Grins Vegetarian Cafe

Located in the Center for Jewish Life (those Jews know how to sublet!), this campus dining option is for more than just students! Line wasn’t too long, and when they called my name (yes they memorize your names, how cool!) the food didn’t disappoint. The burger had a delightfully citrusy twist to it, and the side of macaroni salad was delish! One minor comment, felt the meat in the burger was slightly undercooked, but overall it’d hurt my heart to give anything less than 5 stars!

Everything here pretty much just tastes bland… Unilocal states that they have takeout but they don’t.

Everything just kind of lacks a flavor kick here.
I ordered the sweet potato tacos and the potato chunks in the tacos were almost raw and undercooked.
The «Nashville hot tofu» had so much breading that I was pulling off chunks of flour just to get to the tofu and it sits on top of untoasted white bread? The side of purple slaw wasn’t appetizing either.
Lastly, I’ve been in twice now and both times lacked a vegan item on the daily specials list and the coffee wasn’t fresh :/

Went searching for this Café… the food is rated excellent, however be forewarned, this Café is really a Vanderbilt Student Cafeteria, with the ambience of a Student Dormitory. However if you are a Student, enjoy it. The Line was very long when we arrived, there was no table service, only a subway style ordering system in place. It is one block from the Vanderbilt Marriott.

I went here on a visit to Vanderbilt, and was pleasantly surprised by the food. I was expecting everything to taste bland and boring, but the food was actually great!
The superfood wrap went along great with the Parmesan+mushroom grits. The selection was great for the size of the restaurant, too.
As you’ll see, the line certainly shows how popular Grin’s is with the local sorority girls. But, it goes quickly and is certainly worth the wait.

A vegetarian and vegan café located in Vanderbilt’s campus, Grins is an excellent place for any meal any time of the day. Relatively fast in their food-​making, with an open space to eat and work (of course, there are plenty of students here at any given time) Grins is what I wish most coffee shops about town would be: a quiet place to enjoy food and drink and get some things accomplished. They offer so many healthy options like tofu scrambled breakfast wraps and sweet potato and avocado tacos. They offer free water and a variety of cold teas. At peak hours the line can be ridiculously long but if you’re in the area and want to eat off hours it’s a great place for some good food that is actually good for you. The students who work here are very good at customer service, but I wouldn’t recommend straying too far from the counter until you have your order (they don’t really call it out here). The prices are very reasonable even for non-​students and again, the food is awesome. I recommend this place for anyone who likes healthy alternatives to typically lunch fare.

So slow. I used to think this was the best place to eat on campus, but they take forever. Each time I have gone they have taken longer and longer whether there is a line of people or not. Last time I ate here they left my wrap full of raw veggies on the heat for so long that everything inside of it cooked — cooked cucumbers and red cabbage. I wish this place was better, and I won’t be going back.

Love love love. I’m a Vanderbilt student, and this is the best place to eat on campus. Vegetarians, Vegans, and Meat-​Lovers alike will love what Grins has to offer. Their breakfasts are phenonmal and go from sweet in the Nutella panini to savory in the Huevos Rancheros Wrap. The oatmeal is also phenomenal. The lunch and dinner menu is also amazing, with wraps, paninis, and salads. There are also daily specials, salads, and soups. The vegan cookies and desserts are also to die for, especially the snickerdoodle. Basically, if you’re around Vanderbilt and Grins is open, eat there.

Really good, original vegetarian food for being a meal plan option in the middle of a college campus. I had the «Nashville Hot Tofu,» which to be honest was a little strange, but comes closer to matching the texture of breaded chicken than I was expecting. Expect a long line of college students if you go during the busy lunch hour.

As a Vandy student, Grins is the best dining place on campus that is part of the meal plan. It is actually a subsidiary of Bongo Java, who won Fido also, so you know you’ll get some good brews and some even better food here. I’ve had almost everything here, and the best options are always on Friday at lunch. That’s the day the entrée specials are made, ranging from Tofu Poboys to Curry, to fresh Gemelli.
It is all Vegetarian, and portions are «small» by some student standards, but hey, its quality over quantity. Which I appreciate personally.

This place is awesome. Although I feel old when I go there (on Vanderbilt campus) …it’s worth it!

LOVE me some Grins… and I’m not even vegan or vegetarian! It’s within reasonable walking distance of my office, and when the weather is nice it’s makes for a very beautiful walk through the Vanderbilt campus.
I’ve only ever had the Apple PBG Wrap here because that’s the first thing I ever ordered, and I crave it now. The wrap is filled with apples, banana, peanut butter and granola, with a side of yogurt for dipping. It’s large enough to share or take back for leftovers later.
Much of their menu items are made to order and can take awhile if the place is busy, but they do have some ready-​made items on hand, too.
For a 30-​something, I feel somewhat out of place eating there among college students, but the wrap is worth the awkward feeling.

