Those who know me well.. would be extremely surprised that I'm giving a 5 stars review to a VEGETARIAN restaurant! But yeah, something is not wrong with your eyes.. seriously FIVE STARS!!! I'm a carnivore by birth!!! I love steak, I love meat, I always order meat at restaurants and eat meat with most of my daily meals! I've seen and passed by the restaurant for many years and saw the reviews on Yelp, wanted to try it BUT my carnivore trait kinda pulled me away from entering the restaurant. Not until a Vegetarian friend wanted to meet up with me in the area and I was scrambling.. "oh crap, I though, I don't feel like eating salad at the moment".. so I decided to ask her to go to Garden Fresh and she pleasantly agreed with me! We went on a Wednesday night (got there around 6 and the restaurant was somewhat empty) ordered the drumsticks, Veggie ribs and General Veggie Chicken. The food arrived and we took a bite of the drumstick... we didn't say anything ... looked at each other and said "WOW!!! THIS STUFF IS GOOD!!!!" Seriously, it didn't taste gross at all!!! As a carnivore, I thought the texture of the drumstick was like "chicken"..yup, you read it right... tasted kinda like chicken!!! yummmm!!! and even though it was a fried dish, it wasn't greasy at all! The general chicken was delicious too and so was the veggie ribs. Although, yeah..I could certainly taste the mushroom (vegetarian flavor) on the ribs lol... The total tab was about $40 (we ordered brown rice and two drinks)...so not that cheap for chinese food (the main dish was like $10-12 per dish) BUT certainly worth every penny!! I cannot wait to try more of their dishes!!! The restaurant is tiny and there aren't that many tables ..it got crowded and there was a line after 7PM...The lady (owner, I think) was very nice and friendly too so that's an extra star for this establishment. Their sign is somewhat invisible especially at night because some of the lights are out..but it's right next to Baskin Robbins on El camino and shoreline.. so just pull into the parking lot of Baskin Robbin and you'll find this restaurant :) Enjoy!! read more

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For science: Blind Takeout Battle between Garden Fresh (GF) and Veggie Garden (VG) Round 2. Fight! Tonight's Judges: (2) Vegans (2) Omnivores (2) pesky kids - aged 3 & 5 now! Only the 5-yr-old submitted votes. Dishes chosen had near identical descriptions. All dishes served blind with a side of homemade white rice. Item: Votes ========= (1) App - Scallion pancakes: 4-1 VG Our control dish because the kids require it so. More scallion flavor in VG vs dough flavor in GF. VG had a chewier texture vs crispy fried for GF. Some talk of an older cooking oil used for GF. (2) Entree - VG Ribs: 5-0 VG First off, there's nothing really rib-like about this dish. Just beef chunks with veggies essentially. GF texture and flavor were meh despite being served in a soup of sauce, +bell peppers, +small black beans. VG texture better reflected the pull of meat and had a nice sweet flavor to the sauce. (3) Entree - Dry Braised Green Beans: 4-1 VG GF served in a sauce soup with little flavor. It did come with little tofu meat strips which was a big hit with the 5-yr-old, the lone dissenting vote. VG green beans still had crisp texture since they weren't sitting in soggy sauce. Better flavor too. (4) Entree - Veggie Fish: 3-1 VG 5-yr-old abstained from voting as he wanted none of this. Normally I would never order anything with sweet and sour sauce, but the near identical descriptions of both dishes begged for a taste-off: GF: "Tofu skin wrapped in seaweed, sautéed with fresh vegetables, in Chinese sweet and sour sauce" VG: "Tofu skin wrapped in seaweed with fresh vegetables sautéed in sweet &sour sauce" Fortunately both dishes were not served with the bright red concoction of sweet and sour sauce you see at Panda Express. Much more subtle and naturally colored. The GF Fish +snap peas came in a sweeter sauce, but not a soup this time. The fish texture melted in your mouth like sashimi which is different. The VG Fish +mushrooms had a better sauce flavor, but the texture was the big winner - more fishlike. ========= Final tally: 16 - 3 VG Holy moly, VG surprisingly dominated. That's an aggregate score of 28-7, including Round 1. I was rooting for the GF comeback! Notes: - GF was $1 more than VG (for the Veggie Fish) - Aside from the scallion pancakes, we would likely never order these Round 2 dishes again. The green beans are solid, but nothing special that you couldn't get from a non-vegan Chinese place. - This meal is likely good to feed (7) adults. TL;DR: Time to crown a new vegan Chinese food king... read more

