Happy Veggie

Great service, very friendly. I love that you can get a fresh coconut to drink. The food is very tasty I am not vegetarian but enjoy eating vegetarian once in a while, the chicken drumsticks do taste like chicken! I usually get the phở which is very tasty!

My vegetarian friend dragged me here because she said it was her favorite restaurant. I was starving, so I ordered more than we could eat. I chose spring rolls, a salad, pad thai, ans some kind spicy phở. Oh, and I also ordered a Thai ice tea.
Ice tea was yummy. Never had it before, so I really don’t have anything to compare it to.
Spring Rolls were extremely tasty, especially with the peanut sauce.
The salad was just plain, couple of pieces of tofu and lettuce. Meh.
Pad Thai was petty good. Not fantastic just a little better than average.
Spicy Phở was in a large bowl. Noodles were just okay. Had much better a «real» phở restaurant. Weird stuff in it. Some of it was decent, but the «sausage» was just plain terrible.
All in all, pretty solid restaurant. Will I go back? I guess I might…

The fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce and the chicken salad are really on point! There is a small and large size for each of these two dishes I tried, so you can order according to how big your appetite or party is.
The guy host is really nice and even though his English wasn’t the best, he was able to communicate and take orders correctly. Better than some perfect English speaking servers I’ve met!
Check in on Unilocal for free hot tea for two! Which was really delicious jasmine tea.
Plenty of free parking in the shared mall lot.

Happy Veggie brings back happy memories.
I’ve dined here three times now. I’m a creature of habit and I rarely stray from the traditional phở. But since I had my first Veggie phở, I feel like I just started a new tradition. The veggie broth is so rich and flavorful, chock full of tofu, mushrooms and herbs. And honestly I was not expecting it to be this tasty.
The service is on the slow side. I have only seen one person waiting on tables every time that I’m there. So don’t come here when you’re in a hurry.
I still enjoy traditional phở elsewhere but when I’m here, the Veggie phở is my go-​to dish.
*RECOMMENDED*

Great healthy food made by the owner
Soup is awesome
Veggie shrimp wraps are awesome
Young coconut was awesome and only $ 3.50 and he cuts open the top so u can drink and get in there for the pulp
Negatives-​groupon is only good for the dinner

It was a very cold week in Southern Cali and I just had a root canal and wanted something that warm and soft to eat. I knew I wanted Phở, so after leaving my appointment, I checked Unilocal for the nearest Vietnamese restaurant, and although it wasn’t nearby, they had great reviews.
I get there and after ordering, the lady tells me they ran out of noodles and it would be about a 20 minute wait because someone went to the market to get more noodles. Bummer! Just as I was contemplating if I wanted to wait or not, the guy comes in with big bags full of noodles. Yes!
The broth was very flavorful! And I love noodles, so it was a good thing they were stingy with the noodles. Couldn’t really chew the tofu and the tofu-​ish meatball. But other than that, my bowl of Phở was delicious.
Finding the restaurant is a bit tricky. I used google maps and it had me going around in circles, not knowing that I was right where I needed to be. The restaurant is located in a shopping center.

Tried this place out for the first time yesterday and it was quite delicious. I’m not vegetarian but I do enjoy vegetarian meals every now and then and I was impressed. I ordered the eggplant and tofu with brown rice, great flavors and great portions, I also tried some of my friends lemon chicken I believe it was and it was flavorful. Redeemed the offer for a free pot of tea for 2 from Unilocal and they gladly honored it, tea was a tasty jasmine green tea. Service was great, I definitely will be visiting again and will be recommending to my vegetarian friends :)

Good place, delicious food. Phở was on point for being straight vegaterian. The wife and I found it great and everyone in there was friendly and talking to you like they know you, like true comrades.
Phở arrived hot and fresh. Full to the brim with lots of bean sprout and basil. 5 star for this fresh and super healthy dish.
Spring roll was also on point with the tofu and shrimp. Wow. Inhaled that quick with the wife. 5 star for this and it’s yummy peanut dip.
Hot tea for checking in on Unilocal.Thank you!
Iced tea was iced tea. Cool and refreshing and not too sweet. 5 star for that goodness.
Young coconut… wow. full of coconut juice and tender coconut meat. 5 star.
Did I mention we ate all that food for just 35 $… yeah it’s that cheap. 5 star.
I would recommend this place to Anyone who is vegetarian or non-​vegetarian (like me). If you think that Phở couldn’t get any better then where you go now. You haven’t tried Happy Veggie… Are you still reading this? Make up your mind already and be eating here and rate it yourself.
1 issue only. kinda slow service. But none the less 5 star food with a 3 star service. But they are working on that the owner said.

