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    Laughing Seed Cafe

    4.2 (910 reviews)

    Laughing Seed Cafe Photos

    LAUGHING SEED CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Laughing Seed Cafe

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    Best curry dish of my life!
    Alison M.

    Omg. This is the best vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to. Parking was a bit rough and there is some roadwork blocking roads so it was an adventure to get here - but everyone was so nice to us when we finally arrived - a full 25 minutes later than expected and within about 30 minutes until closing. They said no problem and easily seated us and said no rush. They have a nice indoor area but also a cute patio outside with some firefly lights and bistro tables with umbrellas to provide shade and excellent vantage point for people watching while you eat. Our waitress was phenomenal. Very knowledgeable about the menu and able to answer all our questions and make suggestions on substitutions and easily navigated my friend's soy allergy. Their menu has tons of fantastic things on it which made it hard to choose. Lots of inventive takes on classics like a sweet potato Rueben and buffalo fried cauliflower wrap. In the end - I split a Laughing Seed Salad with my friend - a small size which was huge - and got the coconut curry entree. The salad was delicious and I loaded with veggies, sprouts, etc. I chose the Champagne Derby house-made dressing and did not regret it. Light and delicious with a slight mustard flavor. Very fresh. Now, the coconut curry dish. SO good. I just kept eating and eating and eating. Coconut rice, fresh veggies, the amazing curry sauce. It was a large portion and it was phenomenal. My favorite curry dish I've ever had, vegan or not. I am going to be talking about this forever, and if I'm ever back in town, I'm gonna come get this 2-3x! I like coffee with dinner and warned our waitress as they were close to closing that I like coffee after dinner. She brewed me a fresh pot and offered for me to take some to go and refilled as much as I needed. Although we were probably here until 9:30 - they never rushed us out (another table showed up after us and was still sitting). The food here was some of the best I've had in a while - vegetarian or not. If I lived here I would eat here all the time! Located in a nice part of downtown Asheville on "Wall St" where there is a ton of other shops and restaurants and bars. This is a place to sit out on the patio and people-watch and you can walk around and shop afterwards if you like. Yum! Run. Don't walk.

    Interior of The Laughing Seed Cafe from the back seating area.
    Tony S.

    I'd rate this one a 4.5 -- not quite a 5, but really good vegetarian/vegan food. The decor reminds me of restaurants in Europe and the skylights provide nice natural lighting. Service is good. I love sweet potatoes so I had to order the Reuben, where the "pastrami" is made from sweet potatoes. They were sliced like deli meat and while the taste wasn't like pastrami or regular sweet potatoes, they were good just for what they tasted like on their own. The consistency was a bit off, but that's often the case with vegetarian substitutes for meat. After a couple bites, I got used to it. The slaw was good as was the Swiss cheese (you can order it with vegan cheese). The marbled rye bread was excellent. The dressing could have maybe used a little more pop. We also had the "chorizo" taco: good taco seasoning, but again the toppings could have used a little more flare. The real gem of the meal was the French fries. They are medium thick natural-style fries with just the right amount of skin left on, and were well seasoned (not too salty) and cooked crispy brown. They were served hot [nothing worse than lukewarm or soggy cold fries]. But what made them special were the crispy onion pieces mixed in, along with a few jalapenos. If you eat vegetarian/vegan, it's easy to find good menu items in many places in Asheville, but as a completely vegetarian/vegan place, the Laughing Seed Cafe gives you a lot of options. We'd go back. One nit: they add a BoH service charge. Frankly I'd prefer they either pay the BoH employees more and charge a bit more (although prices are a bit high for Asheville already) or tip share between BoH and FoH employees. I typically tip for food quality as well as service, assuming at least some of the tips are shared with BoH or they are paid more than FoH to balance that. I don't like adds-on like this. It's irritating, and I adjust the amount I ultimately tip to reflect this added service charge.

    Misti M.

    What a great find on such a cute street in Asheville! Laughing Seed has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and a bar in the center. We arrived mid-day on a Saturday and had our choice of where to sit. What drew us there were the mocktails listed on the website ($7 each) and we were excited to try them out! Between the two of us we had a Strawberry Basil and a Blueberry-pineapple Mule. Both were done very well and it was so nice to see a mocktail menu of more than just one option (I think there were at least 5 on the list). The fully vegetarian menu gave plenty of options, we settled on sharing the loaded fries (beans, vege-chorizo, queso, jalapenos). The $1 extra for the chipotle ranch was worth it - the flavors were great together! Laughing Seed is a winner - surely for vegetarian / vegan options, but as an alcohol-free carnivore, I was very pleased with what they had to offer!