Garden Fresh - Linguine salad appetizer! - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

Who knew Vegan food could be so delicious. To be honest I was a bit apprehensive when I had gone there a few months ago but it was really quite good. Everything was super fresh and seemed to be very high quality food. My partner who is a die hard meat eater was even impressed with the food, the flavor, and the offerings! read more

This has been one of our favorite restaurants since... maybe 2007? A long time. I like eating healthy and the food here is basically vegetables and protein. My kids love it, too, so for years it's been one of our go-tos for those tired evenings when we get take-out, an easy yet still sensibly healthy dinner. And the lady who runs it is super sweet, a lovely owner. read more

Great place for vegetarian food. We were looking for vegetarian places in downtown mountain view using yelp, and this place showed up. Its a little far from the main downtown area, and we had to drive to get there--it also took us a while to actually locate this place even with the car. Once you get there though, you will see that it's packed. And for good reason! The food here is amazing. Even though it's vegetarian chinese, the food actually tastes more flavorful than non-vegetarian chinese food, since they went out of their way to marinate the food very well with a lot of sauces and spices. The chinese food here is actually much better tasting than other chinese food places I go to. The spicy sichuan eggplant had a real kick to it, and the eggplant was cooked to the right softness. The only downside is that because so many folks go there, especially large family groups, it's hard to find a seat, so you usually have to wait a while outside. Not a big deal though. Definitely my go-to place for future vegetarian adventures. read more

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Tried out Garden Fresh a Chinese vegan restaurant in Palo Alto. There's a free parking lot across the street. Food isn't that cheap here and portions are on the small side. We got: curry "chicken" w/ potatoes & carrots. Those pieces of "chicken" is just those strange gluten chewy things, taste ok to me, nothing special. Sauce was good. Sauteed mixed veggies - I liked the broccoli, bok choy, there was carrots and mushrooms. Tasted ok. "pork" and tofu dish - B. really liked it, pretty meh for me. Tiny cut up strips of tofu/gluten things and tiny strips of tofu. Brown rice - extra, not sure cost. B. got a beer too. It was over $40 before tip. Think B. charged it, don't remember. read more