Tried happy veggie tonight after buying a groupon for it and I’m so HAPPY I did :) I got the phở after reading all of the hype about it, it definitely didn’t disappoint. The broth was so delicious! We got the veggie dumpling appetizer– we loved it :) the texture of it was so soft and the sauce was simple and flavorful. Another dish we tried was the pan fried noodles, OMg! The sautéed veggies were so tasty and the noodles were a treat, crunchy on the outside and yet still soft In the middle. The Thai tea is a MUST with your meal. The ambiance of the restaurant is very poor though, they need to spruce up the place and possibly add some music in the background because it was awkwardly quiet, hhaha. They made up for it with the yummy food. :)

Great little place. Can’t believe it’s vegetarian! The phở broth is very flavorful and has a clean taste to it. The eggplant with tofu has a good sauce and cooked just right. The pad Thai has an excellent savory and sweet taste and the veggies mixed in give it a crunchy texture.
Will definitely be back here again!

We don’t have a lot of Vegan joints on the beach so when I stumbled thru this gem of a place. Ahhhh so refreshing.

Phở from Happy Veggie Redondo Beach. Living in LA has introduced me to amazing Vietnamese cuisine. Phở isn’t something I crave until I’m in need of some natural healing. Phở is my go to when feeling under the weather. It unexplicably works almost all the time. The best for my money is Happy Veggie. It’s spicy, minty, and scalding hot. I’m not sure of all the herbs, but they claim 10 different herbs in their Phở. And when your tummy is feeling weak, the veggie option trumps the more flavorful meat option from other good Phở spots. All I do is add some Sriracha and some of their Peanut sauce and this Phở is super delicious. This stuff is magic and just right for what ails you. Hopefully I won’t be back soon. That’s not an insult

I can’t believe it is took me this long to visit Happy Veggie! The phở, eggplant & pad thai dishes were delicious and I can’t wait to try other menu items. The phở had a beautifully developed broth and it was filling yet light. The eggplant & pad thai dish were also delicious too and they weren’t greasy. Get all of it!!!
I don’t get the bad reviews & don’t let those discourage you. I think those people have been watching too much of the fake food network.

So my fiancé and I have committed the past 6 weeks to a weight loss program that helped us become active, fit, and health conscious. I stumbled upon this restaurant while looking through my Entertainment Book coupon book and realized that it was a vegetarian place.
We decided to check it out on Sunday after church. We were seated right away and the waiter was nice and friendly. However, I was sad when the waiter told me that the coupon placed in the Entertain Book was from the previous owner and that the new owner did not accept it. However, he instead referred me to their current Groupon deal which was $ 16 for $ 30 worth of food. It was a really great deal!
I ordered the tofu curry and my fiancé ordered the eggplant tofu dish. They were both AMAZING. It was so flavorful and satisfying. We already agreed we’d come back again to try the other dishes. Although the menu states it’s chicken or beef, it’s not. It’s made with soy protein. Everything on the menu is vegetarian.
However, they were understaffed. Our waiter was the only waiter that day serving tables. Bless his soul, he was so nice and accommodating! But you could tell it was clearly way too much for only 1 person to handle. It was busy and all the tables were occupied. I noticed him call someone upstairs to come down to help him but didn’t really do anything lol. Poor guy. That’s the only reason why I had to take off one star.
But food and service was pretty amazing! We’ll be back (:

Bottom line up front: Everything is veggie/​vegan friendly but surprisingly delicious, bold, and flavorful. Highly recommend the Pad Thai (‘spicy’ for a kick) with Thai tea. Had no issues with service whatsoever. Have nothing negative about this place!
My husband and I will try veggie/​vegan restaurants time to time so this one stood out for us for quite some time since we live nearby. It’s a very quiet, small, soothing restaurant with very few staff. Parking is not an issue here.
We ordered the vegan phở noodle dish with soy beef flavored meat balls. I was very shocked to find that the soup was VERY flavorful. I always thought the meat is what gave phở THE flavor, but I was wrong. The vegan meatballs were also surprisingly delicious. It made me think being vegan would be a breeze (although, I know that’s really not true).
We also ordered the vegan pad thai. Again, this place is full of surprises because it was one of the best pad thai’s I’ve ever had. It had fried tofu and soy shrimp with noodles and peanuts. We ordered it spicy (level 7 out of 10) which gave it the perfect amount of kick. I will say, I was a bit weirded out by the fake shrimp… it had the same shape and coloring of real shrimp.
I don’t know if it’s because our expectations for this restaurant were really low at first, but it’s hard to give this place anything less than a 5. The dishes were all fantastic, service was excellent, atmosphere was great… no issues! I’m definitely coming back here again.

