Chinese
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Chinese restaurant. Has vegetarian dishes and will accommodate vegans upon request. Reservations suggested. Open Mon-Thu 5:00pm-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm. Open Mon-Sat lunch from 11:30am, Mon-Sun dinner from 5pm.


Venue map for Single Pebble
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24 Reviews

First Review by LFL

Jimby

Points +106

Vegan
02 Dec 2023

Helpful staff - amazing food

Our waitress was able to help us order a lot of vegan options! Food is absolutely amazing. Sesame ‘beef’ is one of the best dishes in the city.

Pros: Sesame beef, Fried green beans , Double garlic broccoli

jasonws

Points +71

Vegan
01 Sep 2023

Many delicious vegan options

I love their mock eel (shiitake mushrooms) and Red Thai Soup. They also have several other vegan options and I've never been disappointed. Sure, it's a little more expensive, but I always get 2-3 meals out of my order.

ndines

Points +819

Vegan
14 Jan 2023

Decent food, a bit pricey

I was a bit underwhelmed by the vegan options. The food wasn’t bad, but the quality didn’t match the price. Worth a try if you’re there with others and need to eat, but I think there are much better Asian options in the greater Burlington area.

sconroy

Points +360

Vegan
26 Dec 2022

Great mock eel

And the Buddha beef! Great seitan options here

AnVK

Points +115

Vegetarian
20 Nov 2022

Nice place, a few delicious options

The sesame Buddha beef (seitan) is delicious. The veg mapo tofu was great and a unique taste, but I have nothing to compare it to since I haven’t had it elsewhere. The red curry soup was hugely disappointing especially since they used to have an amazing soup that is no longer on the menu. I used to find it expensive but worth it, and I am sorry that now it’s more expensive and not quite. Maybe take-out for the few great items. The staff is super professional and knowledgeable. I appreciate they have so many veg options.

Pros: Atmosphere , Waitstaff, Sesame Buddha beef!

Cons: Expensive, Soup not so good, Just a few stand-out veg meals

shebazzle

Points +468

Vegan
22 Jun 2022

A bit pricey, but tasty with plenty of options and staff that understands vegan

Great service and food. The tempura battered sweet potato special appetizer was killer and my seitan dish was done super well. My wife is not vegan and loved her dish as well. The options are more diverse than many Asian places and they focus on vegetarian/vegan items on the menu.

We got lucky and got the last open table for the night (at 5:40pm!). Make a reservation!

Pros: Almost everything can be veganized, Large portions

Cons: A bit pricey, Make a reservation.

EmmaCohen

Points +735

Vegan
14 Apr 2022

Vegan options

I had higher hopes when I came here and unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. The atmosphere was really lovely but the food wasn’t as good. They have a small menu with tofu/seitan where most of the options can be made vegan. Our waiter told us that unfortunately the lo mein dishes couldn’t not be veganized because they use egg noodle and couldn’t swap it. We ended up getting the vegan fried rice with tofu and it was great, as well as the vegan dumplings, and then the salt and pepper tofu. The tofu was pretty average and insanely expensive for what it was (didn’t even come with rice or additional veggies). Overall, I probably wouldn’t come back but unfortunately there aren’t too many other vegan friendly Chinese places in the area. Glad they at least have a vegan menu!

Pros: Nice atmosphere , Large portions

Cons: Very expensive

EvaJRunner

Points +93

Vegan
05 Sep 2021

Such a fantastic menu! Super filling!

Great atmosphere, the waitress was extremely well informed about the vegan options. She made awesome recommendations, and the food was delicious!

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Staff well informed about vegan food

woodlewis

Points +476

Vegan
30 Jul 2021

You can’t go wrong with the Buddha’s sesame “beef!”

This is our family’s top choice for special occasions, and it is a blast to get a bunch of dishes to share, all on the Lazy Susan in the center of the table. Favorites include the mock eel, trust me, the Buddha sesame “beef,” the dried fried green beans, and the double garlic broccoli.

rookievegan

Points +129

Mostly Veg
16 Jul 2021

Excellent Chinese food, make reservation at least a day ahead!

Napa cabbage salad superb, reminded me of pickled cabbage I grew up eating in Taiwan, but lighter & sweeter. Chilled sesame/peanut sauce noodles also perfect!