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I'm going to be brutally honest with y'all: I absolutely love meat. Even though I try to moderate my intake for the sake of cost as well as the environment, most of the meals I consume will include some form of animal protein. That being said, I feel like I can survive for a while off of a vegetarian lifestyle - but only if it involves Asian cuisines. Because ever since I was a kid, I've always loved the savory, salty, and umami flavors that accompany vegetarian Asian dishes. No matter how hard you search, American options just aren't as good; the food is bland, AND they haven't mastered the art of faux meat quite like some Chinese restaurants have. Unfortunately though, it's been difficult to find a solid Chinese vegetarian restaurant in the Bay Area that reminds me of home. Often times, they've ended up being Americanized tragedies (https://www.yelp.com/biz/long-life-vegi-house-berkeley?uid=aKcehnoot5pkZt5keAP6Tg&utm_source=ishare). However, my girlfriend and I recently came across one vegan/vegetarian restaurant that was pretty worthwhile: Garden Fresh in Palo Alto! Garden Fresh is a local favorite along the Peninsula with locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Apparently there's some reported drama between this restaurant and Veggie Garden (a competitor in Mountain View), but that's for another day. In terms of the menu, Garden Fresh has a decent assortment of options. There are plenty of faux meat dishes for all you carnivores (e.g. General Tsao's Chicken) as well as a bunch of traditional vegetarian choices (e.g. string beans). When it comes to cost, this place is fairly average. Prices for most items are around $10-$14 (depending on if it's a special or not), but during lunch some stuff is cheaper! And protip: If you pay cash, a small bowl of soup is on the house! My girlfriend and I ended up getting the Orange Chicken, Hunan Tofu, as well as side orders of brown rice and Hot and Sour Soup. Here's what we thought of the experience: -- FAIRLY GOOD FOOD, BUT SMALL PORTIONS -- Overall, the vegan food here was quite good! The fake meat seemed passable, all our dishes tasted very flavorful, and everything came out fresh. Though the one big critique for me was that the serving sizes for our entrees were small. Especially regarding the Orange Chicken, we only got like 10 pieces. *Hot and Sour Soup (6/10): For complimentary soup, this wasn't bad. It was hearty, aromatic, and appetizing. However if the paid version offered more or less the same, I'd probably pass since it was lacking in quality ingredients. *Orange Chicken (7/10): OoOOoO, I was pretty impressed with Garden Fresh's version of fake chicken. Each soy bean-filled piece was crunchy and had the chewiness of its real counterpart. Plus the orange sauce tasted delicious and the broccoli provided a nice compliment. On the other hand, what I didn't like about this dish (besides portion size) was the subtle soy aftertaste. Approximated chicken, but not close enough. *Hunan Tofu (8/10): Loved this! The tofu was soft, veggies were crisp, the black bean sauce had a lot of flavor, and this dish packed a bit of spice. My favorite part was the fact that the clay pot really helped everything stay hot. Smokin' hot baby! *Brown Rice (10/10): Ironically, they gave us a lot of rice! Definitely didn't need more than one order for two people. Move along, nothing to complain about here. -- SMALL, YET RELAXING ATMOSPHERE -- Although the restaurant was tiny, I actually appreciated the size because it felt intimate for customers. Add this to the calming ambiance that's created from the clean space as well as the photos on the wall and you've got yourself a nice spot for a meal. -- A+ QUALITY SERVICE -- Only one person was working at the front when we stopped by, and boy was she really nice! She was very sweet, came off as professional, and made sure we got our food efficiently. Definitely deserved a shoutout for taking care of everything herself. -- CONVENIENT LOCATION -- Probably one of the best features about Palo Alto's Garden Fresh was the locale. First off, since this restaurant was in Downtown Palo Alto we were pretty much in the heart of the city. Furthermore, public transportation was GOLDEN here. Garden Fresh was legit only 5 minutes walking distance from the Caltrain. But for all y'all drivers, there were multiple parking structures around the area. Just be prepared for traffic. For the decent food, great location, chill atmosphere, and quality service, I have to give Garden Fresh a "Nice-su, you can take your parents here and they'll be happy" rating. You can count on me to come back and check out the other stuff on the menu. Eat well and prosper, read more

Love this spot and the woman who runs it !!! Very quick except Friday nights and I love the general tso, kung pao, fried rice , chow mein, and tofu curry . Yum dum read more

LOVE THE CONCEPT AND RESTAURANT AS A WHOLE But the Palo Alto location just seems FAR BETTER. Although run by the same owners there is a difference. 1) Service. The service here wasn't that great. No greet, all employees in the back, dirty dishes on empty tables, and the menu was fetched on your own. Where as in the PA location, the service is excellent. Don't get me wrong, the people here are VERY KIND. They gave my table extra (and unnecessary) plates that wouldn't be put to use. 2) Food. Typically the same. Same menu and pricing. The food here was good but it wasn't as good as the one at the PA location. I could taste some difference as certain dishes were ordered from both locations. Tried the veggie ribs for the first time here and it was the least liked dish. You can taste the seitan and has that weird taste you taste in chinese/vietnamese sausages. 3) Venue. Larger than the PA location but not as clean. It has a parking lot for convenience. The parking lot is very narrow. Some lady opened her car door and hit my car. Best believe I stepped out and got real bold with her "please don't hit my car with your f'n door. I saw that sh*t." Love the restaurant. More so, the Palo Alto location. read more

Garden Fresh - Veggie ribs. Not that great. - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

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One of the best vegan restaurants that I've ever been to. The food is delicious, the service is outstanding, and the vibe is just right. I've been coming here for at least 14 or 15 years, and have never been disappointed. If you haven't tried it, TRY IT! read more