I’m not really too sure how to review Grins. If I were a Vandy undergrad with a meal plan, this place would be 5+ stars. Without a Vandy meal plan, I am a bit underwhelmed. I am a grad student and I feel a bit out of place in a room full of Vandy girls. If you aren’t a college student, you will most likely be the oldest person in the room.
I have had a couple of different items here. My first and second trip I had the BBQ tofu po boy. The first time it was underwhelming, the second time – I ate there rather than take out – it was much better but still small and did not seem like a $ 7.00 sandwich.
My most recent trip, I got a vegan cheeseburger (take out). It was good. more sandwich than burger, but quite tasty. I will get this again.
[EDIT: The cheeseburger CAN NOT be made vegan!!! The patty has whey in it and they FINALLY informed me of this after having it several times and ordering it vegan. It seems as though they are not very informed about their own ingredients.]
The coffee is also $.50 more expensive than at the library and they both serve Bongo Java coffee.
I think the individual items are quite overpriced for the food you get. $ 7.00 sandwiches that dont quite fill you up!?! That is a bit expensive if you ask me. There are also not too many options. I would love to see a vegan ruben on the menu or a vegan cheese steak. That would be awesome.

It’s a little bit pricey. But I guess for Vanderbilt students on a meal plan it’s a bargain.

It’s a Jewish café.
I love their peanut butter banana granola wraps… great for breakfast… big enough to share.
All of their vegan cookies are scrumptious!
Parking sucks.
Café is open when Vanderbilt university is opened only. Closed in the summertime and school breaks.

Ok, so I’m a Vandy student and Grinns is an on campus restaurant (open to everyone though). In the two years that I have been here, I never went to Grinns before mostly because I don’t enjoy vegetables (My idea of vegetarian is pasta and possibly some greens.) and also because I got scolded by a girl at the lobby of the Jewish center (I think Grinns is connected to Hillel?)… so yeah, I was kinda intimidated to enter this place.
My friend who is very skinny and a complete health freak dragged me in. Seriously just thinking about eating nothing but vegetables repelled me. I asked her «what if I am still hungry! I’m not a rabbit!» She told me it was all tasty and that her favorite was the veggie burger. Thats when I decided she was not a reliable foodie and I no longer trusted her taste in food. I mean she was a size 0 so she must not eat much and who actually enjoys veggie burgers. yuck!
So anyway, I made my order of a Mexicali wrap and a side of penne pasta salad. It was surprisingly really good! I was full and even craved more of it the next day. Who knew it was possible to be a vegetarian and have a satisfied belly?! I even had more energy like my environmental science high school teacher told me I would! I’m definitely coming back and recommending this place to everyone I know.
This place is really awesome! It may not be my favorite place in the world, but it really is an amazing place. I can see why it was packed not only with dozens and dozens of Vanderbilt students but also LOCAL PEOPLE FROM NASHVILLE. This place is somewhat progressive in the sense that this is the only completely vegetarian AND Kosher place that I know of in Nashville. Pretty impressive. Also, the staff are really friendly and they remember all their regulars by name. This is the warmest place on campus. And now that my mind has been opened, I might just try that veggie burger that my friend suggested.
As a huge animal lover, and being very aware of the cruelty to farm animals, maybe becoming a vegetarian might not be as much of a difficult sacrifice as I had originally thought…
Really, my only complaint is that they only give you the choice of coffee, iced tea, and cold or hot water. Why no juices? And when I went at 6pm, the line was so long and the seating though abundant was lacking in availability. They need to expand! There’s too many customers.

Venturing onto a college campus when you’re 31 years old can bring back the feelings of being a slightly awkward freshman on campus but Grins makes it worth it.
Since I chose my vegan lifestyle, I have had very few people suggest that I check out this vegetarian and vegan sanctuary. This very much surprises me because Grins offers so much and at a very central location. Albeit, you’re on the Vanderbilt campus but it’s supper easy to find and I didn’t have any issues with parking or access.
The special Fall 4 course vegetarian/​vegan dinner lured me with a nifty price tag of only $ 30. Being that I had never dined here before, I’m not sure how it is normally set up during the day, but when we walked in… it was a quite pleasant ambiance, not what I would expected.
The wait staff were students who were charming after an initial hiccup of my friend and I sitting at our table for nearly 10 minutes without being addressed by our server but she was doting and great the rest of the meal.
Let’s chat food, shall we?
I was very happy with each selection ranging from the house-​made bread with the Fried Goat Cheese Salad (I personally refrained from the goat cheese as I am vegan and they accommodated this request throughout my meal beautifully!) to the Vegetable Bourride (tasty soup) and Handmade Gnocchi with Roasted Mushrooms. YUM. Just when I thought that I had exhausted my palate, a delightful Apple & Pear Crostata that consisted of soy chai ice cream and candied ginger capped off a truly fabulous meal!
I had an event prior to dinner or else I would have brought a Kosher bottle of wine to pair… which is a great option to uncork here.
I am very interested in trying Grins out for lunch and will update.

