the naam

the naam is probably one of the most popularvegetarianrestaurants and for good reason. front of house, vines and all give it that home-y, vegetable-focused feel the naam is a medium-sized restaurant with a really cramped opening and homely decorations. it feels quite hipster but i feel that it suits the concept of the restaurant. food-wise, the first time i went, i had one of the naam dragon bowl and i split their tuscan nachos with two other people. the second time, i had the tempeh reuben and my friend and i split a cocoa hemp ball. both experiences were great and the third time around, it was just as good. this time, i ordered the maui maui burger. it’s a veggie patty with

happy servers please. i love naam'svegetarianbreakfast/brunch. however i used to love the happy servers as well. recently they are new servers that never smile! if you don't like the job please switch! i used to love the place - now not that much!

• lots of choices in the menu but better find a good one that you’ll like
• this place is for vegans &vegetarianso don’t be asking for meat
• potato wedges: have good flavour but it was hard and undercooked
• sheperds pie: it was mushy! we were expecting it to have layers of some protein, mashes potatoes etc but it was all mushed up together and was not good at all. it was a special for $12 with salad
• pad thai: flavours are there, too oily for me though; big portion good for sharing
• the male server: a bit too cocky and “into your personal space”. the rest of the staff were good
• will not go back to this place, sorry

if you were to pick one restaurant that represents kitsilano as a whole, it would have to be the naam. kitsilano's past, present, and future exists in this very special space. this legendaryvegetarianrestaurant is everything that you want it to be - and it's open 24/7. need miso gravy at 3am? they've got you.

lucky for me, the naam is located right outside of my front door. literally. i can see the restaurant from my living room window. this makes it very easy to consider it an alternative to eating at my own home. because of this, i have eaten here many times! and it's not just me, it's a major community favourite. the georgia straight voted it #1 best restaurant for a 3am meal 2017 and #1 most vegan-friendly 2017. westender chose it as the #1 best late-night eats 2017. and the georgia straight again picked it as #1 best restaurant for a 3am meal 2018. the point is clear: if you're hungry late at night, this is where you come (and you don't need to be stuck eating greasy fast food garbage late at night either).

the naam opened in 1968 which makes it vancouver's firstvegetarianrestaurant. kitsilano used to be a hippy haven and this is a place where you can still see remnants of that time. the vibe is extremely eclectic! you'll feel warm and comfortable, whether inside or outside on their beautiful patio. they feature interesting art exhibits that are ever-changing. their roots run deep and you'll feel as if you're a part of something when you visit.

i stopped in on a sunday evening and was immediately seated at a table in the middle of the room. our server was upbeat and friendly. there is live music every evening from 7-10pm (we were treated to a duo of guitarists), which always adds a special element to the experience. does it feel like home? that's because it is.

i started with a chai latte ($3.95). chai lattes are my #1 hot beverage to order and this version is one of my favourites. i like that it isn't too sweet, it's perfectly spicy, and it tastes fairly close to what an actual indian chai is supposed to taste like. sometimes i pop in and order one to go.

the food menu is vast! on this particular evening i was dining with avegetarianfriend of mine, and i asked her "don't you love coming to places where you can order anything off of the menu?" her response was that she's not used to having this many options! they've got pizza, mexican, burgers, asian dishes, pasta... and the list goes on. it's allvegetarianand in many cases vegan and/or gluten-free. the food is just good, down-home cooking with absolutely no pretension.

on this visit, i wanted to go full-on classic and ordered the naam dragon bowl (steamed veggies on organic brown rice with miso gravy, tofu, peanut sauce, grated carrots & beets, organic alfalfa sprouts & wakame - $11.75), the restaurant's signature dish, if you will. this bowl screams freshness on every level. the gorgeous colours alone can tell you everything that you need to know about this offering of goodness. every veggie was living up to it's full potential, the rice and tofu were cooked to perfection. but let's just talk about the miso gravy for a second. this is the thing. it's famous. you want this. it tastes incredible and boasts a wonderful umami that will fill you with happiness. (the naam sells their sauces, including this one (there are six in total), at many grocery stores around the city.) i often base my order on whether or not it includes the miso gravy. all six dragon bowls on the menu are great but this one is truly a classic.

the service got a little bit slow and can sometimes tend to be a bit patchy. we finally got an order in for dessert, the hot apple crisp (served with pride since the naam opened. it doesn't get any better - $6.25). this is a must-try and yet another classic. warm, gooey, sweet. tart juicy apples. a nice crunch from the granola. plus creamy ice cream on the side! share it with a friend!

the naam is like going home. the food is reliable and pleasing to vegetarians and non-veggies alike. the prices are reasonable and their breakfasts are delicious as well. (you'll often see people lined up out door during weekend brunch time.) this is your neighbourhood place.

disclaimer: i've only tried the dessert items from this restaurant, so my review is purely based on their desserts.

this is a popular, casual restaurant in kits that specializes in vegetarian/vegan food. during my visit there, i sampled their carrot cake, double fudge cake, and raspberry chocolate cake. i found their desserts to be generally pretty good, albeit a bit bland and too "healthy" tasting for my liking. the service is a bit disorganized, but the staff are very friendly. all in all, this seems like a great place for some goodvegetarianfare.

raspberry chocolate cake ($6.75):
3.5/5
this is vegan, and apparently contains cashews, and is served with a side of raspberry sauce.the cake was quite soft and moist, and contained a layer of fudge, which was dense but relatively light. although chocolatey, i did find the flavours to be a bit muted and bland; i personally would have liked the cake to be a bit sweeter. i quite enjoyed the raspberry sauce however, which had a intensely tangy flavour that paired well with the chocolate.