Finally made it to Garden Fresh for dinner on Friday night April 7 2023. My friend who was visiting is vegan. It was a great opportunity to try it. Very good food, very good service. Everything we ordered was excellent. Restaurant is small but it is comfortable. Owner is very friendly and personable. I highly recommend Garden Fresh. read more

Tastes like home to me. Food leaves me feeling warm and full. There's only one lady working the front, so please be patient with her

I am not a vegetarian, but I am Chinese, and I thought this place was rather delicious. I will have to admit that I ordered more traditional Chinese dishes, such as beef and broccoli and General's Chicken and the roasted duck -- they were all wonderful. The beef did taste more like soy compared to the mock poultry animals. If ordering here, stick with mock poultry animals, they will taste more like the actual stuff than the beef or pork. And get the duck, it is good! read more

Garden Fresh - General Tso's Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Best Vegeterian Chinese cuisine in South Bay. Great for take out. Prepared quickly and with care.

My new favorite dish is Basil Tempura, can't believe I didn't try this after all these years. Here's my favorite lists of items that I typically cycle through but now, I'll be ordering basil tempura more often : ) Sweet - Orange beef w/ broccoli Mildy spicy - Veggie duck Medium spicy - Basil Tempura, dry braised string beans Very spicy - Hot & sour soup read more

I'm not vegan or vegetarian so maybe that colors my opinion a little, but anyway... I had a very bad lunch here. I came in with an open mind, "hey, maybe vegan Chinese food can be good!" Sadly, no, it cannot be. Or at least it isn't at Garden Fresh. For starters, all the tofu that they torture into various meat-shaped dishes never, ever, EVER tastes like meat. It doesn't have the texture, the smell, or anything meat-like at all. Anyone who says different is just straight lying. Second, this place just makes crappy food. Every single dish we ordered was covered in a thick, gloppy, sweet sauce that was obviously full of corn starch. Every one. What is fresh about ladeling on a bunch of sweetened corn starch? Also, the portions are tiny, so you're paying for small bits of nasty food swimming in corn starch sauce. No thanks. I didn't take pictures because I don't want to remember how bad this place was. I am permanently turned off vegan/vegetarian Chinese food now. read more

How many times in a month do I come here? At least three times (if not more! 1-Veggie duck 2-Veggie orange beef 3-Veggie ribs Are my top tree entrees, specifically the first one is a must try!! I always start with their yummy hot and sour soup. The place is small and cozy, and I like the owner. She is so nice and kind and also serves your food. read more

Garden Fresh - Veggie Duck. THA YUM! - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

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One of my sons is vegan and Garden Fresh has become our go-to Chinese place for the family. The food is so good that everyone is happy with what they order. Staff is very nice. Love the lemon ice water, which they keep full. Giving it 4-stars instead of 5 because they are still using paper plates and plastic utensils, which seems wasteful. I know in the past they used washable plates. Also, they should ask up front whether you want chopsticks instead of us having to ask for them. Menu should have more information. For some dishes ingredients are not stated so you have to ask. And some staff doesn't know and has to go ask. read more

How good could fake meat really be?? Surprisingly good! Even the meatiest of Yelpers may find themselves satisfied at Garden Fresh. My favorites were black pepper chicken, basil tempura, the duck, and chow mein noodles. I'd classify the place slightly on the hole in the wall side, meaning it's a smaller place, and tables are kind of tight. There is one lady that was handling all the tables. Food comes out surprisingly fast. One notable exception was the fried prawns which took almost 30 min before it came out. Flavor was good, slightly on the Americanized side. They have beer and some easy drinking alcohol, all at affordable prices. Solid 4 stars in my book. read more

