Plum Vegan Bistro

OMG this place is amaze-​balls. I’m vegetarian, but hey, vegan’s good to me too. I came with a friend who raved how good this place is, and I can tell they’re popular because it was packed! There was a line formed outside of the small restaurant so we waited about 20 – 30 min to get in. The staff is friendly, the place is decorated cute (and kinda fauncy). The food was delish! I think I ordered some sort of burger– and the fries were just SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD. The seasoning was great! And the burger itself was fresh, and just… amazing. I don’t even know how to describe it. Next time I come here, I want to try other dishes. Highly recommend it. I might even bring my hubby who’s a meatarian and a picky eater.

Holy freaking yikes man!!! How does this place have such good reviews? Don’t get me wrong — I’m a vegan. I’m not some vegan-​establishment-​hating-​lunatic. I was so excited to come here and bought one of those fancy Groupons that ya’ll talk about and everything. But between the «kill me now i’m clearly not getting paid enough and I’m so unhappy» service we had and the unheard-​of price of the food for what we got, I will never come back here.
As an appetizer my boyfriend and I shared the Seitan French Dips. This was probably the best thing we had, but it was something I definitely could’ve made at home. It was around $ 9.
For entrees my boyfriend had the Cuban Black Beauty: cumin spiced grilled tofu, black bean purée, fried avocado, sautéed baby bok choy, $ 22. This was a f*in nightmare. It was literally a few pieces of fried avocado with a couple small, seared pieces of tofu (this costs, what, 50 cents???) and some beans. For $ 22. Twenty. Two. Dollars.
I had the Tempeh Vermouth: broccoli, mashed potatoes, kalamata olive rosemary sauce, $ 21. Another yikes. While the flavor was good, it was definitely small, pathetic, and something I could’ve made at home with about 10x the portion for the same cost.
It was a sad experience. I’m vegan and my boyfriend isn’t but is a great sport about going to vegan spots with me. Here I am trying to show him the beauty of vegan food and have this kind of experience. But maybe we’re spoiled. I’m a bomb-​ass vegan cook and have worked as a cook in vegan restaurants… but with a $ 40 groupon + another $ 30 dollars, let’s just say over $ 70 for this food (we each had a drink too) was enough to make me shed a small little tear.
The pros??? Hmm… Well the décor was lovely.
Don’t waste your digestive enzymes or (for the love of god) your money here. There are so many EXCELLENT vegan restaurants in Seattle. This is not one of them.

GET THE MAC AND YEASE… Everything is good here, but the Mac n’ Yease is to die for.

A very pleased carnivore! So happy my girlfriends set this up for us. Excellent service and he menu was diverse and the meal was delicious. I will be coming back!

The first time I went there, the hostess was a little bitchy and rude, but the wait was forty minutes to an hour. I didn’t wait.
The second time I went, everything was so good and I couldn’t decide what I wanted from the menu. Of course you gotta have the Mac and cheese but… Everything just looked delicious, I had to ask the waiter for his recommendation. He was a very polite and patient waiter and also gave us sweet suggestions that made our meal incredible. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not a huge fan of vegan food… However this was iiiincredible

5 stars for food, 2 stars for service and experience. They do not have reservations for parties under 6, but we only waited about 20 mins. The place is VERY small but cute and functional.
We got asked if we wanted to sit at the bar, hungry and wanting food, we said yes. Then five minutes later we were approached by the bar tender and told to move because I am 20 years old. I understand the legal issues, but they should have asked my age before seating us and the bar tender was rise about the whole situation.
we got moved to a table and ordered. The carrot app was amazing. I ordered the black beauty tofu and my mom ordered the skillet lasagna. We thought our food came out, they set it down on our table only for it to be the next table over meal. Honest mistake, but annoying.
When we did get our food about five minutes later, it was amazing. The tofu was perfectly crisp on the outside but maintained a somewhat soft inside. It has a black bean purée underneath. The fried avocado was just ok, but the bok choy was also very good. The skillet lasagna was also very good. No way to tell it wasn’t cheese!
Our waiter after the bar incident was ok, he seemed annoyed when we asked for them to close the door to the tiny restaurant, it was cold and raining making the meal unenjoyable.
I would probably get take out from this place, or go in the day time. The menu and food is amazing, I was just less than impressed with the service.

Fabulous food, Fabulous service.
Top best Vegan food I’ve had!
Their pesto sandwich was the best!

