Country Life Vegetarian Restaurant

Four Stars, but they have the potential to make some changes and become Five Stars. Fairly consistant cold bar. Hot bar changes daily. Wish they served less processed entres. For example: Plain rice or quinioa and Plain veggies such as steamed broccoli/​kale/​squash. They always add salt and oil to their veggie sides. Not everybody wants over-​salted and oily food. Make it more simple! Also, please open for dinner evry night and at lease lunches on Saturdays. Lastly, and most inportantly, CHARGE BY THE POUND! This charge by the plate system is outright whacky! Once I changed plates to get a couple of pancakes and syrup which woild have fit on my first plate, but I didn’t want pancakes and syrup all over my veggies and pizza. I was charged for a whole other plate! For 2 small, dried-​out pancakes! Come-​on, find some common sense! People don’t want to mix salads, entres, and desserts all on one plate! Otherwise, I do highly reccomend this spot. Check it out, but use small plates!

I absolutely love this place! Keene is so lucky to have Country Life. Whenever I’m in town at lunch time I’ll come here because I am guaranteed the buffet choice of rich, flavorful comfort food as well as a fresh salad bar with a huge choice of items, and crazy good dessert — all vegan! I feel great whenever I eat here because they make healthy food taste so incredibly good. I also love bringing non-​vegan friends here because they are always surprised at how satisfying and delicious the food is. There is a homey, quirky, casual atmosphere and welcoming, friendly volunteers. I appreciate the system of paying by the plate because I like to try a little of everything they make each day, and there is always something I’ll like. Do yourself a favor and try it out!

Really excellent vegetarian spot with delicious comfort-​food style buffet. Nice, quiet atmosphere, but no table service. They have somewhat odd hours so be sure to check to see if they are open. Definitely recommend!

Quirky, but really good food. I could eat the vegetable pot pie for every meal and the roasted potatoes are spot on.

I hate to give it three stars but I am due to the changes they’ve made.
The new owner got rid of the all you can eat buffet price and replaced it with four different sized dishes which I believe are: Pauper, Prince, Princess and King. No refilling and too pricey for one layer of food on a small plate (compare to the Valley Vegan at Keene State College: $ 8 for an all you can eat) In addition, the atmosphere is quite restrictive. the owner keeps a close eye on all eaters to be sure they are not taking too much food. She even once came up to me to scold me. The atmosphere is not welcoming for this reason. I miss the old Country Life and used to eat here frequently. Now I go once a year. And when I do go in, it’s always very quiet.

Great dishes and wonderful owners and staff. Some of the dishes were more tasty than the meaty counterparts.

My first foray into vegan cuisine, and I am a believer that simple is GOOD! Were able to meet and talk to the owner a bit before lunch and she walked us through the food offerings, explaining the offerings. If ever in Keene, give this place a try.

Country Life is one of the few, if not the only, vegetarian restaurants in Keene. The food is very fresh and tasty, with a variety of greens, hot dishes and plenty of veggies, beans and dressings and sauces. The food was pretty good!
I found this restaurant to be lacking and misleading in a few ways. They have a buffet style to eat from, but you can only go one time, and the plate can only be one layer of food. Buffets are meant for all you can eat. No one likes a limited buffet. Some staple vegetarian food was missing, like a curry dish or Indian dish. They were also lacking in beverage choices. Water, tea or an overpriced odwalla smoothie.
I do like the fact that there are 4 plate sizes that you can use to fit your budget, but if you don’t get the largest plate, you have to pay for dessert and other things separately. Again, limitations to the plates. No likey. I probably won’t be back unless I have a vegetarian with me.

Another wonderful meal — every one has been fabulous! A terrific vegan/​vegetarian restaurant in beautiful Keene, NH.

Wonderful place to eat. This place will fill you up! Loved everything from the oat burger, to the chickpea soup, to the blueberry cobbler. Nothing was bland or lacking flavor. At first the procedure of getting your plate, learning that you can fill your plate but not stack the food high, among other guidelines they offer, feels a little restrictive and overwhelming, but just fill up your plate (with a single layer of food) and you won’t regret it.

I am so jealous that Keene has a Country Life. Boston used to, and I was a lunch regular. Do not be put off by the Christian literature: the Seventh Day Adventists were living healthy vegan lives long before it got fashionable, and they have a vast variety of delicious recipes that they serve buffet-​style in Country Life restaurants worldwide. Please don’t think you’ll leave unsatisfied after a plate of cold tofu n leaves either: hearty stews, soups, rich desserts, this is the kind of food that prepares you for a day of chopping wood (or falling asleep at your desk). This outpost was about deserted for
Sunday brunch but there was plenty of hot and cold (priced by the plate, from «Pauper» at $ 3.50 up to «King», big plate-​small plate-​soup bowl for $ 14.50). They also sell bakery goods and a small selection of health foods.

Excellent food, well prepared, friendly, helpful, knowledgable staff. Prices are reasonable. Was nice to finally eat at a vegan/​vegetarian restaurant with lots of healthy choices. 1^st time since moving back east… They were everywhere in CA. If you get the salad bar… Be sure to try the English Garlic dressing… Its the pink one.
FYI — Not sure if its full vegan since I didn’t ask but I didn’t see anything that obviously wasn’t.

I always get hesitant about vegetarian and/​or vegan restaurants — which is completely unfounded. I’ve always loved them. I can’t figure out what it is that holds me back– «what if there’s no bacon?» is the thought that I think is my holdout. But of course, if you’ve eaten at any decent (and most are) vegetarian restaurant — you know that you’ll not find yourself missing the meat.
Country Life is great place. My wife suggested it because we were up in Keene for the day, so we decided on Country life. Good choice. Again — the «vegan thing» came over me. Really? no eggs? no bacon? no ham? no sausage? What are they going to serve???
Well — I had an amazing array of food for brunch, all of it delicious. They had a Ratatouille, at Thai veggie stir fry, and a tofu scramble that made me forget about eggs. The muffins were sweet, tasty and delicious. The Cream of Cauliflower soup was superb. I had a «nut loaf» — which at first I thought was made from black beans, but turns out it’s a mixture of nuts and spices and oils. Fantastic. I then continued on to have a salad and a slice of carrot cake. All of it first rate food that made me feel good that I was gorging myself. And the whole buffet is a bargain at 12 bucks.
Go there. Lose your fears and shed your doubts. This place is good food. Good food, period.

I did not know what vegan was back in the late 80s when I ate the occasional lunch here, but I liked it. I wonder if the same plain-​dressed ladies in knee socks work here…

I’ve never timed it right to get here and try their Vegan Sunday buffet brunch, but if it is anything like the Country Life that used to be in the financial district in Boston then it’s a five star place for sure! The vegan dessert were always a hit at that place in Boston and the Scrambled Tofu, Breakfast Potatoes along with the vegan french toast were always hits in my book. They occasionally over salted things but all and all a vegan oasis on a Sunday afternoon! They always had great buffet lunch and dinners as well using various mock meats in a variety of entrees.