Veggie Lee Review | Vegan Chinese Food in Hayward, CA

Table filled with vegan Chinese food at Veggie Lee including salt and pepper tofu, pumpkin, sesame chicken, broccoli, rice, and Chinese donuts

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Vegan Chinese food is my favorite way to “meal prep,” and Veggie Lee in Hayward is the perfect place to do it.

Chinese food can be tricky for vegans, since dishes often contain hidden animal ingredients like oyster sauce, fish sauce, chicken broth or powder, and eggs. This is why restaurants like Veggie Lee are much needed and appreciated!

About Veggie Lee

Veggie Lee opened in Hayward in 2015, after executive Chef Che Heng, aka “Veggie Lee,” found healthier living through a vegetarian, and later vegan, lifestyle. He brings over 30 years of experience from the industry to the plant-based space. While the restaurant is listed as vegetarian and vegan, more than 90% of the menu is vegan, leaving only things like traditional egg noodles off my plate, but check with your server to make certain what you order is vegan.

Veggie Lee serves vegetarian & vegan Chinese-style dishes, including vegan versions of specialties and traditional dishes like “Vegan Shark Fin Soup,” “Kung Pao Vegan Prawns,” and more. Veggie Lee was founded to serve healthy dishes everyone can enjoy, including the decision not to use any garlic or onions in his cooking, “to cater to the many Buddhists who eat at the restaurant.”¹

My Order & Review of Veggie Lee

I was just hungry enough to stop for dinner, but I knew that if I ordered a couple of dishes, I’d have “meal prep” for the next couple of days, so that’s what I did!

I asked the server to clarify how much of the menu was vegan vs. vegetarian, and that is when I learned that more than 90% of the menu is vegan-friendly. Veggie Lee’s menu is loaded with so many tasty offerings, from soups and apps to fried and soft tofu and vegan versions of seafood, chicken, and pork, it’s a dream come true!

I wasn’t feeling very adventurous, however, so I opted for my usual vegan Chinese go-tos (when I can get ’em, that is!): salt & pepper tofu & pumpkin, and vegan sesame chicken with rice and broccoli. Curiosity got the best of me, and after confirming the Chinese donut was vegan (aka dairy- and egg-free), I tried it as well.

My Order at Veggie Lee:

A6. Salt & Pepper Tofu
A15. Salt & Pepper Pumpkin (Kabocha squash)
L12. Vegan Sesame Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
A17. Chinese Donut

I ordered way too much food for one person, and everyone knew it. That’s ok though, because they didn’t know that was the plan, and I don’t care, I love food!

The tofu and pumpkin were fried and crispy! The tofu had a soft, pillowy center, and the pumpkin was velvety and smooth. Even though they were seasoned and coated with pepper flakes, I found that as long as I didn’t eat too many flakes, the taste was tame enough for me to eat.

Vegan Sesame Chicken is my favorite Chinese dish, but I can’t ever find it locally (the vegetarian version usually has dairy/egg and/or honey). The sauce was sweet like syrup, with savory, umami notes, and the plant-based chicken had a crispy, crunchy coating with a tender, flaky interior.

I was surprised by the Chinese Donut. It is a perfectly fried donut, but unlike those in a pink box, it wasn’t sweet or coated in anything. It was tasty, but different than what I am used to.

The Salt & Pepper Tofu and Salt & Pepper Pumpkin were served as separate appetizers, so after dining at Veggie Lee, I stretched them over a few days at home. My Vegan Sesame Chicken Rice Plate came with broccoli and would have been the perfect amount of food for dinner on its own (plus maybe some leftovers), but when in Rome, I mean, when at Veggie Lee!

Visiting Veggie Lee in Hayward

Veggie Lee is a few minutes off I-880 in Hayward, in the “Sky West Commons Shopping Center.” They’re open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM and can seat up to 32 people, with groups split into seats of 2-8. Parking is available directly in front and in the shopping center’s lot.

There used to be another Veggie Lee location, but due to rising costs, the restaurant has downsized to a more intimate space. When I visited, the place was packed, but the timing worked out, and I was able to dine solo. In the future, I wouldn’t mind just ordering ahead to take home. It is my meal prep, after all!

Have you tried Veggie Lee?