I recently went to Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant for a late dinner and had a great experience. We were able to get a table immediately, got great service, and shared some delicious dishes: Wonton soup: warm, hearty, delicious wontons Steamed dumplings: perfectly cooked, full of flavorful vegetables Hong Kong tofu: a solid tofu dish Eggplant-good eggplant dish read more

My boyfriend and I have been going to events in Northern Virginia, and after a long absence, we stopped at Sunflower to get a meal. (Really, when I checked in on Swarm, it had been 13 years since my last visit. Now we're going every month or so.) While I noticed some updating--there's more wood paneling, and the menu is sleeker, for lack of a better word--the restaurant still has a warm, friendly vibe with sunflower imagery throughout. The menu is a twist on Asian food, with plenty of analogues, chunks of soy and/or wheat protein, and some vegetables. It's not all vegan--a few dishes have dairy and/or honey, and I suspect one of the noodle dishes uses egg noodles--but those items are clearly marked. We were last there on Thanksgiving and tried a few new things. The veggie kabob reminded me a bit of the kabob at the late, lamented Harmony Cafe in Georgetown. Sure, I'll get that again. I'm not so sure about the mushroom dish. I do love mushrooms, but perhaps this isn't the way to go about it. On prior visits, we've gone with old familiars. The fried "chicken" appetizer (chunks of soy protein and mushrooms fried and served with a spicy ketchup) are a classic. I am still trying to find my go-to entree. Maybe the Crispy Happiness (chunks of soy protein and shredded vegetables cooked mild)? It's a bit far from DC, but it is worth the trip. read more

To preface, I am not a vegetarian. I chose this spot because I was with a friend who is vegetarian. What can say is that the food texture is very similar to the real meats! We had their vegetarian version of shrimp, beef, and chicken. A cool detail with the "shrimp" is that it still had those orange stripes on it, similar to the real ones even though it had a coated layer applied. Taste-wise, it was perfection. Everything was seasoned and cooked well. Some of the dishes are labeled with a pepper but our server says it was for people with really low spice tolerance. I couldn't taste any spice. Staff was friendly. The vibe here is more homey and quiet. read more

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The Good: - Ryan is a wonderful server- professional, pleasant, informative and efficient - wonderful to have a meat-free dining experience - pleasant co-diners - delicious rose tea - clean tables, silverware - quick water refills (and with ice!) The Not-so-great: - cleanliness of the back area and restrooms- I won't return due to that alone - salad bland and oily - a couple small pieces of tofu... almost returned it (and I never return food) - wontons were good, but very oily - crispy "beef" had nice spice, but again so oily I wouldn't return unless they improve the health standards and use less oil. $65 for basic lunch for two. But the staff was fantastic! read more

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I dined here a few months ago with my boyfriend for dinner. We had a General Tso surprise which was crispy, hot and delicious, and a veggie tofu dish. We also had a hot and spicy soup which was delicious as well. Everything was delicious with rice. It was a lot of food, and we took some leftovers home. The service was very nice, polite, helpful. One of the managers helped serve us, and he was super kind. The inside is very relaxed and the food speaks for itself, it's flavorful and fresh. Great option in the area!!!!! read more

i went here before i became vegan and the food was delicious! now that im vegan im so grateful to have a restaurant nearby that i can actually enjoy and not just order a salad :) read more

An absolute great choice for vegetarians, and can work if you're not normally eating vegetarian food. It's located in a small building with enough free parking for customers, and a very comfortable ambience. Staff are very friendly, welcoming, and helpful to customers, and quickly seated us. The food is very tasty, especially if you're not used to an all-vegetarian menu. Prices are overall reasonable given it's a specialty restaurant, portions, and flavors. We started off with seaweed salad and fried "Chick"in, which was a good take on nuggets. For our main meals we had Orion Ruby (a sweet and sour dish with taro dumpling puffs), eggplant medley, and ma po tofu. I personally liked the Orion Ruby best. read more

