80 North: Berkeley, Vegi Food

Vegi Food  2085 Vine St./Shattuck Ave., (510) 548-5244. L Tu-F, D daily; $. Reservations taken. No cards. This very simple cafe serves an all-vegan menu of Chinese food prepared in the Buddhist style--with no onions, garlic, eggs, fake meats, or MSG, but with plenty of vegetables and ginger and some tofu and gluten. Popular dishes include crispy fried pot stickers, spicy “shark fin” soup with plenty of tasty mushrooms but no sharks, soybean sheets with greens, crispy thin chow mein noodles with veggies, spicy eggplant, and asparagus or green beans in black bean sauce. Fried wontons and soup come with the bargain lunch special; brown rice is available at additional charge.

image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers