Restaurant reviews: Lotus Vegetarian Chantilly, Va.

Organic Tofu Burger

11/2019: Looks like Lotus is closed Permanently

Have you ever found a restaurant that you enjoy so much you return to over and over? You know the kind - delicious food, good service and a pleasant atmosphere. If you are in the Northern Virginia area, love both vegetarian and Asian food, we found Lotus Vegetarian is the place to stop. 

Lotus Vegetarian, located in Chantilly, is one of our favorites when we are in the vicinity. The menu is totally vegetarian with many different menu options, not limited like you'd find at some other restaurants.

 

Every visit has been a pleasant dining experience and the staff is friendly. I've often found it hard to find good vegetarian food, and the food on this menu is the real deal. This place is good for either takeout or a sit-down meal, from what I can tell, the restaurant gets a steady customer stream for both.

There are veggie-inspired salads, soups, and sandwiches, but the majority of the menu are selections that are primarily what you'd find on a Chinese restaurant menu, but totally vegetarian. Most of the menu choices are hot dishes, but there are cold choices too and also a variety of smoothies (the smoothies or desserts I have not tried).

We've tried many dishes here and my personal favorites are the orange eggplant, organic tofu burger and General Tso's surprise. The crispy sesame burdock with tofu was good too. I didn't even know what burdock was the first time we ordered it, but I'm a bit adventurous when it comes to trying new things, and wasn't disappointed. 

In addition to the regular menu, there are staple lunch specials that you can order during the traditional lunch hours. For these specials, you can choose from a spring roll, soup or salad to go with one of about numerous choices. The soups are tasty, and the salads are generous portions and none of that iceberg lettuce stuff, you get a good salad with a variety of greens. I wasn't real fond of the spring rolls, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of those anyway. 

Many parents find kids are hard to please when it comes to vegetarian eating, especially if they are meat eaters, but ours loved Lotus Vegetarian.Their favorites are the sweet and sour palate (resembles sweet and sour chicken but less greasy and includes veggies) or the pepper salt drumsticks and organic French fries. 

For those who are either vegans, vegetarians or just get an occasional taste for vegetarian food, Lotus Vegetarian fits the bill. The restaurant is not overly large or fancy, it is appropriate for both casual and business dining.

Lotus Vegetarian is located at 13872 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly (to the left of Lowe's). If you want to check out Lotus Vegetarian's menu, you can visit their website for more details.