top 10

Golden Lotus Vegetarian Rest

Claim
marker

1301 Franklin St
Oakland, CA 94612

marker
(510) 893-0383
Incorrect info? Correct your listing
Reviews
( 13 )
( 2 )
( 0 )
( 4 )
( 2 )

Best

I've only ever ordered food to go from here but everytime it's been great. I am vegetarian and the meals they offer are great for protein I always feel full after eating from here...

Worst

Me and my boyfriend have been to Golden Lotus about 4 times. The food is okay but the service is sooooooooo poor that it spoils your mood to enjoy the food and its expensive. One ...

Great for Vegetarians 1/4/2012

I've only ever ordered food to go from here but everytime it's been great. I am vegetarian and the meals they offer are great for protein I always feel full after eating from here. Their menu has a lot of options to choose from I was surprised when I first looked over it on their online website. My favorite is their speciality carmelized chicken and a side of steamed rice. It tastes so good! It comes on top of a bed of spinach or lettuce Makes being vegetarian easy looking through their menu! The staff has always been very polite to me and my meal costs 12 dollars, not bad. I order from them about once a week. If you are vegetarian or vegan and searching for another place to eat with pages of options (unlike most places) try a meal here I strongly reccommend the carmelized chicken! more
Reply | Report abuse |

Terrible Service 5/27/2010

This is a Vietnamese restaurant. I went to this restaurant several times last month for my lunch. The food is ok and it is closed to my workplace. However, the service is terrible. One day the waitress saw me finished my meal and reading the newspaper. She came to me and impolitely asked me to leave because there are some customers waiting for the table. I first ignore her, she then brought two customers to my table and said they are waiting for your table.\r \r Don't go to this restaurant. The service is very bad and I have never experienced sitting in the restaurant and was asked to leave because someone waiting for the table. Cons: Terrible Service more
Reply | Report abuse |

Poor Service 1/30/2009

Me and my boyfriend have been to Golden Lotus about 4 times. The food is okay but the service is sooooooooo poor that it spoils your mood to enjoy the food and its expensive. One meal can easily cost u over $30.00 . It is also loud, and not peacful to enjoy your meal. more
Reply | Report abuse |

Nothing special 7/8/2008

The food has been okay but not great. The last time I went in I found a long black hair in my entree and was so grossed out that I completely lost my appetite. I'm not sure I'll ever go back. Pros: all vegetarian menu Cons: lack of cleanliness in kitchen more
Reply | Report abuse |

Excellent Vegetarian Food - Wonderful Staff 2/15/2008

Golden Lotus at Franklin and 13th St. in Oakland is an excellent restaurant with a friendly staff committed to vegan principles. I have eaten at the Golden Lotus over 50 times and have introduced many returning customers. The food is very tasty, always fresh. There is a culinary artistry here that you often don't experience in vegetarian restaurants. The sauces are very tasty. I personally like No. 61, sauted string beans and tofu in a wonderful garlic sauce. The restaurant is open until 9:00 PM so it's good for lunch or dinner. There is inexpensive parking at the Merchant's Garage directly across the street, accessible on the Webster Street side of its square block. Pros: Very tasty food, friendly service more
Reply | Report abuse |

WOW! I need more stars... five isn't enough! 2/11/2008

I still remember my first time at the Golden Lotus... I was expecting some salad bar with tofu on the side. Needless to say when I picked up the menu I was blown away. They have such a variety! ... and to top it off they were quick to customize the orders. I personally hate peanuts... and once I mentioned it they completely erased it from the dish, AND added a different veggie sauce that just blew my taste buds away. \r \r This is a place were you'll go once... then suddenly find yourself craving it the rest of the week. Even if you're not vegetarian, you'll find the flavors to be great and surprisingly realistic. \r \r \r The one negative I will say is that if you go on a busy day, there might be a bit of a wait and the waiters might be a bit stressed.... but for me, the food more than takes care of that minor fault.\r \r \r ~B Pros: food, taste... everything! Cons: ... busy sometimes. more
Reply | Report abuse |

