Happy Vegan

This place or Loving Hut? This place. All they need is a shrimp dish and they would be golden! Service is great too!

It’s closed.

My girlfriend and I arrived on a Friday evening to find ourselves to be the only patrons in the restaurant. During our entire meal, there was not another diner or take-​out order. That lends a rather strange atmosphere to any meal and may color this review a bit. It also makes me wonder how long they are going to stay in business.
But at least we didn’t have to worry about slow service. The waiter, having nobody else to worry about, was happy to spend time with us explaining the menu and guiding our choices. He wasn’t the least bit annoying — just friendly and attentive.
After reading many of the reviews here, we ordered the drumsticks as an appetizer. I have to say that I was underwhelmed. The dipping sauce was excellent, and that is what they tasted like. Had there been ketchup, they would have tasted like ketchup, mustard like mustard, etc. On their own, they had interesting texture but no taste.
My girlfriend ordered vegetable stir-​fry and I had the curry fried rice. She raved about her entrée, but I thought mine was rather bland. I think that a curry dish should be a bit spicy and aromatic, but this dish had just a hint of curry to distinguish it from regular fried rice. Contrary to what others have said, I thought the portions were quite generous and I ended up taking food home.
The highlight of the meal for me was the lemonade, which was some of the best I’ve ever had. It was fresh-​tasing and not overly sweet — well worth the almost $ 3 you pay for it.
With a large menu catering to vegetarians, I am certainly willing to give this place another try. But I think I’ll wait in the car to make sure there are other people in there first.

My first impression as I walked into the place was dark, muggy and uninviting. But I thought to myself, «I’m here for the vegan food so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet.»
I ordered «to go» since I didn’t want to sit in a dark, muggy place. I ordered two kinds of spring rolls, kung pao, and brown rice. The only part of the food that I enjoyed was the brown rice with lentils. The rest of the food seemed to have a lot of mystery «meats» in it that tasted suspicious. I’m sure the mystery «meats» were made of «soy protein» but it looked and tasted very manufactured.
That night both my wife and I had a hard time sleeping. We kept waking up sweating and had parched mouths. We felt dehydrated the entire following day. Something just isn’t right with their food.
I advise you to skip it.

I had my wedding rehearsal dinner here, and it was fantastic! We had eaten here several times before with no complaints, and seeing as we had many vegans and vegetarians in the wedding party (including my husband and I), we decided on Happy Vegan. They were extremely accommodating, and the food was of course fantastic! The service was prompt considering how many people we had with us, and the food was great! They allowed us to make our own menu, pre-​fixed with a few options for our guests to choose from.
I would definitely recommend this place! Great food, great service, an overall great restaurant!

A few weeks ago in what I can only describe as a magical time in my life I went to this eatery. I’d seen it before whilst driving but never had a real hankerin for vegan food. But I saved it away for the day that I did.
I went with my secret girlfriend who was visiting from the northlands, and everything was just nice. Maybe I had my love goggles on because I don’t remember much about the place besides a generally positive ambiance.
I ordered the fried rice and she had the pan fried noodles. I was kind of jealous of her noodles because they were pretty great. My rice was rice, nothing to really elaborate on. Negative one star.
I had a thai tea and she went with a green tea smoothie, which is always a good idea. But, to my everlasting sadness they were out of boba that day. Negative one star.
On service I was happy to be left mostly alone, so I can’t really comment on that.
I guess all in all the happy vegan isn’t the best vegan food I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t terrible either. I would definitely go back under the right circumstances, but I’ll be getting something besides the fried rice for sure.

We finally tried this place, hesitant of the name… I am not a vegetarian but my husband is. We tried it and it really was as good as it gets!!! I had the #35 Chinese Brocolli plate, unreal! My husband had a curry that was also excellent. We had the fried spring rolls as an appetizer and the cheesecake, both were delicious! This is our new favorite place!!! The service was excellent and the prices were great! I would definetely recommend the Happy Vegan, even if you’re not :) ! They have soy protein/​fake meat that is the best I’ve had.

I got violently ill after eating here for dinner. What REALLY pisses me off is that my streak of not puking was ruined after ten years.
— Lunch portions were much smaller than dinner, but I think it was the same price.
— Stay away from the tofu soup.
— They could spend a buck or two on remodeling the place.

