The inside of this little, dark cafe smelled bad so we had to eat outside - luckily the two little plastic tables out there were open. I don't think it's that clean in there, and things like the door handles and condiment bottles all felt sticky when you touched them. We got veggie burgers that were okay - but it was kinda the taste of something you coulda made at home. The water was undrinkable. The napkins were covered in little fibers. One of us got a stomachache afterwards, but we ordered the same thing - unless it was the mashed potatoes or liquidy mozzarella cheese. I don't know. I wanted to love it, and the menu looks good (though it smelled too). Unfortunately, we won't be back. read more

Nestled in the heart of Cooper-Young, this sweet, family-owned restaurant offers great vegan comfort food, knowledgeable and friendly servers, and comfortable seating with a pleasant view of the outdoors. They give so much to the community, and are well-known for their pay-what-you-can Thanksgiving dinner that helps to ensure a hot holiday meal for so many, regardless of their ability to pay. You just don't find people like this every day. They make Memphis look so good, and just look at their website to see all of the celebrities they've fed! Imagine is definitely a favorite. Everyone should try this cozy place. The food is delicious and the servings are hearty. The Memphis Slam might be my favorite breakfast of all time, but definitely try the BBQ plate, too. read more

Imagine having a verity of options of your favor foods. The food was delicious as always and staff are always so kind. I've never had a vegan chicken philly but it was tasty. read more

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I was conflicted between 3 and 4 stars. The service was friendly and good, nice atmosphere (not sure I've ever been in a veggie place where atmosphere has been bad), good prices. The steakhouse burger would have been 4 stars, the bacon was tasty, burger enjoyable. I had a bowl of gumbo with the meal which was kind of bland. Maybe three stars. My son had the chicken and waffles. An ok waffle and chicken strips on top. Unseasoned chicken strips. Chicken strips that looked microwaved. 2 stars tops. I mean season the strips, deep fry them and season them, do something. I would not recommend this dish to anyone. Same comment for my wife's Red Beans and Rice, just plain bland. Choose something else. Certainly a lot of potential, but they need to work on their seasoning, and at least offer the option of spicier dishes. There are dishes on the menu which in retrospect sound much better, but I can only write the review on what we ate. Unfortunately. read more

Atmosphere: no Inside seating and also no room to wait for order , no music playing for your 20 minute wait, dark, awkward, honestly has a bad mood hanging in the air Service: extremely grumpy service, non helpful and not a single welcome, thank you, your welcome, have a good day. I asked about an item and her answer was just we don't have it... non actual answer, just a bad mood hanging in the air Cost: charged 50 cent for to go order even though there's no option to have a for here order, charged 10% service charger unexplained Food: amazing! Such a shame that this place comes across boring and rude. I would say just postmate this but the reviews on here say there postmate service is sloppy Their bad attitudes give vegans a bad name read more

As a vegan it's always refreshing to eat in an all-vegan restaurant where I don't have to ask a million questions or wonder if the server/kitchen really knows when dishes are truly vegan. Imagine Vegan Cafe manages to be a great combination of all vegan, yet down-to-earth with home-cooking favorites. No "weird" vegan offerings, no pretentious vegan vibe. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is all fine, but I'm glad places like this exist where I could take my mom and not have to explain that seitan has nothing to do with the devil. Imagine Vegan's menu has several pages of great-looking choices. We started with the appetizer sampler. They were out of the dogs-n-blankets so we got double potato skins as well as chicken tenders, buffalo tenders, and hush puppies. Everything was great! It came with a convincing vegan sour cream and a tasty vegan ranch. For our entrees I ordered the chicken & bacon sandwich. Both the "meats" were tasty and the sauce was mayo-y. My partner ordered the southern plate which had collard greens and beans over rice with a garlicky sauce and corn bread. It was super flavorful and tasty. Our server was very friendly and our food came out quickly. Everything was hot and as described on the menu. I could not get over the PRICES. I don't think I saw anything on the menu over $10 and most things were $8.99 or less. Imagine Vegan Cafe is a great deal for anyone looking for vegan home cooking with kid-friendly favorites like mac & cheese, omnivore-friendly favorites like the Beyond burger, and tons of treats to delight vegans like cheese sticks and milkshakes. We will definitely be back the next time we're in Memphis! read more

