Natural Oasis

love, love, love it here! Everything on the menu is only $ 4. Usually when I go with another friend or two we just order everything off the menu. Standouts include their gnocchi, pizza and their lentils but really everything on the menu is delicious and amazing. Service is always great; the server is always so attentive and friendly. There’s no corkage free, so you can bring your own bottle of wine.
During lunch hours and on Monday evenings they have their buffet which I would also recommend checking out!

This might be one of the best restaurants in Rochester, food wise. The ambience does leave a bit to be desired, but the food is consistently incredible. (It can be over-​salted, sometimes.)
We frequently bring out of town guests and they are always amazed at the flavor, the price, the quality. This really is about as good as it gets.

Read all the reviews here. Everyone adds a piece of what my thoughts were. I have a vegetarian and a vegan in my family and we are always looking for good restaurants. I knew of this location from purchasing herbs here.
We stopped in on a Wednesday evening probably about 6:30 or so. We parked on the street around the corner because the lot was full. We just hoped we parked in a spot where wouldn’t get a ticket.
This is definitely not your local chain. I kind of felt like I was in another country, but I enjoyed it.
The three of us ordered 6 dishes. The pizza was very good. The Risotto was excellent. The root vegetables in a sriracha sauce were very good. We tried the Kichadi, I think. Everything was very flavorful and we walked away full, but not stuffed like we tend to do at other restaurants. And, we felt good eating this food sine it was healthy and vegan. This was our first experience with this type of cuisine. Unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of the injera. It seemed to have to much of a «vinegary» flavor.
I did get the warm coconut chai tea. It was excellent.
The dishes came out one by one as they were ready. We liked this an we were sharing anyway, so It helped us enjoy each piece of the meal. The server (owner?) was very pleasant and gracious as he came and went from the table.
We will return!

One of my favorite places in Rochester. So fresh, so delicious. The owners are the sweetest. Highly recommended.

So glad we found this place. Everything is vegan, and the owner is so unbelievably friendly. The experience was wonderful and quaint. Nothing over the top, just great atmosphere and amazing food. We’ll be frequenting.

I love this place! Brought friends who had never tried it before and who have dairy allergies. We ordered one of everything, including their coconut milk chai and the nightly special and dessert. Everything super delicious!
I highly recommend doing what we did since every dish is just $ 4 each. Our total bill for 3 people with tax and tip was $ 72, so $ 24 per person. Now, if it was just me, I would not have ordered 6 dishes (6x$ 4=$ 24) but this way we all got to try everything!
I especially loved the gnocchi, the kale, the brusselsprouts, the lentils (with injera), and the salad, and tonight’s desserts — a warm apple and nut dish and peppermint chocolate ice cream made with coconut milk — were awesome.
My friends loved it and I am sure they will return. Highly recommend this place.
Last note: everything on the menu is vegan, but not the ‘everything filled with soy’ kind of vegan you get at other places. This is mostly veg, some gluten, great spices, and just yummy wholesome food prepared so smooth and gourmet you won’t even miss the meat!

What a neat and modest concept! Just $ 4 for each little dish. You can try so many at one time! Perfect for sharing. And they come with Ethiopian Injera bread. I would describe the food as a fusion of Indian and Ethiopian with a bit of Italian. The gnocchi is so different than what you would get at an Italian restaurant and yet so delicious. The Bhaji is a fun snack. The Stew is perfectly tangy. In addition, the food here seems so healthy.
You would never know everything on their menu was Vegan, including the ice cream.
Service is great too. Feels like you are eating at someone’s home.
Lastly, you can bring your own bottle of wine, which is like a cherry on top.

This place is refreshing if you are just really looking for something besides your same old paninis, pizza, pasta, and burgers. Sometimes, you just gotta mix it up.
I first came here for an International Supper with the Unilocalers, and then a few times afterwards. We had some friends come up from out of state, and knew we were going to come here because everything on the menu is vegetarian/​vegan. This is perfect for that friend that has like, two choices every time you go out.
Everything on the menu is $ 4. You can order the whole menu, and split everything with your table, and still leave stuffed. That is such a rare and fun experience that you can’t get at a lot of places. Even Tapas 177 doesn’t make the splitting thing work as well as Natural Oasis does. Last weekend, four of us went here together and the bill was only $ 25…TOTAL.
The Bhaji, Soups and Gnocchi are very good. I would skip the pizza. It’s not what you are going to be expecting when you order it. The veggie greens are pretty delicious as well. Everything comes out as it is ready, to ensure that it is hot when you receive it. Service isn’t super fast, but this place has that: come in, sit down, talk, eat, and leave when you are ready feel. If you are sick of being rushed out, or given a check when you are still catching up with a friend, this a good place to come and leisurely have conversation with your meal. The tea is fantastic as well.
Parking is tight, it is right next to Dunkin, and easy to drive by and miss. If you are carpooling, choose to take the friend’s car that isn’t a giant SUV.

