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Good Karma Vegan House (Vegetarian cuisine)  $

 9
JaT Rating

37 S. First St, San Jose, 95113  (Directions)


408-294-2694


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Vegan restaurant with cheap prices and non-greasy healthful dishes.


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1007
Reviewed: 7/26/2005
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		It took 2 tries to find Good Karma Vegan House in downtown San Jose and was well worth the try. I dont think its a coincidence that I was driving and navigating. Its 1 block from the albertsons market and next door to this laundry mat. Oddly enough that same laundry mat plays the loudest music on the sidewalk for who knows what reasons? scare the pigeons away? We walk into Good Karma and the place is tiny but decorated in a way to make you feel at home. I completely forgot what we were suppose to order so I went with the 2 item plates. I asked for the brown rice, steamed veggies, and faux sesame chicken.

brown rice - brown rice has never been a big pleaser in my book but I figured neither was vegan so what the heck. Surprisingly, it was fluffy, moist, and pleasant to eat. I think it was topped off with some soy sauce. I would stick to the brown rice if I return.

steamed veggies - assorted veggies that are steamed, carrots, cabbage, and broccoli. Veggies had firm texture and tasted good. No complaints here.

sesame chicken - on skewers with a light marinade on it. Texture wasnt exactly like chicken but almost spongy. Did it taste like chicken.....welll....hhmmm...not exactly but it did taste like a variant of some lost chicken species that might have roamed the earth 4,200,000 years ago. Did I like it? You bet, Id order this thing again without hesitation.

Im pleased to announce I enjoyed the entire lunch at Good Karma Vegan House. For $4, its quite the bargain and it will fill you up. You'll be even more happy when you come back to work feeling less bloated than your chain-restaurant counterparts. With plenty of fresh dishes to select from, you can build a healthy variety vegan plate. The lady behind the counter was very nice and would invite anyone to visit Good Karma. Thanks to Jade for recommending an excellent place to eat.

***Update 7.24.06****
Good Karmas moved to another location in downtown San Jose. We should be reviewing it in the near future. Here's the current address.

37 S. First St. (between Post & Santa Clara)
San Jose, CA 95113
 
  RETURN VISIT for Jason! 8/2/2006 - 9 Rating: We visited the new location of Good Karma and it's bigger, cleaner, and better. Still the same great vegan dishes at bargain prices. 2 plate item will run you $4.50. Parking might be a little harder but they have paid parking down the street or you can circle the block waiting for a spot to open.

The dining area has more tables and stools at the counter. I talked with the owner? employee? and he said they might have live music during the week and may stay open late.

With a number of pleasing visits to Good Karma, it's one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in the bay area.
 


Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 738
Reviewed: 7/26/2005
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		I must admit, I was a little ambivalent about going here this morning. I figured it would be just alright. Usually vegetarian places serve up food that is either uninspired, or over-inspired (overly greasy, and everything ends up tasting all the same).

Well Good Karma is a modest establishment with a few select items behind the glass at the counter. The prices are very respectable, especially for vegetarian cuisine. I'm talking from $3.50ish -> $7ish depending on how many items you order. Everything they serve is vegan, so for me, everything was an option.

I went for a variety of items (most labeled as Tofu dishes, the only faux-meat item I went with were the 'tofu meatballs'. I also ordered the white rice. I must say, everything was fantastic. And actually quite filling as well. Maybe not Sogo Tofu filling, but darn close. And I didn't have that greasy feeling in my mouth, throat and stomach.

The dishes were all VERY delicious. Each item had its own unique flavor and while it had no grease, I was also happy to notice that it had not so much sodium as well. My mouth wasn't dying for thirst after the meal as much as, say, White Lotus.

I must admit that Good Karma is now my #1 choice for Veggie cuisine. The combination of the clean, friendly interior, cheap prices, and great healthful veggie selection make this a winner for me. I can't wait to go back and sample more of the items.
 
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dbg ate...

teriyaki chicken and faux-tuna

“The faux-tuna was excellent, the teriyaki "chicken" was decent.  Got short-changed on the rice but the server gladly refilled my plate at no charge.  Unfortunately I didn't try any real veggies.”

1/2/2007 6:17:03 PM