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Really enjoyed this spot. Sunflower ambiance, interesting menu and very tasty vegetarian dishes. Will come back again to try more. Service was friendly, helpful and dinner arrived without a prolonged wait. . read more

Been to the location in falls church many times, always had a great experience. Decided to try this location, well found hair in the fried chicken and they only offered to replace vs refund the order. In my opinion they have gone down hill. Even with how the cut the vegetables is poor read more

Nice quiet place with plenty of options with Asian flare . The Wonton soup was the best I have ever had . I think it's will be hard to be that . read more

Sunflower is a long-standing institution in Northern Virginia's vegetarian food scene. They offer a variety of fresh, Chinese takeout-inspired dishes that are vegetarian, and certain dishes are vegan, organic, and/or gluten-free. After 5+ years, I visited Sunflower in December 2024 as a new pescatarian along with my somewhat particular, non-vegetarian friend. Staff was kind enough to provide recommendations, after which we ordered the General Tso's Surprise and Songbird. General Tso's has slightly thicker fried coating for a nicer mouthfeel than Songbird, but is sweeter. Songbird is savory and tender, but still sweeter than most kung pao chicken sauces. The ambience is bright and charming, perfect for a small gathering of friends. Staff is friendly and most of all, the food is delightful even for non-vegetarian folks. Overall, highly recommend Sunflower! read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - S13. Songbird - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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Went back here after several years, and the food is even better than I remember. BUT the prices, holy moly! $22 for many entrees! We bought 4 entrees, a side dish, 3 appetizers and drinks: $174 plus tip. I don't remember it being this expensive last time. But the service is good (place was basically empty), and they did an excellent job of making sure I got a dish with no oil (Kale & Burdock: excellent). So, I recommend it, but be prepared for the prices read more

The only full vegetarian restaurant around. They hit it out of the park on Asian food. My companion did not feel the curry was very good. Many different options for dietary choices. I wish there were more restaurants that cater to vegetarians around. I did not miss the meat at all. read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

4.5 stars for some delicious Asian vegetarian food! I love that all the options on the menu are vegetarian and that they have imitation meat. I got the orange imagination and it was good! The wheat gluten is more like seitan than chicken but the orange sauce was good, it tasted healthy, and there was a nice 5 spice flavor to it. I loved the Fantasy roll and thought that it tasted very close to a shrimp tempura meat counterpart. I ordered the wonton soup based on Yelp reviews and thought that the wontons themselves tasted really good like it had XiaMi or baby shrimp for flavor despite being vegetarian. However, I wasn't a fan of the wonton soup. It was heavier than I thought it would be, not the clear broth I expected but rather dark, nutty, and a little spicy. Ther service was fine and the food came out quickly. Of note, they only had udon or soba as noodle options. No tofu noodles, despite what their online menu said. The interior of the restaurant was cute and I liked the sunflower paintings! read more

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Friendly service for years. Vegetarian food so good I had been coming here for decades, even despite not being vegetarian. Wonderful sunflower paintings. Homey dark wood furnishings. Winnie the Pooh book. My favorite is the General Tso's and the Sushi. read more

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Katerin is an incredible server and person. She made our whole evening! The food honestly blew our mind, complements to the chef. This was the best vegan steak I have ever had in my 17 years as a vegan. The atmosphere was perfect, we loved the new menu and dining area. If you are looking for a fresh made to order vegetarian/vegan fine dining experience you have to try Sunflower! read more

*Part 2 Of 2* 8/26/24 Final Thoughts: Sunflower Vegetarian had another location in Falls Church, but it closed down. It is the one I really remember. I was informed I have been to the one in Vienna before, but it obviously wasn't memorable.   The Golden Nuggets and Ms Doubtfire have changed the game and not in a good way. I now understand why we were the only ones there. Okay, there was one Uber driver who walked in and picked up an order, but left quickly afterwards. Douglas made the experience great. He leaves a five star service for great customer service and fixing a problem quickly and efficiently.  However, I still have to leave this with a one star review because of Ms. Doubtfire and what she said.  This left a worse impression than the obnoxious bawsaq soup. No I don't hate Mia for what she said to Douglas, but I do pity her. If you chose to try this place out, I hope it works out for you. Oh!, and I just learned today (8/25/24) this business has only partially passed their health inspections for some time. This is a new feature on Yelp I clearly missed.  Another reason this business didn't have any people eating there except us... read more