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2nd visit- not so... 5pm on Sunday and out of BBQ and Eggplant. Two things we wanted. Service slow. Appetizer Plate, pretty good. The dogs in a blanket were not good... the dough was gummy...dogs ehhhh. Then the Entree sides... Black beans cold... no flavor. Bbq beans, bland, little too vinegary. Gumbo, hmmm... took one bite. Turkey Cutlets with mashed potatoes was good. Cajun chicken Sandwich with fries, pretty good. Spent $38 plus tip... didn't eat gumbo, black beans, bbq beans... and pig in a blanket. Pretty much fried food was good--- and I don't eat fried anything. 1st visit - Wonderful atmosphere... calm, great music, and benches to sit and visit with each other. It's very affordable for vegan. Service was excellent. I got all vegetarian veggie. read more

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This is my second time visiting..I really wanted to give them another chance but the food is still not good. And the music is always too loud.. Today there was children running and playing all loud..I couldn't even hear myself think.. They were yelling at the top of their lungs and running all around the tables. Then when I got my food, it wasn't hot and the sauerkraut was literally sour.. It was not good. It tasted like it had went bad but they still put it on my hot dog. I let the waitress know, I thought they would give a discount or something but I still ended up paying full price.. Their food always looks edible but when you get it, it's another story.. (I just wouldn't recommend them to a 100% vegan...All food processed and just NOT GOOD!!!) I'm vegan just don't like processed and all their food is processed... I'm just not going back again.. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Looks awesome.. just didn't taste awesome - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Amazing southern vegan food! 100% vegan and full of amazing flavor. Must visit! Got hushpuppies, greens, buffalo chicken sandwich, mac and cheese, and oreo milkshake. All great. Omnivore hubby loved it, too. He had no trouble finding something. read more

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Overall, a great place, but let down with some poor execution. After traveling a long way to get here and try them out, I was floored they couldn't make their Memphis Slam because they were out of tofu scramble...that's like an airplane running out of fuel: it's just not done! Surely the crew the day prior would have noticed they were running low? The next morning a stop at Whole Foods solves the problem...and leaves customers happy! Had the biscuits with gravy instead, but they were far too peppery for my taste so about 1/3rd were left behind. Hash browns were good, if a bit too oily though. Otherwise, was pleased by the helpful, friendly staff with the large portions (their OJ was great too.) read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Hash browns. - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Racist place ever!!! The girl that works there is disgusting. I shop with imagine vegan a lot but this last customer service I got from them I will never step foot in there again! The girl that served me seemed very agitated, she is not friendly at all. I made an over the counter order and was told it would be an hour wait time. I agreed and placed the order anyway. i went back to get my order and was told there was no order for me. I stood there and watched her write down my order and she sped off with an attitude. If you don't like certain people and then you shouldn't be in a position to serve!!! read more

Husband had a bbq sandwich and fries. I had a chick pea salad wrap. Both were awesome. I'm not a fan of chickpeas but they worked for me in this wrap. read more

Stopped by for dinner on a Monday and was excited to sample some vegan comfort food. I ordered the appetizer sampler for my meal to try the most items. The pigs in a blanket had great biscuits, and somewhat rubbery hot dogs, as expected for a vegan hot dog. The buffalo chicken wasn't breaded/fried as I'd expect but the texture and flavor were both good! The hush puppies were fantastic! Highly recommend. I also really enjoyed the potato skins, great cheez sauce. Overall good experience but not mind-blowing as a flexitarian. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Sampler appetizer platter - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This is hands down the BEST vegan restaurant we've ever been to! We're on vacation from California and I helped vegan food and this place came up. the food is simply the best vegan food we've ever had. That's not even a stretch its honestly the best. I always gi e honest reviews because I use Yelp all the time and depend on the reviews so I always leave a honest review. This place is the best vegan restaurant we've ever eaten at. If you happen to be passing through Memphis and want great vegan food this is a must stop. The people running the place are great . plain and simple great food great staff Awesome. read more