HORRIBLE SERVICE! 10/30/2007

My boyfriend and I were really excited to try The Golden Lotus after reading such good reviews online. When we got to the restaurant, we waiting about 20 mins for our take-out and paid $30 for a thing of Hot and sour soup, lemon chicken, 3 spring rolls, rice which you have to buy separate, AND for the boxes they put your food in ( a dollar extra for containers...wtf)! We get home excited to try our food..and after about 2 minutes of dishing everything up, and realizing they screwed up our order, we put in all back into our paid for boxes and drive back. NO LEMON SAUCE FOR THE Fake chicken??? A soup that smelled like dirty diapers and grass, and egg rolls about the size of my index finger! The woman who helped me was a nightmare as well. All she could to do is say...""no refund"" over and over. We ended up spending $30 for some food we probably couldnt get a bum to eat and wound up eating a bowl of Ramen. What BS! DONT GO! Pros: Vegan Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE more
Reply | Report abuse |

consistently good 8/17/2006

I've eaten at this faux-meat, veggie joint many times, and it's always good. They have good to-go lunch options (without fake meat dishes), and even better sit down options. The only caveat is that I don't know how healthy some of the dishes are - one of my favorites is a spicy ""beef"" dish that seems deep fried. But it's so good! I also like that they have brown rice (to balance out the fried dishes!). They also have a superb, fresh lemonaid drink. It's right in downtown Oakland so it's pretty convenient for a lot of folks. A block from BART, too. Pros: very tasty Cons: a little pricey more
Reply | Report abuse |

Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant 4/13/2006

The Pho was made up of a clear broth that was felt very clean and was tasty. (#21 is recommended). The lemon chicken presented itself well and the sauce was good old fashioned lemon syrupy flavor, however, the batter on the vege lemon itself I thought was a bit too thick. Pros: Prompt Seating Cons: diff parking @ 8 pm more
Reply | Report abuse |

Pho of The Gods 4/3/2006

My sister and I eat the Pho practically once a week. No joke. We're both total foodies, and Rarely eat the same thing twice. The broth is Ultra Comfort, and the basil, beansprouts, jalapenos and lemons are always fresh and good adds. I've tried other dishes, amongest which the Lamb Claypot and Imperial Rolls stand out, but can never stray too far from the Pho. Pros: freakin Pho, cute kids, decent prices Cons: water refills (try!), will be full soon more
Reply | Report abuse |

dying for pho 11/8/2005

i had the hugest craving for pho and walked all around chinatown looking for veggie pho. but after at least two other places we stumbled upon this place. right off the bat i ordered the pho, which was seriously so good that i continued to eat it even after my boyfriend left to answer his phone. the service was a little slow and they didn't bring the basil leaves i had asked for, but the pho more than made up for it. Pros: ph!!!, price Cons: bad parking more
Reply | Report abuse |

One of my FAVORITE vegetarian restaurants!!! 11/3/2005

I've eaten at this restaurant ~16 times in 3 years, so I've tried many dishes. Most have unique flavors, with a nice depth of seasoning and not too salty. I often go with a friend whose tastes are different from mine, and he usually prefers the dishes I don't like as much--so if you don't like something you order, that doesn't mean you won't like others! Here are some things the two of us (and other friends) always agree on: The soup with several 'meat analogs' and vegetables (the best!!), veggie pancakes, lotus salad, black bean sauce dishes, the eggplant-tofu claypot, and vegan flan. Personally, I think the 'beef' analogs are oddly textured, and the mongolian 'beef' is a little sweet. The additional booth space in the back is very comfortable. I STRONGLY recommend this restaurant, as well as nearby New World Vegetarian. Pros: Food!, Comfy booths in back, The 'everything' soup Cons: sweet mongolian beef more
Reply | Report abuse |

sugary food all tastes the same 9/26/2005

the first time i went there, i got ""mongolian chicken"" lunch special for $5.50. the menu denoted spicy, but it wasn't at all. it also seemed they put cinnamon (!) in the overly-sweet brown gravy-like sauce. the lunch special however automatically came with brown rice instead of white, which was a nice surprise.\r \r the second time there we ordered thai soup for $8.95. it tasted like someone accidently dumped half a cup of sugar into the broth. we could not eat it and ordered lemongrass chicken, which was also overly sweet even after we requested no sugar. they didn't seem care that we couldn't eat the soup. Pros: cheap lunch specials, fake meats, large menu Cons: no atmosphere, sugary dishes, lackadaisical staff more
Reply | Report abuse |

