Vegan Palate

Scallion pancakes were my favorite of 3 items I ordered– Tom Yum soup was good too but more spicy than I had expected, the disappointment was seitan skewers– I am 99% certain they were a soy product not seitan. It was very pale tan inside and the texture and taste were not right. I wouldn’t have ordered it if I had known it was the fake soy meat. Flavors were good but that fake seitan just didn’t cut it.

came here today after seeing good reviews on Unilocal… I am speechless. the place was well decorated and was a cute little spot. there was only one other couple in there so the volume level was very quiet (a plus!). they had their own private parking lot which made things so much easier. everything on the menu looked great, but i decided on general tso’s soy protein. it was a little pricey but the quantity was huge, so it was a good deal. it also came with rice and nice garnishes. the soy had the texture of chicken and was delicious. my mom is a meat eater and was still impressed. the server was also really nice. i will definitely be returning. well worth the thirty minute drive.

Excellent! Great presentation. Me & my hubby went during lunch time. We ordered spring rolls, scallion pancakes, seitan skewers lunch special, pineapple fried rice, & stir fried Singapore maifun noodles. The standout was the seitan. Omgsh sooooo good! The rice was good but not for ME! Next time I will skip the pineapple & sunflower seeds in the rice. Not because the dish wasn’t good, but because it just wasn’t something I liked. Once I picked out the pineapple and avoided the seeds the rice was really good. The noodles were also really good. They had a mild curry flavor… the noodles themselves were light & tender, not mushy or undercooked. I can’t wait to go back to try something else. That almost never happens with me. I usually order the same thing over & over, but I would love to try everything on their menu.
Looking forward to desert on my next visit. I was way too full. I thought the prices were beyond reasonable, especially for fresh vegan food.

If I want packaged soups and sauces I can buy them at the asian market and cook for myself. I can’t believe these 5 star reviews.

Let me start by stating I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian, however this place was better than any carnivore eatery by far. I highly recommend the mu shu vegetables and Thai iced tea. My friend had the avocado smoothie and pineapple fried rice which were both out of this world! Oh and the peanut butter chocolate cake is too die! If I could eat at this place ever day I would have no issues being meat free!

Great take out option when you want pan Asian, but are trying to eat «lighter.» Even if you’re not vegan, they have traditional Chinese American take-​out classics like sweet and sour «chicken» and General Tso’s.
Must try: Black pepper seitan, sweet and sour sesame soy protein, thai basil fried rice (must try!), and curry samosas.

Their food is great… even if you’re not completely vegan like me! I have brought friends and family to try out their food and have had thumbs-​up responses all around. I really wish they would do delivery! but other than that– no complaints!

This place is awesome! My son and I love it. He is a vegan and I am an omnivore. It’s so great to have a restaurant in town that we both love. A good number of standards are here, plus some tasty originals — like jade mushrooms, and crispy tofu skin wraps (yum!). Super cheap, too. Apps are like $ 4 – 5 and the lunch special has a spring roll, soup, and a main for only $ 8! The portions are very large and great for sharing. And the restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a full bar. Highly recommended.

A hidden gem with a flavorful Chinese & pan-​Asian menu and CHEAP drinks! This place is tucked away in the back of Sakura on King Street. It’s a small dining room with funky, colorful lighting and cute cozy booths. I’m a meat eater and I highly recommend this place for everyone, vegan or not!
The food is really delicious and well seasoned with great sauces and spices, which is can be impossible to find at vegan places. Most of it is Chinese or South East Asian, with lots of tofu, seitan, and tempeh options. I tried the pineapple fried rice which was really yummy (but could’ve used some lime) and samosas, which were small but had a great sauce.
Don’t miss the salt & pepper king oyster mushroom appetizer! I usually get salt & pepper squid or shrimp at Chinese places so I was thrilled to see this on the menu. It was even better than I could imagine! Next time I’m getting this as my meal.
Also: $ 5 cocktails!!! What’s not to love about $ 5 cocktails?

