Hoa Sen Vegetarian Restaurant

***WASH YOUR VEGGIES***
Broccoli in every dish tastes SUPER BITTTER, yuck, didn’t wash the broccoli, the pesticides still in them, causing the bitter tastes.

This is a small Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant, located in an old strip mall. All the food I’ve tried so far has been flavorful and pretty good. I love their jackfruit salad, bun bo hue, and banh xeo! This place is definitely my go to vegetarian place. Keep pushing out delish plates Hoa Sen, I’ll be back soon!

I came here on a Friday about an hour before they close with my gf
it was our first time here so we didnt really know what to expect. After looking at the menu for a while we decided to go with the Fried Tofu which is what everyone on Unilocal said to try and the rice and fried noodles.
I really liked the rice and noodles they were probably the best vegan ones ive had so far.
I didnt like the fried tofu at all, I was unaware the tofu was going to be the soft squishy kind pretty much out of the package and thrown in the deep fryer, Im sure a lot of people enjoy it like that though so Im not knocking off any stars based on that, I just personally didn’t like the taste and texture of it.
The service could have been better, the lady that helped us took our order and brought the food but never checked on us again for drink refills,
but the rice and fried noodles were really good and Im sure there’s a lot more stuff left for us to try that I’ll also enjoy so we will be back here again for sure.

holy cow.
the first time I came here, I was not impressed. I was actually super unhappy at how bland and unflavored it was.
this second time,
I was in the area and wanted to stuff my face with faux meats. I had the cravings for an orange style chicken to which they do not have, but recommended to me instead, chikn with mushroom noodles and bell peppers. I asked for not spicy on both dishes: chikn with mushroom noodles & lemongrass chikn. perfect spice level for me considering I avoid peppers like a fiend (I’ve stopped eating nightshade plants due to lupus & have never felt better!).
that chickn with the mushroom noodles. MMMM. deep fried. crunchy and tender. the mushroom noodles were SO good. I asked for a bowl of white rice and got like an entire box, which was great — I totally stuffed my face!
the lemongrass chikn is tender and in a sauce. I ATE IT ALL. SO HAPPY AND BLESSED!

My brother who has recently/​not so recently become a full-​fledged vegan has been coming to this restaurant lately. I happened to be in town for mother’s day and he brought a party tray of their mi xao thap cam (assorted stir fry egg noodles). I thoroughly enjoyed it and decided to check it out for myself.
I tried their phở, bun hue, and egg rolls. All were quite delicious and reasonably priced! For those who imagine vegetarian/​vegan food as bland pieces of tofu thrown together to look like a sad version of the meaty counterpart (cue the gelatinous tofurky sitting on a serving dish scene from Everybody loves Raymond) needs to visit this restaurant and give their taste buds a treat.

Eaten here several times all kinds of good food good service especially love all the different spring rolls

This place was amazing! Randomly chose to eat here with a friend. Both of us were impressed and loved the variety of food! Would return without a doubt.

Awesome food and service that we can always count on!
Got the clay pot rice which was good. The wonton soup noodle was good as well. We’ll be back!

When I first came to the restaurant, a lot of dishes here are close to my heart being both vegetarian and Vietnamese. My mom cooks these dishes year round for me (I know — I’m blessed). So my expectations are already high. Overall, this restaurant does a good job overall of making the traditional dishes, but lack consistency in some dishes I think. The two times that I was here, I noticed a lot of people ordered noodle soup type dishes (large portion).
Recommending:
— Banh Nam — I never had this before, so I was excited to try it. It was pretty good. Their vegan «fish sauce» is really the key holder for a lot of the similar dishes.
— Banh Bot Loc — Love. Love. Love. I would recommend.
— Mi Vit Tiem (Mock Duck Noodle Soup) — Not as good as the Zen restaurant level (closed), but I enjoyed it.
— Pan Fried Noodles — Simple and tasty.
— Chanh Day or Passion Fruit Drink w/​Chia Seeds — Refreshing. I can drink two of these easy. They’re usually cheaper to make/​buy from grocery, but it’s nice to have as an option to go with a salty entrée.
Not Recommending:
— Spring Rolls — Ordered it because of Unilocal.It’s fairly typical and ok.
— Phở — My sister, who ordered it, felt the quality is not good as other dishes. She does not recommend. I hate it when people put greeny vegetables in phở… Doesn’t scream authentic.
— Com Dap — This is like a crispy pan fried rice, topped with diced sauté mushrooms. It’s unique in the typical vegetarian/​vegan restaurant menus. I got it once to try it, but would not order again. Other dishes are more worth it.
Service is typical of a Vietnamese mom-​and-​pop restaurant. You can tell right away that it is a family owned cute little place. Prices are super reasonable, which I love! I would come back again if I’m in the area.