    The Laughing Seed Cafe
    Catherine N.

    This was such a quaint place to frequent just in the nick of time. I sat at the bar and the service was great. I had a glass of wine with a side of avocado and a side of homemade fries. They were amazing!!! The fries were SO light and non greasy! I would definitely recommend these items if you were to visit. Until next time, cheers!

    Awesome food at Laughing seed cafe Hummus and pita. Spinach Pesto Manicotti (Raw) Delicious ever time I go, best eat clean restaurant ever!
    Ellen P.

    Food was good. Staff was nice, service was okay, our waitress forgot we needed water for a long time. But other than that it was all good. The restaurant was clean . They took some favorites off the menu and added other stuff and made our favorite dish smaller. But still delicious and still a great place to eat . I can't wait to try the cashew cheese cake. I recommend to everyone one. It know this is a vegetarian restaurant.

    Lacy H.

    This is a great place for a birthday meal. The vibe is really cool and comfortable and the servers were very kind. It's a bit on the pricey side in my opinion, but they serve really great food. It's not fully vegan so make sure you're aware of that if you're a lil dummy vegan!! The drinks are really delicious for no reason too.

    Fries
    Mansi R.

    Great vegetarian options. We liked the jalapeño onion fries also with the east & west tacos. The tacos were pretty big and had a unique flavor with their sauces they used. I preferred the east taco, but recommend trying both. They have some daily specials as well. Great menu and service.

    Bahn mi, vegan
    dan g.

    Lots of great vegan choices clearly indicated. Good service, lovely spot for lunch. Really enjoyed the vegan bahn mi. It was made with seitan which was pretty well. I got the jalapeno onion fries and they were extremely delicious.

    Violet E.

    Laughing Seed Cafe had awesome food and spectacular service! We ordered the Mediterranean salad and Reuben with fries. The food was flavorful and hot. Would come back next time I'm in Asheville!

    Lotus Grain Bowl and Rueben
    Hannah D.

    We went to the Laughing Seed on a busy Saturday for lunch in Asheville. We had the choice between sitting inside and outside. We picked Outside and were seated immediately. The Laughing Seed is in a fantastic location central to downtown. I recommend sitting outside because there is often live music/street performers that are not too far away. It's a really friendly and fun vibe. As for the food, it is a vegetarian's (and non-vegetarian's) dream. As a vegetarian, it's rare I can go to a restaurant and pick from anything on the menu. However, as a completely vegetarian restaurant, that is exactly the case here. Both the grain bowl and the reuben sandwich were absolutely incredible. We tried the two kombucha options ("fire" and "water") and loved both. As an Asheville local, I wholeheartedly recommend eating here!

    Cold pressed juice
    Jessica C.

    We had lunch at Laughing Seed Cafe during a weekend visit to Asheville. We have a plant-based diet so we were excited about all the options Asheville has to offer. Our lunch at Laughing Seed was average and a little pricey. We ordered two of the cold-pressed juices thinking they would be made fresh, but it was actually already processed and bottled, which was disappointing. We ordered the Greek fennel and white bean soup as an appetizer. The soup was okay, basically a tomato-based vegetable soup, but we didn't see a single white bean. We asked the server if it was the right soup since it didn't have any white beans. She said it was, but wasn't sure why there weren't any beans. For our entrees, we got the cauliflower tacos and the harmony bowl with tofu. The cauliflower tacos and sweet potato chips were actually really delicious, but they were definitely heavily fried. The harmony bowl was bland with no seasoning. Our total check was $80. I think next time we'd try a different place with all the plant-based options in Asheville.

    Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Jalapeño fries
    Priyanka R.

    Awesome to have a vegan cafe with varieties of options. We came in with a big group (no reservation) and ended up splitting up into multiple smaller groups because everyone was super hungry. Luckily the food came out quick! Staff was also nice, but did take a little while to get our bill, so had to find the lovely person serving us since the rest of our group had finished and they were able to product the bill on the spot to us. I ordered the buffalo cauliflower tacos with fries on the side. The fries were quite dry / over fried so wouldn't recommend getting, but the tacos were great and came with this chipotle sauce that really allowed you to enjoy the different textures. Overall - recommend for a quick bite and for those looking for a variety of flavor profiles in one restaurant (that is also vegan!!).