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Delicious comfort vegan and vegetarian savory Chinese food! While most of the dishes are heavy in soy and gluten, there's a gluten-free menu. The menu is quite extensive and can seem overwhelming. I've come back 3 times and ordered a delightful feast each time, making my rounds through the menu. The cozy restaurant has small table seating that can fit 30 people, no outdoor seating. Would be a tight space for strollers. The dishes can be hit/miss. While the apps were the stand-outs, the main course dishes were fun to try, but not home-runs Something felt off, like an missing ingredient, or the sauce wasn't quite right. The General Tso sauce was too spicy, while the brown sauce in the Hong Kong dish was runny, and the gingery sauce in the Macrobiotic Tofu dish was too thick and goopy. The dishes don't seem to strike the perfect balance. Family style works best here as the dishes taste much better combined and elevate the flavors. I wish the menu was a bit more paired down and customizable and you could pick your own base (noodle, rice, soup), protein, set of veggies, and sauce. While I enjoyed certain ingredients of different dishes, it would be nice to compile bits and pieces of them into 1 dish! Some of the menu items are seasonal, the restaurant doesn't have Radish Cakes or the Eel Cakes. Here's How I'll Dish it Out from Most to Least Favorite: Spice Veggie Drumsticks (2 come in an order) - These petite drumsticks pack a punch and my must-have for every order! While the spicy ketchup is alright, I wish the restaurant carried bbq sauce, which would pair much better. The spicy peanut sauce is fun to try, but doesn't pair that well. I have my own bbq sauce at home! Xmas Roll (5/5) - Seasonal! Hands-down the best vegan sushi roll I've had and truly bursting with flavor in every bite. The crunchiness from the sweet potato tempura with avocado, peanut, and peanut sauce rounds out the flavors. Colorful Rice Noodles (5/5) - Glad I opted for the thin rice noodles, they were very tasty and cooked well. The mock-meat ham, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and veggies well. I wouldn't recommend adding fried tofu, it detracted from the flavor. Spinach Wonton Soup (5/5) - The broth of the soup is very flavorful and the tender juicy wontons just melts in my mouth. Hands-down among the best soup I've had. Mizuni Sansai Udon Noodles (4/5) - The Udon noodles were quite flavorful with a heap of veggie and chunks of veggie chicken. Wish there was an option to get the steamed/fried tofu instead of the veggie chicken. I was a little surprised to see mushroom in the dish, but no broccoli. Overall I enjoyed the dish and paired well with the Hong Kong Tofu. General Tso's Surprise (4/5) - The crispy mock chicken meatballs was tasty and smothered in spicy sauce! While I dish was fun to try and rarely see a vegetarian version, it was a bit too spicy for me and the soggy meatballs didn't make for good leftovers. If you're a fan General Tso's, then go for it! There's a vegan version too. Hong Kong Tofu (4/5) - The classic Chinese dish with fried tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, kale, and mixed veggies was tasty, but the brown sauce was quite runny and bland. Wish there was an option for steamed tofu. Crispy Happiness (3/5) - Crispy mock-meat beef tips with a sweet and sour sauce, very goopy. Singapore Noodles (3/5) - The thin stringy rice noodles had a nice spicy curry flavor with mushroom and wok fried mixed veggies. Some of the noodles were a bit clumpy. Protein was missing - wish veggie chicken, fried/steamed tofu, or tempeh came with the dish. The noodles got very soggy a couple of days later and had to throw them out. I'd recommend eating the noodles the same day. While I enjoyed the flavor of the noodles, I prefer the Mizuni Sansai Udon Noodles, which was a bit more rounded out with a heap of veggies and veggie chicken. Macrobiotic Tofu (2/5) - While I enjoyed the chunky blocks of steamed tofu, I wasn't a fan of the thick goopy ginger sauce and the super bitter acrid burdock and sweet goji berries and dates. The sweet and savory combo didn't feel balanced. I saved the tofu, and threw out the rest of the dish. Mini Sukiyaki Soup (2/5) - Super bland soup. While the gigantic portion with 2 containers was filled to the brim with a heap of cabbage, onion, greens, mushrooms, and steamed tofu, the broth was flavorless. It would have been nice to have some udon noodles. Something felt missing. Will be back for the drummies, Xmas roll, Spinach Wonton Soup, and Udon noodles! I enjoyed exploring the menu and look forward to coming back to try more dishes. I'm determined to find the perfect well-balanced dish! read more

