Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Delivery
Take-out
Vegetarian restaurant. Offers sandwiches, faux meats, vegan dessert, and more. Another entrance at 600 S Broad St. Reported closed, Oct 2019.
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1408 South St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 19146
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 02 Nov 2019 by DavidHerring
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32 Reviews
First Review by supervegan
supabush
Points +959
Great food, helpful staff - Edit
I heard great things about the chicken cheesesteak, so I thought I'd give it a try! My my my! it was delicious! Could have used a bit more filling but it was super tasty! I ordered on grub hub and it took a bit longer than expected, but when I went to pick it up the man told me he was out of scallops, so he offered me the shrimp instead. I'm not too picky so I was just fine with that. He was very kind about it and wanted to make sure I was okay with the change, so that was why it took a bit longer. He even threw in an extra shrimp for me, not sure if it was on purpose or not but hey, I'll take it! The shrimp and the chicken we're both very realistic and delicious! The sauce that came with the shrimp for dipping also was perfect! I probably wouldn't order the shrimp again, only because it was it was a little too real for me (not a bad thing I'm just not a huge seafood fan and it REALLY tastes like shrimp! If you love seafood I highly recommend!) Everything was delicious and the staff care about you having a good experience! I definitely will be coming again next time I'm in Philly!
Read morePros: Very realistic mock meat, Yummy sauces, Great staff
Cons: Could use a lil more filling in the sandwich
Guest
CinnamonGoil
Points +200
Best “Shrimp” - Edit
Went here once and got their vegan shrimp. It’s SO good, I cannot wait to go back for more.
Read moreGuest
MrNiceGuy
Points +21
Very friendly great service - Edit
I had a wonderful experience, the staff is very friendly polite and helpful. the restaurant is clean, I recommend the vegan chicken cheesesteak!
Read moreGuest
nat813
Points +52
Amazing! - Edit
Awesome vegan chicken cheesesteaks, chicken nuggets, and French fries. Staff is super accommodating. The first time we ordered they were so patient with us. Love this place
Read morePros: Amazing vegan casual food options!, Awesome staff, Vegetarian options too.
Cons: None.
Guest
Luproch
Points +393
Real hipster vegan spot in Philly! - Edit
This place was literally two minutes away from our Airbnb. We were little sad that visited this lance just the night before we left, shame on us! There are so many options, so much to try.
Read moreOur pick for the night was the “Chicken” burger on whole wheat roll, with cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Sounds ordinary, but the the burger was awesome! If I remember well we got offered to kinds of vegan cheese. I don’t remember which one we picked but it was delicious! Since it was quite hot and humid day in Philly - even in the night, we got also organic mint lime lemonade - house-made by Govinda’s. Tasty, refreshing. Well recommended.
Outstanding was also the staff - well actually the one and only guy who took our order, funny and friendly.
Pros: Hipster vibe, God deal , housemade lemonade
Guest
Mooncalf
Points +30
Amazing! - Edit
We got chicken fingers and the pepper steak sandwich. It was so delicious! The chef even gave us a small sample of another dish. Everyone was super nice!
Read moreGuest
LocdVegan
Points +97
All around - Edit
The ppl are cool and so is the food.large variety of tasty Philly food and great for new vegans.
Read morePros: Cheap good food
Guest
lindsayshae123
Points +139
Delicious Comfort Food - Edit
Tons of options from salad to comfort food. I'm not one to splurge on a $10 salad, but I do enjoy their sandwiches, quesadillas and desserts. I am in love with the chicken cheesesteak from here. The bread, "meat," and "cheese" are all so tasty. They don't move with much sense of efficiency here but it isn't dreadfully slow.
Read morePros: variety, good food
Cons: slow service, atmosphere is lacking
Guest
Yosef77
Points +13
First time, will be back! - Edit
My partner and I each got a "chicken cheese steak" sandwich. Started eating and didn't talk to each other until we were done. That good!
Read moreGuest
Ksugar6
Points +261
Desserts! from Vegan Treats - Edit
It's been a while since I've eaten here, but they carry some amazing donuts and goodies from Vegan Treats in Bethlehem PA.
Read morePros: DESSERTS
Guest
kim2121
Points +449
Nice Lunch Stop - Edit
I was in the mood for a salad the other day and stopped in to try Govinda's. I tried the vegan caesar salad, which I thought was really good. It had a nice made-at-home taste to it, and was very filling. The service was friendly too.
Read moreGuest
elephantelizabeth
Points +68
Wraps are awesome - Edit
Stopped in for lunch once when visiting Philly. I ordered the Chimichanga in a habenero wrap. Extremely tasty! Just the right amount of spice in the wrap. The food came out quickly. The desserts looked extremely good, but I walked away regretfully without buying one.
Read moreOne thing I did not like was how dirty it was. The decor was nice, but it was not well kept and the mirror in the women's bathroom had graffiti scratched on it. However, it is not a sit down restaurant so it was not too bad and there were plenty of other people in there who seemed not to care.
