Veggin’ Out @ Veggie Grill Elite Event

3.5 Stars. I have to say, great idea and pretty good food, for the Santa Row block.
What all the other Unilocalers say is good is indeed true. The most helpful thing I can say is that this is really more akin to a fusion-​vegan restaurant, emphasizing heavily the California café food.
If you are familiar with Chinese/​Vietnamese vegetarian food, you will find that Veggin’ Out is avant garde in taking some of the proteins and sauces traditionally used by these places and using it for a California café-​style restaurant.
My favorite thing here are the buffalo wings. Yup, damn good for vegetarian food.
Fiber up here too, as your body will thank you for it.

Yay for another YEE! Thank you Abby and Unilocal crew! I was really excited to try a vegetarian place that served meat-​like dishes! I had the Grillin chicken which was not too bad flavor-​wise but the chicken texture was off and I couldn’t get over it. I also had the Cauli-​mashed potatoes which were pretty good since it was a mix between potatoes and califlower but I was hoping to try an all-​cauliflower mash to see how that is since I have always wanted to try that out. The Sweetheart fries were delish! I also really liked my Peach black tea. Overall the service was nice and the event was cool, but because of the orientation of the restaurant, it was hard to sit and talk to everyone. The restaurant was small for a Unilocal event but it was nice to just go and try some cool food and review it! Can’t wait to attend another event soon!

Thanks Abby, Jessica & crew for another amazing Unilocal first and an incredibly good time at Veggin’ out!
When I first signed up for this event, I think I was generally confused, I didn’t know that Veggie Grill meant EVERYTHING was actually Vegetarian! Looking at the menu, I thought … mm these things sound pretty good, but once I arrived, I was totally shocked that what looked exactly like chicken, beef, etc. was actually made up of completely non-​animal products!
I have to say, the flavors blew my mind, I wouldn’t mind being a vegetarian every day if this is what it tasted like all the time!
Regardless, the event was cozy, intimate, fun and it was a great setting for getting to know different Unilocalers better, because usually Unilocal events are fun, but busy and chaotic, this one was very well done. Thumbs up!

Veg-​o-​mite!
As promised, this was a very low-​key affair, and uniquely among the YEEs I’ve attended so far, we came through in shifts. Actually this was kind of cool as I got the excuse to engineer an «after-​party» for my Unilocalmigos (thanks for that word, Nique, if for some reason you’re reading this) in the second shift, who I met for the 1^st (or 1.5^th) time. I also got to make a new friend in my shift, so that was nice.
How about that food? Well, I made the mistake of not realizing that «vegan cheese» of course wouldn’t have milk in it, and I don’t really like cheese without milk, so i need to give Veggie Grill another shot when I am ordering more… intelligently, I guess, but the burger part of my cheeseburger was tasty and certainly a cut above the usual faux meat. Tortilla soup was good as well, very thick (I think normally you have to pay to upgrade to this side) and I would definitely give the buffalo wings another shot (samples were carted around).
Finally, it was cool that we got to have wine, that along with the sample tray (pudding was also solid) gave it a bit of that all-​important YEE feel. Overall it was a cool chance to try out a new place. I had a good time and I shall return!

Pepsi vs. Coke, Starbucks vs. Peets, Chicken vs… Chickin’?
Can one reeeeaallly tell the difference? Probably only the select few. I had the privilege of attending this Unilocal event. We were told to order an entire entrée and drink (beer, or non alcoholic). That was so generous of Veggie Grill! Usually we get little samples of menu items, but this was a whole dinner.
I ordered the Blackened Chickin’ Plate which came with my three favorite portions: quinoa, kale, and Chickin’. The chickin’ was cooked SO well, I could hardly tell it was fake. The mango salsa on top was amazing, I wish they had put more ;) Even better than the chickin’ was the kale! I’ve never had better kale in my life, I may even come back just to order that. The ginger-​miso dressing dressing was impressive. The quinoa was average, but 100% appreciated.
I want to highlight the tea. I usually dislike sweetened tea, but this tea was an exception. It’s sweetened with organic sugar cane, leaving you with the most amazing aftertaste. I helped myself to 3 refills of the peach tea. I tried the pomegranate, but wasn’t as good IMO.
Thanks to Veggie Grill for hosting this awesome event.
Thank you abby for going veggie on us! The group size was just perfect, too. I made 3 new friends :)

