Kaju Shoya Masala and Basmati Rice at Bay Biryanis in Mountain View

  • Bay Biryanis
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  • White Veg-options
Lacto
Ovo
Indian
Delivery
Take-out
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Local Indian restaurant known for it's biryanis. Offers many vegetarian options. Vegan items are not clearly marked and need to be asked for. Most vegetarian items should be able to be made vegan. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-10:00pm.

Venue map for Bay Biryanis
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1 Review

First Review by andyjng

Avatar andyjng

andyjng

Points +5372

Vegan
28 Jul 2024

Avoid if Vegan; Okay for Vegetarian

My friends raved about Bay Biryanis as being a less frills, more affordable Indian spot in Mountain View and I have to agree. The food was pretty good but the experience was rocky. Let me explain.

TLDR; avoid if you're fully plant-based/vegan.

Their menu indicates items that are veg based which they are all vegetarian. As a vegan that avoids eating dairy, ghee, etc., I was surprised that our server either did not seem to understand my question about what was vegan friendly and what items were or weren't.

He first told me that none of the menu is vegan and I was surprised given how dishes like Gobi Manchuria and even paratha are usually naturally vegan. I pointed out different menu items that I've had in the past that could be made vegan and he said no to them being such. I then asked him to clarify if he meant NONE of the menu can be vegan, to which he then asked if I meant I don't eat milk or ghee... I tried explaining again what I don't eat and suddenly he seemed to nod that some options WERE in fact vegan.

It was a confusing situation and ultimately I ordered the Kaju Soya Masala ($16) which is a cashew-based curry with soy chunks and masala spices. He stated it did not have ghee or milk, and I took his word for it. I asked if they had roti and he said no, and stated that the paratha was not vegan here. I ended up ordering basmati rice and even triple checked that they don't actually cook the rice in some type of animal fat (which I have seen done in one Indian restaurant before).

It was a very interesting experience and even though the food was good, I'm not confident that what I ate was fully vegan. Even later at night, my stomach started hurting so there may have well been dairy in my dish.

Despite this being an Indian restaurant with veg options, the lack of understanding for vegan items (which should not be hard to understand especially for what is typically a very veg-centric cuisine) tells me I won't be returning in the future.

Cons: Menus do not clearly mark vegan items, Staff did not seem to understand what vegan meant

Kaju Shoya Masala and Basmati Rice at Bay Biryanis in Mountain View

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