I love Kayas, always consistent and laid back, Tempe buffalo wings so delicious, raw veggie tower and goddess dressing are my favorites :)

This restaurant has a wide selection of different foods. From typical Americana, a soy burger (extremely filling, and absolutely delicious), to Indian (curried sautee's in coconut sauce). I have never had trouble bringing people who are non-vegetarian, who despite their protests, eventually find themselves enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, friendly wait staff, and plethora of choices. EVERYTHING IS HUGE! Meaning, whatever your order, is going to be enough to take home. Save some room for the amazing deserts they have. They are off the hook, and made by staff or local vegan bakers. I am absolutely one of their biggest fans. Have always love their food, and their open mic they host once or twice a month. read more

We took 6 people to this place for lunch, having tried them in their old location. The food was good Veggie fare, but with little to offer Raw Vegans or those wanting innovative cuisine. What alarmed us was their refusal to comp a meal that we were not happy with. They charged us for a meal that was not eaten and were more concerned about $12.00, than keeping happy customers. We will never return and not recommend them again. Make sure you ask questions about your food prior to ordering as you will not be taken care of if you get something unexpected. I have never eaten in a restaurant prior to this one, that did not remove the uneaten food item from the check. I hope they re-evaluate their customer service protocols, to focus on long term relationships with their Patrons. read more

This is the best vegetarian place I've been to. Great great food. By the way...I'm not a vegetarian.

Love the decor and vibe of this restaurant. They offer variety of ethnic foods and they even have the american classics (like sloppy joes). I have been there numerous times for dinner and so far satisfied with the food i have tried. I hope try their breakfast, lunch and buffet someday. read more

Awful. Seriously, very very bad. We went on a friday night, were seated near the band, which was good, but much too loud, we couldn't hear each other from across the table. We were brought water but never asked if we wanted any other type of beverage. The waitress, I dont know her name because she never told us nor made eye contact for the entirety of the meal was rude and inattentive. The Food: For an appetizer we had the Veggie nuggets. I thought they might actually be veggies that had been battered and fried, considering they were called VEGGIE nuggets, but alas, they were disgusting grey clumps of chewy soy. We ordered for the table a veggie burrito with vegan cheese and a plain veggie burger with vegan cheese. On the menu it says the veggie burger is an actual veggie patty, but again, it was a large clump of chewy soy with some kind of strange Burger King smoke flavor on it. I didn't even eat it. We also were never brought any silverware. The burrito was ok, but whatever kind of vegan cheese they use is awful, destroyed the whole thing. When the waitress finally came back to see if we needed boxes, and we said no, she looked right at all the uneaten food and just shrugged her shoulders and took it away, never asked if she could get us something different or even if we liked it. And finally, it was over priced. I dont know where other people are eating vegan food that they think this place is awesome, or maybe we just ordered all the wrong things, but this place is awful. I live two blocks away and wont ever go back. read more

Good vegan/vegetarian food is hard to come by, but Kaya's does a superb job. Great selection and awesome flavor. I've taken non-vegetarian, meat loving people here and they rave about the food! A little more attention from the servers and this would absolutely be 5 starts! Love their desserts! read more

I've been looking forward to trying out Kaya's Kitchen for many months, but it's a long way from where I normally spend my time. However, I made the drive out for dinner tonight and was not disappointed! Based on a recommendation by Jamie, my waitress, I had the "Lion of Judah" which was a hearty meal of veggies and lentil loaf chunks in a sweet and spicy sauce over brown rice. The (new) $21 price for the plate might seem high to many people but I'm impressed that the restaurant has recently decided to go 100% organic as well as vegan! I'll go out of my way to patronize restaurants that serve HIGH quality food and since the place was very full around 7pm on a Saturday night, I'm clearly not the only one! "If you think organic food is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?" ~ Joel Salatin, Founder of Polyface Farms There are many more delicious dishes that I look forward to coming back to try. The only thing that bothered me about my visit was the weird and somewhat scary-looking logo for the restaurant! Also, the brownie cupcake was a bit dry and nothing special, but I applaud the multiple options for vegan desserts as well as meals. I look forward to a day when there will be MANY restaurants who choose to cater to folks who want vegan and organic food! Until then, I'm grateful for the brave pioneers like Kaya's Kitchen. read more

We've been enjoying Kaya's consistently delicious food for decades! And now it's vegan, too! Favorites include the lentil loaf, the perogies and just about anything else on the menu. Their onion soup is beyond delicious. They've taken their world class onion rings off the menu, to everyone's dismay! Sooo yummy. The staff is super nice. All in all, it's our very favorite restaurant. read more

Kayas is the staple veg restaurant at the jersey shore! Tempeh wings, Mississippi ribs or the combo are all great starters. My faves are the seitan stroganoff and Mongolian pepper steak. Super sweet staff and huge menu. Come hungry because the portions are huge! read more

