Bar Vegan

Bar Vegan knows how to keep it fresh and fast—my food came out quicker than I could finish scrolling the cocktail menu. The sweet potato sushi roll was a clever twist on comfort food, the bang bang cauliflower had just the right kick, and those golden triangles of crispy tofu with sweet chili sauce?! A plant-based paradise with no patience required—what’s not to love?

Had the best dinner at Bar Vegan tonight. Service was perfect, vibes were perfect, food was beautiful and delicious. We tried the sushi, bang bang cauliflower and the fried ice cream. My mom also had the chili (not pictured) and said it was perfectly spicy and tasty. Everything was 10/10. Sad to see it so slow on a Friday night. This place is an amazing spot for a date night.

This was my first time trying this place, the food was good but what make my experience bad was the service, the waitress had a tone that sounded kind of rude, and was extremely rush even tho I was the only one in the restaurant (felt like I was in a fast food lol) I’m vegan and support vegan restaurants but this left me with no energy to come back. I saw they have bachata classes on fridays :)

Tonight was my 1st time eating here and it was Awesome! 😁👍🏼 The food was Delicious and filling, my drink was perfect and desert hit the spot! The music 🎶 was upbeat and service was super fast, I have Zero complaints and Highly recommend you check this spot out if your in the neighborhood or even if you have to drive a bit like I did, lol... Worth the drive for me and if I'm back in this area again, I will Definitely be coming back! Thank you for an awesome light dinner and hope to see you guys again!

Fun vegan food in (early on a weekday, when I went) a nice quiet bar. I think I was there well away from the rush, as it didn't seem like it would be self-seating, but it was. The food was fancier than you might expect, and really pretty good! The star of the show was the vegan fried ice cream, which I've never found in any other restaurant.

A beautiful transformation from the previous bar. It's a welcoming space with lush greenery everywhere! A mini oasis. It's a limited menu with a variety of flavorful vegan sharable dishes. Our group loved the zucchini fries and sweet potato sushi roll. Staff was friendly and attentive, happy to talk about the drink/food menu. It's a great addition to lark st.

Stunning decor and great service! The food was some of the best vegan I've ever tasted, so unique with unforgettable flavors and textures, the bar vegan sushi roll exceeds the hype! This is the perfect place for a date or night out

The food was really incredible... We had a variety from pork belly appetizers to escargot. A wonderful mixed greens house salad which was delightful. And of course the cremini mushroom over bucatelli pasta... Amazing... The owner came by to see if everything was ok. The whole experience was something I haven't experienced in a long time. Delicious food in an intimate atmosphere. It was alive and the place to be in downtown Albany... Just great energy... Worth the money too. The cooking to perfection was really nailed. It's those attention to details that matters as a wife of a chef. The food was made with really good ingredients, you could tell with every bite. The escargot was so tender and the po boys with the pork belly and cucumber were delicious too. I loved the combinations of flavors. Next time I think I will have to try that salmon. Let us not forget the moment I had the cremini mushroom reduction in a creamy delicious sauce and bucatelli pasta, oh my... I wanted more but I needed to stop and savor it. It isn't necessary to order the chicken on the side. The mushrooms are perfect all by themselves. As for drinks we had water. They kept that coming too. Just a really nice experience for my husband and myself. Thank you! We'll be back!

An cool place to hang out but I highly recommend the salsa night on Fridays, a great place to dance and have a good time.

Closes 10 pm Saturdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Poke food there is delicious, as are sushi rolls. Polite place. Food prices are reasonable for neighborhood.