Pretty good. Pretty pretty good.
Food:
— Spicy Mac and Yease: pretty good.
— Avocado flatbread: also pretty good.
— Pesto tofu: pretty pretty good.
Price:
A bit expensive but we got a groupon. Larry would be very pleased.
Service:
Pretty pretty good.

I’m a meat eater and had an out of town vegetarian visiting. Groupon… awesome! It’s pricey. Vegan, no dairy.
— Avocado roll. Like a fresh veggie packed sushi roll avocado. Pass.
— mac and yease — good favor. Kid of chunky but definitely one of the best things on the menu
— edamame arugula grapefruit salad. Really fresh and we’ll seasoned. Tons of edamame. Needs more avocado.
— skillet lasagna — just ok, pass .
My 2 favorite things:
— veggie monster pizza! Packed with veggies and filling. Had to eat it with a fork and knife so stuff wouldn’t fall off.
— buffalo portobello burger.
Service was great. We were there at 645pm on friday night and got seated right away by the window! Great service.

When the server at my most recent visit asked how my food was and I answered with only an «ok,» I knew it was time to update my review for one of my long time favorite vegan restaurants.
I’ve eaten here around 10 times over the last several years. Every time I order a burger I enjoy the patty, the fries, and the sauce and toppings. Even at a somewhat higher price of $ 16 or $ 17 for a burger, I always feel it’s justified because of how tasty it is. The other thing I order almost every time is Macaroni and Yease. While it is a small serving and quite pricy for the size, it is the best vegan macaroni and cheese I have ever had. So, I recommend you try it.
The last few times I have eaten at Plum it has been with a groupon or other similar deal. I have tried other menu items on these visits. Unfortunately many of these items have been disappointing. I’ll tell you about the last two that has led to my downgraded rating.
The SKILLET LASAGNA was a major let down because it tasted only about as good as a vegan lasagna I’d make at home. While I think I am an ok home cook, I would expect a tiny $ 19 lasagna to taste WAY better than something I could throw together in my oven. And not that I personally cared, but the menu listed this item as soy free, but it contained individual edamame beans. I won’t order this again.
The AVOCADO FLATBREAD was also just «ok.» Its biggest problem was that it was fat layered on top of fat, layered on top of fat. The flatbread itself was fine. That was topped with a really oily pesto that also coated the whole bottom of the plate with fat. On top of that fat layer was a big fatty dollop of tahini. On top of that fat was some fatty avocado. All three of these fats separately tasted nice, but together they made the pizza way too heavy. I also couldn’t help but notice I was REALLY thirsty after eating only one slice. I won’t order this again, either.
So when all is said and done, as much as I love Plum for its upperscale vegan food, I just don’t feel it’s worth it to me to eat anything there besides the consistently good burgers. The two items I described above are only the recent examples of overpriced subpar food I have had. Unfortunately that has been my experience no matter what I order (besides burgers) over the last two years.

2.5 stars. Food is really good but with the crappy service I can’t give this place a higher rating. We came for brunch on Sunday morning.
When we first walked in, the hostess (Bettie Page wannabe) was hanging out at the bar and literally made eye contact with me and ignored me. We had to wait five minutes for someone to offer us a table. We ordered the Mac and yease to share and although it was a very tasty dish, nobody offered us any plates to eat on. My yam and kale crêpe was really good but it was just a spinach crêpe filled with mashed yam and topped with sautéed kale with two tiny slivers of smoked tofu. My BF’s southern slam was very good. The panko seitan was delicious, as was the grits and the biscuit.
The wait staff seriously took forever to clear our dishes! Food is good but seriously. The waitstaff is pretty shitty.

I’ve come here several times and I’m finally getting around to writing a review… What makes Plum great is the food… it is consistent and delicious every single time… sad that they pulled the cauliflower buffalo bites off the menu, but hopefully they’ll be back… I’ve come for brunch and love the veggie slam and the french toast… both of which are great and you can’t go wrong…
For dinner I typically get the buffalo Portobello sandwich or the veggie monster pizza… honestly the pizza is enough to feed to people but its always good as a left over later that day or the next day…
They recently started bringing in desserts from Sugar Plum which is owned by the same folks and we had the berry cobbler… my only critique of it honestly was that they didn’t cook it long enough and we let the manager know that… its still a new dish and good cobbler takes time so for folks that order it make sure they know you’re cool with it taking a few minutes, or even order it before you’re totally done with your meal so it comes shortly after you finish eating…
If the food is so great, you can imagine that they lose some points on service… the bummer part is, there are a lot of times when the service is really good… but there are enough times that it isn’t causing the loss of a star… I think management is aware and working on it, but until there is a consistency in the experience with service or host stand they’ll be one start from perfect… still highly recommend coming here…
worth noting that they don’t take reservations for groups of less than six.