Veggie Lovers Unite! 7/12/2005

Food was absolutely great! The menu was like a full Chinese Restaurant menu but w/ no meat! It's a vegetarian's dream come true. It's not as cheap as some reviews suggest, but it's worth the price. Dinner for two, including appetizer, tip and no drinks was about $30. Service was fairly slow to get started but the food came out relatively quickly. It's a definite must! Pros: Food/Selection, Portion Size Cons: Service, Parking more
Reply | Report abuse |

So lovely and fresh! 11/6/2004

What a great find this is! The food tastes so fresh and it's beautifully prepared. My faves are: Carmelized Chicken Broccoli Beef and Shitake Mushroom Sweet & Sour Chicken (although I'd love them to use a sweet and sour sauce without the crazy red dye - they're out there!) The neighborhood is a little dodgy, but parking isn't hard (especially in the evening.) There's also a covered parking garage across the street.) Run, don't walk! You'll be in veggie heaven! Pros: delicious, reasonable, veggie! more
Reply | Report abuse |

Vegetarians Have to Try! 11/3/2004

I first went to Golden Lotus about a month ago and I continue to go every week. The food is amazing for vegetarians.. warm, wholesome and delicious meals with taste! I've tried different dishes but my faves are: 1) Spicy Shrimp 2) Lemon Chicken [sweet] 3) Spicy Noodle Soup 4) Pho 5) Garlic Sauteed Beef The service is spotty and the atmosphere is debatable... but hands down one of the best spots for vegetarians or vietnamese/chinese food lovers in the bay area. A real gem! Pros: amazing food, large portions, variety Cons: , bland ambiance more
Reply | Report abuse |

BEst Faux meat dishes anywhere! 1/10/2003

I signed up just to refute the horribly inaccurate account of the previous reviewer. There is nothing bland about Golden Lotus. I have been eating there since 1995 and have found each menu item to be incredibly tasty. True, the service can be a bit dicey at times, but that's only due to its high-volume business. My recipe for a great meal there is this: #1 Fried Imperial Rolls Special #2 Sauteed Garlic Beef Special #5 Carmelized Chicken Dessert: Mocha Cake (which likely from Black China Bakery and not overly sweet!) Enjoy! Pros: Awesome Food, Extensive Menu, Almost Totally Vegan more
Reply | Report abuse |

tasteless, bright colored vegetables 12/23/2002

the idea behind this restaurant is pretty cool but everything is a rather tasteless blend of bright colored, fancily cut vegetables. service can be poor. the only dishes worth trying are the eggplant with sesame sauce and the vermicelli noodles with fried imperial rolls. the vegan cake is ok, but overly sweet. Pros: inexpensive Cons: tasteless, poor service, tasteless more
Reply | Report abuse |

Best in the West 11/22/2002

The food and service was great! I had a fun time dinning at Golden Lotus. Pros: Inexpensive more
Reply | Report abuse |

delicious 8/4/2002

over a period of several years, we have never ordered anything we didn't like of their very extensive menu more
Reply | Report abuse |
< Previous 1 2 Next >
Menu for Golden Lotus Vegetarian Rest


Summer SALE!!!:
15% OFF all yearly plans
Use year15 at checkout. Expires 1/1/2021
Editorial

  • In Short
    This homey restaurant offers a variety of dishes that skillfully utilizes soy protein, wheat gluten, vegetables and nuts to mimic the meaty tastes and textures of regular...

  • 4/7/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Sun: 10am-8pm
  • Payments: Visa, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Downtown Oakland, Downtown
badge