I was craving something hot, fresh and green and decided to hit the Vegan Palate for lunch. It’s in a weird location… on the back side of the Sakura buffet on King Street… but there’s plenty of parking, and once you get inside, the atmosphere is quite nice. Dimly lit, moody, full bar with a few stools and rows of roomy wood-​slat booths. For those of you familiar with this building, it’s in the room that used to be the restaurant’s banquet room.
I opted for the green curry tofu lunch special which came with brown rice, a spring roll and miso soup. I also grabbed an order of curry samosas… because samosas are my weakness and I have no willpower :) They came wrapped in spring roll wrappers rather than dough and, while tasty, were on the small side and I think a little too much wrapper vs filling for my liking. But I brought the unused portion of my mint chutney home, which should tell you something. The curried tofu main was delicious. Veggies included asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, green beans and bamboo shoots — and, hooray! nothing was overcooked (soggy, oily veggies are a personal pet peeve but this dish had none of that). I found the tofu itself to be on the bland side and I think it could have been helped by some additional treatment — marinade, or possibly being cut into smaller pieces so that there would be more surface area for the sauce? The pieces were left quite large… multiple bites each. The miso was just aiight but I think next time I’ll probably ask to sub a different soup (note that it came in one of the little short takeout containers, not the usual pint size).
Overall, things were yummy — but not a great value. I had no leftovers other than the sauce, and I ALWAYS have leftovers! Asian lunches in town are usually a reliable two meals… and with a $ 15 price tag, Vegan Palate will probably be reserved for special rather than everyday lunches. I think it would be a nice spot for dinner with a date or friends… if I ever get out sans toddler :) Definitely looking forward to sampling more of the menu!

Really wanted to like this place. I’m vegan and know quite well how limited the food options are in western MA. So when I discovered that Vegan Palate had opened, I was thrilled to try it out… and I did, at least 6 – 7 times. Yet the food was underwhelming, sometimes even just plain bad. Flavors are off, the seitan/​soy protein is sometimes too tough to eat, and ultimately the dishes are disappointing. Maybe I’m spoiled, having eaten at excellent vegan Asian restaurants in Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston. Vegan Palate is nowhere near as good as the vegan restaurants in other locations, but it’s not even good enough just for Northampton. Really wish I could say otherwise.

Amazing food! We chose this place because my brother and sister in law are vegetarians. I was extremely impressed by my miso soup and green curry tofu. I didn’t even miss the meat.

Really solid vegetarian fare. I wouldn’t certify it all as Vegan, but if you are careful I’m sure it’s easily managed.
The flavors are wonderful. Fresh, interesting. Not always what I look for, but solid in their own right.
We opted for a plethora of appetizers. Everything was solidly good. The oddest one we tried was the tofu skins. They had a crisp outside and oddly soft stringy inside… Felt like someone was trying to replicate crisp chicken. It was good, but… I don’t think I would order it again.
The most amazing was the seitan skewers. Delicious. Tender. Tasty.
The ginger drink was nothing more than standard Canada Dry… No need to buy that.
The help was attentive, helpful, friendly.
The space is dark, but lovely. Inviting. Very intimate.
This is the polar opposite of Sakura on the other side of the building.
They do not offer delivery, but take out is available.
I am definitely going back.

Highly recommended! I was concerned that these overwhelmingly positive reviews were written by friends, because it is a new place. Don’t be concerned by the fact that from the parking lot, you wonder whether this is somewhere you need to hide your credit card in your sock. When you walk inside, it is brand new and the food is delicious.
As a vegetarian, one of the things I miss most is Sweet & Sour pork. Their vegan version is great, although the title is probably not so appetizing (something like «sweet & sour soy replacement). The vegetables are fresh and the menu is quite diverse for the size of the restaurant. This is one of my new favorite places.
PROS –
*MENU VARIETY — there will be something for most people here, with options from sweet & sour to pad thai.
*VEGETARIAN/​VEGAN — Despite Northampton’s reputation for healthy living, restaurant options for vegetarians or those interested in something beyond cheese, cheese and more cheese are actually quite limited. Vegan palate offers interesting and tasty vegetarian food.
*TASTE — Not too oily, vegetables seem fresh and tasty sauces.
*SERVICE AND DECOR — Service has always been excellent and the décor is clean and new. Music is a little strange for my taste — is that smooth jazz? — but not really a problem.
*PRICE — reasonable, not too high.
CONS –
*LOCATION — It doesn’t have the «part of the town» feel because it is located behind Sakura buffet on King.
Overall, recommended.