Very good vegetarian food in a warm, inviting space. Servers are sweet and helpful in guiding you through an adventurous menu. Sauces are especially delicious. read more

This place is why I go to the Beach and/or Belmar. I've been going for many many many years. And as things have evolved over time I still prefer to go to Kaya's over schlepping to NY to get almost equally good vegan food in a cramped space with no beach near by. Karma Wings and Country Fried Gluten are my go to menu items. read more

We visited twice in June and both times we had an excellent meal! Love the Turkish Delight , a sample of goodness all around. Also had a Lentil burger, tasty but a little dry. Still good quality food , tastes like home made and reasonably priced. read more

The best vegan food I've ever had. The maverick ribs are the best. I would go just for the potato salad anyday and its a 45 minute drive! Fridays have a band. Mellow tunes. Friendly staff. Bring your own bottle.tried most dishes by now and was never let down. read more

Haven't gone here in several years and was delightfully surprised with the ambiance of the new location. The service was speedy and polite, and the food was awesome. The vegan steak blew my mind! read more

Love everything about this place just wish there was a way to get calorie and nutritional information! Everything is so delicious but it's hard when someone is trying to count calories. Have never been disappointed in anything iv had when I'm here. Definitely should be a main staple in everyones life vegetarian, vegan or other. read more

AMAZING food and incredibly friendly and efficient service that really knows their stuff. The only negative about this place is that it's so far from my home. I'll come back down the shore just to come here! AWESOME Vegan food for vegans and nonvegans alike! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! read more

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Went here on a hot day. No AC, extremely uncomfortable. Our family of 6 literally took turns standing outside with kids. The service was PAINFULLY slow. And the food was bad. read more

We were skeptical to come here again seeing as last time we were a little disappointed by take out, but we're pleasantly surprised! Our take out was so bad last time we had resigned never to go back, but being hungry and in a rush we decided to give it one more shot. In the past we have had good meals here. For take out the last time, we ordered the Turkish delight, which we found to be bland with undercooked falafels and the eggplant pesto sandwich, which probably would have been better hot in the restaurant but was cold and mushy at home. My fiancé and I decided we were going to keep it simple this time and stick to "burgers" or sandwiches. Great decision! I ordered the black bean burger with cheese and fries and could not have been happier with my meal. I finished everything on my plate! We'll definitely be back. read more

Great modern vegan cuisine. The ribs and potato salad will have you at, hello. Don't skip the deserts. Got the coconut cake even though I couldn't finish my steak meal after the large appetizers. Then ordered the cinnamon roll to go for breakfast. O M G heated in motel room tbe next day...swoon worthy. Ps, to the staff this is not 1960. Ditch the tribal rugs and crap. This is mainstream worthy food. read more

Very delicious and plenty of gluten free and vegan options. My husband and I have such a hard time finding a decent place to accommodate both of our particular diets, so this was an amazing find. The service was a little slow, but we would definitely go again. read more

This place is truly AMAZING!!!!!! Best bean burger I have ever had. Great casual vibe and service. I recommend the "country nuggets" on the appetizer selections. so delish!!! read more

This restaurant is great, through-and-through. M M.'s review is inaccurate. Enjoy the rest of your day :-)

Awesome, fresh food and a great positive vibe! Check them out for sure! My favorites are the Kaya's sampler &Turkish Delight :)

I love Kaya's Kitchen! Being a vegan, it's hard to come across local restaurants to help with my dietary needs, but rest be assured, Kaya's is here! I've been to lunch and dinner here, great food! Love the country nuggets, french onion soup, tofu dishes, and the Jersey burger! Desserts are always good, except for one time the cake was a bit dry. read more

mmmmmm the best cupcakes... EVER! the rest of the food is great too BUT mmmmm the cupcakes!!! : ) read more

Delicious food, helpful staff. What I wanted was no longer on the menu, but they made it work for me anyway. Only problem is that they are CONSTANTLY out of stuff. Like, glasses, silverware, food items, seriously. You often have to make four or five choices from the menu, because so many things are unavailable. But overall, a great place. I'm not even vegan and I think it's yummy. read more

What a great find! Stopped in for lunch and had a fabulous meal. A very good menu with plenty of options to choose from. The corn cake special and their BLT were very tasty and filling. Their staff is very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a healthy alternative to the standard restaurant fare. read more

My family visited the restaurant for my father's birthday. The atmosphere was relaxed with live music. The menu was extensive with many vegan options. Even the kids were thrilled with the many varieties of specialty cupcakes offered for dessert. The service was a bit slower than we hoped for, but we visited on a busy evening, in the summer. In conclusion, great food, friendly service, and LOTS of options!!! read more