Had a nice lunch here the other day. The lunch specials are decently priced and you get a soup and brown rice. The restaurant was pretty empty on a Friday at 1pm. The owner/server was really friendly (maybe it helped we were speaking to her in Chinese), and when we told her we were in a bit of a hurry, she brought out the food really quickly as promised. ENTREES * Free soup - 2 stars None of us had more than a few sips. This was thickened water with a few small pieces of carrot, peas, and corn. Not very great at all. 11. CRISPY FRIED TOFU (Crispy fried tofu filled with minced vegetables in black bean sauce over lettuce. 8.95 lunch special, 9.95 a la carte) - 4 stars pic: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/garden-fresh-palo-alto?select=FBLVHLdwNdSIzfnGnEvDyw#FBLVHLdwNdSIzfnGnEvDyw Nice texture, good crisp to the tofu. The sauce is really spicy. But there wasn't much flavor inside the tofu - you really have to make sure each bite is covered in the sauce. 19. KUN PAO VEGGIE CHICKEN (Wheat-gluten chicken sautéed with green peppers, onions, carrots and zucchini in spicy brown sauce. 8.25 lunch special, 9.95 a la carte) - 3.5 stars pic: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/garden-fresh-palo-alto?select=FBLVHLdwNdSIzfnGnEvDyw#aG5KZJ4j876GoW4PPNQ4HA The chicken was pretty legit, but maybe a little too chewy/stretchy. Pretty spicy as well, but I wished there was a little more crisp to the chicken. CHEF'S SPECIALS 41. GOLDEN BEAN CURD SHEET (Assorted vegetables wrapped in crispy tofu skin, layered over spinach. 11.95) - 4.5 stars pic: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/garden-fresh-palo-alto?select=FBLVHLdwNdSIzfnGnEvDyw#pxAihexph1i6SNkkZgyJRg This was really great! The spinach was very fresh and tasted really healthy in complement to the tofu skin (not crispy as described but still really good), which had really great texture and came in many thick layers wrapped around the veggie filling. read more

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Disclaimer: I rarely ever eat at places like this. Places like this being vegetarian/vegan. What can I say? I like my meat. So take my review with a grain of salt since I can't really say how how this place compares to other vegan restaurants. After spending all day at Red Rock Coffee, me studying, my friend editing her novel (I know, she's so cool) she and I decided we needed some sustenance. Her main stipulation is that she's vegan so I opened up my handy dandy yelp app, searched for vegan restaurants in the area and let me tell you, it was pretty slim pickings. It was either Yam Leaf Bistro (vegan Mexican), some acai bowl place (love acai bowls but not for dinner), or two separate Chinese vegetarian options. We opted for Chinese so Garden Fresh it was. Pluses are that the restaurant is in a small plaza so parking was very convenient. The restaurant is on the smaller side but on a Wednesday evening we had our pick of tables. Another friend joined us here so there were three of us which is nice since that means we could try more things. Entrees ranged from $10-14 (dinner pricing). Lunch is the better deal as an entree is usually $9 but comes with brown rice and soup. We had to add brown rice to our tab at $1.75 a pop so it starts adding up quick. Prices here are more inflated than your typical Chinese food joint but I figure that to be the case since they're creating meat dishes out of tofu and whatnot and that requires skill. We ordered the orange veggie "chicken." This was my favorite dish. The veggie chicken were shaped like meatballs and had a nice firm consistency. Apparently the meatballs are made out of shitake mushrooms! I would never have guessed. The orange sauce didn't taste artificial and wasn't overly sweet like how a lot of Chinese restaurants make it. The sauce didn't overpower the dish and complemented the veggie chicken nicely. In terms of veggies, they sprinkled some broccoli around. Next was the Basil Tempura. In terms of veg, this dish was heavy on the onions, light on the carrots and basil. It was a solid dish although lacking some substantial vegetables. Didn't really get "tempura" from this dish as the soy gobo was also pretty firm in consistency but I didn't mind it and the basil profile flavor was nice. Lastly was the veggie fish. My least favorite entree as I wasn't a fan of the seaweed that was wrapped around the tofu. The flavor was very off-putting to me and I like seaweed! Maybe the flavor is typical for this dish. I can't say since I'm not so versed with vegan cuisine. It's cool how they wrapped the seaweed around the tofu to make it look like fish though. Nicely done! The total ended up being about $18 per person including tax/tip and because all I had was fake meat, I went home and immediately ended up eating some leftover pork I had, rice, an egg and an entire sesame seed bagel slathered with cream cheese. This is why I need meat in my meals. Dinner just didn't seem all that filling. Maybe if the entrees had more vegetables in them, I wouldn't have chomped that entire bagel also. Bonus: Baskin Robbins is right next door! read more

