Vegan
American
Organic
Take-out
Fusion

Vegan cafe est. 2014 located on the Winooski River. Offers plant-based dishes with lots of to-go items. Drinks include fresh juices, smoothies, tea and coffee. Open Mon-Wed 9:30am-3:30pm, Thu-Sun 9:30am-7:30pm.


Venue map for Pingala Cafe
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151 Reviews

First Review by 73Iron

GiselleBenitez

Points +205

Vegan
27 Jul 2019

Delicious and flavorful food

Everytime I go to Pingala I get something different and each time it gets better and better. Yesterday I had their crunch wrap with the delicious sauce that comes with it and it was delicious! I haven't had a crunch wrap in years (because they aren't vegan of course) so thank you Pingala for making a delicious healthier alternative!!!

Pros: Ambiance, flavors, healthy vegan options, comfort

Cons: none

LinVegan

Points +100

Vegan
02 Jul 2019

Tasty, but SOLD OUT by noon

Pingala was a quick bike ride from the Burlington boardwalk. Unfortunately, by the time we got there around 11:45am, all the specials on the menu (save one) were sold out. No biggie since the regular menu has great options. However, be aware that after we inquired we learned a lot of the ingredients on the menu were substituted out. Be sure to ask before ordering. We ate at the outside bar looking over the Winooski rapids. It was gorgeous.

Pros: All vegan menu, Scenic setting, Lots of flavors

Cons: Sold out of most specials, Inaccurate ingredients on menu

Laurasanctuary

Points +78

Vegan
10 May 2019

Always delicious

We visit Burlington often and never miss an opportunity to head to Pingala. Great food and a lovely location on the falls. Outdoor seating in the warmer months is sweet. Great energy...and there’s always some good gluten free options to choose from. Winooski has a few cute shops too.

buddhabecks

Points +126

Vegetarian
21 Apr 2019

expensive but worth it

this place is AMAZING if you can afford it. has really unique and delicious specials, as well as a wide range of options in the menu. a lunch will run you ~$20-30, depending on drinks/other stuff which seems like a lot but the food is worth it. indoor seating is cute, but small - def a summer place as outside overlooks the river.

Pros: wide range of menu items, inviting environment

Cons: expensive, limited indoor seating

gexmallow

Points +24

Vegan
19 Apr 2019

Awesome Place, Food and People

Amazing food with plenty of diverse vegan options. The view of the river and the comfy vibe of the restaurant definitely make this a perfect spot.

fionafee

Points +198

Vegan
22 Feb 2019

WOW!!!! AMAZING FOOD

If you are in a 100 mile radius, you MUST roadtrip here. Soooo worth it!! Smoothies, juice, breakfast, lunch, snacks, apps. Cute riverfront and bangin tunes.

This isn't fast food gross vegan, this is made with love, farm fresh vegan.

Worth the drive from anyway. Thank YOU Pingala!

Pros: ALL VEGAN , Parking lot

Cons: Nada

LeahThompson

Points +88

Vegan
19 Jan 2019

Good Vegan Spot

Pingala is a good vegan spot for visitors as well as Burlington and Winooski residents. During the summer it’s especially nice to sit out on the porch and eat with the Winooski/Onion river in sight. Since the cafe is evolved from a food truck, the feeling of the place is very casual and fun.

To name some of my favorite dishes, thei Taco Bell inspired Crunchwrap is so delicious and the housemade eggplant bacon is creative and unique (featured in an ELT).

As much as Pingala is well-loved in the community, and rightfully so, I find their prices to be high for their portion sizes & relaxed/casual atmosphere.

Pros: Great all vegan food, Creative and unique, Kind staff

Cons: Expensive , Small portions

770veg

Points +3608

Vegan
02 Jan 2019

Delicious spot

Really nice spot sitting on the winooski river waterfall in a converted mill. Many delicious options from sammies to breakfast and delicious baked goodies. Cozy interior with nice literature and art. Nice folks as well.