    Buffalo cauliflower tacos with fries
    Natalye R.

    After checking out The Big Crafty, our group of four adults and two kids was feeling hungry, so we headed over to Laughing Seed, which was next to where we parked, and which has a menu that seemed to have something for everyone. I can't speak to everyone else's food, but I can say that my buffalo cauliflower tacos were delicious. Buffalo anything is my favorite, and since it's not a "thing" back in Germany, I always order it when I see it on the menu on my visits stateside. This definitely didn't disappoint. I decided on fries as my side and it worked well together. There are also a lot of sandwiches and bowls that looked delicious, and if I lived here I'd be back to try out more. It was a bit of a crisp day but I still prefer sitting outdoors, and we were easily accommodated on the patio (which does have heaters). Our service was attentive and friendly.

    Tiramisu cake

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    Page 1 of 23

    Laughing Seed Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Laughing Seed Cafe

    What oil do they use to fry or saute their fries and other foods? (I'm trying to stay away from the inflammatory oils like canola, corn, safflower, and sunflower.)

    They use canola oil

    Is this place dog friendly?

    I have seen people seated in the outside seating area with dogs.

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    Posana

    Posana

    4.3(821 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I can't say enough good things about Posana! The ambiance, service and food are all exactly what…read moreyou'd hope for during a celebratory dining experience. My fiancé took me here for my birthday, and I felt celebrated every step of the way. Our server Laura brought us a complimentary small bite before the meal and after dessert. She also made dessert super special and was kind and attentive the whole meal! The food was all phenomenal, I couldn't believe it was all gluten free. It felt very fresh due to the farm to table nature of the restaraunt. We started with the cheddar biscuits, which were a hit. My short rib with polenta and roast veggies was delectable and a very generous portion! Finally, we ordered 1 dessert but they brought us a trio. I was wowed by the cheesecake and olive oil cake! Would definitely return for date night or any other special occasion!

    From the very beginning, this restaurant set the standard for what true hospitality and…read moreprofessionalism should look like. I was in communication with Lindsay for over four months while exploring options for hosting my wedding dinner in their private dining space. Out of more than 10 venues and vendors we considered, she was the only one who consistently showed up with prompt, thoughtful, and genuinely kind communication. Every question I had--no matter how detailed or repetitive--was answered with patience and care. She made herself available through all my moments of uncertainty, which, as any out-of-state bride can attest, is invaluable. When we finally visited in person, Lindsay went above and beyond by accommodating us outside of regular scheduling. Her attentiveness and warmth never wavered. Planning a wedding from afar can feel overwhelming, but having someone like her in your corner brings a level of reassurance that cannot be overstated. Dinner itself was nothing short of exceptional. We were served by Tennille, who elevated the entire experience. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and incredibly personable. Every dish was presented with intention, and she took the time to walk us through ingredients , local farm sourced education and preparation in a way that made the meal feel curated and special. You can tell she genuinely cares about the guest experience--it shows in every interaction. After dinner, we visited their second location to explore their private dining options. There, we met Pierre, who matched the same level of service and hospitality. He went out of his way to not only show us the space, but also recommend local after-dinner spots that could enhance the overall experience for our bridal party. That level of thoughtfulness and big-picture thinking is rare. Bottom line: this team understands that they're not just serving food--they're creating experiences. If you're looking for a venue that delivers on service, communication, and unforgettable dining, this is it.

    Photos
    Posana - Posana Restaurant's exterior and patio located on Historic Pack Sq. in downtown Asheville.

    Posana Restaurant's exterior and patio located on Historic Pack Sq. in downtown Asheville.

    Posana
    Posana - Posana Gluten Free Celiac Friendly Kitchen

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    Posana Gluten Free Celiac Friendly Kitchen

    Little Chango - Rice and beans

    Little Chango

    4.8(104 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    We saw this place while visiting Wicked Weed across the street. After seeing the amazing Yelp…read morereviews we decided to return a few days later and try it out. I ordered the Pork Arepa and Yuka Fries. The food was delicious - fresh, very flavorful and well balanced. The staff was friendly and did not act annoyed at us for bringing kids along. They even came out and offered us a high chair. Even though the restaurant is small, they had ample outdoor seating as well. We enjoyed our lunch immensely! When we return to the area, we'll have to come back and try more from the menu.