This restaurant has a great atmosphere. The staff are really friendly. The place smells so refreshing when they are cooking, and it wasn’t crowded when we went, so we didn’t need to wait for a long time like everywhere else in Santa Ana. My server was an older gentleman and such a friendly person. My boyfriend and I ordered too much food! The portions are huge, but the prices are very generous and affordable. We ordered the seaweed soup and Vietnamese sausages (this one was yummmy «di chiên») for appetizer. We ordered Bò lá lp and bún tht nng ch giò (sorry, I forgot how to say it in English). I also had a passion fruit drink which was amazing and my boyfriend enjoyed his cappuccino smoothie.

This is my favorite vegan place to go to. The favors are on point A+++ so good the fried rice is good. My boyfriend likes it a lot (: and I love the noodle dishes… But everything I’ve tried here was on point. Love this place.

I’ve been going here for years. It’s my fav hole in the wall vegan/​vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant. I love the spring rolls and order it almost every time. The «shrimp» is made of tapioca and it’s pretty damn close to the real thing. Omnivores are always fooled when I have them try it.
I also love the «Com Dap», it’s crispy rice with vegan meat fluff on top. Haha! Sounds funny but it’s their menu description and it’s quite tasty!
The banh xeo (crêpe) is crispy and is served with fresh veggies. Pretty close to how I have it at home which is a huge plus. Most restaurants don’t execute too well.
I’ve tried a lot of things here and they’re good if not decent. Sometimes there can be inconsistency but it’s nothing major.
I love supporting this business not only because they serve vegan food but also because it’s family owned. Service isn’t like your typical restaurant but you gotta consider that you’re in Little Saigon now. Things are different here. I’m use to it from growing up in these neck of the woods. As long as my food’s hot & correct (as far as what I ordered l, lol!) plates & utensils are clean then I’m happy.

A little note about me — I am a Vietnamese food snob but only because my mom is such an amazing cook and I am spoiled rotten by her food. To top it off, she’s been a vegetarian for over 25 years (now vegan) and she’s successfully created vegan versions of a large number of Vietnamese dishes. With that being said, Hoa Sen is the closest vegan restaurant that reminds me of my mother’s cooking. I love this place because they have a wide variety of dishes ranging from Hue specialties (steamed banana wrapped rice and tapioca cakes like banh bot loc and banh nam), different types of salads, rice dishes, noodle soups (the phở is bomb btw and my husband is an avid fan of the bun bo hue), and stone pot rice. They have it all and the food is always consistently good!
My favorite dish to order here would be the Phở. The chicken in it has great taste and texture, and unlike most vegetarian phở options, it actually has authentic phở flavor. There also aren’t any random ass veggies in there like broccoli, bok choy or tofu. Why anyone would put broccoli in a bowl of phở, I will never know.

This place was good. I went here during lent and was surprised at how much the imitation meat tasted like real meat. My friend and i tried the crispy rice, the papaya goi, the «nem nuong» rolls and the crispy tofu. All were really good and tasty. Definitely a good place to try for vegetarians. Service was also quick and friendly. The location was hard to find using gps, but it is located on the far right side of the plaza.

First time here was last Monday and I ordered the nem nuang with crunchy center spring roll. My friend and I split this and we were both full! Man I was so impressed at the quality of the ingredients and so well put together. I really appreciate how all ingredients were the same throughout the spring roll so that even on your very LAST bite, you still get the same amount if veggie, cucumber, crunch and beefpork (thank you! !) It felt like a home run! The owner/​manager is really nice and accommodating, the waitress lady us always so sweet and makes dining experience so pleasant (she’s always smiling). This has become my new fave spot!

