Veggie Grill

You can’t go wrong with this place. The food at this Veggie Grill is what you’d expect at any of their restaurants. It’s not bad but also not the best… it’s just consistently good.

I ordered online and to take away. They forgot the cake that I had ordered.
My daughter would not eat the Mac n cheese.
She did not touch it and said it was nasty. I didn’t really enjoy it that much either. It was very cold.
Odd I live right next door, it should be hot.
All of our food was cold.
Even our frys cold.

Veggie grill is any day a five star restaurant. My daughters are vegetarians and they love the taste at this place. I personally like the buffalo wings.

Love my Veggie Grill. My fav plate is the crispy chicken plate with mashed potatos and a side of kale. My other is the banh mi salad (which is a relatively new addition to their menu).

I love that Veggie Grill is expanding and that there are so many Orange County locations now! This one is in the old Oscar’s /​Pat & Oscar’s location by the movie theatre. Veggie Grill in general, has a ton of menu options for vegetarians (duh) and has become a favorite for my mom when she has cravings for things like crispy chicken sandwiches. My go-​tos are always the crab cake sandwich, papa’s portobello, or santa fe crispy chicken sandwich as a wrap. For sides I like the all hail kale, sweet potato fries, cauli-​mashed potatoes, and mac-​n-​cheese. This weekend I branched out and tried the new quinoa & veg burger, which was also really good!
Now that you mention it, the bombay bowl is really good, as is the seoul bowl. or, really, everything on the menu.
My dad is a pretty closed-​minded individual who doesn’t like these new-​agey types of places, but even he had to admit that the food was really good, really filling, and not heavy or greasy like regular fast-​service /​fast-​food restaurants.
This location is clean and quick with friendly staff. You can order online or by phone and pickup in store, and they offer delivery starting at $ 1. Definitely a new family favorite.

I’m giving this 5 stars, because it really is amazing for what it is (you order at the counter, etc.) and fun vegan restaurants are hard to find.
I’ve never had a bad meal here and I’ve tried most. My omnivore friends all love it here, except one, and he really only likes pizza and burgers. The vibe is casual and All American, rather than hippy or hipster, like many healthier establishments.
Favorite appetizers: Buffalo Wings, Crispy Cauliflower, Sweetheart Fries.
Favorite snacks: Buffalo Mini Wrap, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Favorite Salads: All Hail Kale, Kale Caesar with blackened tempeh or crab cake added, Banh Mi Salad.
Favorite bowl: Sonoran Bowl.
Favorite sandwiches (often kale style): Santa Fe Crispy Chicken, Buffalo Bomber, Bad Boy Burger (seasonal, I think), Crab Cake, Papa’s Portobello
I don’t love their veggie burgers mostly (bad boy exception) and, like most restaurants, there is a LOT of sodium. Most of the soups I’ve tried are also good. Kale sides are consistent and bright green — always a great health boost!
My husband loves the crispy chicken plate.
Everyone who works here is nice and helpful and the restaurant is sparkly clean always.

What an awesome place! I’ve been dying to hit this place up near my house (Carlsbad) BUT I never get around too. I came up to visit my girl friend here in Irvine and she goes «hey lets go here!»
The service could’ve been a tad better… the girls weren’t very welcoming and greeting as they should have been. But the menu is simple and there’s a good variety for someone that loves everything and loves eating healthy, like myself.
I got the pick two option — buffalo wrap & the kale caesar salad. The salad was awesome! I loved the apples cut into it. The wrap was ok, not the best but it did my taste buds good. We also got a small side of the «sweetheart fries» aka sweet potato. My very first time trying it and I love sweet potato fries! Oh my gosh!
The fact that it’s completely vegan friendly makes the health freak in me happy! Making meatless Monday’s a whole lot easier for me :)

I’m not a vegetarian but I like try to new things. I walked in and one of the guys immediately started helping me out. The service was great!
I had no idea what to order, he asked me questions until I decided on the Bombay bowl with tofu on top.
I don’t think my friends would believe me if I told them I was eating quinoa and kale for lunch. I love eating the most unhealthy meals with bacon on top. But if this is what all of their food tastes like then I’m down to be a vegetarian. It was amazing! Every bite had so much flavor. I cannot wait to come back!

