If you have a vegetarian friend, chances are they know or regularly dine at this restaurant. Open for four years now, May Veggie Home is a favorite of non-meat eaters thanks to no-frills, meat-free comfort food that packs in flavor.

We visited on a Saturday for lunch and there was a thick crowd of both Thais and foreigners. Sitting apart from the healthy food trend often associated with vegetarian food, this restaurant is not afraid to add calories in pursuit of flavor. Dishes like oily fried minced tofu (B129) with holy basil would be hard to find at any serious health-promoting eatery, and while not lean, still manages to be a pleasant, full-flavored kaprao. It’s the same story with their shiitake spring rolls (B99) and cauliflower “spicy wings” (a vegetarian attempt at Bonchon’s chicken wings, B129).

The two-sided A3 menu goes on to other Thai and Isaan dishes, including somtam and a tomsap (spicy Isaan soup with mushrooms, B129) which for us tastes like a hybrid of tomsap and tomyum. But it’s their attempts at foreign cuisine that result in one of the restaurant’s star dishes: the May Veggie burger (B159). Served between a griddled English muffin, the well-spiced bean patty is perfectly crispy on the outside and dense in the center—arguably one of the best veggie burgers around. The sesame-mint dressing that accompanies the avocado salad (B179) is also worth mentioning for its refreshing aroma, balanced taste and clear, non-oily texture. 

They also serve faux meat here. The holy-basil-topped, deep-fried “chicken steak” (B220, served with mashed potato and blanched veggies) made from soy possesses convincingly meaty fibers and even a faux skin—shame the taste isn’t there, too.

We recommend you end the meal with a coconut-based ice cream from Cocomuch (B45/scoop) rather than one of the dry vegan cakes. If you’re looking for a meat-free meal that’s not necessarily healthy, May Veggie Home makes a safe choice.

This review took place in October 2016 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.