Pros: Authentic flavors , Good veggie options

Cons: Reserve a day prior due to patio seat only

MESParis/NYC

Points +501

Vegan
02 Sep 2019

Delicious

Very pleased with the meal we had here. It was fully booked by 5pm (!!) so we sat at the bar. The veggie dumplings are vegan, they used rice noodles to make the sesame noodles vegan, and removed the egg from the Buddha “beef” (seitan) dish, which was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend. Make a reservation!

Sarah P

Points +8720

Vegan
02 Nov 2018

incredibly good

My husband and I ate here while staying for a couple days in Burlington, and were psyched we chose this place for a meal out. The ambiance and service were great, it was very easy to order vegan (I did not mind that the chef special could not be vegan with all the other options), and the food was incredibly good. We had the baked tofu and broccoli small plates- total yum, the vegan dumplings- so tasty, and the "Buddha's beef" (seitan) with brown rice- incredible. We ate so much, had two meals left over, and no room to try the sorbet for dessert. Thank you Single Pebble!

Pros: easy vegan ordering, many choices, delicious, top quality

Cons: the price adds up but is worth it

amay55

Points +48

Vegan
09 Aug 2018

Oh so good!!!

They were very very busy and are clearly a local favorite. We couldn’t get a table inside (on a Wednesday!) because they were all booked, but they let us sit on the patio. I’m glad we did because it was a great meal. I got The Budda’s Sesame Beef (which is actually seitan) and it was the best meal I’ve had out in a long time!! A good range of options too.

Cons: Definitely vegetarian, did not ask if full vegan

normandie

Points +19

Vegetarian
09 Mar 2018

best chinese in new england. vegetarian or not.

it won't allow me to give 5 stars

CaitlinJulia

Points +321

Vegan
12 Feb 2018

great for groups

Unfortunately the chefs tasting cannot be done vegan (they can do vegetarian) because really it’s the best way to eat here. There are great options on the menu for vegans, but execution is inconsistent and often far too salty. It’s a nice spot though.

inumbra

Points +64

Vegan
26 Jul 2017

Solid Vegan options

We have had some excellent vegan food here, with some very creative vegan options. Every time we are in Burlington we try to eat here.
Some of the staff have been great. However, we have experienced a hint of "snootiness" at times, not as 'Zen' as the name suggests, perhaps? Last meal, we unfortunately ran into some unfriendly behavior from the hostess due to the fact that we arrived a bit early for our reservation (15-20 minutes). There were lots of empty tables at the time but we were told that we would have to come back at our reserved time. We were in fact seated at one of those same empty tables when we returned 15 minutes later. I did not mind the wait, but our young grand-daughters grew a little restless.
I hope these negative aspects of our experience are not the rule, only the exception. We plan to return to enjoy the excellent vegan faire.

Pros: Great vegan options

Cons: expensive

gojinku

Points +13

Vegetarian
19 Jul 2016

Wonderful food

Amazing food. Great vegetarian options. This is wonderful Chinese style food. They take traditional dishes and make them new and different. It is expensive but worth every penny. Got the chef's menu and every dish was better than the last. My favorite was the sweet and pungent walnuts. Totally amazing dish tempura fried walnuts with great flavor, with tofu, peppers and onions. If you get a chance you should check this wonderful place out. Great waitress;) too, quick service and a unforgettable experience.

Pros: Great Food, Classy Atmosphere, Quick Service

Cons: High Price

trp74

Points +49

Vegetarian
08 Nov 2015

Overrated

This place is just ok, I still don't know why everyone thinks this place is so wonderful. We've been here many times and it's very expensive and often the food isn't that tasty. I have had a couple items that were pretty good but also several things that were pretty tasteless. I got a lemon "chicken" once that was $23 and was basically just a tiny piece of tofu dipped in a batter and deep friend and then they put lemon sauce on top. Totally not worth the money and it was very tiny and not that good. The mock eel is pretty good but it's a little salty. Overall, this place is just ok and I feel pretty hit or miss. You may wind up with something tasty but could wind up with a tasteless $25 entrée. The ambiance is nice and they do have good service.

Pros: Nice Ambiance, Good Service

Cons: Hit or Miss Menu Items, Overpriced

Donnell

Points +30

Vegetarian
12 Aug 2013

Wonderful Treat with MANY vegan options!

Three of us...and a baby went here on a Satruday night. We were greated warmly, served promptly and had all of our vegan alternative questions answered with knowledge and grace! The food was very good and plentiful (we ended up taking some home) and I would highly recommend this place for anyone who needs carnivore/vegan options with a good selections of spirits to match.