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I have been to the Palo Alto location more times and only once to Mountain View. Both equally yummy!! Just Palo Alto is closer to me. I made the mistake of calling MV and got to PA to pick up they said they didn't have my order and suspected I made the mistake. I called MV to apologize for not being able to pick up the food since its far away. The MV owner called PA and asked them to cook my food in PA location. This is great customer service and I am so thankful for the quick solving skills. Thank you!! About to enjoy my general chicken, chow mein, spring rolls, and orange chicken . All vegan. All delicious! read more

Stopped in for lunch with my mom and girlfriend on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It's a small restaurant with just a few tables. Lucky for us, there was plenty of seating since the college crowd was probably with family for the Thanksgiving holiday. We sat down and got menus by the owner, She was very sweet and brought out our waters and asked if we had any questions. Here is where the only complaint I has goes: one of our water glasses was dirty. Someone had previously drank out of it while wearing lipstick and the mark was still there. It was so hard to pick something to eat. Everything looked so good! We awere all finally able to pick some good dishes to share and we placed our orders. The food came out surprisingly quick! It was all so so good! Enough for 6 people even though there were only 3 of us. Everything on the menu is 100% vegan. No matter what you eat, you will love it but if you want a recommendation, I'd say to get the Orange Chicken. read more

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Food is so delicious and the staff is very friendly. They're really on point with their flavors and noodle cooking skills in the wok.

I've been meaning to review this place for a long time and am finally getting around to it. The food here is always well prepared and the owners are really nice and accommodating. I've tried several dishes and everything I've had has been very tasty, but the stand out dish for me is their Veggie Duck. It's amazing and the portion size is easily 1 1/2 meals. It's made from pressed mushrooms and tofu skin and is service on a nice selection of mixed vegetable. I usually order this with their onion pancakes. Yum. read more

Seriously beats traditional Chinese food! Why not eat better if your craving Chinese food!? It's out of the area for me but worth the drive!

I'm not a vegetarian and I still love the food here! Always tasty. I've been multiple times with one of my best friends who is pescatarian, and I'm so glad she took me there. The sweet & sour "pork" is SO GOOD!!! read more

Great food with amazing FLAVOR! Whether you're vegan or not this food joint is off the chain! Come check them out! read more

Garden fresh in Mountain View is an amazing restaurant. I am out of state now, but make sure to visit this place when I am in the Bay area. My favorite dishes are the "fish", the steamed buns, and the "chicken leg". Of course the point is that these things aren't real meat. I suggest this restaurant especially to vegans and vegetarians. Even if, like me, you tend not to like imitations of animal products or meats, I think you will like this place. read more

One of our favourite vegetarian/mock/chinese restaurants in the bay! We usually go to the mountain view Garden fresh...but this time..just cause.. Ordered : Scallion pancakes Kung pao chicken Generals chicken Curried fried rice. Everything was amaaaazzzinnngg!! On top of it all...there is only one person serving/taking orders/Swiping cards at this location - I forget her name :( And she is super awesome! Given that most tables were full...and she had people coming in to pick up orders...her service was impeccable...:) 5 stars for service...and food!! Definitely going back! :D read more

Oh my! I wonder why we've never visited this place before. The food is delicious! The kid wanted to eat chow mein and Chef Chus is like a Beyoncé concert on weekend evenings and Yelp showed me the way! We got the chicken stir fried chow mein, hot and sour noodle soups and by popular demand, generals chicken. Let me just get generals chicken out of the way, it deserves a special place - I mean it's probably the least Chinese thing on the menu but OH MY GOD! Soo good. The chow mein and the noodle soup were great as well. Wide open at 6:30 on a Friday evening - good mix of family and couples. Most people seem to carry out as there are not that many tables - seating for maybe 30. Smallish parking lot - MUST VISIT read more

Garden Fresh - Hot and sour noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

