The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

Grilling up vegan style at Veggie Grill

Exterior+of+Veggie+Grill
Exterior of Veggie Grill

With two nearby locations recently opening up in Santana Row and San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View, vegan food chain Veggie Grill is becoming a hit for vegans and non-vegans alike.

The reason for their popularity is obvious even from the outside. With modern styling on their logo and exterior wall and the amount of people visible eating outside, Veggie Grill is inviting from afar.

Walking through the front door, the inside of Veggie Grill keeps its modern theme going with bright colors on the walls, booths, menus, and staff uniforms.

After admiring the contemporaneity, it’s time to order. The menu gives a wide selection of vegan meals such as burgers, salads, plates and bowls. Then, one can go up to the counter and order the meal of choice plus a side and a drink. After there it’s obvious; sit, wait, enjoy.

There are many things that Veggie Grill does right in delivering an excellent eating experience.

Speakers in the ceiling play modern music at just the right volume to drown out other conversations while still allowing desired conversations to be heard loud and clear.

The service is consistently kind, helpful, and quick.

There are comfortable, padded booths, and enough of them to guarantee that nobody will be walking around awkwardly trying to find an empty one.

Finally the best part has come, the food.

Any meal that comes out of the Veggie Grill kitchen is very tasty a healthy alternative to similar foods that will leave any one satisfied and filled.

First off, the appetizer. One choice is the fake Buffalo chicken wings,  which is basically exactly like normal Buffalo wings but without the chicken. The sauce is the same, and the texture is very close to real chicken, so any fan of spicy food would enjoy this appetizer.

Fake Buffalo wings
Fake Buffalo wings

One choice of entree is the All-American stack, which is a burger made with fake beef, pickles, lettuce, tomato, crispy onion rings, and thousand island dressing between two wheat buns. This interestingly unique burger gives a nice crunch from the pickles and onion rings, and a surprisingly good kick from the beef that no one could turn down.

All-American Stack burger
All-American Stack burger

Another burger option is the BBQ ‘Steak’ burger, which is fake beef, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, chipotle ranch, and onions. This burger has a similar overall taste as the All-American stack, but it has much more sauce and less crunch, and after a few minutes the bun becomes so soggy that it’s hard to keep together and becomes one big mess, but the taste makes all its short-comings irrelevant.

BBQ 'Steak' burger
BBQ ‘Steak’ burger

If a burger isn’t the best idea for a meal, Veggie Grill has other meals like the Crispy Chickin’ Plate, which is a homey plate of a fake fried chicken, mashed  potatoes and gravy, and a kale salad on the side. This meal tastes like Thanksgiving dinner without the cranberry sauce, so if Thanksgiving comes early this year, this meal will fit the bill.

Crispy Chickin' plate
Crispy Chickin’ plate

If something more exotic is desired, the Bombay Plate brings a Indian taste to the table with fake sausage, roasted veggies, quinoa, mushrooms and gravy. This meal does require a more mature pallet to be thoroughly enjoyed, and while it is not a personal favorite, it is still a tasty meal.

Bombay Plate
Bombay Plate

While Veggie Grill may be too casual and modern for a first date or business talk over lunch, it is the perfect place for a vegans and non-vegans alike looking for a burger worth sinking teeth into or just a good meal with great service, modern decor, and an overall fantastic eating experience.

www.veggiegrill.com

About the Contributor
Shayan Mandegarian, Staff Writer
I am a sophomore at Carlmont High School.  In journalism I've done world news reporting and vegetarian/vegan restaurant reviews. Outside of school I do track, guitar, and video games.

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The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.
Grilling up vegan style at Veggie Grill