Pros: Service, Flavor, Speed

Cons: Reservations a must

steveveg

Points +2276

Vegan
26 Dec 2012

Nice Chinese Restaurant

A Single Pebble is a decent Chinese restaurant - a treat when I am not in New York. There are sufficient vegan and/or gluten free choices. The appetizers are substantial, and are nearly entree sized. We had sufficient food with 3 appetizers, one soup and an entree for four people. The Double Garlic Eggplant was quite tender. The Mock Eel (made from Shiitake) and Dried Fried Green Beans were fine. The entree, Mixed Chinese Greens was uninspired. The dishes tended to be heavily salted and a little greasy, in fairness we did not specify less salt and oil. There are also a number of dishes that could be made vegetarian with the substitution of tofu or other item, but it appeared to me to not be a good value, as you are paying shrimp, scallops or meat prices for the cheaper tofu. Their entrees were on the expensive side.

Pros: vegan choices, good Chinese food, fine atmosphere

Cons: expensive

zaphod46

Points +409

Vegan
31 Oct 2011

Expensive but Tasty

A few people have said this is "real" Chinese food. I am not sure what they meant, since it is very different from most West Coast Chinese food I have had, but it was good and a few steps above most Chinese restaurants you find in New England.

For someplace labeled veg-friendly, the dinner specials were very disappointing. I almost asked our waiter to stop, since hearing all those meat dishes described in detail made me uncomfortable.

We had to repeatedly specify "no egg" with each dish we ordered to transform it from vegetarian to vegan. While I would have been much happier if the waiter had caught on and just said "no egg in anything, right?" at least the dishes were veganizable. Even the fried dishes could be made with an alternate, vegan batter.

The atmosphere is certainly on the fancier side, which was very nice, actually. A reservation is strongly recommended. We were there on a Thursday night and almost didn't get a table. One thing that surprised me is that they do take-out (not sure about delivery), which would be a good option to avoid the reservation business.

Pros: tasty, fancy atmosphere

Cons: cost, meat, lots more meat

lindzvtvegan

Points +45

Vegan
04 Sep 2008

the Most Amazing food

This is the place you want to go, it has amazing REAL Chinese food not that [censored] you get that has been Americanized. The Mock Eel is the most incredible thing you can get as well as the Buddha's Beef and don't forget to try the Mushi Vegetables and Tofu!
Note that this is a family style restaurant and that dishes come when they are ready...you won't find your entree sitting under a hot lamp while you finish your appetizer, heck you might just have your entree come out before your appetizer. Oh and make reservations it is always busy

Pros: great for vegans, huge portions, excellent food

Cons: none

markvegan

Points +60

Vegan
05 May 2008

Ummm ....what?

I read the 3 reviews before mine and was excited...my meal, Kung Pao Tofu was just o.k. and expensive (maybe dinner menu is more $$$).

Cons: Expensive

LFL

Points +36

Vegan
22 Aug 2007

A Single Pebble

I was in Vermont for a week long vacation and dined in four restaurants while there. This one was by far the best. In fact I would say that the food I had at A Single Pebble was the best Chinese food of my life.

I was with a group of 9 at lunchtime and everyone enjoyed the food we had, which included the scallion pancake (good), the double-garlic eggplant (solid), the seasoned pressed tofu with cilantro (excellent), the steamed vegetable dumplings (quite good), the spicy three river soup (very good), tangerine peel seitan (excellent). We were also served a complimetary dish of Chinese greens which we enjoyed very much. Our meat-eating companions ordered the tan tan noodle dish with chicken. Being vegan, I didn't try it, but they raved about the sesame peanut sauce. I'm mentioning this because the dish can also be ordered without meat.

All in all it was a wonderful meal -- our food was brought to the table as it was cooked and it was very fresh and delicious. Many dishes are either vegan or can be made vegan. It was also more affordable than we expected. We were there for lunch but ordered a couple of dishes off the dinner menu as well, and when the bill came, it was only $136, including tax and tip, for nine people (4 adults + 5 kids). The menu can be seen on the restaurant's website at http://www.asinglepebble.com .

I am normally not that into Chinese food (I prefer other cuisines like Thai and Indian), but A Single Pebble made a convert out of me. I would give it an overall rating of five cows if I could, but Happycow only allows a maximum of four for a restaurant that isn't fully vegetarian. If you are ever in Burlington, don't miss it.

Pros: delicious, fresh, good service

Cons: worth the $$




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