Vegan-friendly
Chinese
Take-out
Honey
Restaurant in Oakland Chinatown. Serves vegan versions of Chinese cuisine. Offers inexpensive lunch special which includes soup, spring roll, tea, and rice. Reported July 2020 to sell canned ice tea containing honey. Open Mon 11:00am-7:30pm, Wed-Sun 11:00am-7:30pm.
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1116 Franklin St, Oakland, California, USA, 94607
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Last update on 15 Nov 2022 by villain
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58 Reviews
First Review by CeeDee
ThomasRodriguez
Points +33
Absolutely Great - Edit
Just try it! Delicious asian food and fair prices.
Read moreGuest
MizzB
Points +3833
Good vegan food, good value - Edit
Aptly named "nature" offering natural, no-MSG all-vegan food, at very affordable prices. Offers more traditional Chinese dishes instead of Americanized versions often found in some Asian restaurants, with mock meats prepared on site. Fresh vegetables accompany the dishes, though few all-vegetable dishes listed on very extensive menu. Good flavor, without being greasy or overly salted. Weekday combo lunch specials generous & quite filling, with available appetizers generous enough to share. Lunch, dinner & prix fixed (for a group) menus, too. Prompt, friendly service. Child-friendly. Satisfying to non-vegans with whom I have dined who remarked the mock meat General Tso's chicken, beef & duck dishes were as good as any non-vegan they had eaten. California is in drought conditions, so had to ask for water, like in most restaurants there these days. Return trip 3/21/19; vegetable tempura & spring rolls for take out - more greasy that on previous visits.
Read morePros: Inexpensive , Traditional Chinese, Fresh ingredients,mock meats made onsite
Cons: Parking
Guest
hoppkorv
Points +39
Second time here - Edit
Food can be good, depending on what you order. Service... my guest and I asked to sit at a particular table, but was told it was for parties of four, so they sat us at a lopsided table in the back, which, had four chairs also. Of course, the next customers to come in were a party of two who were promptly seated at the table we wanted ???
Read moreWe ordered Nature Vegetarian fried rice, recommend as "very good" by our waitress, which had burnt pieces and tasted like the work or grill had not been cleaned recently. We also found a chunk of burnt ...something... In our mushroom hot pot.
The tea also had what looked like burnt sediment in it. People at the table across from us found the same in their tea.
Snow Mushroom soup was good, as was the mushroom and ginkgo nut dish we had
All in all it would have been a nice meal aside from these issues.
Pros: Lots of nice looking choices, seemingly all vegan.
Cons: A little more attention to detail needed, Custoner service was ok except initial seating
Guest
aner1kind17
Points +1289
Great Asian! - Edit
I loved the food here. Similar to Golden Lotus in SF, great variety, very flavorful, and fun to come with a group to try lots of dishes. Highly recommend and extremely low prices for the Bay Area.
Read moreGuest
sivant
Points +53
Mediocre - Edit
We went there in an afternoon. The place was almost empty. The staff was not very nice, and the food was average. The Pad Thai was 95% noodles, they seemed to save on veggies.
Read moreIf you have no other choices, go to that vegan restaurant, but down in Milpitas and Santa Clara there are much better options.
Pros: 100% vegan
Cons: The food wasn't that good
AnthonyMa
I think you've mixed up this place with another restaurant. Pad Thai is a Thailand dish; Nature is Chinese. If you mean fried rice noodles, it's typically and tastefully Chinese styled.
Read moresivant
That was the name the restaurant gave to that dish.
Read moreAnthonyMa
Thanks. I'll correct that with the owners. Their Singapore Rice Fried Noodles is another excellent dish.
Read moreGuest
KED
Points +54
Excellent Vegan Food - Edit
All vegan.....and great!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Guest
StephenGolden
Points +152
fried bread - Edit
We love vegetarian Chinese and mock meat, and ordered the lemon chicken and pork ribs. Both just seemed like fried bread in sweet sauces. We did also order the fried rice, which was a little better. We won't be returning here
Read morePros: Lots of options
Cons: Mock meats not very good
Guest
maltman23
Points +4966
Longtime favorite - Edit
Large vegan Chinese menu to choose from. The potstickers are quite tasty. I also love #63, the bass "fish", which comes with a frilly kind of fungus, with a nice sauce.