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Five stars to Katie who not only took my order, but walked me through the menu to help me find the perfect things. Gregarious, helpful, adorable and knowledgeable, she really made this first visit excellent. The menu is extensive and kind of overwhelming with all the wonderful options. There are a few vegetarian options, clearly marked, but otherwise it is all vegan. My food was takeout today, but the dining room is beautiful and the decor of sunflowers everywhere is so fun and attractive. I could see meeting up with my bestie for lunch here sometime. I held back a star because the portions are definitely smaller than I expected and a little less "gourmet" for the price. That said, I will definitely be back at some point while I'm working in this area. YES: Vegan friendly read more

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We love eating here. Everything we have tried had been very good. And every server has been very nice and attentive. read more

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This place is a solid "ok" 3. Let me explain why... We started with the fantasy roll which was absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best sushi I have ever had, tasted like a bomb tempura roll. But beware it has a spicy kick. If I had stopped with this roll, it would have been a 5/5. The rest of the meal was a 2.5/3. We then ordered the songbird and the crispy happiness. Since the crispy happiness just looked like a whole lot of meat I asked that they add bamboo shoots and corn. You can see from the picture there are BARELY any corn in the dish. Yet I got charged 4 extra dollars for the addition to an already expensive $18 dish. It would have been nice if the waiter had informed me of the prices for the additions. I had some of my friends meal to and it was pretty good albeit salty. And I should note the portions are quite large so prepare for leftovers. A few issues I had was that the website advertises that they are gluten free and only use soy products yet their dishes are gluten!!! The songbird states this but the crispy happiness does not. Also, while the dishes are tasty they are DRENCHED with salt and probably MSG. this is not something I would consider by any means a "healthy" meal. Also this place is PRICEY and while I understand inflation and price increases, the dishes should not be over 15$ especially since they can't even offer you a complimentary hot tea when you sit down. A vegetarian sushi with zero expensive sushi grade fish should not be almost 20$!! Also the waiters are very nice but seem green. There's a lot to choose from and a little confusing of a menu so some background and insight would be nice. Also the waiter brought me a small rice container for my "leftovers that didn't even fit all of it. Would I return? Maybe only for the bomb sushi to go. read more

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A clean, classy, but expensive vegetarian place. It is rare to find an all vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the area. Those that exist have one or two options, but are basic. Sunflower vegetarian restaurant is different and has a huge variety of vegetarian/vegan options. The place looks elegant and service is nice, too, However, the pricing is high. I ordered a vegetarian chicken dish and it was $18! The food was fine, but definitely not worth it. I would come here more often if their prices were reasonable (~$15), but I would try other options before coming back. My suggestion is to have some better combo deals and advertise that. I would be a regular, but $18 just for one dish is not encouraging or justified. read more

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The food is very good and the staff are very nice. They had a themed Valentine's day dinner one year that we went for it and it was a great experience. read more