naam carrot cake ($6.75)
3/5
the cake contained walnuts, carrots and raisins. although not dry, it did have a crumbly texture that i was not the biggest fan of. i did also find it to be a bit bland. however, it did have a nice bit of spice, a well as a good amount of nuts, which i really enjoyed. i quite liked the cream cheese frosting, which was creamy and tangy: i only wish there as more of it present.

double fudge cake ($6.75)
3.5/5
this was my favourite of the three desserts. the cake was quite moist and chocolatey, although it was a tad bland on its own. fortunately, it was coated in a layer of chocolate icing, which was rich and sweet, and provided a great compliment to the cake.

i came in at 11 for the lunch menu with myvegetarianbestie and i didn’t realize that they don’t switch over until 11:30. so i ordered the huevos rancheros and it was delicious and i was happy to get miso gravy with the potatoes! the dish was hot and came out quickly-my friend ordered the same thing but with scrambled tofu instead of eggs which i would do next time because the tofu also comes with extra fried veggies! service was fantastic and we got to pick our seats by the window which was nice. i will return again and again for the miso gravy 👌

chairs won't fit properly at the table. food is delicious but they gave me way too much for just one person to eat. overall it's a good place and it's priced well. very tastyvegetarianor vegan food.

home to the original veggie burger. the naam has been doing it way before anybody as vancouver's oldest natural foods restaurant, open since 1968.
in fact it was here that i had my very first restaurant veggie burger in 1994 and i thought i was accidentally served a meat patty! the naam is still serving solid healthy-hippyvegetarianfare to this day. open 24 hours too. the bottled naam miso gravy is delicious and i always have one on hand - my favourite sauce on everything from buddha bowl to burger.

i came here for meatless mondays to try out. i wasn't too impressed with their service here.

from the looks of the patrons, i recognized a few ubc students here, and it looks like a hipster west end joint for rich hipsters lol. my food came and i dunno... i don't feel any love in the preparation and presentation. i'm sorry but it feels like this place is too hyped up, that's my own opinion. but from avegetarianand vegan point of view, i'm sure they would appreciate this place. the biggest bonus here is that it's 24 hours.

don't risk eating here if you have a gluten sensitivity. girlfriend specifically told her server she had celiac and made sure they double checked the dish she ordered - got assurance it was clean. proceeded to eat her meal, then become violently ill afterward. once home, she called the restaurant again to double check the dish for gluten - again the staff checked with the kitchen and assured her it was. once she told them she had become ill after eating the dish, the staff did a triple check with the kitchen and finally found that the miso gravy not at all gluten free. i would expect a restaurant offering vegan andvegetarianfare to be more aware of and have staff properly trained on exactly what ingredients their dishes contain. sadly that was not at all the case since it took three checks with the kitchen before it was discovered that they had served something my girlfriend was highly allergic to. beware of this place if you are sensitive to gluten.

as today is meatless monday, we wanted to try this restaurant for the first time. we had made two other attempts to try this place, and the third time is the charm.

unfortunately we found this place to be lacking in service and flavor of their food. i was kind of grateful that no one came by to ask how the food was, because i might have told them about my experience. so, i guess i'll just write about it.

this establishment has been around for so long now that, maybe they have forgotten what customer service is about. yes, we know that you're busy, but say "hi" when someone comes in. yes, i know that if we weren't here, the restaurant will still open (what's two customers correct?). the restaurant has a long history as "the best"vegetarianwhich completely baffles me. the food we had tonight was plain sloppy. over cooked veggies is enough to make anyone hatevegetarianfood.

yes, you have lots of regular customers who are telling you not to change. but you must change and try to get new customers and update your food. vegan food,vegetarianfood, any food doesn't need to be covered in sauce. you shouldn't be hiding the ingredients , but enhancing the flavour of the ingredients. there are many new vegan andvegetarianrestaurants that are doing a great job of highlighting veggies.

btw, i'm being quite generous giving this restaurant a 2 star rating.

this place serves upvegetariancuisine 24 hours a day and it never closes oh except for the occasional holiday or two. university students love coming here in the middle of the night to grab some fuel before they continue pulling at all nighter. always busy so expect to wait a little before getting a table.

great little vegetarian-friendly gem. looooove their miso gravy and thick potato 'fries' (more like wedges). if you love strong flavours, however, you might want to lower your expectations. this place is full of excellent but very mild-tastingvegetarianitems.

they also host live music featuring local artists, which is a great touch. and it's open 24 hours!

why is it so often that funkyvegetarianrestaurants have such poor service. too cool for school with your separate toe shoes? but i digress. we had lunch today, very slow service, my tepid, but tasty miso soup came after the mains were served. our vegetable rice bowls, peanut and curry, had tired vegitables and soggy rice with day old sauce. i had some green tea, would of liked a refill given the time we were there, and perhaps the opportunity for a desert, but just had the bill dropped on us. not sure if the restaurant is run for profit, or a ngo for young folk with bliss issues.

the naam is actually one of the restaurants in vancouver that’s older than i am… now that’s longevity given that vancouver foodies tend to be quite fickle.known mainly for theirvegetarianand vegan options during a time when this might have seemed a fad, they have endured and have seen other vancouver restaurants embrace the natural andvegetarianmenu options over time.