    Wow! A flavor explosion meets gluten free. We had ropa viejo and jibara arepas. The arepas were so…read morelight and fluffy and tender. We added escabeche (perfect blend of flavors!) and tostones (with delicious sauce). We needed dairy free as well, so sadly no queso for us, but please enjoy it if you aren't dairy free. We got our order to go, and it was packaged well and stayed hot until we got back to our hotel room, even though it was quite cold outside. This is a tiny place with maybe 8-12 barstools. It is squeaky clean and decorated so nicely. The owner has a great sense of humor as evidenced by his posted hours by the door. Everything is gluten free. I wish this was in my hometown. I would eat there several times a week. I will certainly return when I am in Asheville again, and am even considering placing an order on my last day here to take home for dinner. One thing to note: street parking only as the lot next to the building belongs to another establishment, and they don't play with you parking in their spots.

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    Little Chango - Menu

    Menu

    Little Chango
    Little Chango - Arepa, Fried Sweet Plantains

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    Arepa, Fried Sweet Plantains

    Vortex Doughnuts - Yum!!

    Vortex Doughnuts

    3.9(729 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Showed up here before a conference hoping to get my hands on a delicious gluten free donut. Turns…read moreout they make them as the day goes on and when arriving about an hour after arriving was told it would be another 2 hours before they had any gluten free options. Would love the chance to try them but extremely disappointed that they're not ready to serve everything upon opening. So if you're looking for that gluten free option show up later in the day. It should say this on their info/ site/ menu. That would've saved us a while trip.

    After breakfast we decided to go wander the self guided South Slope Mural trail to enjoy some of…read morethe large scale works on the side of the buildings, when we came across Vortex Doughnuts. Finding it, we decided to pop in and grab a donut to hep fuel the rest of our mural walk. Unfortunately the selection by 11am had been a bit picked over. There wasn't any wait when we arrived, so we weren't pressed to hurry with our order and could see what our options were. They did have a selection of both yeast style donuts and cake style as well as gluten free. They also offered a few different coffee/espresso/mocha drink options along with milk, oj and hot chocolate. We opted to share a cake style chocolate frosted. The donut was OK, but a bit dry for my liking, and the the chocolate also wasn't overly sweet. But it's all subjective an what wasn't right for me could certainly be great to others. I'd consider trying another favorer/style of donut if in the area again.

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    Vortex Doughnuts
    Vortex Doughnuts
    Vortex Doughnuts - Street view from inside.

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    Street view from inside.

    Cúrate - Jerez y chocolate

    Cúrate

    4.5(2.7k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    Holy cow! I've been…read morehere a couple of times while visiting Asheville. I come here every single time now. Plan ahead. This place is busy, because it is awesome! Make a reservation. I love Spanish food and tapas. Curate delivers like no other place I have been. I love the open kitchen - it's awesome to see them prepare the delicious food! Ask for kitchen seating for an extra treat! One of the advantages of the smaller plates is they allow you to sample from a wide range of delights! We always get the boquerones - I love the way they prepare the fresh anchovies! We also had a cheese plate, with a selection of dry, ripe, and blue Spanish cheeses - all of which were excellent and presented with very complimentary sides - the pear and apricot compote with the blue cheese was a personal favorite! We also had the patatas bravas (fried potatoes), lamb skewers, oysters, grilled shrimp, and stuffed piquillo peppers. EVERYTHING was a delight. The wine list is also exceptional. I had a delicious albarino, and a txacolina rose that was outstanding. We finished with the Tarta de Queso - which was delicious. Tangy, and lightly sweet. A perfect end to a great meal! Not just one of my favorite restaurants in Asheville, but one of my favorites period. I love Curate!

    We were disappointed in our experience. We received many recommendations to go here and then found…read morethe food to be mediocre and bland. We had the cheese board, stuffed peppers, beet salad, and Mac and cheese. We didn't finish a single plate. The plate we did finish was the iberico meat. Our server never asked how we were enjoying our experience or made the observation that we clearly weren't enjoying the dishes. She spent her entire time speaking with a couple next to us to the detriment of her other guests. We did enjoy the sangria and the ambiance.

    Photos
    Cúrate - Inside

    Inside

    Cúrate - Seafood paella

    Seafood paella

    Cúrate - Inside

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    Inside

    Laughing Seed Cafe - vegetarian - Updated May 2026

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