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Good Karma Vegan Café owner Ryan Summers shows off the restaurant's Spring Rolls. The rolls contain lettuce, carrots, jicama and tofu and is complimented with peanut sauce. Good Karma is located on First and Post streets.

Tessa Crandal serves up a dish at the locally owned restaurant Good Karma, which offers an entire vegan menu providing options from black bean tofu to chocolate tofu pie.

The Student Union Food Court features a salad bar where students can build their own salad.

No meat, please!

Dining spots on and near campus offer several options for vegetarian and vegan cuisine

By: Heather Driscoll

Posted: 10/16/07

The Student Union, a campus destination for hungry students, can appeal to the masses because of its wide range of food.

Andrew Hale, manager of the food vendors within the Student Union food court, said there are vegetarian options available for students, staff and visitors.

Hale said there are freshly made salads every day as well as whole fruits that can be purchased.

Certain noodle dishes from Noodle Bowl can also appeal to vegetarians, Hale said.

He also said the Mexican units, such as Quesadilla Corner, are popular with the vegetarians.

Quesadilla Corner offers roasted vegetable quesadillas as well as burritos, Hale said.

"It's a popular vegetarian dish," he said

Hale said that they also offer Croissant Garden Delight in the sandwich section.

The other half of the Student Union Food Court contains Subway and Jamba Juice, which can both appeal to vegetarians.

Shautabia Mayers, a senior psychology major and a supervisor at Subway, said the Veggie Delite sandwich is for vegetarians.

Mayers said the Veggie Delite includes bread with vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and pickles. She said the veggie patty is made of fried vegetables compacted together in the formation of a patty.

Next to the Student Union lies another food destination.

Jennifer Goodale, manager of food vendors such as Burger King, Sbarro and Market Cafe, is aware of vegetarians and their needs.

Goodale said Market Cafe has a good selection of dishes for vegetarians and vegans.

She said Market Cafe has a variety of salads, which include ingredients such as tofu, tabbouleh and couscous. Goodale said certain salads include cheese which can be removed upon request.

There are some soups that can appeal to vegetarians, Goodale said.

"We don't have a vegetarian option every day but we do try to have vegetarian soups as much as possible," she said.

Goodale mentioned a new program called Tossed Salads, where customers can customize their own salads.

Goodale said customers can choose from different types of lettuce and other ingredients they can put on their salad.

"The sky is the limit," she said.

Goodale said she is willing to take suggestions if her menu is lacking certain items.

She said she is currently working on adding grilled tofu into the ingredients.

Another place where hungry vegetarians can go is off campus.

Tengu Sushi, located on Third Street, directly across from the San Jose Repertory Theatre, also serves vegetarian dishes.

Kyle Sakai, a junior mechanical engineering major, said vegetarian sushi rolls, cucumber rolls, shiitake roll and inari are just some of choices vegetarians have.

Pita Pit, another off-campus eatery located next to the light rail station on Second Street, also serves vegetarian food.

Mark Robinson, a worker at Pita Pit, said the falafel is the most popular choice among other courses.

Good Karma, a cafe located on First Street, serves only veagan food.

Ryan Summer, owner of Good Karma and a vegan, said his restaurant has a "cornucopia" of dishes without animal products.

"We try to do dishes that you wouldn't find commonly," Summer said

He said the Thai Curry, Mashed Potatoes and Spicy Basil Tofu are among the popular dishes in the cafe.

Summer said there is no cholesterol in any of Good Karma's food.

"We try to make it really convenient and really yummy for people," he said.