Pros: Quick, Tasty
Cons: Dirty
Guest
rob mafia
Points +54
hard to really assess... - Edit
edit (9/3/2013): this place has more ups and downs than a book of economics charts. at the moment, it's at a high point. service and food have been great recently, no real complaints.
Read more(old review below)
(and weird, could have sworn i made a review for this place, years ago. then again, if it was purged, it would make sense, as my views of it are far different now)
pros: desserts. ice cream and vegan treats (even if neither are actually made by govinda's...)
the chicken cheesesteak and sabji wraps are about the only 'real food' things i've liked here. everything else was either mediocre, lousy, or contained animal products (contrary to the claims of the staff).
the prices seem to continually increase, and at this point... it's barely worth going to. about once every 6 months or so, i'll go for a sandwich. occasionally, i'll pop in for a bear claw or something.
but i really don't want to give this place much money, at all. [edit by staff] from the animal products in "vegan" sandwiches to the hours continually not being listed correctly (last time i went there, the grill was closed. it was 1.5 hours before their website/menu claimed they were closed, but mere minutes before they were actually closing [i was talked into a golden tofu sandwich. it was good for a couple bites, then progressively awful. sauce made me feel sick]) to them constantly being out of rolls or sabji ingredients... it's hard to want to put up with it.
i guess it's nice that they have others' desserts and the honest teas and etc, but that kinda makes this place little more than a niche grocer, for my purposes.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday September 03, 2013
Guest
eravencroft
Points +168
Chicken Cheese Steak - Edit
Isn't that what everybody orders? Get it with vegan cheese and Vegenaise, maybe grab a cup of yellow split pea and a dessert if it's Thursday, and you are good to go. Be warned, however, once you enter into this Chicken Cheese Steak covenant with Govindas you may never leave.
Read morePros: all vegetarian cheese steaks in Philly, more than chicken cheese steak on menu, decadent vegan deserts
Cons: impossible to break covenant
Guest
vegan_ryan
Points +3869
Amazing - Edit
This was my go-to place when living in Philadelphia. Other than the dairy cheese option on sandwiches, everything else is vegan. I've tried nearly everything on the menu, and there were few items I didn't like. They also carry desserts from other places, which is a bonus.
Read moreGood prices, quick service, amazing quality.
Pros: All-veg, Fast, Good prices
Cons: Offers dairy cheese when it's not needed
Guest
mariaiswaycool
Points +88
Vegan Philly Chicken Cheesesteaks - Edit
I have been here at least 2 or 3 times, and I always get the same thing everytime -- the vegan chicken cheesesteaks with peppers and mayo on a sesame seed roll. Add some ketchup, and it is just amazing. I cannot speak to other items on the menu because every time I'm there I end up with the vegan chicken cheesesteak. Great and filling! Obviously, the food is a bit greasy, but this should be expected when ordering the vegan version of a Philly cheesesteak.
Read morePros: Philly Cheesesteaks for Vegans, Great Bread
Cons: A bit greasy
Guest
jlbco
Points +173
More-or-less vegetarian "fast food". - Edit
Fast? Well, not exactly. Wide range of vegetarian choices ranging from excellent to mundane, NO "atmosphere", pricing moderate, not cheap. Best thing on the menu? The "tuna" wrap. (Skip the black bean & rice chimichanga.) All in all, a good place to grab lunch, although the interior could sure use a new coat of paint, if nothing else-- it's looking a bit shabby these days. (My wife & I usually eat here at least once whenever we're in Philly, which isn't too often.)
Read morePros: Good food, Generous portions, moderate prices
Cons: Needs spruced up, Could be cleaner, No A/C
Guest
Jamie Roberts
Points +336
Delicious, Mostly Vegan Fare - Edit
A fun, friendly long-established fast-food place with some truly delicious offerings. The Kofta "meatball" sandwich is to die for; they have vegan ice cream and desserts as well. I live quite a distance from Govinda's, but it's worth the trip - and certainly worth walking a few blocks if you're downtown already.
Read morePros: Delicious, Mostly Vegan, Variety
Cons: Street Parking isn't free
Guest
conniex721
Points +136
Not my Favorite - Edit
Overall, I was not super impressed. I felt it was a little grubby, and my meatball grinder was on rather stale tasting bread, with slimy soy cheese. However, my friends enjoyed their meals, so either they were humoring me or I got the wrong thing!
Read moreThe servers were very nice and even sat us in our own private dining room. However, we were a bit confused as to were the restaurant was (it's next door if anyone was wondering!).
Pros: Friendly Servers, Good Variety
Cons: Grimy, Mediocre Food
Guest
onlyahuman
Points +214
For those on the run... - Edit
I've been to Govinda's a few times and have always done the buffet. I finally got to just the Cafe and tried some different things (Kofta ball sandwich, samosas, cheesecake) all of which were great! My vegan and non-vegan friends alike rejoiced in what they got.
