Hella Vegan Eats

their «Bob’s Burgers» themed pop-​up in Oakland the other day featured the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had. the patty held together and had a real bite while delivering a savory veggie burger flavor. it definitely wigged out some of the people I was eating with because of the realistic texture, but I was all for it. I’m going to have to figure out how the hell to eat here on the regular, although I’ll probably have to move first so I don’t have negative money.

Ummm, can we say food truck deliciousness?!! I have to admit, I was a bit turned off initially because I couldn’t smell any great food aromas emanating from this truck, but figured I would give it a shot. After some debate, I ended up with the chicken torta and a cupcake (sidebar: as an unofficially cupcake connoisseur, I must try cupcakes from all businesses claiming to have «cupcakes». It’s my officially «unofficially duty»).
Not quite sure what the heck I actually ate, but it was total deliciousness!!! Highly recommend the food truck (also, the restaurant has breakfast options!)
Likes:
–variety of menu options (yet not too many that it’s hard to make a choice)
–cool looking truck (and easy to spot, with its psychedelic colors)
–tofu, senten, and soy options
–moderately-​priced food truck items ($ 10-​$ 15)
–friendly customer service (hey, it goes a long way)
Dislikes:
–a bit of a wait, so may be difficult to get in and out if you’re in a bit of a time crunch

If you’re a vegan visiting the SF Bay Area for the time, you must go to Hella Vegan Eats. There are no other places in SF that offer such original, fun, and tasty food on a regular basis. And the staff behind HVE are basically the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

Hella Vegan Eats is amazing. I have been eating their food for a long time and my husband and I used to always say how we would love them to cater our wedding. Two weeks ago, they catered our wedding and I couldn’t ask for anything better. Most of our family and friends are far from being vegan but were all raving about how delicious the food was.
Not only was the food perfect, the service was amazing as well. The whole Hella Vegan Eats team was attentive to our guests needs and were very communicative about what they could help us with before the wedding and just made everything run so smoothly. Everyone was also commenting on how nice everyone was.
I would HIGHLY recommend Hella Vegan Eats for your catering needs! You will not regret it!

I ate the Lusty Lovers Tacos and they were amazing!!! Great food, great customer service!!! Everyone is so friendly!!!

Hella Vegan Eats is a wonderful surprise. I am by all means not a vegan nor a vegetarian, but from what I’ve had out from their truck, their food is really delicious that you tend to not even think about that fact it’s all completely meatless.
Out of curiosity I first tried them out at the SF Street Food Festival last year:
Fried «Chicken» and Waffle mini —
Crispy Fried «Chicken», Lavender Sage Butter, Ancho Chile Smoked Maple Syrup
I liked this a lot! The waffle was good and the «chicken» was surprisingly very flavorful and fried nicely with crispy texture.
Pot Sticker Burrito –
Veggie-​stuffed Pot Stickers, Pickled Daikon & Carrots, California Brown Rice, Organic Greens, Hoisin & Sweet Chile Sauce
This was a really filling burrito. I love potstickers, even veggie ones as well. They stuffed this burrito with at least 5 – 6 potstickers which may be carb overload, but damn it was pretty good!
After having a good taste of what HVE had to offer, I wanted to try them out some more. Let’s just say I was hooked with their «Chicken» & Waffle. When I discovered that they were at the SoMa Streatfood Park on regular basis, I visited them a few times.
«Chicken» & Waffle —
This is the full sized portion of what I had from the SFSFF. And it’s definitely a hearty portion!
Fried «Chicken» & Biscuit Sandwich w/​side salad –
It’s the same «chicken» they use for the «Chicken» & Waffle, but this time served in a biscuit sandwich form with a side salad. This was good too, but I think I prefer it with the waffle instead.
I also had their Pot Sticker Burrito again but this time added avocado. The avocado just added more of a creamy texture to the burrito so it made for a great addition. Made it feel more «Californian» too.
They just added a «Burger» to their menu just recently so I definitely want to go back to try that out and see if it can top my current favorite veggie burger from The Plant.
I have nothing but solid praise for Hella Vegan Eats. The workers there are very friendly and welcoming, and their food is done in very creative ways. Even if you’re a meat-​eater, I highly recommend giving them a try and you’ll be surprised how delicious their meatless food is.