After wandering around confused for a while (my first time to Santana Row), I finally located Veggie Grill. Walking in I was greeted with a huge smile. After perusing the menu, I stepped up to the counter to another fantastic greeting. Instead of making my own selection, I asked the employee what she would suggest. She told me to go with the Santa Fe Chickin’ sandwich with an order of sweet potato fries. Apparently everyone else at my table had gotten the same advice as we were all munching on the same item. The sandwich was delicious. Where was this place during my vegetarian phase?! And the sweet potato fries? Amazing of course.
It was great to meet so many new faces. The elites at my table were a ton of fun and I hope to see them again soon. And of course there was plenty of swag on the table to keep us amused. I’m looking forward to rowdy card games with my new Unilocal deck.
Thanks to Abby S and Veggie Grill for throwing a great shindig. I’ll definitely be returning to try some of their other great menu items!

This was a super fun event! It was my first, but don’t worry, I won’t be spoiled. ;-)
The service was fantastic. I got the «VG Cheeseburger». The bread was soft, the veggies were crisp and high quality, and it really tasted like a grilled burger! The red cabbage slaw wasn’t spectacular, and the sweet potato fries were average. I also got a strawberry lemonade and it was probably the best I’ve ever had… my daughter will be thrilled to order it when we come back.
The food is BEAUTIFUL! Man, I can’t wait to come back and try one of the salads and one of the «dinner» plate type meals w/​mashed cauli-​potatoes and such.
The buffalo chicken that they let us sample was very good! Even the texture was like chicken! I also really liked the chocolate pudding that they let us try as well… very GOOD!
Even though I wasn’t super impressed with my side dishes, I’ll definitely be returning with my family. The food is wonderful, the prices are extremely reasonable for Santana Row, and the service was impeccable!

I’m so glad Abby set up a vegetarian elite event! There aren’t too many places healthy, vegetarian places around, and without this event, I wouldn’t have known about this new restaurant!
Anyway, I love the vibe of this place. It’s very laid back, and bright on the inside. The service there was top notich, too. The employees were always smiling and gave great suggestions as to what to eat. The menu gets quite overwhelming, since there’s a lot to choose from.
I had the kale salad, which was so flavorful! It was topped with chickin’ (still don’t really know what that is) and a bunch of yummy veggies. The chickin was surprisingly pretty similar to normal ‘ol chicken. If you close your eyes, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell it’s not chicken. Hehe. Who would’ve thunk a rabbit diet would be so delicious?
I’m a bit bummed the 8 pm group got skimped out and didn’t get the sample of the pudding :(oh well. I still had a lot of fun and met new Unilocalers! Thanks, Abby, for a great event! I definitely see myself back at Veggie Grill for a meal in the future! Super excited!

Hello Veggie Grill and RIP Wahoo’s Fish Tacos. I’ve actually been to the El Segundo location of Veggie Grill when I was in SoCal last year and after I wrote a review after my meal there, they told me that they were looking into setting up a NorCal location. Well it’s here now and Pluto’s is now no longer the only place that has a few healthy options for calorie conscious consumers.
As always, Unilocal Elite events are always a nice combo of meeting old and new friends plus having great food and drinks generously donated by the hosting business or venue. This night was no different as I met my boy Mikey and met two new Elites Janet and Kailey.
I got to order one entrée courtesy of Veggie Grill and I got the buffalo chikin salad. For sure, when I bit into the fake chicken, I swear I couldn’t tell it wasn’t chicken. It really tasted like chicken! It probably helped that it was breaded with their hot sauce on the outside but I enjoyed my salad. And as always, Abby came by to say hello to chat us up with her always warm personality!
I left the event feeling surprisingly full and without guilt! Thank you Veggie Grill for hosting and Abby and your check-​in helpers for organizing this event and introducing us Unilocalers to the wonderful world of tasty vegetarian food!