Its been a very long time since I was last in this area and had the opportunity to stop at what used to be my favorite vegetarian resturant. In fact I came here at least weekly prior to 2016. So when I found myself in the area recently, I had to stop here. A lot has changed since 2017 with COVID and more. Sadly, so did the ownership of this place and some of the food choices and quality. The ambiance remains close to what it was, maybe slightly better with the small increase in additional chairs and tables added under the new owners (in 2018 I think I heard?), and the service is as good as it was. I've kept some of my 2017 pics on this post to show the difference and my longtime ptronage. I learned the second location near where the seven streets meet in Fairfax or whatever long ago spilt from the original owners and went out of business prior to COVID. I went there once and it was sub-par back then so no surprise it went belly up years ago. My first disappointment was my favorite dish - macrobiotic roots was gone, the carrot-ginger salad dressing - gone, the free seasonal soup (miso or wonton) given while your order was being prepared - gone, my favorite desert - pumpkin pie with citus topping - also gone. The bench seating was pretty hard to sit on, even with the somewhat thin cushion that sits atop the bench's wood. But it works to get people in and not dwell too long, so others can sit. What they have now is still a fair set of choices, but not the same preparation, portion size or quality. They still have miso soup and wonton soup, but its at a added cost and they added Thai Tom Yum soup (a favorite of mine). I've uploaded the menu pics because the choices are pretty extensive and the prices are what I consider to be at the high end of fair, but not unreasonable given shrinkflation and inflation these days. I had the wonton soup (another favorite of mine) and it was good, nothing to shout from the rooftops about, but good. I had the cold basil spring rolls (fresh veggies wrapped in rice paper) it was very disappointing because it was very dry and seemed like it was sitting around a bit. It was difficult to chew and get down, even with the small amount of peanut sauce provided. I took one bite and threw the rest out - what a waste of money! My friend tried the Tom Yum soup and said it was "okay." Happily, they still have the orange-carrot freshly made juice. I love it and always have, I tried the veggie dumplings - way too pasty/dry. More $$ wasted. I somewhat enjoyed the General Tso's Surprise meatless stir fry. It wasn't as good as the previous owners provided, it was more like pre-made, frozen nuggets of "chicken" with some somewhat tasty sauce placed on top. Lastly, I ordered 2 of the chocolate chip cannolis and tried them later after dinner. The filling was y-u-c-k! My total bill was $63.07 before tip. Of that I wasted at least $26 of it (basil roll, cannoli and dumplings) My friend had the "chicken" drumstick, which was good; Popeye's Special loaf, miso soup, all of which were good. But she also had the dumplings which she said were horrible, dry and had a strange flavor and order. There was a good crowd in the place when I was there on a Sunday afternoon, as it has always been the case, so it's still popular. Would I return here? Yes, but I'd be better at making choices of what to order. I recommend this place but urge caution on what you order such as the cannolis, dumplings, basil roll, etc. Each of us need to "explore" the menu and taste the food to decide what we like and don't, the only problem is that costs money unless (unlike me) you bravely ask for a refund for items you don't like. read more

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We've been coming here for over 15 years. The food is excellent, service is also. They have a good variety of food and my family likes their food as well. Their lunch menu is especially good value and the dining area is spacious and peaceful. read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - Lunch menu - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

I have been coming to this place for decades- it only improves! Definitely recommend for great vegan/vegetarian food.

This is my favorite vegetarian restaurant. The food and ambiance of the restaurant is amazing. I have came a few times now and am now recognized by some of the staff, this is something I have noticed when dining with other tables as well! all around this is a great restaurant with fun and plentiful choices! read more

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We've been here twice to eat in and once during covid for takeout. Not sure why I haven't reviewed it before. Food is solid. Age tofu appetizer was tasty especially the mushroom sauce. We wanted to eat that by the spoonful! Crispy Happiness had nice taste but I think they may have over crisped this order. Still tasty and we happily ate it. Songbird is pretty basic Kung Pao with Two kinds of proteins. All fine but but my favorite. I like that they have brown rice. Will return. read more

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The food was very good, and customer service was great throughout our visit! I highly recommend it to new and repeat customers.