I’ve been here only once and would try it again. Overall, the place is ok; and I’m really glad that there is a vegan place in the area. I liked the waitstaff, the place is clean, it’s easy to find, there’s plenty of parking. It’s hole-​in-​the-​wall food.
I got the pan-​fried noodles, and they were serious about pan frying it. The noodles were formed into a crispy pancake and cut into wedges. I wasn’t quite sure how to eat it. Cut the wedges into bite-​size pieces? Top it with the veggies like chip and dip? Use it to sop up some sauce? The taste was good, I just wasn’t a fan of the interpretation of the dish.

I’ve been here a few times and I’ve always left happy. They have good food, big portions, and friendly staff.
The «drumsticks» really are amazing.

I came here once and ordered take-​out. The service here made me feel like I was jumping through hoops when I was ordering.
I’d seen their menu online and kinda wanted to try the musubi; I pointed it out to my boyfriend in front of the waitress, mentioning it looked good, to which the waitress promptly cut in, «Oh, that’s like, a kit, you have to put it together. You don’t want that.» Okay? Did she stop to consider the remote possibility that we might enjoy doing that?
I proceeded to keep looking through the menu with my boyfriend. After 5 minutes of hmm-​ing and haw-​ing over choices, I decided on spring rolls. I told the waitress what I wanted and she replied, «You know, customers tend to not like that one.» Then why is it on the menu? She proceeded to suggest to me another roll, and I settled on that one. Retrospectively, I probably would have ordered something else but I was so hungry I just agreed.
The food was definitely enjoyable and a good value.
I would really like to give this place another try, if only for the fact that it’s really exciting when I go to a restaurant where I (being meat-​free) can eat anything on the menu. Biggest criticism? I felt like the waitress essentially ordered for me.

I’ve gone four times now and each time I’ve tried a different dish. And as much as I hate to say it, this place just OK. Though their faux chicken drumsticks are amazing (great texture, exceptional taste, cute presentation), everything else is just sort of meh.
Most recently, I got a salad with cripsy vegetable protein. While the dressing was very good, the protein was just kinda greasy and chewy. And the salad would have benefitted from some mixed greens that could hold up to the dressing instead of the leaf lettuce that sort of bowed down under the weight of it.
Also — and I know I’m being nit-​picky here, but they have a wall of famous vegetarians, and MANY of them are not vegetarians (Clint Eastwood, Cameraon Diaz, Brad Pitt, just to name a couple.) I know how important it is to make veganism look cool, but it’s much more impressive when it’s true.
Considering the profound lack of vegan options in Escondido, it’s still worth checking out this place once in a while.

What a disappointment! Being vegetarian I’m always on the lookout for new places to eat. With all the Unilocal raves on this place I was sure I had found somewhere to hang my hat. Not so.
I ordered a coke and was brought a warm can with a glass. Really? Oh well, I can live with that because it was the food that brought me here. I ordered the mongolian stir fry. It was brought piping hot, but once the temperature decreased I realized there was NO flavor other than the ‘mock «seafood. I haven’t had seafood in mongolian dishes before so I’m guessing they just toss in whatever mystery «meat» was handy.
The people at the table next to me actually asked for salt and pepper (not on the tables) because their meal was so bland. It was like we were unplugged from the Matrix and stuck with eating a protein substance with only one purpose; that sole purpose only being to sustain us as their was no pleasure from this dining experience.
I recommend finding a good Indian or Greek establishment for good vegetarian food because they understand the enjoyment of flavor. For me, Happy Veggie completely missed the mark.

Very good flavors! I got to visit here with family and was really impressed with the blending of flavors in the Pad Thai. My wife had a salad with «veggie nuggets» on it and that was also tasty.
Ambiance is kind of weak, but that may keep the costs down also. Service can be a bit slow when bunches of people show up, but I think it’s a family run place.

Visited here on the recommendation of coworkers. I will definitely add this restaurant to my «must go» places every time I’m in the area.
I opted for takeout, so I can’t comment on the eating in experience, but it seemed quiet and very good for eating in. After placing my order it only took about 10 minutes for my food to be ready to go.
Ordered the crispy tofu appetizer and the Pad Thai. The tofu was exactly that– crispy little triangles of tofu with a slightly spicy (not hot) dipping sauce. The Pad Thai was one of the best presentations of take out food-​in-​a-​box I’ve seen in a while. The Pad Thai was nestled in the box with shredded purple and green cabbage, sliced fresh jalapenos and a lime wedge. Overall tasty, but would have preferred a little more spice, wish I had a little Siracha to top it off. Plenty of sliced tofu mixed with creamy peanutty noodles. I must admit the faux «shrimp» in the mix I found a little curious. I don’t believe I have ever had a «real» shrimp, let alone a «faux shrimp» and wouldn’t have missed them if they were missing.
Overall a very diverse menu, and I look forward to going back to explore the rest of the menu.
Note: they do accept Mastercard, Visa and Discover, but do not accept American Express.