Such a fan of this little joint and it's worth noting I am not vegan or vegetarian. They have such an extensive menu, healthy ingredients and all portions are very generous. You will not leave here hungry. My current favorite is the tempeh black bean tacos, delicious! I can agree with some other reviewers in that the service can be hit-or-miss. read more

As a vegetarian for 19 years I can truly appreciate a dining experience where I have options. Many of these review mention the service and while it isn't noteworthy on it's own...I go there for the food because I can eat EVERYTHING on the menu without having to ask for ingredient clarification or substitutions. We need more restaurants like this, preferably in Toms River. My favorite...grilled drumsticks with buffalo sauce. The ribs are amazing too! read more

Fun place and good family style food. I don't think it's as healthy as other veggie places such as good karma in Red Bank, but it's has a bigger more varied menu. More sauces than substance in some items but all of it tasty! read more

Great vegan platters. I've been several times but I don't get why there aren't variants of the dishes that could be made. Tempeh Reuben, Tofu will be tiring if there are customers wanted to try on different dishes. Desserts are the saving grace (as far as variants are concerned) as it differs on a couple of days. Wish to try out a few more Southern BBQ if visiting further. read more

I don't know what took me so long to get here. Loved the menu, the meal I ordered, the friendly knowledgeable waitress, the fact that I could order anything and not have to ask if there was meat in the dish and it just felt good to be eating vegan organic food. The water was even good and we weren't given straws! (I've made an anti plastic straw pledge). We even ordered a container of "chicken" salad to go. read more

Best vegan restaurant in NJ. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. The buffalo tempeh and mac and cheese are the best apps. Their seitan and tempeh are high quality, the veggies are fresh, and the mashed potatoes are amazing. We take our non-vegan friends here and they are always impressed. 5/5 would recommend read more

It was so nice to have live music during dinner. Great vegan and gluten free options. Would definitely dine here again!

This place is a 10/10. I've never been disappointed with a meal here, and it goes above and beyond. I've eaten here 3 times, and ordered out twice. Never ever ever have I had a dish here i didn't like. It gets busy, but the servers do a great job regardless. Love this place! read more

My husband and I have eaten here regularly for the past 5 years up until this past July 2015. We went to Kaya's July 2nd, ordered our food and had the same waitress we had for the past 5 years whom we got to know well. This time around our food did not come out as good as what we usually expected but we said nothing and ate our meal. After dinner we always order The cakes and cupcakes there which they get from the outside. We usually order at least 3 And they are not cheap. The cupcake I ordered had some sort of pretzel topping on it and when I bit into the topping, the pretzel was stale. I didn't want to eat anymore because to Me it was stale and not worth $4 if I couldn't finish it. I told our waitress, the one who waited on us all the time and she had the nerve to tell me that the cupcake couldn't be stale because they just got it that day. She kept questioning me and making excuses but I insisted that it was stale and I wasn't going to eat it. When I asked her to try a piece of it for herself, she refused. Then she asked me if I would like another one but before I could answer no, my husband told her yes. She brings me out another cupcake and then a few minutes later Comes back and tells me that the owner couldn't credit me for the bad cupcake so I might as well take it home since now They were charging me for both cupcakes! I was pissed especially since this waitress we always had and whom we always tipped well, was trying to make me feel like the cupcake was fine when it wasn't. I Didn't want to leave her a tip at all but I couldn't, so I left her one. The next day I called to speak to the Owner because I wanted him to know what happened. I left a message with one of his female staff and told her to make sure he got the message because I was a regular customer there. Well 3 phone calls later, I have yet to hear from the Owner. That's how much He cares about his customers, especially since we use to go there at least once or twice a week. After being treated like that we haven't been back there since. The Owner has no Customer Service skills whatsoever and because of that lost 2 good customers, not to Mention all the people we told about the place prior to this incident. So beware if you go there and encounter a problem there because it won't get solved. You're on your own. As long as you pay for your meal, that's all the owner cares about. read more

My boyfriend and I have been coming to Kaya's for almost a decade now. This place is our go to if we're looking for a delicious, filling, vegan meal. I love their buffalo tofu wingz, the Rocky Mountain stew and the sesame sensation. The portions and large menu keep us coming back. I would love to see them update their menu and add some of the newer vegan foods like different vegan cheezes(cashew, etc) , some new dishes and sandwiches since it seems like it's been a while since anything new has been added. Overall love Kaya's kitchen and will continue to recommend! read more

at my latest visit i was disappointed to see that they raised the prices, by a lot. my favorite entree stayed the same, but they now charge $2 to add the protein chunks. why not raise the price by $2 and be done with it? weird choice. sadly, it loses a star, not only for the pricing but that the quality just isn't what it used to be. to be honest, i'm finding over the last four years, this restaurant has disappointed in one way or another. it's too bad, because this place has been kind of an institution. read more