Unit Su Vege: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Unit Su Vege serves only vegetarian and vegan Chinese food. You will not find meat or fish anywhere on the menu. The cooks build dishes from tofu, seitan, mushrooms, and soy protein, and many carry a “Vegan and Spicy” label. A few items use egg noodles, milk, or mascarpone, so strict vegans should read each description. The restaurant’s site explains that “Su” means vegetarian in Chinese.

You will find it in Unit 106 at 2000 Hamilton Street, in the Spring Garden area of Philadelphia. The Infatuation’s reviewer praised the Vegetarian Shrimp Dumplings in 2020, gave the restaurant a 7.8, and listed it among Philadelphia’s best dumplings. Today more than 4,000 Uber Eats customers rate the restaurant 4.9.

Dim sum comes first. Order the Scallion Pancake, the BBQ Vegetarian Roast Meat, a Vegetarian Roast Pork Bun, or Steamed Vegetable Dumplings. Sesame Cold Noodles ($7.95 on Uber Eats) toss wheat noodles in peanut and sesame paste. Golden Feather Knishes stuff taro into fried dough. Pumpkin Tarts hide red bean paste inside.

Mains run long. Uber Eats customers like General Tso’s Tofu most. General Tso’s Seitan, Sesame Tofu, and Sesame Seitan each hold more than 200 Uber Eats ratings. Roasted Vegetarian Duck Peking Style arrives with five buns and vegetarian hoisin sauce. Braised Lion Head swaps in vegetarian meatballs with bok choy, mushroom, and bamboo shoot, while the Crispy Soy Bean Protein Steak comes with a tomato and wood ear salad. Lighter plates include Home Style Tofu, Stir-Fried String Beans, and Eggplant Tofu in garlic sauce. Noodle and rice dishes cover Chow Mei Fun Singapore Style, Veggie Lo Mein, and Veggie Fried Rice at $13.50. Sizzling platters include Three Cup Eggplant and King Mushroom.

Soups start at $4.50 for Hot and Sour, which the menu marks vegan, and for Miso. Creamy Corn Soup costs more and tastes richer, so skip it if you avoid dairy.

Drinks and sweets lean on dairy. Pearl Milk Tea, Taro Milk Tea, and Coconut Milk Tea sit beside milk shakes in Strawberry and Banana, Mango and Pineapple, and Avocado and Banana. The menu groups the shakes with Vegan Slush, so ask which drinks skip dairy. Dessert includes a Tiramisu layered with mascarpone.

On weekdays from 11am to 3pm, except on major holidays, the restaurant serves a lunch special with rice, soup, and a spring roll. Its own ordering page tags many dishes V or V/GF and warns that dishes are not gluten free automatically, so tell the restaurant if you need gluten free. The restaurant lists lower prices there than Uber Eats does, such as General Tso’s Tofu at $14.95 against $16.95. That page carries a 2018 to 2019 copyright, so confirm prices when you call.

The cover of the printed dine-in menu reads Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant, Kosher. The website asks you not to email special food requests, so call instead.

Hours run Monday through Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 10:30pm, and Sunday noon to 10pm. Call 215-988-1888 or order delivery on Uber Eats.

Bring a group, order the seitan dishes family style, and add a scallion pancake and a round of milk tea.