I hope in the future to update this review and also up the stars. On my first trip to Grins, it was just OK. I got the Thai tofu wrap and a vegan snickerdoodle. The wrap, for me, was not enough to warrant the price. There was a bit of soy seasoning, but it was mostly plain tofu and spinach, and I was bored. My friend got the same wrap and she was content with it. Both of our cookies were really good. She got a citrus cardamom cookie, which was excellent and citrusy but the cardamom component was negligible (embrace the cardamom!!!). They have Bongo coffee which is always good.
Now for the non-​food review: As far as ambience goes, the place was packed at 6 and I felt pretty damn agoraphobic inside. Fortunately it was nice out, so we were able to go outside and sit on the patio. One of the design flaws in this place: you pick up your food in the same tiny space where you place your order. So it’s always a clusterf**k there. Besides that, the woman in charge of notifying patrons when their order was ready basically screamed names which was rather jarring. If I never hear my name yelled like that again, I’ll be happy.
I plan to try it again in the next couple weeks and hope to end up with a tastier wrap or sandwich. But I’d suggest going not at peak hours if you want to enjoy yourself.

I know, it seems a little strange to write a review for an on-​campus college dining option, but I think it surprisingly measures up to the real world. As a Vanderbilt alum, I was a huge fan of Grins during my undergraduate years – it’s a great deal and offers some healthy, delicious alternatives to what you usually think of as campus food. The menu is entirely vegetarian, and also offers plenty of vegan options.
The regulars on the menu include a variety of hefty wraps and sides. I would highly recommend the toasted Apple Wrap — sweet, cinnamon, cooked apples, peanut butter, granola, and vanilla yogurt on the side to dip into. I’m actually allergic to raw apples, so I love that they cook the apples. The granola adds a nice crunchiness and I mean, when wouldn’t you want to eat peanut butter? It’s a great simple combination. Others tell me the PB&G is great too (peanut butter, bananas, and granola) but I’m turned off by the bananas. The Mexicali wrap is alright, it’s mostly just rice and beans (a lot of it though). I can only tolerate eating it if I also add cheese to the wrap – otherwise it’s overwhelmingly plain and reminiscent of what we used to serve at Hunger Banquets.
They also have a rotating pasta, panini, and soup of the day. I’ve never tried their pastas, but the panini’s have never let me down. Last time I was there, they had a delicious focaccia bread with olive tapenade, pesto, ricotta, sundried tomatoes, and mozzarella. Yum. And they’re made fresh-​to-​order. I can’t remember the names of the other panini’s, but I can attest that I definitely order a panini more often than a wrap, and it’s always a great combination of flavors that still fills you up.
They also have some cool rotating cold sides that vary from an edamame & corn salad to their famous ranch pasta. The flavors are always refreshing and bright and a great complement to their main dishes.
Don’t go during the lunch rush if you plan on eating… the wait might take 20 – 30 minutes in line and then you’d still have to wait for your food. But, if you want a nice light dinner or a late lunch, this would be the perfect spot. They aren’t especially quick – small kitchen – but, it’s a great light, refreshing, vegetarian dining option. Also they have an extremely inefficient way of calling orders out to you. In theory, they scream your name when your order is up. But, this leads to confusion when common names are dining at the same hour. Also, there is a lot of space and the volume of the order-​calling never reaches past the first few tables or over the chattering of customers in line. So, definitely pay attention after you order so that you don’t miss yours being called out! I ended up having to wait over 30 minutes for my order because I didn’t hear them call it and apparently someone else took it and then I had to go up and re-​order.

I came to Nashville on a business trip and, to my understanding, Grin’s is the only kosher restaurant in Nashville. Fortunately, for me it’s a great one!
The vegetarian menu has very diverse tastes with all kinds of wraps, which they will grill for you. The soup was good and the focaccia was amazing. I ordered something spicy and it totally hit the spot.
I thought it was actually pretty cheap and a great value, at least if you’re kosher and have nowhere else to go; I can’t really speak to other vegetarian places or cafeterias on-​campus. The parking is difficult, as its on Vanderbilt campus around the student living dorms/​frats. And yes, Blair L., the place was packed with Vandy sorority girls — they are amazingly gorgeous! This is probably not the forum, but I was more impressed with the Vandy girls than any other university I’ve been to.
Good to know that for us kosher Jews, Nashville has a quality place to eat!