Est. 1999. An all-vegan restaurant serves Southeast Asian style Thai food. Most dishes feature a soy meat plus veggies. Menu shows a photo of each food item. Has cakes, soy jerky, and sometimes fried doughnuts. During lunch on the weekdays, there is a 16-inch combination steam table where you choose your food. Location is in a shopping plaza with parking. Reported closed November 2023.
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14370 Culver Dr, Ste 2G, Irvine, California, USA, 92604
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Last update on 01 Nov 2023 by KimHostetter
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62 Reviews
First Review by Meganfrolic
tkash
Points +74
Still Amazing after all these years. - Edit
We have been coming to this restaurant for over 10 years and still love it. Everyone is so friendly and the service is incredibly fast and fresh.
Read morePros: Choices, Staff, Freshness
Guest
LorraineGadsden
Points +7654
Vegan Meats & Lots of Options - Edit
Wheel of Life has a large menu consisting of Thai & Chinese dishes. We tried the spare ribs, sweet and sour pork, sizzling bean curd, and tiramisu. The spare rib, sweet and sour pork, and sizzling bean curd were all tasty. They each had a solid protein, and the main dishes were accompanied by an abundance of veggies. If you’re into vegan meat, this is definitely your place. My boyfriend was happy to see so many diverse vegan meats. The tiramisu was not what I would call a tiramisu, but it was still a tasty cake. Everyone working was friendly, and the food came out quickly. I cannot complain. Support local vegan establishments!
Read moreFrankPaulin
Their food is delicious
Read moreGuest
Dvenat
Points +338
My favorite restaurant in the OC - Edit
Omg I can't believe I had never added a review because Im there almost every weekend .. Anyways I lovee love this place! The service is amazing and the food is amazing ! Papaya salad,pad thai spinach steamed buns and the tom kah kai are my favorites ❤
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-20
Pros: Full vegan, Good services , Cute place
Cons: None
Guest
shawnirobisongmail.c
Points +81
Awesome Thai food - Edit
The whole menu is full of authentic Thai recipes that are all vegan. Delicious! Can't say any more!
Read morePros: The whole menu is vegan
Guest
Alyssa.Rosa
Points +118
Great - Edit
This was my first experience with vegan Asian food years ago (aside from homemade stir fry) and I was satisfied with it! There are many options and everything I tried was delicious! Plus it’s family owned. Lovely.
Read moreGuest
kirstenrosenberg
Points +50
Nice service and atmosphere but food disappointing - Edit
Nice restaurant with pleasant and fast service. But, sadly, not tasty. Gardein beef tips from the grocery store taste way better. Broccoli beef was bland with hardly any beef, and the beef was obviously plain soy chunks tossed in a bland sauce.
Read morePros: Totally vegan, big selection, Friendly, fast service
Cons: Food was very mediocre--fried wonton were "ok", Broccoli beef had very few pieces of "beef", The "beef" tasted like barely seasoned soy chunks
Guest
MConnell
Points +152
Let’s Go! - Edit
Yo! This is a good spot. I had the cashew chicken, broccoli beef , and the chow mein. The protein is legit, and I was shocked I did not any hot sauce to any of these dishes. I always do that at Thai places usually - good stuff - stop by and support them.
Read more#veganpower
Pros: All Vegan - enuff said!
Guest
KurtM.Ross
Points +22
Very pleasant surprise - Edit
was unexpectedly in the area on Father’s Day. Saw the signage in the front window and couldn’t believe my luck and boy am I happy!!
Read morePros: Many options, warm staff, Speedy service
Cons: None, None, None
Guest
Kplant
Points +4569
Great service, delicious 😋 - Edit
Friendly attentive staff. Delicious food. Nothing like thai food with country music in the background.
Read morePros: All vegan, Open to customize order
Guest
TessaWhite
Points +867
Fab Thai - Edit
Wicked flavors with lots of options
Read moreGuest
FrankPaulin
Points +925
Yummy - Edit
This place is amazing. I had the BBQ beef, and orange chicken. The beef looked and tasted so real. It was perfectly cooked. The orange chicken was delicious. It had the right amount of orange sauce. It wasn't overly sweet like most places. They also have a lunch special where you order from the steam table. A nice thing is there's pictures of every menu item. Service was also very good. I'll definitely be back.
Read morePros: Pictures of every menu item, Fast friendly service
Guest
chocomint
Points +80
Vegan Thai food - Edit
What a blessing to have an all-vegan Thai restaurant nearby! I'm not a huge fan of fake meat stuff (which a majority of the menu features, although I suppose that's how Thai cuisine in general is like), but their versions are made in-house and are surprisingly convincing. Even my omni family members thought so! Personally, I love their curries and steamed buns. The thai iced tea is also really good.
Read moreThe owners are super nice, too. Definitely drop by - being able to enjoy this type of food as a vegan is a rare treat!
Guest
helloimkaren
Points +52
Love it - Edit
This place is incredible, great food and I love places that make their protein in house.
Read morePros: Fully vegan!