Your sweet potato fries are good. Your lentil soup is salty tomato water. No lentils. Taste like chili water. Worst lentil soup ever.
Salad was descent. Forgot my cole slaw.
And your «chickin» sandwich was good

I love that this place has made vegan food semi-​mainstream. Everything here is vegan, but all of my non-​vegan friends still love eating here. They also have a nice rewards program where you get free credit for every so much you spend.
The Kale Caesar is so good — add tempeh. And all of the desserts are yummy. (:

Yum yum yum! Came here for a quick bite before watching a movie and my SO and I absolutely loved it!
I got the chicken penne, my boyfriend got the buffalo chicken wrap, and we also got the tempura green beans. Oh those green beans were so delicious.
Chicken Penne (⁴⁄₅): I really liked this but I felt like it was slightly under-​salted. I liked the flavor and the «chicken» but I wish the flavor was stronger. My boyfriend commented that the chicken looked dry but that was because he didn’t know it was a vegetarian restaurant. I told him it’s not really chicken and he was so shocked! I don’t think he would have known if I didn’t tell him. He said he felt lied to and I seriously couldn’t stop laughing at him!
Buffalo Wrap (⁵⁄₅): THE FLAVOR ON THIS IS PHENOMENAL! Oh man, I was so not expecting that. How in the world is that buffalo sauce so delicious? This was more a snack than a meal but I really enjoyed it. I wish it was bigger! I also ordered the buffalo chicken wings, and I regret not ordering it because the sauce is amazing. My boyfriend absolutely loved his wrap! But I think he was a bit disappointed by the fact it wasn’t real chicken. (Still laughing.)
Tempura Green Beans (⁴⁄₅): The green beans were so good! It was crunchy and delicious. The sauce was a bit weird though. I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. But I actually liked it. I ended up grabbing ketchup but then the ketchup was a bit overwhelming. Regardless I really liked it.
This changed my entire opinion about veggie grill and I will definitely be back.

My husband and I have been frequenting this location since we became veggie a few months ago. We usually end up coming after hiking on Sunday afternoons and always have our dog in tow. They have a really nice outdoor patio and we’ve seen others with dogs so we figured this would be a good place to bring him. Usually we don’t have a problem until yesterday.
We were about halfway done with our meal, when one of the younger employees walked over and began the conversation with «look, it’s not because of your dog, it was because you were rude to my coworker.» We had no clue what was going on so we asked for clarification. He started lecturing us about the correct way to treat people. Again, we had no clue what he was talking about. My husband and I have both been in the service and restaurant industries for years and try to be exceptionally kind to everyone because we’ve been through it all before. The employee finally noticed our confusion, asked us a few questions about our dog and realized we weren’t the people he was intending to scold. He laughed at the misunderstanding and went on with his day. We were left sitting there shocked and embarrassed at what had just happened and ended up leaving before finishing our meal.
The employees are always incredibly nice but watch out for the kid with the snakebite piercings. He was not pleasant at all. Will absolutely not return to this location.

As a vegetarian, I have been wanting to try this place for sometime.
I came in and was so overwhelmed with all of the delicious sounding items, I wasn’t sure what to order and in a bit of a rush with a lot of people in line so I asked the cashier what they would recommend and what was their favorite. So I ordered their Quinoa Power Salad, without avocado (it arrived with it, but I figured I could pick it out) and a side of cauliflower. Neither were my first picks, but I did ask and was in a rush so I went with it.
Aside from the avocado, the salad was pretty good and satisfied me for much longer than a typical salad. The cauliflower was delicious. A taste and yumminess I wasn’t really expecting.
All in all it was good and I will be back, but I’ll plan on coming in with more time and pick something else.

I’ve been to this location several times. They’ve been consistent each time I’ve dined there. Compared to the Barranca and the Long Beach locations, I like this location the best.
The staff is friendly and always shows sincerity when answering any questions. I don’t really ask any questions, but I have overheard them when other customers do. Haha!
My favs: All Hail Kale, Savory Kale Caesar, Buffalo Wings, Crispy Cauliflower, & Crispy Chikin’ Plate.
Today I tried the mac n cheese, it was just ok. I finished it all but it’s definitely not something I’d recommend an omnivore to try. I think they use Daiya which I’m not a big fan of.
I’m not a big fan of the Banh Mi Salad even though a lot of people love it. I think it’s because of the sloppy preparation I got each of the 3 times I’ve ordered it (from Barranca & Long Beach locations).
Tips: If you order the mondo nachos, sub the chips with fries, fries take it to the next level! – you can thank me later. If you order buffalo wings, get the buffalo sauce on the side so the «chicken» stays crispy and always get a side of ranch with it.

