White Lotus

I travel alot and love to try new restaraunts in new areas..particularly ethnic food. this one is a winner! this place is good choice for viatnamese food. friendly personal serving large portions, nice interior decoration, and last, but not least, re ... more

I travel alot and love to try new restaraunts in new areas..particularly ethnic food. this one is a winner! this place is good choice for viatnamese food. friendly personal serving large portions, nice interior decoration, and last, but not least, really tasty (the food, not the restaurant). less

Dined here tonight for the second time in a few weeks. Our waiter was clearly new and very overwhelmed and confused by just about everything which was kinda annoying because it just kept getting worse. We ordered the hot & sour soup, lemon chi ... more

Dined here tonight for the second time in a few weeks. Our waiter was clearly new and very overwhelmed and confused by just about everything which was kinda annoying because it just kept getting worse. We ordered the hot & sour soup, lemon chicken, and the chicken w/ asparagus in blk bean sauce. Hot and sour soup is very good though a tad to sweet, but worth ordering again anyhow. Pretty spicy to if you don't like your nose running profusely ask for it mild. The asparagus chicken (which you can also get w/ green beans instead) was packed w/ sliced asparagus and barely any chicken, but tasted good nonetheless. The lemon chicken looked like an appetizer as it was half moon shapes of battered "chicken" w/ a small side dish of lemon glaze sauce. Was an odd looking entree, but it was very tasty and would order again. If the asparagus chicken had much more chicken I'd order that again, but they just don't give you enough worth ordering for. I'd get the lemon chicken again however and the soup. less

I stopped dining here about 2 years ago when I was sick of the tiny potions barely enough to fill 2 people. Decided to try it again since it's been so long and there are so few completely vegetarian restaurants once you leave San Francisco. Wa ... more

I stopped dining here about 2 years ago when I was sick of the tiny potions barely enough to fill 2 people. Decided to try it again since it's been so long and there are so few completely vegetarian restaurants once you leave San Francisco. Was pleasantly surprise and glad I went. Decor was totally different. Used to be bland and bright and now it's dim and has a unique bamboo themed Asian look which is very relaxing. Our server was very friendly and helpful. Emphasizing that their water is drinkable because they buy spring water oppose to using the typical disgusting tap water and also emphasized their lemonade was fresh opposed to the gross powdered crap or pre-packaged crap most restaurants provide. I was very impressed w/ this as those are 2 of my pet peeves w/ restaurants and it's difficult to find non-tap water and actual fresh lemonade even at higher end restaurants. My mom and I ordered the Hot & Sour soup, the spicy pork and rice dish and spring rolls (Imperial Rolls) and I got a Thai Iced tea. It's really difficult to get a good Thai Iced Tea when not at a Thai restaurant, but this was rather good. The soup came quick and was enough for 3-4 people, but was the same price as if we ordered a bowl each opposed to the large bowl we got. Soup was very flavorful and hit the spot! Imperial rolls were very good as well. Our dish was okay, but we wouldn't order again. The spicy "pork" was more like beef and wasn't spicy at all. Tasted like sweet beef jerky actually and looked like it too though not as tough. It was made of gluten. Came w/ a large size of rice which was covered for some reason in these sweet crunchy things which did not work well w/ the rest of the flavors. We'd order the others stuff again though. There was plenty of the menu to choose from and everything is vegetarian/vegan. We didn't see a dish above $7.95 which s rare these days. So happy to have another veg restaurant in San Jose! less

I love the food at White Lotus. However, the portions are extremely small. I have to order 2 entrees, priced $7.95 each, for myself, in order to have a normal meal (but still on the small side). I keep going back because I love the food so much, ... more

I love the food at White Lotus. However, the portions are extremely small. I have to order 2 entrees, priced $7.95 each, for myself, in order to have a normal meal (but still on the small side). I keep going back because I love the food so much, but everytime I go, I get a little angry and offended that they give you so little food! Last time I went there, I ordered a dish that said it had mushrooms in it. The dish had one tiny mushroom cut in half! Looking at their entrees you would think tofu cost $50 a pound--some of their entrees described as having tofu have only a few small pieces. They also charge for rice, and their largest (and most expensive) bowl of rice is not even enough for two people. (If you ask for more rice with which to finish your meal, they'll charge you for it. Arrrg! Why must they be so stingy with their food!!!????? less

