Vegetarian Help in Southeastern Tempe

[Namius]

I have recently committed to going vegetarian for the next 49 days. I work near where the I-10 and Baseline Road intersect, and am hoping for some independent restaurant options within 5 miles or so for my hour lunch. Please help!

[bortukan]

Restaurant Mexico is a favorite of mine. They're very cheerful about substituting vegetarian whole beans for non-veggie refried beans and rice. I like the Clare burro and the Friday lunch special cheese chile relleno , both of which are vegetarian. Across the street from there, MedFresh Grill has great babaganoush and other Middle Eastern fare. Both are quick, too.

I love Essence bakery, but if your lunch time is strictly limited, I'd call in a takeout order or go during off-peak hours-- they are a little slow when they're full.

I live right by Woodlands, and in my opinion Cafe Krishna a mile to the south is better, at least for dosai. It's all-vegetarian also. Another all-vegetarian Indian place slightly outside your radius is Udupi, but I haven't been there in years. (I'm not vegetarian, but many of my friends are.)

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Restaurant Mexico
423 S Mill Ave # A, Tempe, AZ 85281

Cafe Krishna
4929 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85226

Udupi Cafe
1636 N Scottsdale Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281

[willyum]

Farm Kitchen at South Mountain is closed until early Sept but is probably ideal since they grow their own produce and are a short drive down Baseline. Lunch is served outside, you can dine at the picnic tables. This place was rated 5 stars by the Arizona Republic for lunch.

http://www.thefarmatsouthmountain.com/
http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/d... for the Republic review

Not a big deal but the title of your post is misleading since I-10 and Baseline is southwest Tempe, not southeast.

[buckeye.mary]

A place that's on my list to try (I just moved to Arizona) is Woodlands Indian Kitchen. It's South Indian vegetarian fare.

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Woodlands Indian Kitchen
4980 W Ray Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226

[Namius]

Thank you for all your suggestions thus far! Byblos is closed for renovations and will reopen on the 20th I discovered today, but I tried Cafe Lalibela today.

I'm really happy! The injera wasn't as spongy or sour as I had feared. The Masir Wat, red split lentils simmered in hot sauce and herbs, was delicious and made me not miss meat so much, with a spicy flavor that was subtle but satisfying. Tikil gomen, lightly spiced cabbage, carrots and potatoes was also a winner, with an almost buttery finish. Gomen, chopped collard greens cooked with garlic and onions was the only component that was merely okay, with the flavors being a little too mild for my taste, but by no means bad. I also had the Yekemem Shai black tea with cinnamon, cardamom & cloves cold, which was a refreshing drink. I definitely will be coming back, even after this vegetarian phase is over.

[andyeats]

It might be outside of your 5 mile range, but Green is another option.

http://www.greenvegetarian.com/

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Green
2240 N Scottsdale Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281

[Sherri]

Everything exit2lef said. There's also the IKEA to the south with some good salad and soup options in the self-serve restaurant upstairs. Both Haji-Baba (Middle Eastern) and Kai-Hoan (Vietnamese) on Apache, between Rural & McClintock in Tempe, offer many delicious vegetarian options. However, according to mapquest, they may exceed your 5 mile boundry -- they're 6 miles from I-10 & Baseline.

[avandelay]

I would go the extra mile for Haji-Baba. It is some of the better Middle Eastern food in the city, Nothing fancy just really good falafel which is completely veg. Pretty good hummus and baklava as well.

[PaqpIn]

I second the recommendation for the Cornish Pasty Co. Their veg pasties are very good and you can call in your order in advance.
http://www.cornishpastyco.com/menu/ve...

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Cornish Pasty Co
960 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281

[exit2lef]

Some possibilities within five miles:

Pasand -- south Indian & mostly vegetarian at Baseline & McClintock

Byblos -- Middle Eastern at Southern & Mill

The Farm at South Mountain -- I can never keep the various restaurants there straight, but the casual cafe nearest 32nd St. just south of Southern has some good meatless salads and sandwiches.

Lemongrass Thai -- good Thai at Hardy & Broadway. Most dishes can be made with tofu, although fish sauce may still be a factor

Cafe LaLibela -- Ethiopian at Hardy & University -- many veg choices

Essence Bakery Cafe -- also at Hardy & University with many meatless options

Cornish Pasty Company -- across from LaLibela and Essence with a whole section of its menu devoted to meatless pasties

Thai Elephant -- another Thai option. On University just east of Hardy.

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Essence Bakery Cafe
825 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281

Thai Elephant
Phoenix AZ, Phoenix, AZ