Asian restaurants are always a safe bet for vegans and gluten-free aliens. Rice, rice noodles, and veggies are staples of Asian cuisine, and usually you can find a tofu option on the menu.
I only know of two Vietnamese restaurants in town, Just Pho (located on Baxter) and Maba Grill. I prefer Maba Grill out of these two places because of their tofu. Maba Grill offers Vietnamese cuisine for an affordable price, and is conveniently located downtown on Broad street (where Which Wich used to be). Maba Grill is always very clean and the staff are very helpful and polite, and the food comes out super fast!
I recommend the teriyaki tofu rice plate for only $6.85. This dish is not spicy, but feel free to add as much sriracha hot sauce to spice it up a bit! The gently fried tofu is served with a chili-vinegar sauce. Make sure you pour it all over the tofu and rice…it’s too tasty to be wasted! The tofu comes with jasmine rice, a side of fresh fruit, and mini-salad.
Also try the tofu spring rolls with roasted peanut dipping sauce. These are $3.85 for 2 rolls. The rolls are stuffed with rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, and herbs. The wrap itself is also made of rice, in case you aren’t familiar with spring rolls. The peanut sauce is SO GOOD. You need to try it!
Maba Grill is located at:
167 E. Broad Street
Athens, GA 30601
Ph: (706) 850-7986
