Swades VegG Express

100% fresh ingredients (nothing frozen or canned), vegan-​friendly, awesome business model, great and friendly owner. Give this place your business so they stick around!

I had a huge backlog of Unilocal reviews to write, and I apparently saved the best for last!
I’m vegan, and I absolutely love vegan-​friendly restaurants. More than that, and even more challenging to find, is a restaurant that understands the vegan diet and starts with a vegetarian base. I’m not going to have to worry about meat contamination in this restaurant, because they don’t prepare or sell meat; nice!
The food here is super tasty, and they do have a menu that changes daily, so you’re much less likely to get bored with the food than you would with a restaurant with a fixed menu. If you want something specific, visit their web-​site, as each day is listed and you can pick your favorite days to go.
Typically, there are so many options that you really have to just pick one or two, or risk being overstuffed with food. Better yet, bring a friend or three, and order as a table — sharing the food communally. That’s really the best way to experience a place like this, if you’re game.
The inside is white, clean and new. When I last went, they had cute vegetable characters hand-​painted along the walls. The owner and staff are very friendly, and are willing to work with folks with dietary concerns.
Food is prepared fresh, which is something I’m not really used to. In our culture, we get so used to speed of service, because things are pre-​made, and they are reheated quickly and put in front of us. Because we get used to the speed, we also get used to the taste of reheated food. When you have food that is prepared freshly, it’s a completely different ballgame.
When I went, I experienced:
— Basmati rice with seasoning — very flavorful!
— Lentils with spinach (spinach dal)
— Curried tofu with a yummy sauce
— Dry curry with Indian seasoning, almost like a rub
* Mixed chaat with lentils, chick peas, and crunchy bits
I also had the green juice, which contains all sorts of veggies: spinach, cucumbers, kale, celery, green apple and a hint of ginger. Loved it!
Keep in mind that this is slightly different than what you may be used to:
* The food is fresh
* They don’t use butter, margarine or any preservatives.
* The juices and smoothies don’t use any added sugar, so they might not be as sweet as you are expecting, but they’re a lot healthier for you.
One difference between this and other restaurants is that they avoid waste wherever possible. One of the main reasons why they have a rotating selection of food, is so that you can still have a huge menu of fresh food, but the items are distributed throughout the week. Get increased variety without as much waste.
Another difference is that they apparently prefer it if you pre-​order your food. I’m not entirely sure how this works logistically, so I just show up and eat what they give me as long as it’s vegan — but I believe if you pre-​order, you might get some form of discount when you arrive to eat. That sounds like something they might need to explain a little better on the web-​site, because Americans aren’t really used to pre-​ordering anything, particularly food. You walk in, look at a menu, and see what appeals to you in that moment. It might take some retraining to get people to use this option — but I’m sure discounts won’t hurt either.
Another cool side-​effect of the food is that I didn’t leave feeling bloated, tired or over-​stuffed; even though I’d eaten a great deal of food. So much Indian food is very heavy on the stomach, that it’s a relief to be able to taste all the food, without feeling like falling asleep afterward. I’m also sure that the energy-​boosting healthy veggie juice helped a little with that as well.
This restaurant is relatively new, and I hope it does very well. Its concept is awesome, the food is super tasty, and although the eating area up front only has three or four tables, it still feels comfortable. It’s in Powell on Sawmill Parkway, so you basIcally go to Sawmill and keep driving.
Overall, a great new restaurant that I would highly recommend to all my veggie friends, but also to everyone else, because you can totally eat this food and feel satisfied afterward.

Now I am a card carrying member of the omnivore club and I love meat, but I had to go in and try this place out since I drive past it at least once a week. It is a small place but not so small they can’t fit a few tables in there. When I went they were hustling in and out plenty of carryouts.
The menu varies daily and I suppose if you don’t hit it on a day they have something you really want, then you have to wait till next week. As I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted they let me have a little sample of things to see if I liked it or not. Cool! I settled on the curry gravy and the spinach dal. Both were nummy with just a bit of a tingle spice wise.
But the smoothie? OH BABY! I didn’t want the smoothie they had listed so they let me substitute a fruit instead. It was pure fruit and ice — nothing else. I had raspberry, blueberry, and mango. I did not miss the extra sweetness that some other smoothies might have from added ingredients. And 16oz was only 2.99 $. I could get into a habit of this!
Very very reasonable prices and not heavy on the belly like some Indian food. Going back to try some other days combos.