When I hear that a meal is vegan, it excites me since I’m not a vegan myself. I think to myself, “How do vegans enjoy the flavor of their meals without any meat?” In downtown Lexington, Va., there is a new restaurant named Metta Meals. Metta Meals is a healthy vegetarian and vegan restaurant that has many options for everyone. When entering Metta Meals, you are welcomed  by a small and kind restaurant. The customer service is absolutely fantastic and accommodating to your needs.  

Before entering the restaurant, I looked at the menu online to view my options. Not only did they offer vegan and vegetarian meals, but they also offered additions of chicken, falafels, salmon, and tofu. The menu offers people following certain diets lots of options.

The menu at Metta Meals offers starters, soups, sides, falafels, globowls, drinks, and vegan desserts. The meal that sparked my interest the most was the Tao GloBowl. Feasting at home said GloBowls are, “Packed full of incredible skin nutrients to help us Glow from the inside out. Fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and a delicious citrus dressing.”  The Metta Meals menu describes the Tao GloBowl as “Asian style fried rice with in-season veggies; garnished with peanuts and green onions.” With a side to my GloBowl, I got a green tea with agave sweetener. I had never had agave sweetener, so I honestly had no idea what it was. Agave sweetener comes from the agave plant and the natural sugars in the plant are harvested. The green tea with the natural sweetener was a great side to the meal. 

 Not only was the meal visually pleasing, but it was absolutely delicious. The fried rice was drizzled in an amazing peanut sauce which complemented the other flavors in the dish. The fried rice was mixed with bean sprouts, green onions, carrots, chia seeds, and more. Beside the fried rice was the extra-firm tofu. The tofu had a fantastic marinade, making the tofu almost taste like barbecue chicken. On the side of the fried rice was dressed cabbage. The cabbage was soaked in a sweet sauce and cut into small chunks. The side of seasoned tofu and dressed cabbage made the meal quite filling.

The hearty portion size and the amount of ingredients made me very full. The meal tasted remarkable due to the depths of flavor. The only downside to the whole meal is that you get what you pay for. For my GloBowl, side of tofu, and green tea, I paid over $20 for my lunch. Even though my meal was a little more pricey than others, you can taste the fresh ingredients.

Out of all of the new places in town in the past few years, this has been my favorite. Metta Meals is a new and fun addition to the town that fits in perfectly. If interested in checking it out yourself, the address is 3 W Nelson St, Lexington, Va.