So glad Abby S. was able to put together an event here! I saw it the past few times being at Santana Row, but already had plans to munch somewhere else, so talk about good timing!
This was one of the smaller more intimate events, and my 2^nd elites-​only event. My last event I wrote about how you shouldn’t be shy and/​or afraid about going to these events solo, but honestly I still get the jitters just cos you don’t know for sure you’ll know anyone there! Nonetheless, at the end I’m always glad i went, and met some fantastic new Unilocalers :)! So GO.
On to the food, I ordered the Sante Fe Crispy Chickin’ with a side of Cauli-​Mashed potatoes. The food came out quickly, I was surprised since the restaurant wasn’t closed for the Unilocal event, they were still open to the public! I was very impressed. The staff there was also very friendly and nice, they bused our tables and also refilled my tea! I thought this was a really nice gesture since I wasn’t a paying customer… The sandwich was really good, it had a nice crisp to it and you couldn’t really tell it was imitation chicken! I liked the mashed potatoes but I Think there might be some ginger in there for an extra kick and I don’t like ginger :(. Not sure about that, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it!
As for refreshments, they had a nice variety of fruit teas and strawberry lemonade. I tried the Iced Pomegranate Green tea, which was delish, refreshing and not overly sweet.
Thanks to Abby for putting the event together, and thanks to Veggie Grill for being so generous and delicious! :) Will definitely be back.

Oh my, I’ve been dying to try this place out for quite some time now but just never got the chance to (even though I hang out at Santana Row quite frequently lately).
I was a vegetarian for about 6 months and what was I thinking, right? But Veggie Grill actually made me want to be vegetarian again because of all the delicious offerings they have. The chicken really tasted like chicken, even down to the texture — the most tenderest «chicken» I’ve ever had!
I got a Thai Chicken Salad and the veggies were very fresh and crisp. I also noticed how light the dressing was, so not overpowering and drenching the salad. I also liked that they put quinoa into the salad!
They handed us samples of the buffalo chicken… so tasty! The seasoning is just right on the breading!
The customer service here is impeccable. The food came out really quick even though all the elites kind of bum-​rushed them when we all came in at once. I got my salad within 5 minutes of sitting down! And they came by frequently to clean the table and refill drinks, not something I would expect from a fast food-​looking place!
I was glad that this event was small and intimate, I got to talk to some of my good friends in a cozy setting while meeting new ones!
Thanks Unilocal and Abby for organizing it, I had a great time, and big round of applause for all the staff at Veggie Grill because they’ve done a spectacular job of welcoming us and making us feel right at home!

Yummy food! I’m really glad I had the chance to finally try out the food at Veggie Grill. So many of my So Cal friends have been raving about their kale salad, it was about time that they made a foray into the Nor Cal crowd!
The restaurant itself isn’t huge, but it had nice patio seating and separated seating inside. I walked in and got checked in immediately with a wristband and requisite Unilocal name tag. For my complimentary entrée, I went with the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ with fried chickin’, lettuce, tomato, no onions, avocado (which is in actuality more like a small scoop of guacamole with some relish on top), and vegan ranch instead of the spicy vegan mayo. I also got a side of the sweetheart sweet potato fries with a side of the chipotle ranch.
The food was all really good! I was surprised at just how chicken-​tasting the chickin’ was. If I hadn’t been told that it was a vegan substitute, I would have thought it was the real thing!
This is one of those walk up and order places, but even then, the service was super friendly and efficient. She gave me a number and my cup for my drink and said my food would be right out. And it was! I had barely enough time to just peruse the take-​out menu for other food options and it was brought out in a jiffy. I was so pleased with the physical presentation and bright colors of my food that I dug right in and forgot to take a picture of the intact food. Whoops! :)
I got to meet some great new Unilocalers, Surge C. and John J. while catching up with my Unilocal friend Peggy S. They all seemed to enjoy their meals of the Thai Chickin’ Salad and the All Hail Kale and the Santa Fe Chickin’ Sandwich as well. We also tried bites of the buffalo chickin’ wings and the chocolate pudding. I thought that the wings were pretty tasty, but the chocolate pudding was WAY too sweet for my tastes.
Thanks to Abby S. for planning another fabulous Unilocal Elite event to introduce Veggie Grill to Nor Cal and also to Lorrie M. for taking lots of great pictures!