With great expectations, I visited Happy Veggie last week; the service and food fell far short of them.
I placed an order in person for take-​out. There is no seating area where one can wait and the staff did not ask if I would like to be seated at a table while I waited. So, I stood by the front door reading the periodicals on display. Once my order was ready, the clerk said my order as she handed me the bag. It was not what I had ordered. The clerk heard me correctly when I placed the order, but punched the wrong entrée into the register. So, I had to wait while the correct entrée was prepared. Standing by the door.
I ordered Spring Rolls and the Protein Curry. The Spring Rolls were so-​so: something, either the tofu or fake shrimp, in them had a slimy texture to me, but I was starving, so I ate them. The Protein Curry is supposed to have sweet potatoes in it: Mine had one chunk of a potato in a lifeless, boring curry sauce. My rice container was less than ²⁄₃ full… I can’t even get a full container of rice? I ate my dinner, but do not plan to return. If the food was even slightly redeeming I would be glad to give them more stars, as vegan restaurants in North County are hard to come by, but based on this experience, one is more than enough.

4 STARS !!!
This place gets my STAMP of approval !!!
Let’s see. let me count the veggie ways !
Atmosphere: B
Plenty of parking on a Saturday afternoon. The spaciousness follows you all the way into the restaurant. Plenty of open seats available. Bright, airy, and most importantly, clean. I do suggest adding a touch of paint for character and a much updated décor.
Service: A
I was greeted with smiles as I entered. The food came out promptly considering I was the last to get served, but it wasn’t that much of a wait.
Food: B+
Complimentary Sweet and Sour Soup — Flavorful broth. It came with soy ‘shrimp,’ a variety of veggies and one of my favs, okra !!! It was a group fav !
‘Chicken’ drumsticks — Holy Moly ! These look like real mini chicken drumsticks, but only soy chicken stir-​fried to a crispy golden brown and served with pickled cabbage and tasty teriyaki sauce.
Veggie Stir Fry Delight — A delicious combination of the freshest local
vegetables lightly stir-​fried with healthy tofu. Yummy fresh ingredients and came piping hot. Simple yet satisfying !
Curry Vegetable Masala, Lemongrass Tofu, and Phở were also ordered and seemed to satisfy our group of foodies.
For dessert, try the tiramisu. My bro (non-​vegan) couldn’t tell the difference and enjoyed it ! My vegan friend (tiramisu connoisseur) found it wonderfully flavored and even close to the ‘real’ thang ! If you’re a chocolate lover, get this ! I can’t believe it’s vegan !
Minus 1 star for charging extra for brown rice (unlike Loving Hut), but I did appreciate how well it was cooked. ;)
I’d love to come back !

Happy Veggie is a brand new all-​vegetarian restaurant in Escondido. In fact, everything is vegan here and the menu is similar to Loving Hut chain — Asian Fusion. FYI — this place is no «Happy Veggie Garden» of Rowland Heights so it’s a different chain.
We absolutely loved their flavorful soups, drinks, and desserts.
A must try are the following:
— Sweet & Sour Soup (the best!!!)
— Phở
— Pan Fried Noodles
— Drumsticks
— Cheesecake x 3!!!
— Thai Iced Tea
— Fresh smoothies
We tried Lemongrass tofu and vegetable dumplings too but weren’t too impressed.
We appreciated the friendly and helpful staff who also treated us with complimentary Sweet and Sour Soup — I think this was the best sweet & sour soup I’ve tasted in my life! Very flavorful & full of fresh vegetables and soy shrimp. Absolutely delightful!
Looking forward to trying more dishes in the future. :)

Great new place!
Lemongrass tofu and pan fried noodles were super good. The spring rolls were good but they threw me off because the menu says «soy protein» which translated to soy shrimp. I never planned on trying soy shrimp but it was fine, not fishy.
Atmosphere could use a little work but the service was excellent and the place was organized and clean. I will definitely be back.

Excellent vegan dishes with welcoming services! Highly recommended.