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Found this great, little vegan restaurant down a side street in the hip Cooper Young neighborhood of Memphis. It is large, spacious, and (yes) ALL vegan! The waitress recommended we try the mozzarella cheese sticks which were...totally AWESOME! They were soft, pully-stringy with a nice panko crust. She told me they use Chicago Vegan foods Teese cheese and that they will sell you some to use at home. If I lived close-by, I definitely would have taken advantage of that offer. One of our group got the The Vegan Memphis BBQ sandwich. They were kind enough to switch out the potato fries with mashed sweet potato. He loved it and I tried a bite - sweet bbq and tasty. Someone else got the Jerk Chicken sandwich with pineapple served on a hoagie roll. He loved it. I got the chili topped with cheese and raw onions. It was good, but unfortunately nothing special. I'd try something else if I were to come again. The only real downer was that they had just one waitress on staff and, while she was quite pleasant, we felt pretty ignored. After 15 minutes of asking for more water, I had to get up and fill our own water as she never came back around to refill the glasses. We were going to get dessert but she never came around. Finally, I had to go find her to pay the bill. She asked if we wanted the water to go ~ what??? We left to find dessert elsewhere. So, on this particular day...the food was good but the place was understaffed. I'd give it another try, cuz it's really hard to find a vegan restaurant. Maybe it was an off day. However, it would have been nice if she noticed or even apologized for lack of service. Oh well. read more

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I had the veggie chicken with some sides. Food was amazing. The online menu was kinda hard to download, but worth it.

I love that I was able to find an all-vegan menu in Memphis. The variety is great, and everything I've tried was delicious. Unfortunately, both times that I have been, the service was terrible. Servers not paying attention and don't even notice customers coming in and sitting down. My second visit, I waited over 20 minutes before having to ask again to receive my drinks. I waited over an hour for my food. By that point, everyone in the restaurant had gotten there long after me and received or finished their meal before I got mine. The server vaguely apologized but offered no explanation or discounts. I will only be ordering takeout from here in the future. I felt very undervalued as a customer. read more

Nice, quaint diner feel that I liked. My teen was most impressed to see a "Black Lives Matter" poster and felt comfortable and welcomed because of it. We had prepared for this visit, during our fall break vacation and this seemed like the only 100% vegan spot in Memphis. We really wanted to love it. I don't know where to begin. Perhaps, it's because I've been vegan for 7 years, or because I'm from Louisiana but none of my food had flavor. It was mediocre at best. Whenever I travel I try lots of dishes just to see what restaurants have to offer. My daughter complained that her Jackfruit BBQ sandwich still tasted sweet like the fruit, instead of seasoned like we make at home. We later tried to figure out if it was even jackfruit. The server recommended the Philly Sandwich and I usually don't like Tofurky, but the veggies and sauce were really good!!! I should've just eaten what she recommended. I didn't ask by I'm pretty sure the drumsticks are made from wheat gluten and by the end of my meal, I wanted to vomit because they were so doughy and mushy. When I saw corn in the gumbo, I knew it wasn't going to be great. It was more of a rice and gravy which wasn't bad, just wasn't gumbo. Food presentation is pretty, but the flavor and texture leaves a lot to be desired. We did hear a couple at the next table that were not vegan and seemed to enjoy their food. Maybe this restaurant is more for the novice or transitioning. Best part was the strawberry smoothie and hush puppies. They were delicious. read more

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Great ambience! Loved the combinations and variety of dishes available. We got the appetizer sampler, which is a must try. The cheese sticks are outstanding! The Mac and cheese was our favorite item with the soft serve as a close second. Try the soft serve with hot fudge and nuts. You won't regret it. Its everyone's best childhood memories in a bowl! Overall food was really good but the ranch was the most salty ranch I've ever had so I was kind of bummed. It was inedible. The homey ambience, the food, and amazing service make Imagine a must-try if you are visiting Memphis! read more

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As we walk in a chair is blocking the door, we are reminded by other patrons to; push it back to keep the door closed! We grab a seat at the booth, food crumbs are lodged in the table, there's a bit of dirt everywhere.... The owner was preforming live music playing all the instruments, and using a loop; his kids sat near the back giggling, and playing with one another, while his wife single handedly tackled the kitchen. This isn't a place where you run in, grab some food, and rush out. Everything is a bit slower here, and the actual feel of family is overwhelming. It all started to *click; the broken door, the dust and debris, and the family members. It's as though you walked into someone's home; things are more laxed here, nothing is rushed, or are you. This is the way restaurants are supposed to be, where the term "tipping" originated. I could go on and on, but this place is seriously something one has to experience. Now the food, you honestly wouldn't believe me if I told you; you can't tell the difference between their vegan burgers and real ones. This place was full of people who you could tell regular the establishment, as well as people just wanting to try new things. Everything we have had on the menu has been amazing, and extremely reasonable in price. I actually asked the owner how they are making any money? And he said their goal was to show people they can eat healthy food that tastes good for a great price. I seriously hope the absolute best for him, and his family. They have been dealing with local people who thrive on destroying anything different. We have eaten here twice already, and plan on going at least two more times. I only wish they were in Springfield; the food and environment is a breath of fresh air. I hope they make a billion dollars, and start franchises because this is the food we all should be enjoying. read more