Read morePros: Good food , Friendly service , Reasonably priced
Guest
ChloeGross
Points +112
This place is special you must try. - Edit
Of all the vegan places I have tried from LA to Berkeley, this is my favorite. It's not just any Chinese restaurant. The flavors are delicious and well thought out. Don't get typical fried rice and Chinese take-out items. Try the fried tofu with greens or bean curd rolls. It's truly an example of how amazing Oakland is. This place may not be as hip or fancy, but for me the quality of food is the most important part. I don't need fancy decorations to have a great meal.
Read morePros: All vegan
Guest
moretofuplease
Points +507
Not so great - Edit
I was lured here by the ecstatic reviews of great and amazing food. My wife and I shared hot & sour soup (mostly sour), pumpkin curry (bland mush), and mustard greens with faux ham (greens were OK, ham was like smart dogs). Tea was awful. Servers unfriendly. Decor tired and old. How does this place get such great reviews? I would rate it one star, but Happy Cow automatically gives it an extra star for being fully vegan. But are you sure? Nothing on the menu says vegan, nor does the name of the place.
Read moreAnthonyMa
The name of this restaurant is: Nature Vegetarian Restaurant, in big letters on the street canopy.
Read moreGuest
phrinces
Points +26
Amazing! - Edit
Excellent Food!! Honey Walnut Shrimp is just amazing!!
Read morePros: All Vegan options
Cons: parking sucks sometimes
Guest
AliceTheHetalian
Points +104
Great food, amazing prices. - Edit
This place was really worth the drive. They had a large selection of tasty wallet-friendly dishes and the staff provided great service.
Read morePros: Cheap large menu friendly staff
Cons: None that I encountered at my visit.
Guest
Funstondog
Points +21
Favorite Oakland Restaurant - Edit
I love this place and try to eat their once a week because:
Read more1) like me, it's vegan
2) Staff is very friendly
3) Incredible lunch special includes a spring roll and soup + entree for only $7.50
4) 28 different entrees to choose from!
Guest
Runsonveg
Points +30
best vegetarian Chinese food - Edit
This is the only Chinese restaurant in Oakland that is vegan and the menu is extensive. The lunch specials are all great - ample portion with soup and spring roll. There are plenty of options with and without mock meats. The staff are happy and friendly, which makes it a pleasure to enjoy the food there. Definitely my go to place.
Read morePros: Consistently good food, Brown rice always an option, Peaceful atmosphere
Cons: can be very busy at lunch time
Guest
renakatz
Points +64
Good for lunch or family-style dinner - Edit
Nature Vegetarian has a great and inexpensive lunch special: soup, stir fry, rice, and spring roll.
Read moreIf you don't go during lunch, their food really shines family-style. Sharing three or more dishes will allow you to balance dishes with veggies, faux meat, noodles, and appetizers. They don't offer many dishes that have a good balance of veggies, starches, and faux meat on their own.
While some of their dishes are spicy and flavorful, I find some others to be mild and too bland for my taste. I'd recommend the Beef and Broccoli, Spicy Eggplant, or Lo Mein (perhaps with some added hot sauce).
Pros: Lunch specials are a great value
Cons: Some dishes are bland and lack veggies
Guest
alexandra_vegan
Points +1549
Big portions at fair prices! Lots of mock meats on the menu, but also veggie options - Edit
Plenty of options of vegetable and veggie meats dishes.
Read moreFood is tasty but on the oily side.
I'd recommend the sesame chicken and the sweet & sour pork.
I'd recommend doing a family style dinner and order more dishes to share.
Service is fast.
Street parking, but usually easy to find.
Updated from previous review on 2017-06-28
Pros: Big portions , Good prices, 100% vegan
Cons: I wish dishes were less oily
Guest
HalehNiazmand
Points +51
Average - Edit
The food is passable. That is about it. Went there once but won't go back.
Read morePros: large manu
Cons: dark, average food
Guest
steveoliverc
Points +144
Excellent food and friendly service - Edit
We tried several dishes and soups and everything was fresh and delicious. Their homemade "meats" have a great texture and taste. They also make their own hot sauce. The server was really nice and explained everything to us. I would go here more often if it was easier to park. This is exactly the kind of Asian food you wish was on every corner.
Read morePros: Tastes great, Fresh, Homemade "meat"
Cons: Parking is sometimes very difficult
Guest
kenvegan
Points +13114
Average at best vegan food - Edit
I tried the broccoli with vegan "beef" at this Chinese vegetarian restaurant.
Read moreI thought the broccoli was average, but felt the beef they make in-house was not great. I felt the taste was a bit off, as though perhaps they had fried it in a pot with burnt food in it. I did not care for the texture much either.