I’d give this 6 stars but the GUI doesn’t support it. Hella Vegan is some of the most amazing vegan food, wait, just make that some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had. That they consistently produce such amazing dishes in the humble confines of their truck is mind-​blowing. Definitely try the burritos. Normally I don’t like burritos because the tortillas are tasteless paste. Not here. This place is amazing.

I love the concept and admire these young folks for their ambition — they try to cover a wide range of flavors and cuisines, and mostly pull it off. Don’t mistake «vegan» for «health food» — much of this is fried. The ever present vegan «chicken & waffles» is sort of a one note item — popular but not something I can eat more than a few times a year (I guess that’s different for other people as evidenced by the growing trend). The best thing I have ever had from Hella Vegan was the blood orange glazed seitan — always say yes to avocado! I’m not excited by the bulk/​earthbound farms type of mixed salad that they include — often I have ended up with swampy inedible bits that make me wonder why they bother to include it at all. Likewise a sandwich I had at a street event — the bread was so hard (stale? toasted?) that it cut the roof of my mouth and I ended up tossing it.
Service is usually civil — they are often working hard and I see more scowls and furrowed brows than anything else — but that could just be timing or who knows what (I generally operate under the assumption that I’m so ugly and scary that if people don’t hit me, throw things at me or scream and run away that it was an okay interaction).
I’d eat at Hella Vegan Eats again over Souley Vegan but I’m not inclined to wait in a long line or pay a food truck premium when there are ever increasing options for vegan fare all over. I heard a rumor that they are planning a bricks & mortar location — I will be very interested to check that out when it happens but admit to being over the whole food truck thing.

Ordered the Fried Chicken Biscuit sandwich. At first I was like 12 $ sandwich — What !! ?? then I ate it and was like Whoa !! YES !!
Awesome, delicious and Veg — Delicious and healthy, large portion. Well worth it !! Will definitely be back for more

Man I love this place. The food is mostly awesome. Sure, there have been a couple things I haven’t loved, personal preference and all that, but for the most part it’s delicious. You’re always safe with the potsticker burrito (add avocado) which they always serve.
They usually have 3 — 4 savory options and 1 dessert. It’s satisfyingly dumpy but kind of healthy at the same time, for example they use brown rice instead of white. I will say though that desserts aren’t their forte, but frankly you’ll be so full with their savory offerings that it doesn’t matter.
One extra little thing that makes me love them even more is that they always get my name right. I’m middle eastern so I’ve taken to saying my name is Sara in coffee shops and clothing stores. The first time I ordered from Hella Vegan Eats I decided to say my real name and… they got it right! No asking to spell it or pronounce it again and they pronounced it correctly when they called me back! I now always give them my real name and the only time they got it wrong was when a young white guy was replacing the person who is normally there. That’s ok, I forgive him. (If your name is Jon or Emily you might think this is an incoherent ramble, but just trust me, in the West, it’s pretty unique and shows their super powers extend beyond cooking).
All in all, they rock and it’s great to see their business grow so successful.

The best day of my life was the day I walked into the SOMA StrEat Food Park and discovered Hella Vegan Eats.
Honest Truth? I only planned on using the restroom at the park and leave without eating — but the HVE truck changed my life the instant I saw it and I haven’t been the same since. What day is today? Thursday? They’re in the mission on Thursday. GOING TO THE MISSION!

Finally, I tried the Potsticker burrito. However, I was not satisfied. It was sweet and tangy with lots of rice, some greens, and a few potstickers. It lacked spiciness (Hot sauce) even though I had requested it. I felt full after eating it but did not feel satisfied. May be just stick with the Chorizo burrito instead of carb-​only potsticker burrito. May be someday, I will try their chorizo burrito again.
Service is good! Cashier was nice. She recognized me after two weeks!

