Vege Valley

Long before plant-based meat substitutes became mainstream, the San Gabriel Valley has maintained a small but compelling collection of Chinese and Vietnamese eateries catering to the traditionally vegetarian Buddhist diet. Among them is Vege Valley, a vegan-friendly restaurant in a San Gabriel strip mall serving excellent soy-based mock meats and all manner of stir-fried Asian vegetables, including hard-to-find long xu cai (chayote shoots). Most items on the menu are vegan and some of those that aren’t can be made vegan; just ask your server. Other menu highlights include the mock fish in bean paste sauce, mock kung pao shrimp and the shredded “pork” with bamboo shoots. During lunch hours, Vege Valley also offers a trio of reasonably priced combo meals, all of them well under $20.