The Vita Cafe

03/26/03

Don't bother

by janice at Citysearch

Clearly, more folks need to open vegetarian restaurants in this town, 'cause the fact that this place is crowded feels like the result of a lack of options. Firstly, what kind of veggie restaurant serves beef?? Secondly, the waitstaff sucks. They ignore customers and don't even know their own menu. Twice we went, with the same question about an entree, and twice got the same response: "ya know, I don't really know..." (or care, and can't be bothered to go find out). Great, thanks. With so many unemployed right now, is it really that hard to find good waitstaff?

They have an extensive menu but the food's mediocre. I'm disheartened that a "vegetarian" place, especially one with vegan options, deserves a bad review... but this one does.

• Pros: many veggie options
• Cons: mediocre food, lame waitstaff

01/04/03

Breakfast is good here

by VavoomKitty at Citysearch

I go for the breakfast food here. The herb and onion biscuits with almond gravy are so yummy, as well as the tofu scramble with raisins and red potatoes. That's what I get everytime. Once I tried an item from the asian menu, curry rice and tofu I think, and it was very bland and untasty. I guess it just depends on what you order. I only go during the week because it's so damn busy on the weekends.

• Pros: yummy breakfast, vegetarian galore, vegan desserts
• Cons: not yummy asian, needs more seating, slow to get food

09/18/02

change of opinion

by taliba at Citysearch

I am rewriting my review after a second visit to this vegetarian restaurant. This time our food was less than appealing. My soup had this horrible strong flavor that was hard to swallow. The salad was mediocre at best, I wouldnt recommend the lemon-tahini dressing. I had to ask for new dressing, this took a long time to arrive. His pasta meal was okay, but not good. Everything is just on the verge of being tasty... but it never quite gets to that point. The service is slow, the seats uncomfortable and the water warm. I wont be going back unless it is for a quick snack of an appetizer or something... and then, only if I am in the neighborhood and The Leaf and Bean is closed.

• Pros: vegetarian, cute decor
• Cons: poor service, uncomfortable seating, bad food.

08/20/02

good food...if you don't have tastebuds!

by jojojo at Citysearch

I do not understand how people think this food is great. Do they have tastebuds? It is so truly sucky that I can't bring myself to give them any more money. The food is poorly prepared and seasoned. It is either totally bland or so salty that I couldn't choke it down. And I LOVE salt. But my miso soup was inedible. They are too overambitious with the menu - trying to cover several "ethnic" palates - everything tasting pretty much the same. Which is to say: like not much at all. AND, they charge 50¢ for a tomato on your hamburger. Name another place that charges extra for a stupid tomato. If they want to charge for what should be a free condiment, it better be a damn thick, crimson slice of juicy sweet goodness - not some pink, mealy slap in the face. This place bums me out.

• Pros: neighborhood joint, big booths
• Cons: terrible food, bland food, horrible food

06/27/02

Highly Recommend

by MikeKugler at Citysearch

People say the servers don't croon over you like it was 23rd Street. And they're right...AND, I think that's what I like about Vita Cafe. They're real people, hiring real people, and all focusing on food, fun, and community. That's just cool. The food honestly rocks too....so, I go ofter and I suggest you do too!!!!!

• Pros: The Food, The People, The Neighborhood
• Cons: few too many punks, sometimes..but they'r, nice enough too:-)

06/16/02

i go back whenever possible

by syzygian at Citysearch

I love this restaurant. I first went here with a group of about 9 people to celebrate something, and it was a great place for a group of that size to crowd into a giant booth and enjoy ourselves. since then, i've taken friends and family back with me. i love the food, i've always had friendly service, the prices are very reasonable, and i highly recommend everything about the vita cafe.

• Pros: good food options, usually easy parking, friendly service
• Cons: a little loud once

05/28/02

Vita McCrappy (service sucks)

by tasteecakes at Citysearch

Vita Cafe has good food/prices. The service sucks though. From what I gather, being "tragically hip" is grueling work, maybe that's why the service can't seem to smile, greet or attend to the customer, yet dance & laugh w/each other at length, tending to customers when there is a pause in their chitchat. I don't really care if you are hip - I would appreciate some eye contact/acknowledgement that you will get to me, not having to track you down, or being told "you won't get your food for 40 minutes" after tracking you down, getting coffee, water, my order taken, silverware & the check in under 2 hrs. That might seem like a lot to ask the wait staff who think they are too hip to do their job, but maybe if there were more tragically hip staffers, it wouldn't be so intolerable. Just a suggestion.

• Pros: thai corn cakes!, italian corn cakes
• Cons: service sucks, service sucks, service sucks