When one of Philadelphia’s favorite vegetarian restaurants moved out to the ‘burbs nearly a year ago, I could not have been more excited. Anthony and I had only been to Mi Lah Vegetarian’s center city location one time before they landed in Ambler, PA (40 W. Skippack Pike), and it has quickly become one of our top, go-to places for brunch and dinner. We loved it in Philly and we love it even more now that it’s less than 15 minutes from our home.

Not including proximity, here are just a few reasons Mi Lah is my favorite local restaurant:

1. The food is not only delicious but creative.
   Dishes like the Spanish breakfast, edamame dumplings, and golden beet salad keep everyone we’ve ever taken to Mi Lah coming back, and with persistent cravings, for more.
2. The staff rocks.
   They are super friendly and always extra attentive. Also, we had an issue recently with a requested table not being available, and they more than compensated with a few free menu items and several sincere apologies.
3.  You can sometimes find deals and coupons online.
   In the past, we’ve found discounts ($30 certificate for just $15) on LocalFlavor.com. The site’s been sold out for a while, but I am holding out hope more deals will be available soon.

Haven’t tried Mi Lah Vegetarian yet but are planning to go soon?

Here are some of our favorite things to order from their expansive vegetarian – and mostly vegan – menu.

For BRUNCH

• Tofu Benedict, which is Ant’s fave so I’ll let him talk this up. “This stuff is the real deal, and the hollandaise sauce is spot on. I get this for brunch every single time we come here, and I don’t plan to switch it up any time soon.”
• Breakfast Quesadilla stuffed with beans, tofu scramble, and vegan mozzarella. It comes with seitan taquitos, and in my opinion you can’t go wrong with fried Mexican food for breakfast.
• French Toast. Vegan French toast always amazes me, and Mi Lah’s thick and chewy, fresh fruit-topped version does not disappoint. Plus, they offer this as a side, which always makes me feel less like a glutton for eating this after I’ve already scarfed down some Benedict.

• Pad See-Ew, a truly yummy Thai-style noodle dish with chunks of broccoli and delicious bites of tofu. We’ve never come to Mi Lah and not ordered it. Crave-worthy. Make sure you ask for this to be made vegan (which they tell you they can do right on the menu), otherwise I think they add eggs.
• Grilled Seitan. They serve this over squash risotto and in some kind of tamarind sauce which I can’t stop dreaming about for days after I’ve eaten it.
• Any (soy-based) creamy soup of the day. We’ve had their cream of mushroom, and recently since it’s coming into season again they’ve had cream of asparagus. We’ve tried to order containers to go but they’ve sold out quickly. These soups are that good.
• Cheesecake. Vegan. Cheesecake. With berries. Mind (always) blown.

A COUPLE OF THINGS

1. While the majority of their menu is vegan (yay!) they do offer some items that are not, so don’t get confused. However, I just found out their brunch menu is entirely vegan, which is awesome.
2. Lots of Philly vegans were upset when Mi Lah relocated and added vegetarian options, no longer offering an exclusively vegan menu like they did when they were in the city. I did reach out to Mi Lah’s management about this when they first arrived in Ambler in 2015. They let me know that while they’d love to still be 100% vegan (and hoped to return to a vegan menu in the future), they believed that offering some vegetarian options would help build a customer base in the new location. [My two cents (for whatever it’s worth to you): Keep supporting establishments that offer vegan options. Order those items a lot. Show these places there is a market – and a demand – for vegan items. They may just surprise us and get rid of the non-vegan (and less popular) stuff. Okay, I’m off my high horse…]

I love Mi Lah Vegetarian, but you don’t have to just take my word for it.

What Mel Says

“I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I crave that place. Their brunch is my favorite, and I always get the Spanish breakfast with polenta, kale, and scrambled tofu. It’s so good! Okay, now I want to go back…”

What Ant Says

“To have such a tasty place in our neck of the woods that can do vegan right is fantastic.”

Plus, I feel like it’s definitely worth adding that this is Ant’s parents’ favorite restaurant to go to with us. They are not vegan or even vegetarian; they just love good food and a nice place to get together.

 

Been to Mi Lah? What are your favorite things to order?

Let me know in the comments section below!

 

Editor’s note: Since this was posted, I found out that Mi Lah’s brunch menu is entirely vegan and their omelets are made with tofu, not eggs. So exciting! I apologize for the misinformation in the earlier version of this post and have made the necessary corrections above. Thanks!