before. Oakland started off really strong for me…read morebut over time the food felt a little inconsistent, and the SF location personally just did not hit for me. But this Berkeley location? Okayyyy now let's get into it. Parking here is definitely challenging, so give yourself extra time. We came on Mother's Day with reservations at 2 PM, right before they closed for their dinner reset at 3, and we were still seated pretty quickly which I appreciated, especially with how busy it was. We sat outside on the patio and honestly it was such a nice vibe. They do have outdoor heaters if needed, but the weather was perfect that day. We did everything à la carte for a party of 7. Appetizers: Vegan Spring Rolls: 5/5 Super crispy and fresh. The chili peanut sauce was so good we kept going back for more. Crispy Pork Belly: 1/5 Way too overcooked for our liking. It came out super dry and chewy, almost like a thick pork jerky. Definitely not something we would order again. Main dishes: Panang Neua: 5/5 OMG. This was the dish I came for and it absolutely delivered. The meat literally falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. The sauce leans salty, so pairing it with the blue rice balances everything out perfectly. So rich and flavorful. Crab Fried Rice: 5/5 The large chunks of crab really made this dish stand out. It was flavorful, not dry, and not overly mushy either. Solid all around. Hat Yai Fried Chicken: 2/5 Too thin and too dry for us. I would not reorder this dish, but the roti it came with was actually really good dipped into the sauce. Beef Larb: 5/5 Wagyu beef? Say less. This dish was perfectly seasoned and packed with flavor. Straight chef's kiss. Yellow Curry: 4/5 Honestly you really can't go wrong with yellow curry here. Comforting, flavorful, and paired well with everything else we ordered. And of course we ended with the mango sticky rice to share because you simply have to. It was the mango on top to finish the meal. Overall, this Berkeley location easily gave us the best experience out of the three. Great service, beautiful patio seating, and several dishes that were genuinely memorable. We'll definitely be back for that Panang Neua alone.

Why is finding good Thai in the East Bay so hard?…read more We ordered pretty classic stuff--pad Thai that somehow leaned way too sweet, and a green chicken curry that was so watered down it felt more like a soup than an actual curry. My husband also ended up getting food poisoning, which really sealed the deal on this one. We're pretty sure it was the mai tai served in a novelty cat cup... and now I have questions about how often that thing is actually getting properly cleaned. Let's just say I'm not thinking about it too hard. Anyway. Another Thai spot crossed off the list. The search continues.