the «mac n cheese» is AMAZING! I can’t believe it’s not real cheese.
the food is really amazing and delicious and generous in terms of portions. The waiter was okay. He never refilled our water and took awhile to give us recommendations. Otherwise, he was nice and personable. We were seated by the window and it was a really cold, rainy day. We kept our jackets on but they had a small heater near us, which was nice. For a cocktail, half an app, and an entrée, I paid $ 40.
Overall, insanely delicious vegan food. okay service. okay ambiance. okay to kind of expensive price-​wise.

Honestly a little disappointed in my first visit.
However I will be back because the dessert is phenomenal!
My fiancé and I got the cheesecake, the tart cheesecake and pumpkin ice cream and it was amazing.
The pumpkin ice cream could use more sweetness but my fiancé loved it.
I definitely wanna try the food and will be back.
The service was awkward though, when we walked in we waited a few minutes before anyone came over. We weren’t sure to seat ourselves or wait. And when we got someone’s attention, she just pointed where to seat.
Then it did take a while for our orders to be taken.
It’s very crammed and tight but the fact that it’s vegan makes me overlook everything else.

This is more like a three-​and-​a-​half-​star review, but the food just didn’t warrant bumping up to four. Went here for brunch on a sunny weekend. The restaurant was packed to capacity, and we were lucky to get seats at the community table. That gave me a good vibe of the place thinking that if it was that packed, it must be that good.
The place is not as large as I expected it to be from outside. They have about 10 two or four –seater tables, a community table, and a bar. The décor is excellent, and it has nice wooden tables and and royal vibe. They also have a garage-​door, which they might keep open in summer. The service was excellent, I must say. Our server was very patient in answering our queries, and explaining what alternatives were used in each plate.
The food, however, was very lackluster. We got the southern slam and veggie slam, both of which was fine, but not great. In the veggie slam, the potato cakes were great, but almost everything else was tasteless. The southern slam was lacked flavor altogether, and I was expecting that to be the better one. The flavors are not well-​balanced.
I’ve been to other vegan restaurants, and also tried vegan options at other restaurants, but this wasn’t the best of vegan food I’ve tried. The food is aptly priced, around $ 14 – 16 for brunch entrees, which is decent for the décor and service.
Overall, it was an okay-​ish experience. I wasn’t too happy at the end, but it wasn’t that bad either. If you’re vegan or with someone vegan, then it might be a good option for you, otherwise I’d steer clear of this place. I will not return for brunch, but might give their dinner service a try.

I’ve never been to a vegan restaurant before and was excited to try out Plum, which is a favorite amongst many of my health concious and vegan friends. Unfortunately, a lackluster experience makes me hesitant about visiting again, at least in the near future.
Don’t get me wrong, the décor and ambiance of the restaurant is on point. I was immediately drawn to the far concrete wall with the foliage — such a fun installation!
I think our group just got the short end of the stick when it came to service. My team came here for lunch during the week at around 11:30AM and found ourselves to be the only people there.
Yes, I understand that the restaurant opened at 11AM and that the kitchen is probably still warming up, but I feel like waiting over 15 for our waitress to take our order is a bit excessive. Tack on another 40 minutes (or an hour for me, because they lost my order) for the food to come out. not the best feeling! Even checking out took awhile — everything was just so slooooooow. :(
Maybe it just wasn’t my day, because entrée-​wise, the quiche fell flat as well. Served with arugula and red peppers, the quiche tasted exactly like what you’d expect, but was definitely not worth an hour wait. Fortunately, the rest of my coworkers had better luck with their entrees — the Mama Africa salad was the most popular. :)
I think the next time I visit Plum, I’ll avoid the lunch hour. According to my coworker, she had better service and menu options when she went during dinner.