Slightly disappointed with my second time visiting this chain.
Service: Quick and easy (thats what she said?) as usual.
Food: I ordered the Thai tofu wrap. The mint… not necessary. The glazed tofu was delicious but the mint overpowered and made the wrap less appetizing. I also got «herb marinated vegetables» on the side however there seemed to be no marinade nor seasoning, as thought they were simply steamed. Lacked any flavor.

Veggie Grill is my spot for quick-​casual vegan eats.
This location in particular is super convenient at the Tustin Marketplace because I can head over after a yoga class at CorePower across the street. Lunch time can get crazy as the whole plaza seems to be the destination of people on their lunch breaks, but other times the waits are short and the food comes out pretty fast.
My go-​tos are always the buffalo wings that are nice and spicy and served with their dairy free ranch and the crispy chicken sandwich. Both are good if I’m not in the mood for anything in particular and always a solid choice in terms of quality and consistency.
The reason for my review is their Banh Mi Salad, in which I hope they keep on their menu forever! Glazed tofu, grilled eggplant, pickled carrots, white cabbage, jalapenos, basil, cilantro, mint, and kale. The dressing is both sweet and spicy, but the salad in general has a good amount of heat since it contains the jalapenos. I could literally eat it every day if I could.
Wash it down with a delicious cup of lemonade or hibiscus tea and it’s a great lunch or dinner spot without too much hassle!

This Veggie Grill is located in the Irvine Market Place, tucked behind the Edwards Cinemas, next door to Pieology. If you can find Island Burgers, you can find this place across the driveway.
Veggie Grill is vegan, not just vegetarian, so if you’re a dairy lover, you will be a little disappointed on certain items like mac n cheese. I love their crispy cauliflower and sweet potato fries, and could eat them all day, except even though its vegan, its still not calorie free!
A kids meal with 3 cauliflower plus the sweet potato fries and a dessert comes to 700 calories. So even this place you have to watch what you eat and not over indulge.
The food is quite tasty, and I say its all about the sauce. You’d never know its plant based, unless you really think about it.

While in Irvine today, I stopped by for lunch. I’m a regular at the Encino location where I live. They no longer make the Asain salad, so I was told. The lady at the front reccomended the quinoa kale salad. I asked it if was filling and she said yes.
Well, I wasn’t impressed, and it was not filling to me at all. She came by with a sample of the tempura green beans, i had one and it was very good. The green iced tea was good as well. They have a nice outdoor patio. I definitely would not get that salad again, but the service and cleanliness was pretty good.

Don’t con an expert. A Mac N Cheese expert that is.
I asked my son what he wanted for lunch and as usual, he said Mac N Cheese. My son loves it.
I’m trying to eat a little healthier and decided to give Veggie Grill a try.
I ordered the kid’s Mac N Cheese meal. It came with a side (fries), a drink & cookies.
I don’t know what was in his dish, but it wasn’t Mac N Cheese according to him. Have you tried arguing with a 4 year old and loose. I had to finally concede to the boy that I tried to get him to eat a little healthier, he was not buying it. He saw Islands across the street and said «let’s leave and go there, they have better food their» I was rolling on the booth laughing.
He did love the well done skinny fries though =)
For me I tried the Quinoa Veggie Burger w/​a side of slaw. I have to say it was tasty and it had good flavors. But I also have to concede, I only ate half of the burger and barely touched the slaw. My wife enjoyed the leftovers. lol.
I also got the Ginger Hibiscus Tea, that was very good.
Service was helpful (to a confused first timer) and that was appreciated.
The place was clean and had some roomy booths as well as tables for two. It a nice place to dine in.
Price was reasonable.
I got my son to eat some of his Mac N Cheese, but as we left the restaurant he tells me «Papa, please don’t take me back here, I’m going to tell Mama I didn’t like the food here». Please excuse my 4 year old son, he’s not ready to be a vegan yet. Lol. Make that the two of us =)
2015 Review #144

I have taken many of my vegetarian family members to this Veggie Grill. It is one of my go to spots if I’m spending time with them. This is a pretty cool looking vegetarian spot next to the Edwards theater.
Parking is super easy and ordering is also pretty simple to. I like the black bean and quinoa mix. It makes you pretty full even though it’s a small side. I also liked the kale caesar salad. If you don’t like that much salad dressing you should tell them to put it on the side.
They also have different soups for the different days of the week. With many different options and to me all pretty tasty it is your choice what you want to eat for a lunch or a dinner here. But whatever you choose it will be pretty tasty.