So. I live in Vermont. A town with 3500 people. I own the diner in town. And I'm the cook. After working 10 hrs a day in my own diner kitchen each week I take two days off and take myself somewhere with more/new people AND restaurants. Albany is a 2.5 hrs drive for me and I make a "mini vacation" out of it. I research restaurants online (Google and Yelp) and build up lists of places I think I might want to visit. Because the ONLY thing I'm interested in when I road trip is where I'm going to be eating. Bar Vegan has been on my list for at least a month now. I'm not Vegan, but I LOVE the fact that there is a Vegan SCENE in Albany and I am HERE for it. My thing is anywhere I'm going to dine has to also have a full bar. Because I am going to spend some time and have some drinks AND eat all the food. Dining out is my only leisure activity and I make the most of it. This past week my car was at The Dodge Dealership all day and when I finally got it back (about 4:30pm Wednesday) I knew I needed to wait out rush hour before attempting to head back to Vermont from Albany. I chose one of the restaurants on my list and started driving. The restaurant I had intended to go to is on Lark Street in Albany. Come to find out FOUR of the restaurants on my "To Do" list are on Lark Street. I had no idea what Lark Street was. Lark Street Is FABULOUS!! What a WONDERFUL neighborhood. PACKED with fantastic, local, independent, DIVERSE restaurants/eateries, independent funky shops and businesses, beautiful brownstone type buildings; all intersections are the original, exposed, cobblestone from the 19th century. FREE, abundant on street parking. ALL THE VIBES!! And as I was driving up Lark Street, falling in LOVE with it, I passed Bar Vegan and made the decision to go THERE! So I forgot about my planned destination, parked my car and headed. Bar Vegan is precisely what it sounds like: a bar that is also Vegan. The menu is limited, but also is PRECISELY what you want in a bar. Fresh, delicious, diverse, shareable...VEGAN!! This is SUCH a good concept. It's hard for me to emphasize how great Bar Vegan is. The place itself is fantastic. HUGE, open, welcoming space. Tons of light and greenery (there's apparently a second floor, but I did not see that).The bar is large and welcoming. The seats are comfortable. There are TVs. (I like that in a bar...I have no idea why...). The place is SPOTLESS. Next door is a Poke Bowl spot that looks pretty great. It is connected inside to Bar Vegan. As in at the end of the bar you can just walk into the Poke Bowl place. I asked if the Poke Bowls were also Vegan?? My bartender told me they were not. Bar Vegan just opened up the wall between the two businesses to share their air conditioning. And THAT is all you need to know about the VIBE in this place. It is IMMACULATE. These are good people doing good things and serving good food and drink! I am a Gin and Tonic girl. You think it is a simple drink. It is not. Most places can't produce a decent G&T because their tonic is flat. I had two Gin and Tonics at Bar Vegan and I tried two gins I had never had before (which is big for me - I know what I like and that's what I drink...). Both were very good. My bartender allowed me to look at both bottles and read them to decide if that's what I wanted to try. And then she made excellent G&Ts with those gins. I sampled almost everything on the menu. It was ALL good. STAND OUTS: The Vegan Sushi Roll: As I mentioned above, I am not Vegan. In fact, sushi is my JAM and I do NOT do these types of huge, fried sushi rolls. Ever. But I did this one. And it is FANTASTIC. The menu says it is meant for 2 people and would be perfect for sharing. It is HUGE. It is built around tempura sweet potato, so is quite filling. Hands down the BEST Vegan sushi roll I have ever had (and I've had quite a few). Could easily be your entire meal. Delicious, satisfying. Ticked ALL the boxes! Bang Bang Cauliflower: Look, I'm a sucker for anything Bang Ban or Cauliflower. So I was IN on this. It is DELICIOUS. Delightfully spicy and warm and perfectly cooked cauliflower (I do not like my cauliflower crunchy...). I also had Golden Triangles: Delicious fried Tofu with peanuts and Asian seasonings. REALLY GOOD. Just lighter fare. Zucchini Fries: ACTUAL Zucchini battered and fried. VERY GOOD. Chick Pea Bruschetta: which is when I could not go on. I was too full. BUT! These are EXCELLENT!! LOADED up Bruschetta with Chick Peas. Delicious and perfect for sharing. Ask for extra napkins... SUCH a great place. Wonderful service. FABULOUS vibes. EXCELLENT food and drink.

Beautiful ambience. I got the hibiscus cocktail which was tasty. I also got the edamame and cauliflower. Sat at the bar and got great service. I am not strictly vegan but would say I... dabble in veganism. I think that this is great food that happens to be vegan. I will definitely be back again.