Let me just say, I am not vegan. Not vegetarian. Not in the least. I came here with my sister who is vegan and would say that if all vegan food tasted like this, I would give up my carnivore ways and join the veg-​side. This place is phenomenal. It is a destination food experience. The macNyease — oooooohhhhhh! Heaven in my mouth. I’m sure it’s clogging my arteries with every bite, but I would eat this for lunch and dinner every day if I could. My sister and I tried many different menu items and all were a delight. Nothing required extra salt or a splash of hot sauce to address flavor. Portions were generous and we always had enough to go. Prices are a bit shocking, but well worth the experience.
Of note: I have a nut allergy — I know, how do you eat at a vegan restaurant with a nut allergy. Well I was so happy to find out that much of their creamy recipes, that would typically be made with cashew (deadly little thing), are in fact soy based (free the epi pen).
My first visit, the wait was over an hour. It was no issue though as I went across the street for a Bourbon and the restaurant called when my table was ready. The place is tiny and there is limited seating but they are able to accommodate one large group if needed. The atmosphere is that of a loft with the industrial exposure and the garage door wall that opens on those (few) nice days in the summer. The service is very hands off; no one is asking if your meal is OK every five minutes, hovering to take your plate, asking to refill your water. If you want something, just give a nod to the waiter or the hostess and whatever you need will be addressed — refreshing. An in house bar provides reasonable drinks at a reasonable price. Parking is difficult, but that’s nothing new for Seattleites to deal with. I will come back to Plum, many times and I will bring friends… Vegan and Meatetarians alike.

Coming here pretty regularly these days, so I’ve been able to recognize some trends.
Food — everything I’ve had has the potential to be outstanding or is already phenomenal. The portabello burger, the «steak» frites, the veggie monster pizza, the fettucini alfredo — all wonderful dishes. Plum really adds some flavor to vegan menus, offering serious gourmet options — which is what you pay for. The buffalo cauliflower appetizer Wow’d me, as I’m not a cauliflower fan and really do miss my buffalo chicken bites (but alas, I will never eat meat again).
Service — you are not paying for service here, keep that in mind. If you sit at the bar, I find that the bartenders and folks servicing that area are personable. If you sit at the tables in the dining area — it’s a totally different experience. The wait time can be atrocious (which is no fault of Plum’s that they’re in high demand), and when you finally get seated, the hostess doesn’t seem to use a lot of common sense (i.e. my table of four got seated not at the empty table of four but at the community table where we were squished with another group, and when asked to change tables the response was pure attitude).
Plum team — please check your email! I emailed twice for catering requests and received no response. So sad.
Overall, I keep coming here because the food is really that good and Plum is one of the few local restaurants that offers a near fine-​dining experience for the nights I want something different.

I just returned to my hotel from a disappointing meal at Plum Bistro. The disappointment was primarily due to (a) service and (b) odd food combinations.
First, our waiter (including his coworkers) were not interested in making sure their customers were happy. To start, our waiter didn’t really want to recommend any dish. And when he did bring things we ordered by, he did not bring the proper utensils (e.g., we needed a knife for the broccoli appetizer). I tried asking another waiter for a knife (even made eye contact with him) and he completely ignored me… since we weren’t his table I suppose we didn’t exist.
Lastly, the only item we ordered that tasted good (out of 5 items) was the mac and cheese. My bf’s meal was so awful. When the waiter stopped by to grab our plates, he asked if we liked our food. When we said no (and specifically noted my bf’s awful vegan chicken and cold avocado/​guac dish — a very odd combination), he just said «OK». OK then, we’ll never return and we’ll never recommend Plum Bistro to anyone.
(Note that the first part of this review was started on October 13^th)

None of us are vegan but were blown away by the food here. Everything here was amazing and seriously raised my standards for vegan food. I still can’t believe this contains no meat or animal product.
We came here on the weekend when they only serve brunch, the décor is nice and wait time was zero to none. Our server was very nice and informative.
We got the southern slam, blueberry French toast and the famous Mac and YEEZ.
Let me tell you, the Mac and Yeez is amazing! I don’t know if I can go back to regular Mac and cheese. Insanely creamy and savory.
Southern slam: this is a take on fried chicken served Ruth grits and collard greens. The tempeh was delicious and had a great bite I couldn’t tell it wasn’t meat. The gravy and grits were done perfectly it seriously beats the traditional method of how it’s cooked.
Blueberry French toast: the toast batter was light and crispy and there’s just someone thing about vegan breads that have this really nice chew. There was also some vegan maple butter on the side I don’t know what it was made out of but omg! Just omg!
I cannot wait to return here for dinner. Keep it up!