I have been here twice and the reason I would never go back is because they seriously rip you off on the portions, but charge the same per dish. A dish that's say $6.95-$8.99 should get me what I'd get anywhere else: a full plate of food, ... more

I have been here twice and the reason I would never go back is because they seriously rip you off on the portions, but charge the same per dish. A dish that's say $6.95-$8.99 should get me what I'd get anywhere else: a full plate of food, but cut that amount in half. I like the food, but the dessert section sucks!!!!!!!! Since I found Vegetarian House which is just a couple minutes away I have never gone back to White Lotus. less

Very nice place to eat in downtown San Jose. All vegetarian fare. Family operated. Don't go for the service, which is only fair. Or the atmosphere, which is half-hearted. But go for a sampling of the three types of rolls -- Spring, Summer and Im ... more

Very nice place to eat in downtown San Jose. All vegetarian fare. Family operated. Don't go for the service, which is only fair. Or the atmosphere, which is half-hearted. But go for a sampling of the three types of rolls -- Spring, Summer and Imperial -- and a tasting of some of the nicely done tofu dishes, like the Deluxe Stuffed Tofu. Great appetizers. Good main dishes. Only fair ambiance and service. Three stars. less

I third, or is that fourth, the vote for the eggplant claypot. A bit on the salty side (but I'm used to a low salt diet) but very, very tasty. The spring rolls are good, too. I also had the pickled mustard greens (I was aiming for the green beans ... more

I third, or is that fourth, the vote for the eggplant claypot. A bit on the salty side (but I'm used to a low salt diet) but very, very tasty. The spring rolls are good, too. I also had the pickled mustard greens (I was aiming for the green beans, but the waitress misread my finger pointing) and that was really good, too. The pickled mustard greens were a bit softer in taste than the fare at a Chinese restaurant. I'll be back to try out more of the menu. less

I'm not a vegetarian, but like to eat vegetarian food, and this is a very good spot for it. I'm torn whether to get the simulated meat (for the novelty, really quite good) or the normal vegetables (better). I mean, why would a real vegetarian *want* ... more

I'm not a vegetarian, but like to eat vegetarian food, and this is a very good spot for it. I'm torn whether to get the simulated meat (for the novelty, really quite good) or the normal vegetables (better). I mean, why would a real vegetarian *want* to eat simulated meat and how would they know whether it was a good facsimile? :-) less

The Spring Rolls are fine - they use a different presentation style, pre-slicing them and grouping them around the sauces on a plate. Easy to dive into. The Deluxe Stuffed Tofu with rice noodles, et al with a rich, slightly sweet tomato sauce was ... more

The Spring Rolls are fine - they use a different presentation style, pre-slicing them and grouping them around the sauces on a plate. Easy to dive into. The Deluxe Stuffed Tofu with rice noodles, et al with a rich, slightly sweet tomato sauce was definitely passable, if tough to handle with chopsticks. I wasn't terribly impressed with the waiter's knowledge of which dishes are low in fat - he did recommend a sauteed vegetable dish which, while not bad, had nothing to recommend it over any number of similar restaurant's offerings... Worth a return visit. less

OK, let me begin by saying I'm not a vegetarian. But this place has plenty to keep me coming back. I second the recommendation above regarding the stuffed tomatoes and the eggplant claypot. Incredibly delicious. Service at a recent lunch was extr ... more

OK, let me begin by saying I'm not a vegetarian. But this place has plenty to keep me coming back. I second the recommendation above regarding the stuffed tomatoes and the eggplant claypot. Incredibly delicious. Service at a recent lunch was extremely slow when it came to gettin our check and paying for the meal, so if you're in a hurry to get back to work, you might want to say something. less