Every year I turn vegan and back in March I was looking for a treat to my mundane menu of veggies and found hella vegan eats. Now since I can’t catch them in SF, I read that they do pop up dinners at Analog in Oakland. Yay! That following Monday, I stop by Analog (which btw, cool 80’s bar, people are great and just all around super coooool vibe) and order the campfire cookie and chicken and waffle w/​sage butter and blood orange syrup.
O. M. G. I could be vegan forevvvvvver – no joke. It was worth the price, the drive, any animal product. Hands down I came every Monday night possible. Love the ladies!

Yum!
I got the fried chicken sandwich, my friends order the chicken and waffles and the BLT.

If I could give a million stars, I so would. This is by far, the best place I’ve been to in my life. It’s better than all the whole foods, loving huts and farmer markets out together. Anyone who is vegan will know that is saying a lot. Lol. Simply amazing good, every time, without question. And the girls there are all so cute! Now if only they came down to the South Bay!

hard workin ladies indeed!
We found them at Dear Mom, and had dinner there, it was really good.
saw that they were offering a Thanksgiving Feast, so we asked about it, sounded good, right on.
They communicated well, and for an extra fee, delivered my scrumptious vegan feast to my doorstep in the waning hours of Thanksgiving Eve.
There was plenty of everything to go around, the food was delicious, and we had plenty of leftovers for the next couple days.
I hope they do similar offerings for other holidays, (NYE? Easter? V-​Day?)
as I will follow them and order whatever it is they are offering.
They are really good at what they do.

Came to the food truck on a Wednesday at the Civic Center Farmer’s Market.
I got myself the potsticker burrito and the pumpkin cinnamon roll.
Potsticker burrito — the entire time I was eating it I kept thinking «there’s actually a potsticker in this burrito right now», weird fusion but it works very nicely. I really enjoyed it and the hoisin sauce was great! If I ever find the time to get there again I’ll be getting this, although I wouldn’t mind if there was a an egg roll burrito??? ;) ⁴⁄₅
Pumpkin cinnamon roll — one of best cinnamon rolls I’ve had, that vanilla bean icing was killer and the cinnamon roll was so soft and delish.
I’d really like to try their donuts though at their pop-​ups.

I’ve already written two reviews for Hella Vegan Eats, but you know what they say… the 3^rd time is the charm.
First of all, Tiffany and Sylvee, the couple who are the brains behind this vegan powerhouse, are some of the kindest, sweetest, most enthusiastic & genuinely NICE people you will ever encounter. They always greet me with big smiles and hugs. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart whenever I drop by their food truck or visit their weekly pop-​up at Dear Mom (every Sunday night starting at 5pm).
If I’m having a bad day, they always make me feel better, both with their stand-​out personalities and their scrumptious edible delights. There are so many amazing vegan chefs in the Bay Area, but these two are some of my favorites. Granted, my list of favorites is quite extensive, but even so, I wish I could give them a gold medal for being so exceptional.
The food consistently goes above and beyond, and just keeps getting tastier, more creative, and more aesthetically pleasing. Their version of «chicken» and waffles is my all-​time favorite, especially when you add avocado on top, which I always do. $ 1 extra for rich, creamy, absolutely perfect avocado is a small price to pay for such a pleasurable experience.
I find myself going to almost all of their pop-​ups, and I visit their food truck every now and then. I often go for the more indulgent creations (i.e., the «chicken» and waffles, the veggie burgers, and of course, the desserts), but they always offer a salad or something else veggie-​full, and they ALWAYS have at least one or two gluten-​free options for your wheat-​less cuties. ;)
For the time being, they are popping up at the Heart of the City Farmers Market near Civic Center BART on Wednesdays (10am-​3pm), and the Mission Mercado every Thursday (4pm-​8pm), and at Dear Mom on Sundays (5pm-​12am).
They are very active on social media, so I highly recommend following them on Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram. Feeling hungry? Look up #HellaVeganEats. The food they put out is so dreamy and beautiful. You will swoon right where you stand.