I loved it. I’m old fashioned and loved being able to relax and feel at home in the casual atmosphere. It had the atmosphere of a friends home where real food is prepared. Loved the simple and delicious menu. I had the pizza and greens with warm apple cinnamon for desert. Wow! Simply amazing. You realize that eating vegan doesn’t mean adding tofu and or using faux cheese. Just eating delicious fruits and veggies as they are !

This restaurant is modest on the outside and sparsely decorated on the inside, but don’t be deterred! Natural Oasis is one of my all-​time favorite places to eat. The food is fresh, healthy, and prepared deliciously. The staff are personally invested and know their regulars by name. Dinner at Oasis is so much fun– the prices are incredible (everything on the menu is just $ 4 and portions are great) and the food is so flavorful. Their kale and collard greens are the best. Food here is all vegan, but it doesn’t try hard to be anything other than what it is: delicious, well-​flavored, rich, Ethiopian food. It’s so good. Just try it. (Also, you can bring your own wine with no corking fee! Perfect for a date night or night out with friends.)
I sometimes like to bring a book and enjoy the lunch buffet (great lentils, injera bread, all different kinds of yummy vegetables…). It’s really good, and it’s easy to be comfortable on your own or with a group at lunchtime.
You can also find essential oils, books, and other interesting things to purchase at the front of the restaurant. Thanks for being in Rochester, guys. We appreciate you!

This is the perfect place to stuff yourself silly; bring your friends and order everything off the menu. Another bonus? Everything is vegan. So that’s appealing for all the dietary restrictions out there. Everything tastes mega savory. The gnocchi and the lentils are typically the dishes I love the most.
They rotate the menu with different daily specials but the categories never change so there’s always an option of the following:
— Drink
— Greens
— Khichadi
— Ethiopian
— Stew
— Vegetable
— Risotto (rice dish — not like Italian risotto)
— Pizza (small flatbread)
— Salad
— Gnocchi
— Bhaji
— Dessert
— Ice cream
Again, you can’t go wrong if you order one of everything and share. It’s a super affordable night out too because each dish is $ 4.
The space itself is a small market and sells herbs and other ayurvedic supplements, etc. It adds an interesting element, but takes away from the ambience a little bit. Service can be on the slower side as well so be patient and come when you have time to relax. Also, get the coconut chai! One order serves two.

Natural Oasis is probably my favorite place to eat in Rochester. The food is always affordable and flavorful and the portions are large enough that you get a good taste of the dish, but not so large that you overeat. The salad is generally my favorite followed by the risotto and the gnocchi. I also love that you can bring in your own alcohol!

One of my top favorites in Rochester after having lived here for over 7 years.
You can tell everything is prepared with care and love. The staff is very friendly and will always make you feel welcome. The overall feel is very relaxed. We bring our own alcohol of choice to enjoy with the food.
Each dish is crafted with great ingredients and expert seasoning. The chai is not to be missed out on!

This place is absolutely delicious. It’s one of my favorite places in Rochester by far. It doesn’t have the fanciest food ever, but it is filling, tasty, and very cheap.
I went on a Monday, which meant they had an all you can eat lunch buffet for $ 9. You really can’t beat that price. The buffet had lentils, rice, vegetable soup, a variety of vegetables, and Ethiopian bread called injera. Ethiopian food is traditionally scooped up with injera, but they have utensils available.
Some of the dishes were better than others. The lentils and vegetable soup with injera were perfectly seasoned and delicious. Some of the vegetable sides were a little oily and under seasoned, but I didn’t think they were disappointing enough to take away a star considering the price. I highly recommend this place.

I am not a vegan… I am not a vegetarian. Just a short while ago I visited the Duncan Donuts on Alexander and Monroe. I noticed a Ethopian restaurant. I walked in there with some friends and the owner said they did not serve any meat… we ran out as fast as we could! After reading some reviews on Unilocal I had to try it. I am so so happy that I did! What a wonderful and unique experience. When the waiter/​owner brought over the stainless steel cups for water I knew it was going to be a great experience.
We went for dinner. It was moderately busy. We started off with roasted cashews, raisins that were warm and nutty! As we waited for our order I tried their coconut milk tea… PHENOMENAL! Put a huge smile on my face! We went with the recommendations on Unilocal and ordered the Ethiopian lentils, the vegetables, the bhaji gnocchi. My favorite was the lentils. It was served with injera and was very filling. We ended with their vegan chocolate ice cream and it was on point!
I am glad that I got over my prejudice of vegan/​vegetarian. I can’t wait to go back to try a new dish.