Read moreGuest
Krutolow
Points +170
Govinda's ... very good for what it is. - Edit
See the whole review and more pics at Marty's Flying Vegetarian Review. www.martysnycveggiereview.blogspot.com
Read more...A wonderful crusty whole wheat italian style bread, (so was the sesame bread), and copious amounts of moist, flavorful, chunks of soy chicken with soy vegan cheese, sauteed peppers, (only green), and veganaise. Now I probably could have left off the veganaise, saved 100 calories and had just as delicious a sandwich...
Pros: excellent chickn philly cheesesteak, good vegan shrimp, very friendly staff
Cons: atmosphere is luncheonette and eclectic
Guest
veganbuttercream
Points +32
Good vegetarian fast food place; Philly staple - Edit
I crave the vegan chicken cheese steak all the time. It's really, really good. So are the chicken and shrimp nuggets; they're eerily like real meat (or so I've been told by omni friends, this vegan of fifteen years can't really remember). Also, they have Vegan Treats desserts. Lots of them. This alone makes it worth the visit. (Vegan Treats, btw, is the best vegan bakery on the east coast. No ifs, ands, or buts.) The soups are generally mediocre, as are a bunch of other things on the menu that I can't even remember because they were so mediocre (and i've been here many times), but the vegan chicken cheese steak rocks my world. And VEGAN TREATS. Without Vegan Treats, this place would be, I don't know, 2.5 or 2 stars, but their huge variety of Vegan Treats stuff bumps it up to 4. Also, the staff is really helpful and friendly, so I don't feel bad about this.
Read moreThis place is a Philly staple. It's kind of dirty, but so is Philly itself, and hey, it doesn't purport to be anything more than a little hole-in-the-wall fast food restaurant in Philly.
Pros: delicious veg fast food, lots of vegan options, Vegan Treats
Cons: dirty, often out of certain breads, other stuff
Guest
aeclarke
Points +114
Okay - Edit
We were just in Philadelphia this past weekend during a history making heat wave. We were looking for lunch and stumbled upon this place. We walk inside and it was incredible hot in there. My husband had the soy cheese steak, which he said was okay and I had a tofu wrap. It was too expensive for a "to go" place, but the food still tasted like fast food. If I was in the area again and couldn't find anything else, I would go back, but I would definitely look for something else.
Read moreGuest
rmark25
Points +273
casual comfort food - Edit
I won't get into much detail about this place other than to say it was exactly what i wanted at the time. I was visiting Philly for the 1st time today and I wanted to experience "cheese steaks" as much as I could on a vegetarian diet. I had the "pepper steak" sandwich with "soy cheese"...maybe my only criticism was that that it was not "beefy" enough, but that's relative I guess lol.I liked it....They had an extensive sandwich menu with (veggie) sea food and other sandwiches. I'd definitely go again.
Read morePros: many choices, comfort food, off subway station
Cons: little bit of a wait
Guest
fcp
Points +82
Good Sandwhiches - Edit
The sandwich shop was really design for "to go". I decided to eat in and it's a bit uncomfortable and it falls short on ambiance and coziness. That said; the sandwiches are tasty and folks are friendly. A good options for veggie folks craving some hearty indulgence and a good place to bring a reluctant non-veggie.
Read morePros: Taste, Location, Convenience
Cons: Ambience, Options
Guest
KATHLEEN W.
Points +92
Disappointed - Edit
I went to Govinda's once, and I ordered the pepper steak sandwich and later found out it wasn't vegan. First it is labeled vegan, & then it isn't! I am completely vegan, and want to know what I am ordering. I will not go there again because there seems to be a problem with clearly stating what is vegan & what isn't.
Read morePros: good fries, have vegan treats pastries!
Cons: Not knowing what is really vegan
Guest
thoor_ballylee
Points +321
This place blew my veggie mind. - Edit
I have only been here once, so this review is based on just my one experience, but this is some getto veg*n food. This is the nearest I've been to a greasy spoon in a while. I think the cook and cashier were stoned, in all seriousness, it would actually explain a lot, not that I really have a problem with it, I am a cook and I've worked stoned in my younger years. To complete all this you watch them cook a few feet away, the cooks pants were falling down, I could see his [censored] crack. I suppose you could say that this is unusual for this place I don't know, but I've worked in enough kitchens to know a clean one from a dirty one and this is one dirty kitchen. Also if you could see into most other kitchens, you would not like what you saw, I understand this, but this place doesn't even change for the first date, it just wears what it happened to have on, if you follow me. The food was interesting in its own way and the wraps looked really good, but I just can't figure out why most people would go here when there are so many other veggie options within a few blocks even. But some like it dirty and some like it clean and it's a great big world and I can dig it all, but I have absolutely no intention of ever returning and I've never said that about a true veggie place before, it is not something I say easily. If you like this place, then enjoy, if you're a tourist, skip this place, get something else near by, spare your money and your stomach. If I could give this place less then 2 stars, I might have.
Read morePros: hearty sandwiches, hearty wraps, the greasy spoon feeling
Cons: dirty kitchen, dirty staff, the greasy spoon feeling
Guest
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