I’m a lifelong vegetarian from the east coast. My boyfriend had a work trip to Anaheim this week so I flew in today to get a mini vacay.
Certainly no stranger to vegetarian foods from various Asian countries. But let me tell you– this was the best meal I’ve ever had at a vegetarian Vietnamese style restaurant. Everything is very fresh. We started with the green papaya salad and bbq pork spring rolls. No words, just shoveling food into our mouths. I had the house Phở with the most delicate yet flavorful broth I’ve probably ever had in a vegetarian Phở. My BF got the crispy duck noodle soup and lemme tell you how delicious mock duck really is!
There was never a lick of oil or greasiness in any dish we ordered. The young woman who served us was extremely friendly and accommodating for us being first timers in her restaurant. I will absolutely recommend this restaurant to friends and colleagues traveling through and I’ll definitely be returning for more frequent mini vacations to Anaheim if I can always enjoy the delicious food at this restaurant!

Came here earlier around 2pm for lunch and enjoyed the food. The service was a little bit less stellar but I’d definitely return.
When I came in, I was seated immediately since only about half the seats were filled. I was given a menu and since I’ve never been there before, I was hoping to get some recommendations or some help but unfortunately the waiter who helped me didn’t speak English well. I resorted to looking up some photos on Unilocal and I decided on the lemon grass chicken with rice. It was $ 7.50 and tasted delicious! It came with a bit of soup as well as some tomato and veggies.
I was quite hungry so after I finished my first dish, I ordered the braised chicken. It wasn’t as tasty or as the lemon grass dish but it was still alright.
Over all, the dishes were satisfactory and set at a fair price. I’d recommend checking it out when you’re in town and looking for a good veggie option.

We came here with some friends several months ago and it quickly became our favorite Vietnamese vegetarian spot. The strip mall this joint is located in is a bit suspect, but once inside it’s fine. We bring family and friends here regularly now.
We are creatures of habit so here’s a typical meal for us — favorite appetizer: tofu spring rolls. There is something about the added crunch (of what we think is fried beancurd?) that makes these rolls stand out from the other vegetarian places around town. The peanut sauce that goes with it is just alright. Entrees — husband’s favorite dish is the braised fish in the hot pot. It comes fresh, sizzling from the kitchen to the table. Great texture and flavor. My go-​to is the fried fish with lemongrass. It comes by itself, but I like to make lettuce wraps with a bit of rice and fish — delish combo, imho. All of this paired with hot tea or fresh passion fruit juice is a win in our book.
Today we tried their beef watercress salad and instantly fell in love. The beef is seasoned just right, by far the best veggie beef we’ve had anywhere… served over a bed of fresh watercress and other greens. The dressing seemed to be soysauce-​based with a hint of sweet. Loved it.
Overall the service is pretty good most of the time, some of the servers know us and our preferences which helps. At times you may have to explain yourself several times to get it right. Servings are generous and prices are very reasonable. Most importantly though, the food is consistently on point.

Located in a rather dodgy strip mall on Brookhurst, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside is veggie heaven! Or should I say nirvana… just take it from all the Buddhist nuns I saw there on my visit. If it’s good enough for them, it’s certainly good enough for me. The interior is modest but clean and pleasant. My bf and I ordered the omelet thing, some fried egg rolls, and the rice with lemongrass chili «chicken» (yum). The portions were very generous; it was more than enough food for the two of us. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs, but everything looked so good! Wish I’d seen Sandya N’s rec for the clay pot before I went – will have to definitely get them next time. The young man serving us was very friendly and efficient and overall we had a delightful visit. The iced Vietnamese coffee was a bit of a disappointment because they don’t use regular condensed milk, but such is the vegan life. Everything else was very good and I can’t wait to go back and try some more stuff.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Delicious vegetarian/​vegan Vietnamese food at reasonable prices.

I think this is a 3.75. Good selection of food but they certainly cant handle a crowd. Being almost full when a large party came in they started to scramble. Yellow curry, grilled «chicken» salad, Singapore noodles, crispy rice, Vietnamese sour soup, and tofu stew were all pretty tasty considering they were sans meat. I had to wait Basically the whole mel before i saw my iced coffee though, theyve got the whole family working including the little kids. Is that violating child labor laws? ;)