Pros: Delicious, Nice optiona

CheleeFrazier

Points +22

Vegan
14 Dec 2018

Always visit here when in Burlington!

Found this fantastic place about 3 years ago after my return to the North Country - so please with all their food and choices. Staff are always so pleasant, cheerful and helpful. Thank you for always giving an awesome experience 🙏

JulieNeild

Points +163

Vegan
20 Oct 2018

Better than ordinary but not extraordinary

We visited Pingala Cafe on a Saturday for lunch. My husband ordered the burrito and I ordered the ELT (eggplant, lettuce and tomato). My husband’s burrito was piping hot and he enjoyed it though he wished the fillings were more mixed and not layered so you got the same ingredients in every bite. My ELT was good but not extraordinary. The bread was toasted well, but the eggplant “bacon” was a little tough. It’s been decades since I’ve had real bacon, but I think it’s supposed to be crisp not tough. Both lunches were served with chips (like Ruffles)...I don’t think they were homemade.

We didn’t order dessert, but we noticed that some of the baked goods were from Sweet Alchemy cafe that we had visited the day before and loved.

Food aside, the atmosphere was disappointing. Dining is more than eating and should engage all the senses. There was limited seating so we ended up sitting at a tiny (wobbly) table in a dark corridor next to a fire extinguisher. We had to keep getting up for water because the glasses they provided were tiny plastic juice glasses. The water dispenser was empty so we had to get water from the water foundation.

Our lunch cost $22.75 for both sandwiches (no drinks, no dessert). I would like to give a vegan restaurant 5 stars, but the slightly-better-than ordinary food combined with lack of atmosphere make this just 3 stars.

Pros: All vegan

Cons: Limited seating and no atmosphere , Too noisy for conversation, Small water glasses

hansue

Points +34

Vegan
14 Sep 2018

Lucky to find it!

We felt really lucky to find a vegan place in Burlington, Vermont. We just moved to Vermont and so far we didn’t find many vegan spots here, so we were extremely happy to find this place. The people who work there are helpful and friendly, the atmosphere is nice, the interior design is beautiful, they also have book shelves (our daughter found a book about recycling!). The food was delicious: we order Tex Mex Bowl, grilled cheese sandwich, dumplings (just a little spicy 🌶 - very nice), and it was all amazing. Dumplings were our favorite. Also, we tried their kombucha and loved it. We will definitely return. Thank you.

Pros: Completely vegan, Great variety of delicious food, Friendly atmosphere

Nadveggie

Points +202

Vegan
02 Sep 2018

Amazing Spot

It is a nice cafe and was easy to find. It had a diverse menu that could feed everyone and all of the food we ordered was delicious. The environment was nice, but it could have had more seating in case it got busy.

Pros: diverse menu, quick, friendly staff

studentcareer

Points +64

Vegan
16 Aug 2018

Good stuff!

Had the Buddha-ful bowl and dumplings, which were both great! Great service. Definitely going when I come back to town.

Pros: Flavorful , Options , Left full

GreenG

Points +20

Vegan
28 Jul 2018

serious vegan cuisine

Rooted in fantastic customer service, Pingala Cafe aims to meet your expectations for an all vegan eatery and far surpasses. I could not recommend this place more for any vegan living or visiting Northern VT.

estherbunny

Points +104

Vegan
19 Jul 2018

Favorite vegan place in Vermont

Always the best food & people in this joint. Right beside laughing river yoga as well, two great birds with one stone.

ErinVeg

Points +105

Vegetarian
05 Jul 2018

Eclectic place by the river

This is a cool place in an old factory building right on the river. Beautiful location to stop and eat. I had the nachos and the club. The nachos were very good. I’m not sure about the eggplant bacon, it was a little hard to bite through. I’ll have to give it another try since everyone raves about it.

JasonUs

Points +14

Vegan
30 May 2018

What other people expect vegan food to taste like and cost.

What other people expect vegan food to taste like and cost.