I finally had the opportunity to eat here with the Unilocal crew earlier in the month and the experience was nothing but a joy. With all the laughs and the small dishes countlessly coming throughout the entire meal, it just felt like a really close-​knit familial gathering of friends and buddies. The waiter was very nice, friendly, and non-​intrusive too which made for an excellent dining experience out.
For the food, we practically tried one of everything on the menu. Of course whenever you do something like this this, there’s bound to be some home runs and some oh-​my-​god-​why moments.
The best dish of the night for me by leaps and bounds were the pan-​fried gnocchi. They were larger than what you’d normally expect from the standard soft nuggets of pillow-​y happiness, and boy did they have flavor. They were soft on the inside, crisp on the out, and came paired with a really hearty tomato-​herbed sauce that complimented it oh so well. I think it was only $ 4, but the portion size for one person alone would be more than enough for any night out. If I were to ever come here for a meal, this dish would absolutely be my go-​to dish each and every time. It. was. luscious. Other hits were the lentils and injera (perfect for mini sandwiches!), the fried broccoli fritters (never underestimate the deliciousness of chickpea flour!), and the roasted veggies.
On the opposite side of things, there were a couple of other dishes that were just not-​as-​good, or relatively plain, like the risotto (do yourself a favor and stay away from this one!!!), the salad (sorry Naz B.!), the rice dish, and the chocolate peppermint vegan ice cream. All of them were either bland, boring, or worst-​of-​all not-​so-​nice on the palette. I probably wouldn’t order any of them again.
So to summarize:
+ The gnocchi. Period. Wait staff, injera, fryolator, intimate not-​as-​well-​known cool location, veggie cookery, prices
— Vegan ice cream, vegan risotto, vegan salad (wait, what?), parking situation
Everything said, I would definitely return. Once you know what’s good, what more do you need to know?

This was a first for me. Before Natural Oasis I had never tried Ethiopian cuisine, and I had never been to an all vegan restaurant. I went with a group of Unilocalers for an international food night, and I’m so glad that I did. I was pleasantly surprised by the food that was served. We went for dinner and we ordered some of everything so we could try it all. Natural Oasis doesn’t have a large menu, but they have variety. You can try their gnocchi, soup, mini flatbread pizza, a couple rice dishes, and vegan ice cream.
Natural Oasis is a good place to come with a small group of people. It’s great to order a couple different items and share them, and that is made very easy with every menu item being only $ 4. This makes it incredibly easy to split the bill at the end of the night and have everybody walk away happy.
I don’t think I ever would have come here on my own, but I am so glad that I tried it. I can honestly say that I would come back and try it again if the opportunity arose.

Natural Oasis is almost two restaurants in one.
During lunch and dinner on Mondays, they have a vegan Ethiopian buffet, and during dinner time Tuesdays to Fridays they have a revolving selection of small plates.
The vegan lunch buffet, have been frankly rather disappointing in terms of flavors and variety. There are many other fabulous Ethiopian restaurants around that offer tasty vegetarian options.
But then there’s the dinner menu. They offer a different selection of rices, stews and other delicious items all for $ 4 a plate. The best thing to do is to go with friends and share as many of these small plates as possible. The majority of the dishes are delicious and filling! This is a great place to bring vegetarian/​vegan friends, and also to bring meat eating friends so they can try something new!

One of my favourite restaurants in town! The small plates menu served Tues — Sat is outstanding. They have a list of preparations (eg. stew, fritters, risotto, gnocchi). Each day, they use different vegetables to create those dishes.
Do not expect classic renditions of the Italian sounding dishes (the risotto will probably be not accepted in Italy) Some of them are hit (I debated drinking the lentils by itself) or miss (the pizza is not really a pizza. it is more of a bland flatbread with no real chew.), The flavours tend to be more Ethiopian/​Indian in most dishes.
At $ 4 a dish, I am okay with the miss-​es. Especially since the hits are usually outstanding. Do try the coconut chai — I prefer it chilled whenever possible (as in during the 2 months Rochester is warm). Unfortunately, the Ethiopian dinner buffet on Mondays is not that great (skip it and head to Abyssinia for the veggie combo instead);
Come prepared for a long meal with slow but cordial service.

Came for dinner which is all tapas style. Everything is $ 4, everything is delicious, and everything is vegan.
There’s a set list of items (stew, lentils, risotto, pizza, gnocchi, bhaji, salad, dessert, drink, etc.) and each night they serve a different version of each. We ordered everything except dessert which was filling for a group of 4 folks. We also ordered the soup special, which was french onion with crimini mushrooms, sunchokes, and some other things I’ve forgotten. Everything came out in sucession, so we had time to focus on each dish. We were also given a «snack» at the start — a warm bowl of spiced cashews, raisins, and roasted chickpeas. Delicious.
One dish came with injera and the rest we ate with spoons and forks. Everything had great flavor was easily divided into 4 or 5 portions. Don’t skip anything because every dish is special. The salad had a great dressing and delicious crisp sweet potato chunks on top.
I also recommend the coconut milk chai tea. While I wasn’t a fan of the oil slick floating on top, the flavor was strong and wonderful.