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Recently became a pescatarian. Always looking for vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Memphis. The food was just ok. The food was very similar to the frozen vegan dishes you can get from Whole Foods or other grocers. Not so tasty but just ok. I personally was looking for more of a from scratch type of dish using vegetables. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Appetizers - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I read the mixed reviews and kept it simple: got a veggie plate where you can choose any four of the side dishes. I got BBQ baked beans (good BBQ flavor, but quite salty), steamed broccoli (nice to have a green veg that isn't cooked to death like at non-vegan BBQ places), summer corn salad (creamy but refreshing) and mashed yams (had an odd yeasty taste but there was no nutritional yeast.) The waitress was friendly and we were the only people there at 7:30 pm on a Monday, but we didn't wait too long for the food. Some reviewer remarked on the lack of nice presentation/plating. Yeah, it's not Millennium in San Francisco. It's a vegan cafe probably run by kids that don't have a lot of restaurant experience. But it wasn't too pricey ($9.) The paintings on the wall of grazing cows, ducks, pigs and chickens are really nice. Think of it as a cafe. They have a really good smoothie with pineapple and berries. read more

This place is excellent. I have wanted gumbo for years but gumbo is so meat-centric that I hadn't had it in a very long time. It tasted just like the real thing. I was only in Memphis for a few days but I ended up eating here twice because it was so good. I loved the experience of being able to look at a menu and know that I could order anything I wanted and it wouldn't contain things I don't eat. The staff is very friendly as well. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Gumbo and Mac n' Cheese with blue sky cola - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

As a visiting vegan, I really wanted this place to be good. First of all, the service was awful. I had to ask for water three times. When my food came out, one of my sides were cold. I let the waitress know, and she never came back with a new one. To get into specifics about the food: The mac and cheese was tasteless. The seasoned greens were hard. The French fries were soggy and grocery store bought. The nachos were all together bad. Everyone else's food in my party was very low quality and also lukewarm rather than hot. Also, they were out of a lot of items. read more

This is my second time eating here and the food is far from subpar. It is the worst vegan food that I have ever had. The potatoes were so salty, I had to mix the corn with it just to stomach it. The fried chicken was doughy, the cheesecake was like a disgusting sugary mess. The Summer Corn Salad was decent to say the least . I waited two months for their reopening after the pipe issue and nothing has changed. I don't know what the hype is about. It must be their friends who post the positive reviews read more

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The appetizers were great. But the entrees weren't up to par. We ended up having to send my fiancé shrimp po boy back because of the texture. read more

Awesome food. The food is so tasty. You would never know it's all plant based! The staff were warm and friendly. I look forward to visiting when in the area again! read more

I've been going at least once a week for months now! The food and staff are wonderful! I recommend the Memphis Vegan Sandwich Platter!

Imagine Vegan Cafe is much appreciated by this traveling vegan, in a city that is seriously lacking in vegan food options. We were apprehensive to give this place a try, after being tipped off by a local that a lot of the food here is made from pre-packaged, frozen, vegan food items. Coming from a local, I can understand why they don't frequent here more, since a lot of the menu items can be made easily at home. However, we never pass up a chance to try a vegan restaurant, especially the only vegan restaurant in Memphis! We didn't try any appetizers since we were here for lunch and short on time, but I tried their vegan version of a Big Mac for my entree. In my opinion, it was delicious and spot on if I am remembering what a Big Mac tastes like. I had their mac-n-cheese for a side which was equally as delicious. My fiancé went with the buffalo chicken sandwich and onion rings, which he seemed to enjoy quite a bit. The reason I gave this place 4 rather than 5 stars is because it was obvious that much of the menu items were in fact made from prepackaged, frozen, vegan food substitutes rather than from scratch. Additionally, the service was lacking. Our server was nice and apologetic, but that doesn't change the fact that it took 45 minutes to get our food when there were only three or four other tables in front of us. I would absolutely return here if ever in Memphis again and would recommend Imagine Vegan to anyone looking for vegan or vegetarian food options in Memphis. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Preach! - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Good food, GIANT portions! The service here was wonderful! So friendly- was greeted immediately upon walking in. The menu is extensive, so decisions were hard. I wanted something house made- they use Gardein products. The BBQ and sides are house made. I ordered the nachos w BBQ. The BBQ was really good. I also got hush puppies and onion petals. Comfort food for sure! They have a breakfast menu that is love to try. I'm happy I stopped in! read more