PaigeMager

Points +56

Vegan
30 May 2018

Simple, but amazing

Every single time my mom and I are in Burlington, we come here. The food is, as stated, simple, but amazing. The eggplant bacon is to die for, as are the nachos, fyi. I always want to try some place else, but this place is just so good. Always kind service. The baked goods could use some work, but they definitely are at least worth trying.

Pros: Friendly service, Great food

JustinMellor

Points +30

Vegan
05 May 2018

solid go to if your vegan and visiting burlington

There's tons of veg options around here but this place feels like home, great sandwiches and small fare. Order something with the tempeh bacon, its righteous. Good luck!

Bgeezy

Points +744

Vegetarian
07 Apr 2018

Just okay

Parking is okay, seatings okay, foods okay, and service is okay. I had to wrap around the lot a few times before a parking spot became available. The seating is very limited but luckily when I went it was empty. The food is okay... I didn’t really like the elt it was crunchy and hard to chew and left a weird taste in my mouth. It tasted like what I imagine dog food tastes like. I also had the rancheros which was just okay and not really what I expected based off the description they gave. The staff were also kind of rude. I stood at the register almost 5 minutes before the staff asked me what I’d like to order while two people were gabbing and on their phone and CLEARLY saw me.

normandie

Points +19

Vegetarian
09 Mar 2018

best

love the eggplant bacon

Jennycraig

Points +61

Vegan
25 Jan 2018

Close to Airport!

Landed in Burlington Vermont Airport and pulled up Happy Cow. According to my trusty Happy Cow app, Pingala is the only vegan restaurant in the city. Yes, other restaurants offer vegan options but Pingala is Vegan only! A short 2 mile drive from the airport. We were so happy to find this restaurant!
Mac and cheese was excellent, it had peas and eggplant bacon. Yummy!
Local kombucha was off the chain.
The guy that took our order is named Vasu. He was very helpful and friendly when we asked question.

We already rearranged our plans to have breakfast here before we depart on Sunday. Trust me, it’s that good!

Pros: All vegan restaurant!

Cons: zero for me!

Jhene

Points +20

Vegan
31 Dec 2017

Best Vegan

This place was exactly what I was looking for. All vegan and mostly gluten free. Everything we ordered tasted fresh, home made, healthy and hearty. If I lived here I would go here pretty much every day. The world needs more places like this!

Pros: tons of vegan options, lots of superfood options,

cristinap

Points +20

Vegan
05 Dec 2017

Good Vegan Cafe

Pingala is a pretty good choice for a vegan cafe, although I thought they were better when the first opened, since then I have notice them putting less care into their food. Ive noticed when its busy to not even bother ordering there because you will usually be disappointed. I have noticed its better to eat there rather then take out and try to go when its slow. Then you will usually get what you are looking for rather then a slapped together version of what you ordered.

Pros: friendly staff, nice atmosphere, good food

Cons: when its busy, slapped together meals

asacco

Points +86

Vegan
14 Nov 2017

My favorite spot

I can't tell you how much I love this place. Cozy, excellent food, all vegan. I love the breakfast Sammie with eggplant bacon, the rooster tap as a bowl (I'm gluten free too) and the Food truck Reuben. They have an amazing pastry selection with GF/vegan items, and great daily specials. The staff are so friendly and the vibe is so welcoming. Not long ago I had a horrible time ordering at two different restaurants in town that had mislabeled menus (one was citizen cider- heads up that vegan options on their menu are mislabeled) and finally came to Pingala. They said, "you are safe here" and helped me select gluten free options. I asked if there was an up charge for GF, and they responded "of course not!" Best service, best meal. I now go weekly. You won't regret trying this restaurant. LOVE YOU PINGALA!

zintis

Points +28

Vegan
29 Oct 2017

Simply excellent

A true gem, extensive menu vegan restaurant. The food was exceptionally delicious and healthy.

Pros: Extensive Menu, Wonderful staff

Cons: Small space, not much seating

Scholemillers

Points +868

Vegan
21 Oct 2017

great place

Had a donut as an appetizer, a smoothie, a bowl, and the Reuben. So good! Sitting outside by the river was very chill, too.




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