Let me set the scene for y'all - we came to Albany on a Friday afternoon, around 3 pm and legit every restaurant we tried to go to was CLOSED! LOL I'm not from the area so i was so surprised at this but apparently it's the norm?? Anyway, we almost gave up hope but then came across Bar Vegan and it did not disappoint! Food/Drinks: 5/5 The food was banging and beautiful! I love the style of this place as it is a shareable vibe where you just order a bunch of plates and enjoy. We ordered the following (in order from our favorites) 1. **Bar Vegan Sushi Roll** - MUST TRY! We "shared" this but I devoured 75% of it LOL. The sweet potato paired with the outside coating and the dressing is seriously addicting omg. 2. Bang Bang Cauliflower - SO GOOD! The name says it all. These were not spicy at all. It was the perfect mix of sweet and savory though. The cauliflower texture was soft with a light crisp, truly low-key tasted like wings. 3. Garbanzo Bruschetta - This was good, it just didn't rock my world. Lots of beans and a little light on the tomatoes. 4. Zucchini Fries - I wish these were a bit crunchier and had a tad more flavor but the sauce was a sweet touch. I also tried the Wild Hibiscus cocktail which was so sweet and refreshing. Also, $12 for a COCKTAIL? NYC could never!!! Service: 4/5 No one greeted us upon entering but once we sat in the Bar Vegan section our server greeted us with a smile and checked in on us frequently to make sure everything was going okay! They also recommended thee Sushi which more than lived up to the hype! Vibe: 5/5 This place has 2 sections in 1 I think. There is a build your own bowl Hawaiian theme to the right and then the sit down Barr Vegan place to the right. Upon entering, thee interior is gorgeous! Greenery and lots of mirrors (which I love haha to look at yourself if you're anything like me). The music is on point and it's just good, aesthetic, modern vibes. Shining gem of Lark St in Albany! If you're a vegan (disclaimer: I'm not lol) living here it's a must try. Might have to make a trek back just for the sushi!!

Exceptional cuisine, incredible flavors. Pretty empty on a Friday night, cannot believe more people aren't scarfing down these delicacies. Both cocktails we had were meh, kinda seemed pre-mixed. But the food -- yowza!

Came to check out this relatively new addition to lark street (RIP LAX karaoke) and I was really impressed with what they did with the space. Plants (sadly fake, but understandably in the northeast) are EVERYWHERE, covering trellises on the ceiling and spaced between tables. It gives the space a really magical feel that's especially welcome in these cold winter months. Drinks are ordered at the bar, and service was incredibly slow. We were here on a Saturday around 9, so would think that this would be prime time, but there was only one bartender making drinks the whole couple hours we were there's that said, she was kind and speedy, and made decent drinks. Most complicated fare was their take on a Moscow mule, which was well made and yummy. Have not yet checked out the food, though I've heard good things. Will update when I do!

Very mediocre drinks... we did not end up having food as we decided to pop in post dinner. The bartender was courteous but very attentive to the patrons at the end of the bar. Our drinks were meh. Espresso martini too sweet. My husband ordered a beer that was not available. He ended up ordering something on tap that was just ok. We waited patiently for our bill but it took some time as the bartender was otherwise occupied in a somewhat empty bar....... Unfortunately we have no reason to return :(

Ok I am not a vegan but I love food. This place is amazing. Very modern chill vibed long comfortable bar and super friendly service. The server recommended the vegan sushi and bang bang cauliflower. The presentation was tight and the flavor amazing. The sushi mouth feel was great. Very flavor and a tight roll. The bang bang cauliflower was lightly battered like a tampora and not tuff at all but still had a little snap. If all vegan food was this good ide convert for sure. Thank you

Great vibe. Bar Vegan was a nice break from our regular restaurants. Delicious small plates.

Good vegan light fare. Perfect for what we were looking for at the end of the day. Service was prompt. Nice and clean inside too.

Delicious food (appetizer-sized dishes) and a cool atmosphere! Lots of spicy options as well as others that are mild.

Great, innovative dishes. Wonderful combinations and everything was delicious. Service was great; server knew the menu in detail and made some good recommendations. Great tapas type items. Even non-vegans will enjoy the majority of items.

I highly suggest this plate. Food open until 2200. Since becoming vegan, there are not a lot of places to go for food, this is one to go to. The sushi and the fried ice cream were very impressive.

Beautiful spot! Felt like something from more of a big city than Albany! The chili was delicious and everyone I was with loved their cocktails. I am a more simple cocktail person, so I created my own, but the bartender was more than willing to oblige. Came in with a group and continued to go to places throughout Lark Street, this was by far our favorite.