First off, my wife is vegan. I am not. (Bacon is King.) She's been wanting to try this place for a while so since this a rare trip to my hometown, I wanted to treat her. Met immediately with friendly service and beers were brought to the table promptly. Started out with the cheese sticks. I was pleasantly surprised at how close they were to regular cheese sticks. We ordered the shrimp po boy and Reuben for lunch. The po boy was good. Fried a little too hard but good. Unfortunately, my wife's Reuben had mold on it. They took it back and gave her whatever she wanted on the house, which were the nachos. She thoroughly enjoyed those. Overall, not bad. Leaving the doors open has a lot flies in the place, but oh well. We'll try them again. read more

I absolutely love this place. I go whenever I'm in Memphis. The people are super nice here.

We went to Imagine Vegan Cafe last night and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. We started with the potato skins. My daughter had the Chicken Bacon Melt with black beans for a side, my son the Meat Sauce Spaghetti and I had the BLT & Avocado Sandwich with a Potato Salad side. (I'm really picky about my potato salad!) We loved the potato skins! My son especially enjoyed them. Sometimes you just want to feel naughty eating rich appetizers...even as a Vegan! :) My BLT & Avocado was really good! The bread was tasty and the tomato / avocado were pleasantly covering the sandwich. The potato salad was savory with a nice hint of dill. (5 stars on that potato salad because omg... so good! I ordered a side to go!) My daughter is visiting from Houston and loved her sandwich and the garlicky black beans. She said this food is delicious! She gave her review of her meal as a 5 star as well. My son, wasn't as happy with the spaghetti. The portion was awesome but the sauce was way too sweet. (This is the only reason my review is 4 stars) Please dial back the sweetness factor and we'll be happy to try the pasta again! We'll definitely head back! Leslie read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - The BLT & Avocado sandwich with potato salad! - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Incredible dishes and desserts that just happen to be vegan. Barbecue sandwich was delicious as were the beans and slaw. Both strawberry cake and peach cobbler was scrumptious. We'll definitely be back when visiting Memphis again. read more

We were on a road trip and pleasantly surprised by the amount of vegan places in Memphis (or was it Nashville) lol. Annnyywaaay- we had the dogs in a blanket which was deeelish. I wish the biscuit was hotter and crispier. we proceeded to eat the BBQ sandwich and Holy HELL! It was unbelievable. seriously a great vegan knock off the real Memphis BBQ style sandwich. The inside was also cute- bare but enough to make it inviting. My husband has to have their t-shirt. Highly recommend Imagine Cafe. read more

Love this place. Hearty, flavorful, satisfying meat-substitute entrees. Haven't had a bad meal yet. The sauteed kale side dish can be a bit heavy on the garlic depending on who makes it, but the other sides are reliably tasty. And for dessert, their soymilk ice cream is refreshing, though too sweet for my taste. But their vegan brownies are awesome! My only recommendation for the management is that they should consider painting the ceiling a different color besides black. It would help reflect light from the big windows, and make it feel brighter. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Boy, it sure is hard being a vegetarian (meatless bbq sandwich @ imagine vegan. $6.99. delicious) - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Was driving from Virginia to Texas and found this place on happy cow. The Vegan BBQ sandwich platter is one of the best meals I have ever had. I have been vegan for nearly 30 years and eaten in some of the best vegan restaurants around the world. The sauce is amazing and the beans on the side were delicious. My son liked the appetizer sampler and dessert was delicious too. I'm sitting in Virginia now dreaming of that sandwich. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan BBQ sandwich. - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I'm not a vegan and wanted to try something new. The fries and sweet potatoes was delicious. The dessert was amazing and the burger was really good. I love the health options they offer and I really enjoy the family atmosphere. read more

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This was my first time here. The space is set up well, the service was good, and the food was delicious. If you're vegan, this is a great spot. My only issue is I also can't have gluten and they use shared oil and cooking spaces, so gluten contamination is almost inevitable. There are a few options still, but not as many as the menu suggests. Despite that, I will likely still be back. read more

Really nice ambiance, affordable prices, and nice staff. This was my first vegan dish so I played it safe and tried the cheese stick. They were pretty good. I tried the chili but wasn't a fan of it. I would certainly come back to this place. read more