Guest
Jeremiahdavis
Points +85
Great Chinese food - Edit
I would put there food up against any (vegan/not vegan) Chinese spot and this food I would say is as good or better. Usually at a bunch of places it is too tofuy. Been multiple times and will continue coming back.
Read morePros: Cheap , Quick , Awesome
Cons: Hard to park
Guest
warmstorage
Points +242
Solid, affordable, super friendly! - Edit
I had lunch here today with a couple friends, and it was very solid. It's pretty classic Chinese-themed vegan food: somewhat heavy, tasty, flavorful. The three dishes we shared, family style, definitely gave the lie to the notion that vegan food cannot be flavorful (or, for that matter, heavy and slightly greasy.)
Read moreWe shared three lunch specials, which are a screaming deal at $7.50 each, including fried spring roll, soup, brown or white rice, and hot tea.
The "Braised Tofu with Vegetable" wasn't anything extraordinary, but solid for what it was.
The "Singapore Style Stir-Fried Rice Noodles" were great.
Honestly the "Veggie Peking Style Ribs with Chinese Donuts and Pineapple" was slightly strange for what we were expecting, but delicious. A sweet orange sauce which isn't normally my favorite thing, but all three of us loved it.
The service was super friendly and helpful, the food came out fast and hot, and the grand total for three of us to stuff ourselves and still take home a small takeout container was $24.75 (plus tip, of course.) Can't beat that!
I'll definitely go back for cheap, tasty, friendly lunch specials!
Pros: tasty, cheap, vegan
Guest
Silphette
Points +126
Excellent downtown Oakland vegan Chinese! - Edit
This place is great! Full Chinese menu with great-tasting vegan meat options. The taro fish was special. Not too salty, not too greasy, just great Chinese food.
Read moreGuest
DeborahSalazar
Points +28
Nature Vegetarian, Oakland, CA - Edit
Good food. I was expecting more veg options on the menu but they seem to have a lot of chicken seafood and pork listed. Regardless, They presented a very nice plate of braised tofu with baby bok choy and some excellent marinated mushrooms with brown rice. It was very tasty. And they said any of their dishes can be made vegetarian or vegan. Very quick and affordable. Location is very close to Marriott City Center.
Read morePros: close to Marriott, can prepare any of their dishes as vegan
Cons: more of a veg friendly establishment
AnthonyMa
This is a vegetarian vegan restaurant. All the "chicken, pork, beef" on the menu is made from either soy or soy with some wheat. They will never taste LIKE meat. They aren't supposed to. It's a different state of mind when visiting a vegetarian place--no killing, compassion, and kindness to Nature.
Read moreGuest
Alyesha
Points +36
Amazing Food!!!! - Edit
There is no restaurant like this where I'm from and I was so very impressed. The food was all vegan and very delicious plus the service was amazing and accommodating. We came in with a group of 10 people just 20 min before closing and the owners were great. Amazing people- amazing food!
Read morePros: really great vegan Chinese food., It's very fresh tasting- not heavy or salty
Guest
SonjaCPA
Points +5270
all vegan Chinese - Edit
We came with a group which took up two large tables pushed together. We all shared family style by table. We had a couple clay pot dishes, including fish, a couple noodle dishes, sesame chicken and more that I can't remember. It was all good and we devoured it all. The service was fast and friendly. Dirk got General Tao's chicken, chow fun and some bao to go as well and enjoyed it the next day at work. Overall, it was a good meal and we would return.
Read morePros: all vegan Chinese, fast and friendly
Guest
gemini-at-work
Points +17
really? disappointed - Edit
we were ready to love this place. someone mentioned golden era that has closed down in san francisco and was our favorite. this place didn't even come close. it was embarrassing as we took friends there. very tasteless and mediocre. a little too greasy and bland. the hot and sour soup was hot alright, but not tasty. the fake meat disappointing. we tried 4 dishes and all were let-downs. perhaps the curry with pumpkin and taro and tofu was at least good.
Read morethe waiter was super! we're not going back, but would like to meet him again. any cows/stars go to him.
Pros: waiter
Cons: food
Guest
Tayo35
Points +21
Best Fake Meat EVER... - Edit
I recently had lunch at this restaurant. The food was great and the service was very good. The flavor was amazing and there was so much to choose from. I'm definitely going back to this restaurant. I would highly recommend this restaurant to vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Read morePros: Great Flavor, 'meat substitutes' were very good, Great Prices
Guest
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