Place is very friendly, food are excellent, I would recommend the As you wish noodles and crispy beef they are so good. Price is affordable. Person who served us was Mia so friendly. read more

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Nice new menu and thai offering but no pad thai. Lots to choose from. Like S1 on the menu, it's an orange "beef" dish with brown rice. Super good! Ordered the tum yum soup, still a bit too spicy. I cut it with a little water and it was much better. Great service. Will be back. read more

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I took my mom here for her 60th birthday and the quality did not disappoint! Our reservation was originally for a party of 4 at 8pm but we had to change it to party of 6 and the switch was easy. We found out we had a party of 7 once arrived and the restaurant was still able to accommodate and got us seated with no problem. The restaurant was quite small and our reservation was for a Sunday night so it was nice for our large party to be seated right away. It seems we were the last to be seated thought since people started to leave as we were getting our food. The servers and waiters were starting their closing tasks so service wasn't 100% but it wasn't an issue either. My mom is vegetarian and pretty much only eats asian food. It's hard to find a restaurant that fits her preference in this area but she LOVED the place. She complimented every single dish that came out and was impressed how well and real to meat they all looked and tasted. Our guests that aren't vegetarian felt the same. I'm sure this will be a go to spot for my mom from now on. read more

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We live out of town now and miss Sunflower! Any time we're even an hr away we make sure to get here. So EXCELLENT! This's why they e been here for so many years read more

This is my new favorite restaurant. The vegan selections are wonderful and delicious. My husband who is far from vegan found many options to order, and this is his new favorite places to dine, too. The service is great and the ambiance is very welcoming. We've dined at Sunflower several times and never been disappointed. read more

A very delicious take out order of fresh spring rolls, the spicy spinach dumplings, macrobiotic tofu and the mizuni noodles. The best by far were the noodles and the spinach dumplings. I'm very happy I yelped this place before and read about the dumplings because they were really delicious and you can easily eat 20 of them. The mizuni noodles had a lot more flavor than I was anticipating and stir fried perfectly. It is a dish that excited me to want to try their other noodles dishes. I really enjoyed the macrobiotic tofu dish as well although the boyfriend felt it was a little boring. I wasn't a huge fan of the fresh spring rolls only because there were almost toooo crunchy and one note with the jicama inside. But overall, I really enjoyed this place. read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - Mizuni noodles- excellent Macrobiotic tofu- really good Spinach Dumplings- excellent Fresh rolls-okay - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

When I am in Virginia I love stoping by here! If you're a vegan/ vegetarian this is definitely a place worth visiting. We got the lo mein and opted for udon*** noodles and it was amazing! The atmosphere is very warm and inviting. And the service was quick and to the point, very direct and the efficiency was great. read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - Colorful Veggies Lo Mein with udon noodles ! - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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So good! Amazing service and really calm ambiance. The skewers were insane, all of the vegan meats were amazing. The steamed dumplings were okay, not bad but I wouldn't order again. The colored vegetables lo mein was good as well. Would return! read more

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Amazing place for vegetarian Asian food! Cute sunflower decor inside. Staff is friendly, but not the most attentive. Service was quick though. We really enjoyed the Crispy Happiness. It was "beef" with broccoli and some shredded carrots. Very flavorful and crispy!! Came with brown rice. The Veggie Patty in Tom Yum Soup with noodles was also so delicious! Lots of veggies like cabbage, baby corn, bean sprouts. Very hearty! read more

Bright and open dining room with an excellent and diverse vegetarian menu. Food prep is also excellent and taste is splendid. Huge variety of dishes with assorted flavors, all served promptly and courteously. Highly recommended! read more

Love this unexpected find. Many of their dishes are vegan or can be made vegan. The food makes creative use of veggies to create flavorful dishes. It's always nice to dine with like-minded people who share a passion for healthy eating. My favorite things was the orange chicken. read more

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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