It is ALL vegan. Perfect place to eat with a mix of vegans and nonvegans: vegans have lots of choices and nonvegans will probably be pretty happy also.
Great ambiance you’ll notice immediately on walking in. Great prices on their lunch specials which include a tasty little miso soup, lunch size entrée (a selection of the dinner entrees) plus an egg roll.
All the deep fried tofu and seitan dishes with sweet and flavorful sauces you could want plus a variety of more subtle dishes. So far my favorites have been the baked egglant appetizer, the pad see eew noodles and the salt and pepper tofu. The scallion pancake is also quite good… and comes with an unusual fruit salsa type topping.
I feel really comfortable ordering new things here even after a couple of visits: it seems like all my random guesses turn out to be very tasty.
Service is attentive and prompt.
With tip we’ve spent about $ 42 for 2 people for dinner (appetizers and entrees) but lunch is roughly half that cost.

Really beautiful space, great food, and fantastic service! I love this place.
I’ve been 4 times since it opened a month ago so that should give you an idea! I’ve gotten a few different things; I think my favorite was the Malaysian curry. My only quibble is that I’d like it to be spicier but I like things spicier than most people do.
Desserts are delicious and made in house. The peanut butter chocolate cake is amazing. The woman who I assume is the owner is incredibly nice and asks everyone for feedback. I really want this place to succeed!
They also have really, really reasonable cocktails if that’s your thing. It’s not really mine so I haven’t had any!

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Vegan Palate recently. My husband had the pumpkin soup for an appetizer. It was delicious. I had miso soup which was also very good. For an entrée I had the pineapple fried rice which was so good! It had avocado, pineapple, raw red onion, and tofu in it, all beautifully presented with a garnish of parsley and a flower. My husband chose the tofu and fresh vegetable lunch special which came with brown rice and a spring roll. There was a nice assortment of veggies: asparagus, carrot, jicima, and zuccini, plus a generous amount of tofu, served with brown sauce. We were both very happy with our meals and are looking forward to going back because there are other menu items we want to try. The service was excellent and the prices very reasonable.

I am SO excited for another vegan restaurant to be open in the valley. My husband and I tried this place the very night I heard about it. We ordered takeout, and he reported that when he picked up our food, the service was great and the interior was very nice.
My meal, the citrus soy protein with almonds and kale, was delicious. My husband didn’t like his meal as much as mine (we shared), but it was still good. I am excited to go eat there in-​person and to get takeout again. We also got a couple of spring rolls — they were good, and the sauce was really yummy, but only two came in the box, and I wished there were more.
I have a food allergy, too, and they handled that well — though it my case, since it’s dairy, that should be a pretty easy thing for a vegan place to handle (you’d be surprised, though…).

Yummy, vegan food!
Great flavor… no cutting the corners on flavor at all.
Texture on the veggies and immatation meat is wonderful. The veggies are cooked to a crunchy perfection!
Can’t wait to go eat in sometime soon!

I’m so excited about this place! The food was really yummy — good attention to detail, flavor and using fresh ingredients. The servers were so friendly and attentive. The décor is nice and new. And it was awesome to have such a variety of vegan options to choose from! My omnivore buddy and I ordered two appetizers (spring rolls and crispy tofu skin rolls) and a green papaya salad to share. So tasty! My omnivore friend had the pan-​fried udon noodles and I had the General Tso’s «chick’n». It was obvious that everything was prepared very carefully. Our server asked us for feedback after we were finished eating and the only thing I could think of is that I was hoping for much more spice in the green papaya salad. It was obvious that they want to please their customers and get off to a great start. We both really loved our meals and I’m looking forward to going back soon with more friends!