Eugene is one of the best areas for vegetarians, vegans and health nuts. However, some types of
cuisine are largely off-limits to vegetarians, and while I’ve never starved at a Chinese restaurant, most
traditional Chinese fare is filled with meat, fish and other forbidden ingredients. So I set out to find some good Chinese food within a
reasonable budget that would appeal to both veggies and meat-eaters. After all, there are few better places than Eugene to find stellar vegetarian eats.
Lotus Garden, located at 810 Charnelton St. in downtown Eugene, is nothing more than a big room with a cash register next to the door, booths lining the walls and tables lined up to fill the spaces. It is tastefully decorated; traditional art adorns the walls and a
shrine dedicated to Buddha rests on a mantle above a small indoor
fountain. Everything on the menu is vegetarian and the restaurant offers meatless versions of many dishes that are traditionally forbidden
to vegetarians: sweet and sour “pork,” hot and sour soup, longevity buns and Sichuan “beef,” to name a few.
At 5:30 in the afternoon on a Wednesday evening the restaurant was three-quarters full and the lone waitress seemed overwhelmed trying to serve the entire establishment. My friend and I had a choice of booths and were told to seat ourselves. The waitress brought us water and complimentary tea, wrote down our orders and then left us to our own devices. Because the restaurant was so busy, we were forced to steal our place settings from a nearby table nearby and our empty water glasses were neglected until we asked for refills.
For an appetizer I ordered longevity buns, which are small, sweet white buns with a sweet filling. While traditional longevity buns are filled with pork, Lotus Garden buns are filled with red beans. My friend ordered Kung Pao tofu while I ordered Sichuan “beef” with brown sauce. The food came within half an hour. The Sichuan “beef” was the tastiest, most beef-like soy product I have ever encountered and the Kung Pao tofu was delicious. Unfortunately, the chef skimped on the sauces, which were the highlight of both dishes.
China Blue, located at 879 E. 13th Ave. right next to campus, offers a variety of North Chinese and Indonesian dishes for both meat lovers and vegetarians. The restaurant is easy to miss; it’s located upstairs next to the University bookstore. When I visited China Blue on a Thursday afternoon, I brought a meat-eating friend along for a more objective review of the omnivorous establishment. At two in the afternoon, the eatery was free of customers except for us.
The best thing about China Blue’s décor is the floor layout; the restaurant is relatively large, with several rooms and plenty of intimate nooks that create the illusion of privacy. We sat next to a window overlooking East 13th Avenue. The waitress was prompt to refill our glasses and take our order. The vegetarian offerings at China Blue were much
smaller than at Lotus Garden, so I decided on sweet and sour soy “pork.” My dining partner ordered sesame chicken.
The food came within fifteen minutes. My friend heartily enjoyed his sesame chicken, but I was disenchanted with my sweet and sour “pork,” which was mostly breading, and the sweet and sour sauce wasn’t at all sour, but had enough sweet to gag a sugar ant. While I have visited China Blue before and been pleasantly surprised by the tasty spring rolls and excellent curry tofu, fake meat dishes are best reserved for Lotus Garden’s mastery of all things soy. We paid our bill with the waitress peering over my shoulder and then left to the sounds of what seemed to be an argument in a different language.
A meal at Lotus Garden is
more spendy than at China Blue; a plate at China Blue can cost anywhere from under $5 to over $10, while a plate at Lotus Garden consistently stays around $8 or $9. Complimentary hot tea is a feature at both establishments. For patrons looking for a more intimate setting, a mix of meat and vegetarian
dishes and proximity to campus, China Blue is a better pick;
however, Lotus Garden’s vegetarian fare makes up for the higher cost, additional travel time and
sometimes-spotty service. Unless you’re an avid meat lover,
Lotus Garden is the place to go for some of the best vegetarian
Chinese anywhere.

Sara Brickner is a freelance reporter for the Emerald.