I’ve never gone veggin’ before and didn’t know what to expect. Abby put this event together and it was a nice little one. There were only a few people there but it was cool since I got to meet some new Unilocalers!
The food here was awesome. I consider myself a carnivore, so much that my steak comes with a side of ribs. I have a new appreciation for tofu and all of the items served here. My buffalo «chicken» sammich actually tasted like chicken. The whole place had a nice vibe and was set up nicely.

What a great event! Intimate, small setting and personally getting to discover vegan/​vegetarian food that exceeded my expectations. It was awesome.
I got the Grillin’ Chickin; which was grilled «chickin», red onions, lettuce, cilantro pesto, chipotle mayo and guac on a wheat bun. They ran out of the tomato basil soup, so I opted for the Tortilla Soup instead. A bit wary at first, but after a couple of bites I was sold. Flavorful, fresh and oddly the texture wasn’t as unusual as veggie patties I’ve had in the past. The soup was good, a bit thick for my liking but still tasted great. They have a good array of drinks here from beer, wine to teas and lemonades.
There was a small dessert sampling brought around to the tables, which was their Chocolate pudding. Why did I expect to taste Jell-​O instant pudding cups, their pudding was 10x’s better. The flavor was rich and deep with cocoa flavor. Definitely a fan.
The servers here were so friendly and helpful during this event. They checked up on guests and took away plates quickly. Great stuff!
Don’t get me wrong! I definitely love eating a good steak from time to time but during my meal here, I almost forgot I wasn’t eating meat. Whaat? Yeah it was that good. Can’t wait to tell my vegetarian friends and my mom about this place!
Thank you so much Abby for the awesome event and experience! It was fun and everyone looked like they had a great time :-)

This was my 2^nd ever Unilocal event. Both times have been Elite-​only intimate events. The venue was definitely cozy and facilitated small group conversations. I showed up having NO IDEA if it was going to be awkward. I happened to find a seat with cool Unilocal Elites, both known and new, and we had a grand time!
The food: both healthy and tasty. I had the **Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Burger** with sweet potato fries. I sort of copped out by getting the most popular burger on the menu, but hey — you gotta try the best, right? This was probably the tastiest vegan burger I’ve had. The sweet potato fries were perfect. The Chickin’ was incredibly tasty and came with a generous dollop of fresh guacamole.
The other most popular dish was the **All Hail Kale Salad (with Blackened Chickin’)**. I was tempted to try it and be adventurous — ingredients include marinated kale and red cabbage, corn salsa, agave-​roasted walnuts, and ginger-​papaya vinaigrette. But I figured that was a little TOO healthy for me and that I’d have to ease into the whole healthy thing. I’ll definitely be back to try this one out.
What really sold me on this restaurant was that the staff brought around dessert samples. If you know me at all, you know that dessert (or potatoes) is the way to win me over. The minty **Chocolate Pudding** was divine. I kept eating it with my burger. :) All the staff were super friendly and helpful with explaining all the various dishes and how they were made.
Good times hanging out with Rebecca, Sarah, Jesus, Kristine, and Chris. I really enjoyed our live (and mobile) conversations. Thanks for trying to let me check in first. LoL. And not to mention all the fabulous SWAG that I finally got. Oh glorious UnilocalTICK… you are mine at last!
Props to Abby for a unique and fun venue! I think we’ve all found a new favorite spot to frequent when we’re in Santana Row.