Happy Veggie is a small Vegan/​Vegetarian Vietnamese Restaurant restaurant tucked in a Plaza off PCH. Service was good!
I am not a vegetarian or vegan but I do enjoy eating those dishes from time to time. I LOVE tofu!
We started off with Crunchy Casaval Rolls. It was refreshing and has a fresh bite to it. The peanut sauce went well with it.
My favorite is the Egg Plant & Tofu Stir Fry. Though it’s a dish you can get it anywhere, ahem Panda Express, but they make it really well here. It’s not too saucy. The chunks of egg plant aren’t overcooked. Overall, it’s tasty, light, and right!
My bf ordered the Curry Chicken. This was okay. A little mild in flavor but the taro and potatoes were overcooked – it was gritty.
The food are a bit pricey for what they are. So maybe if I get another Groupon, then I will come back for more!

TL;DR: 5 out of 5. delicious Vietnamese vegan food with no MSG. Get the Spicy Royal Noodle Soup and Claypot Fish.
Location: This vegan restaurant is located in a strip mall very close to Redondo Beach Pier. Parking is super easy in a big lot. There are a lot of other eateries here so it can get a bit crowded during the weekends. However, I never had problem finding parking, but you may have a park a little far from the restaurant itself. The restaurant is really interesting when you walk in since the cook the food UPSTAIRS, and they serve the food to you DOWNSTAIRS. It takes a lot of skills bringing multiple dishes downstairs in my opinion. The location also plays soft zen/​yoga music, which is very soothing.
View photos at
Address:709 N Pacific Coast Hwy Redondo Beach, CA 90 277
Price: $ 15/​person for dinner (app + main dish); lunch special is $ 8.95
What to get, or not:
This is a vegan restaurant, which means no meat or any animal by-​products are served here. For the price you are paying and the location, this is a very good deal. The place serves primary Vietnamese cuisine. If you have not tried Vietnamese food, the flavor is very fresh and includes a lots of vegetables and is definitely a healthy alternative to typical Chinese food.
Spicy Royal Noodles ($ 10.95)
The broth tastes like a phở broth. In addition to that, it also has a Thai sweet and sour flavor to it. However, it is a very mild addition to it, but makes it very flavorful. The broth is also flavored with onions, cilantro, and mint leaves. I am pretty sure there is no MSG in here since I was not thirsty afterwards. The protein used is veggie beef, which has the texture of beef. However, when you eat it, it does not have the intense beef flavor. This very good when you feel sick. It also has big chucks of tofu, which is lightly fried on the outside and soft in the inside. The dish comes with clear rice noodles (aka vermicelli noodles). I really like this dish and will definitely get it again whenever I come back. **FOODIE STAMP OF APPROVAL**
Claypot Fish ($ 10.95)
This is definitely may favorite Vietnamese dish whether it is vegan or not. The fish that the dish is trying to replicate is catfish, which is a very popular fish used in a majority of Vietnamese dishes. If it is Vietnamese, then it is likely that the fish will be catfish, FYI. The fish is replicated with veggie fish protein. There is also eggplant, which gives it the fishy taste. I am not sure if fish sauce is used in this dish (which would make it not vegan), but it taste just like the non-​vegan version. However, I like the vegan version a lot better than it is less salty. Although the dish may not look very attractive, it is full of flavor and depth. You get a choice of brown or white rice with this dish. **FOODIE STAMP OF APPROVAL**
Lemongrass Chicken ($ 10.95)
This is made with soy protein that replicates the texture of chicken breasts! This is then mixed with lemongrass, onions and celery. The sauce is sweet and sour. You can choose brown rice or white rice with your dish. This dish was good, but since the two dishes above were outstanding, this was average in comparison.

I’m going to say 4 stars for the food and 2 stars for the service or lack thereof. And being that we drove all the way from OC vs. being local is definitely going to skew my view. First off, not worth the drive since there are a ton of great vegetarian places within 10 miles. Only problem was the ones we wanted were closed on Sundays so we decided to venture out here …
We got there just as they opened at noon on a Sunday and was the first group there. 3 – 4 groups trickled in after us and there was only 1 girl greeting, taking orders and bringing out food, and she looked miserable! I’d be pissed too if I was the only one but when you’re in this business, you either fake a smile or just leave! I did feel bad for her when we had to ask for things but as paying customers (who drove a long way), it’s our right to ask! Asking for straws and ice weren’t huge requests, were they? Who skimps on ice when it’s 80° outside and they were without A/​C!!!
Onto the food …
Spring rolls — better at Mitasie in HB,
Crispy tofu — not crispy, but tasty
Heavenly salad — skimped on tofu, but tasty
Chicken curry — good
BBQ noodles — good
Lemon grass chicken — good