Guest
soursky
Points +24
Steam Buns & Spicy Noodles - Edit
Found this spot on a trip to L.A. and loved everything we ordered. Service was friendly and quick. Would definitely recommend!!!
Read morePros: 100% vegan
Guest
alienvegan
Points +5005
Fantastic - Edit
Fantastic food with many options, vegetables, tofu, mock meat and mock seafood. The food doesn’t come with rice so if you want it make sure to order it. We got delivery and loved it!
Read moreGuest
treen123
Points +16
If you miss omelets or frittatas go here! - Edit
I had been here several times and loved every meal. I accidentally discovered near the
Read moreend of the menu under specialties "Thai Style Omelet with Quinoa". OMG! Soooo
good! Takes about 20 minutes to make so be patient and you will not regret it!
Pros: Excellent Food, Booths Available
Guest
KimHostetter
Points +150
Glad I came during lunch. - Edit
The food was very good. The lunch special allows you to choose three different items, which I love because I would rather taste multiple things than have a big portion of one item. They even allowed me to do half and half of the side fried rice and lomein. Everything seemed very fresh. Staff was very kind. Will return.
Read morePros: All vegan, Fresh, Friendly
Guest
Jepjep
Points +22
Excellent - Edit
Pad See Ew and Thai Tea were both delicious. If you want spice make sure to ask for it. Otherwise it will be no spice. Great service too
Read moreGuest
KatFrench
Points +295
Great Asian Food! - Edit
As an Asian, there were certain foods that I enjoyed prior to going vegan that I thought I’d possibly never eat again (not that I regretted it). However, Wheel of Life offers a variety of veganized Asian dishes that are just as tasty, if not tastier, than the original ones. I ordered from these guys during isolation time, and they were super accommodating.
Read moreGuest
cczaus
Points +16
Scammers overcharged us - Edit
These scammers added a 20% upcharge to our order. They don't give itemized receipts, and when I received the bill there was a 20% upcharge not including tax. I was suspicious because the bill was nearly 70$ so I added up the item values on the menu, which the middle aged Asian owner tried to take from me while I was doing the calculations. When I noticed the discrepancy I asked for an itemized receipt. At this point we had already been waiting half an hour for the food (it wasn't busy). The owner didnt give it to me and instead grabbed the non-itemized receipt and went into the kitchen for a while. She came out 15 minutes later and instead of giving us a receipt, gave us a box and said "here are your SIX items". She tried to play it off like they accidentally added an additional item to our order. I told her I only ordered five items and that I was still waiting on the itemized receipt, which would have showed that they were simply scamming me. They refused to get the receipt and just gave me $11 cash and rushed us out. Would never come back and will warn everyone away from this scammy place.
Read morePros: Good chef
Cons: Scammy, Overcharged, Rude
Guest
casella7
Points +19
A change did come - Edit
I've been a Vegan for 40 years and in the past, I had enjoyed the food and portions for the buffet lunch and for the dinners. I don't know if it was due to the change of ownership, but the sit down meal I had recently was miniscule
Read morecompared to the past. When I asked about the small portion, instead of making it right, the waitress said it would be made right when I came back.
I haven't been back since.
Also, in the past, I used to select any of the three items displayed for the buffet price. Recently, I was told that I had to select their choice of three items to get the buffet price.
The food was the best Asian food I have had since I had eaten at the Buddhist Restaurant in San Francisco years ago.
I suggest that if you order a sit down meal, when your plate arrives, check the portion to make sure it's a meal and not an appetizer.
bob
Pros: Excellent food, Freindly Waitresses
Cons: Small portions for the price.
Guest
Nikki5239
Points +180
Yummy! - Edit
As soon we walked in the woman said “We don’t have meat here!” Awesome! I’ll take it! Were vegan !! Lol
Read morePros: Great Customer service and welcoming, Food and Deserts were amazing, Food that make you question “is this vegan?” Lol
Guest
leiaplant
Points +77
Very lovely! - Edit
A place where I think all my meat eater friends would like and hopefully see how wonderful vegan food can be. The steam buns are really good and flavorful! Plus, the customer service was lovely!
Read morePros: The steam buns tastes wonderful., Customer service is great., Lovely area
Guest
Sarrie
Points +151
Depends on your taste - Edit
Good food, LOTS of menu items.
Read moreJust, they don’t really have any options WITHOUT (vegan) meat, which isn’t really my thing.
Pros: LOTS of choices, Friendly employees
Cons: Lacking options without vegan meats
Guest
SummerLee
Points +1677
Great meal every time - Edit
The menu is very fake meat heavy, but you can ask to get some of the dishes with out. Love this place:) usually get take out!
Read moreGuest
KaitlynBevan
Points +51
So many options!!! - Edit
They make all of their vegan meats from scratch and they are all impressive. Love this place, can’t go wrong with anything you get
Read morePros: The best chefs
Cons: Weird hours
Guest
Awake1234
Points +1559
Great hidden Gem nestled in shopping plaza near highway - Edit
Super nice staff and great selection of vegan food. Good deals on vegan lunch buffet and tons of other items. Can’t wait to come back.
Read morePros: Very nice people, Great food and selection, Easy access and outdoor seating
Guest
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