Had a lot of fun at the Veggie Grill tonight. About maybe 20 – 25 of us Eliters got the opportunity to try this place out. I must admit, I’ve eaten at all the other restaurants on the street, but never thought about checking out Veggie Grill. Service of a full service restaurant and the speed of a fast food restaurant. Loved it!
I ordered buffalo sandwich with sweet potato fries and a lemonade. Once the order was placed, literally took five minutes for me to get my food, it was so quick! The buffalo sauce really gives the tofu a chicken taste. I wish I could’ve had another sandwich. I tend to eat quick, but with this sandwich, I savored the flavor of it. I wish I could learn how to make this sandwich. I’m not a big fan of sweet potato fries, but I ordered it anyways, I thought it was decent. Did it stand out? Not really, but I was fine with it. For $ 9, you get a good portion and considering this is Santana Row, that’s a freakin steal.
I’m not vegetarian, but have always been a fan of vegetarian restaurants. I plan on taking my Vegetarian friends to this restaurant the next time we’re in the South Bay. I was highly impressed with the look of the place, the service, the food, and the pricing. Next time I’m in Santana Row, I would rather go here then to the others. Thank you Abby for planning this!

Although not my first intimate small-​crowd Unilocal party, this was my first elites-​only event. Always a bit scary, plus the fact that even though I’ve been Unilocaling for 4 years, I don’t know too many Unilocalers in real life.
They offered every elite an entrée and drink. I ordered the hot wing chik’n salad and sampled all their lemonades and teas on the side.
The salad itself was a vegetarian version of the most unhealthy salad you could possibly get. It was a bed of romaine lettuce with corn salsa, topped with 4 giant hot wings, dripping in spicy oily sauce, then drizzled generously with vegan ranch dressing. Well… at least the romaine is a step above iceberg lettuce!
It was really good. and had a nice spicy kick but the ranch cooled it down.
We also sampled their chocolate pudding… another food that I though I’d NEVER eat again in my life after going vegan – more proof that veganism gets easier everyday!
I met Kinjal S, which was fun because we were JUST talking about veggie grill to each other on Unilocal,so it was awesome that we happened to sit next to each other.
It was nice to have a more intimate setting and meet new people, though the people on one end never really got to talk to people on the other. But I tried to go around and meet people.
Thanks for another great event Abby! Especially one that finally caters towards veg*ns :)) Also shout outs to Mikey U., Kinjal S., Lorrie, Vince, Chris, and the many others I met but forgot their names. I was the one with the big pink flower, so don’t be a stranger!

Another great event by the fabby Ms. Abby!
Met a new friend (Mariano), saw some familiar faces (Mona & Carl), ate some seriously good «chickin.»
The friendly cashier recommended the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ sandwich. So glad I listened… if I could sum it up in one sentence, «I can’t believe it’s not chicken!!!»
The sweetheart fries were also yummy, crispy outside, soft inside (no soggy sweet p’s here). We were also given samples of their chocolate pudding (I’d like to try it with the crushed cookies and walnuts on my next visit).
I left with some Unilocal-​branded goodies and a very happy tummy :)

Small and intimate Unilocal event. This time we are treated to a nice sit down meal. It is really awesome that we get to order whatever we want. I think the Papa’s Portobello Sandwich just unleashed the inner shroomer in me. I don’t mind being a vegan or vegetarian if I can eat this every day.
Veggie Grill is a wonderful addition to Santana Row. I think I might have found my new favorite.

Yay, My first Elite’s only. At first I was a little apprehensive at turning up alone but then Unilocal buddy Victoria C (
) got on the list to come too so we came together. Safety in numbers! It was also so nice to chat a little more with her after our brief meeting at the Mobile Mashup.
I can see why 2 Parties were held — the place is small but I like that, it made the event a nice cozy one. The food was really good and was a little different to the usual Unilocal events as we all got to order our dishes as opposed to where we get to sample small bites of various dishes from small table set ups. What happened to the Dessert samples? *sad face*.
I had the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Sandwich which seemed to be the most popular thing on the menu and had I not of been told it wasn’t ”real” Chicken I would have been none the wiser. I’m so going to trick Hubby (the Veg-​A-​Phobe) into coming here!
I saw a few new faces at this event too which was nice, although a shame I didn’t get to see some of the ‘regular’s’. Maybe next time.
Great start to the week, Happy Thanksgiving!