My dad and his girlfriend came to visit from the East Bay, and we decided to come here as we enjoy vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Garden Fresh was recommended by the person I replaced at my current job, and it was one of few places I wanted to try that was open on Labor Day. The three of us shared the steamed veggie buns, mu shu spring rolls, orange beef, cashew chicken, and Kung Pao chicken. I wasn't crazy about the mu shu rolls, mainly because my stomach does not tolerate raw produce. Everything else was good, but my favorite was the steamed veggie buns. I would have liked to see more "beef" in the orange beef dish. Parking was easy and service was good. I'd come back to try other dishes in the future. read more

this is cute family owned restaurant. They always accommodate any dietary restrictions. The Spicy Basil Tempura and Singapore Noddles are absolutely lip smacking. The food is prepared with fresh inhouse sauces and fresh produce. Highly recommend this place! I have been a regular diner at the mountain view Garden Fresh restaurant since 2019. Must try for Jain friendly food. read more

I absolutely LOVE this place - it's one of my favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the Bay Area! The food is just phenomenal, and service is great. My favorite dishes are: basil tempura, veggie bundles, orange veggie chicken, and Singapore-style rice noodles. The basil tempura is their specialty dish, and you'll see why if you order it. The flavors are amazing - spicy and savory - and the texture of the tempura is spot-on. The veggie bundles are really unique! They're little bundles of carrot, cilantro, mushroom, and celery wrapped with veggie ham and tied together with seaweed. I've never seen a dish like this before, vegetarian or not. The dish comes with 6 bundles on a bed of baby bok choy and a delicious savory sauce. The orange veggie chicken is fried perfectly and the texture is really meat-like. It's generously covered with orange sauce and comes with broccoli. The curry-flavored Singapore noodles are stir fried with a nice amount of veggies and shredded veggie chicken. Prices are a bit high (each dish costs about $12-14) and portions aren't huge, but I guess it is University Avenue. Also, you can really tell that the staff put a lot of effort into developing the menu and creating unique dishes. I love that there are both Americanized dishes like sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, chow mein, etc. and Asian-style dishes like basil tempura, veggie duck, tofu skin, etc. Alice, the owner, is super nice and friendly. I've been away from the Bay Area for almost a year, but she still remembered me and seemed really happy to see me again. The store isn't big (only about 7 tables) but the dining environment feels comfortable and homey. For all you vegetarians and vegans out there, please give this place a try!! read more

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This is a gem! The food is flavorful, the owner is friendly and helpful and we always feel welcome. Even if you are not vegan, it is amazing food! We keep coming back! read more

Very underrated, didn't even know this place existed after living in the area for so long. As a note, I eat meat, but really love Vegetarian Chinese food when done well. It's a small Vegan Chinese restaurant with a lot of great dishes for reasonable prices (much more reasonable than the other Chinese restaurants in the downtown area which are way overpriced). We got Basil tempura, Veggie Wonton with Sesame Dressing, and Scallion Pancakes. Their take on scallion pancakes is really unique - probably my favourite version yet. All the "meat" dishes are soy based, which usually tend to taste almost just as good as the actual meat themselves, but healthier and cleaner obviously. Great customer service and can't wait to come back. read more

Wow, can't believe I forgot about this place! It's still the best vegan Chinese food in the Bay Area. It was one of our favorite places to eat when we lived in Mountain View. We were in the area tonight and looking for something fresh and light. Stopped by, and everything was exactly as I remembered it. Delicate flavors and bomb-ass mock meats, lots of fresh veggies and not too much salt (restaurant Chinese food sometimes salts me out). Totally recommended! read more

This is the best restaurant in the whole bay area. I have been eating here for MANY MANY MANY years. I love the food. I love the service. Price is totally worth it. It takes me an hour to drive here from the East Bay but it's worth it. What makes this place so great is the consistency. You can trust them to bring out consistently great tasting food each time, every time and that's important to me. Beware it's a smaller place. Basic tables and chairs full of big big appetites! read more

This place gets five stars for the food alone. Service was efficient but not memorable but I DON'T CARE because the food was out of this world. I had the basil tempura medium spice and it was perfect. Flavorful, filling, hot. If you're vegetarian or vegan I would not skip this place. read more

Garden Fresh - Basil tempura (half the portion!!) and brown rice - Chinese Near Me - Mountain View, California

Food was delicious and perfectly cooked. The service was amazing with the kind elderly lady being an absolute delight.