I’ve been excited to try HVE for a while, and caught up with them at the Eat Real Festival. Unfortunately they only had a very limited menu of three items, only one of which was really a meal, the potsticker burrito.
The idea was cool, and had rice and vegetables (although a touch spicy) and of course those potstickers. It was pretty tasty to start, but that potsticker smell was a little pervasive, and I struggled to finish, although it was definitely filling, which isn’t that common for me.
Still, especially competing with several other vegan trucks in the area, I would have liked to see more variety. I’m keen to try them again though, when they have a different menu, although I don’t think they come to Oakland so much. Maybe they’ll earn 5 stars next time. A for effort though.

Two words:
POTSTICKER BURRITO!!!
Oh and add the avocado for some extra good fat.
What an amazing food truck with the most delicious and creative fresh food ever!!!
I’m pretty sure every vegan on the West Coast has either tried or has had lustful dreams of HVE.
I wish they would get a brick and mortar. These gals are super popular Wonder Women of food.
The line was over two hours long to get their yummy food this past weekend at the first annual Oakland Vegan Beer Fest. They will need an army next year to supply us hungry people.
Homemade. Flavorful. Yummy. Comfort. Creative.

So far I’ve been to 3 Hella Vegan Eats pop-​ups at Dear Mom and I definitely see an improvement from last year to this year. It was a brunch theme the first time we went and we tried the «chicken» and waffles. I remember the waffle was made out of corn meal and it was not crispy at all like it had been cooked hours ahead and not cooked to order. My friend got the donut burger and the donuts did not taste fresh. Not sure what happened that first time but my friends and I did not come back for several months.
Several months went by and we decided to try the pop-​up again when Hella Vegan Eats had an Asian theme. I’m glad we came back because this time around the food tasted hot and fresh and cooked to order. We got the char-​siu fries, seitan bao sandwich and black death garlic noodles. We also ordered Filipino biko for dessert, but something tasted burnt and I let them know and they refunded me for the dessert. Other than the dessert, everything tasted great.
We recently came again for the Japanese theme and again we enjoyed the food. We had the «chicken» katsu and sesame waffle and the waffle tasted like it was fresh and cooked to order. We also tried the fried avocado udon, shoyu seitan fries, smoked tempeh salad and all of it was delicious!
I’m glad Hella Vegan Eats has made improvements. I will be coming back!

Hella Vegan Eats makes the kind of food I wish I could make everyday. Delicious comfort food with TONS of herbs ‘n spices thrown in. These ladies aren’t afraid to open up the spice rack and go to town.
I’ve mostly tried their offerings at various food festivals around The Bay. Usually it’s their unique doughnut burger which isn’t necessarily my favorite thing. A recent Sunday excursion to Dolores Park gave my sweetie and me the opportunity to try out their full menu that isn’t offered at the festivals. Also it was our last chance to catch them at Dolores Park before the park temporarily closes for a makeover.
Their amazing Lusty Lover Tacos with spicy cornflakes and Mac & Cheese was always a hit with my taste buds. It’s a darn shame they don’t offer that Mac ‘n Cheese everyday because I was so looking forward to it! Instead they offered up a mix of brunch and lunch items on this day.
Even at a steep $ 12 we had to go for the Chicken & Waffles. Timeless Coffee makes my favorite but these ended up being a close second. The chicken patty itself was spectacularly seasoned. Not sure what the «chicken» consisted of but it had a delightful shredded texture that looked like the real deal. If you see anything on their menu with chicken in it, order it!
Their Reuben style sammich was another dish that’s «hella spiced». Even the Kraut had some kick. The thinly sliced yet still soft «Pastrami» bits were fantastic. Don’t know if their bun is made in cart but it was soft and quite Acme like.
Their cinnamon roll wasn’t bad on it’s own merit, but not nearly as impressive as the rest of their menu items. I think Cinnaholic in Berkley has ruined cinnamon rolls for me from everywhere else. Folks need to just cede the cinnamon roll crown to Cinnaholic and pursue other avenues of dessert mastery.
Not sure where they’ll be next but where Hella Vegan Eats goes, I wanna go as well.