GAO Vegan Restaurant in Leipzig

Very very tasty and beautifully presented

Gao is an excellent vegan Vietnamese restaurant. The lunch special for €9.50, including a small soup, offers outstanding value for money. The food was very fresh, delicious, and the portion was generous. Highly recommended for a high-quality and affordable lunch break.

Absolutely delicious 👍🏻 1+ and friendly, attentive staff. Definitely coming back.

Delicious food, good service and a great atmosphere. We'll gladly come again.

Delicious vegan food, good atmosphere and friendly staff. Thanks for a great experience.

Way too expensive for what you are getting

It's now become a regular for me. 💖 I almost always eat the "spicy seitan" with rice, and I love it. The accompanying high-quality vegetables are always fresh and crisp, and very varied (around 10-15 different varieties). I haven't had anything like this served at any other vegan restaurant in Leipzig. The dark sauce is hearty, and the spiciness is pleasant. For me, the portion is very generous and long-lastingly filling. The staff is very friendly, and I always feel very comfortable here. The homemade lemonades are all incredibly delicious and beautifully presented. My favorite is the "Tipsy Passion Fruit." The restaurant also has an outdoor area for nice days and evenings, where you can enjoy the hustle and bustle and the wonderful atmosphere of Gottschedstraße. During the day, it's usually easy to get a seat inside. In the evening, it's recommended to make a reservation in advance.

- No greeting, no smile - Sticky, messy table; even a quick wipe didn't help - Food, as expected, garnished with the usual Vietnamese sauces and vegetable garlands, seasoned to taste – it was good! - Restrooms... no words - Check the bill!!

Great atmosphere, attentive service, beautifully presented food, and excellent taste. The wine selection is also well-chosen and perfectly complements the food. I'll definitely be back. An absolute favorite in Leipzig.

We stumbled upon it completely by chance. When I asked Google for a nearby vegan restaurant, it was the answer. Just 400 meters away. So: good luck! And as soon as we entered, we were very impressed by the ambiance. High ceilings, stylish Asian decor. Young guests, who could all be our children, a young, very attentive, and friendly team. Great welcome. Papaya salad: Wow. Perfectly seasoned. Sweet, spicy, sour. Everything was there. Roasted peanuts, beetroot straw. Great. The main courses were also perfectly prepared. Crisp vegetables, tofu stuffed with mushrooms seasoned to perfection, edamame, everything was there. A sauce to die for. Portions rather large. Price/performance: More than acceptable. If we're ever in Leipzig again, we know where we'll go.

Great welcome, English menu on the website. In a land of meat it's good to relax and know that everything is vegan. 9.50€ Lunch menu not in English but Google translate sorted it (attached in photos). We chose from there and the soup was delicious. 4⭐ for atmosphere as it was a bit quiet. Good choice of drinks - 3 choices of alcohol free beer and delicious passion fruit spritzer.

We stumbled upon GAO Vegan quite by chance – right next to our hotel, looking for something good to eat one evening. And what can I say: We were absolutely thrilled. The ambiance is lovingly and thoughtfully designed, cozy, yet with enough space, whether for two or a larger group. You immediately feel at home. The food? Truly exceptional. Creative, fresh, surprisingly good. I tried seitan for the first time and was completely surprised by what's possible there – a true culinary experience. The staff is super friendly and attentive, and the prices are absolutely fair. For me, it's clear: GAO Vegan is a recommendation I would give to anyone traveling in Leipzig, even if they're not vegan.

Great food, great service - we'll be back 💚💚💚

Very fine food, friendly service.

The food was varied. We often eat vegan Vietnamese food, and the menu had many dishes we hadn't seen anywhere else. The food was really, really good!

You have to go there with cash. Apparently, they've been ordering a card reader for months and it's not arriving. We live in Germany, not the jungle. The staff are extremely rude, they lie to your face. The manager isn't ashamed to yell at the staff during peak hours. It's inappropriate to pay with PayPal in a restaurant. Beware of a new tax evasion scam.

I've been here many times. It's how I learned to love vegan food! 🫛🥑🧆 The dishes are lovingly and beautifully presented, creative, and incredibly delicious and healthy! Unfortunately, I recently saw a sign on the window: "No card payments accepted." Please change this as soon as possible and don't perpetuate the cliché 🫣 I would like to come back, but only with card payments! CORRECTION 08/30/2025: Unfortunately, I had to drop my rating from 5 to 3 stars because of my last visit. Of course, card payments still didn't work. Nevertheless, we were immediately told that the staff was understaffed. But if we had known how bad it would be, we would have left. Then just block off tables, what's the point?!? We had two children with us. After 40 minutes, they hadn't even brought our drinks. After an hour, we finally got something. The food arrived after 2.5 hours, and not even together: the adults arrived first, followed by the children after 20 minutes. The atmosphere was extremely loud because the entire place was packed, despite a lack of staff. So we were left high and dry the whole time and had to wait a total of 2.5 hours for everything. And to top it off, we ended up with the wrong bill. The restrooms are also 50% broken. It's a shame that they can just get away with this here. I'm very disappointed with my former favorite restaurant.

Unfortunately, I can't agree with the good reviews. The food tastes average and is completely overpriced. A mini appetizer plate for 35 euros (?!), and there are excessive amounts of mushrooms in every dish, even in dishes where they aren't listed as an ingredient at all. The service is nice, so it gets one star for that, but unfortunately, part of our order was forgotten, and some of us received the wrong food. The good reviews may have been due to a lack of alternatives in Leipzig; this restaurant probably wouldn't have lasted long in Berlin. It's a shame, but it wasn't a good experience.

Delicious mango lassi 🥭🥤 and great dishes—it was really hard for me to choose because everything sounded good. The staff is super attentive and friendly, and the food was simply delicious. Highly recommended—I'll definitely be back! 🙌

As someone who comes out of Germany: Ordered wanton soup (which was tiny, but okish even not that full with flavors) and Korean glass noodles (which were a big dish, with lots of tofu, but the noodles themselves were like a slime, sticky and tasteless. As the whole dish was missing flavors. At first I thought I should mix it with the sauce, but even doing so didn't help much. Fried tofu in the dish was very good though.) Food came very fast. And waiter was polite. However, i didn't like not to be serve or offered a glass of water when not ordering drinks, AND didn't appreciate the check situation - which instead of receiving a note that describes the costs, the waiter stands above you and just say how much is it, and when you hand him cash(they didn't take card), he asks (in front of other people at the table) how much he should bring you back, as if tip is mandatory, and everyone need to hear how much you tip.

The vegan mango lassi was delicious. The iced tea had a strange aftertaste. For main courses, we had the Gao Special – actually very tasty, but it smelled very strongly of burnt rice on the bottom. Of course, it wasn't tasty either, if you could even eat it at all. The rest was so burnt that you couldn't get it out of the pan. The other dish was Pho Tron, rice noodles with peanut sauce. It was a bit bland overall, and the noodles were so sticky that you could hardly eat them with chopsticks. Overall, it was okay, but somewhat disappointing given the expectations you have for a 4.7.

The food was delicious and warm. The restrooms weren't that clean, unfortunately; only one worked, and there was no soap. And when you sit inside, it's unfortunately quite noisy.

The most delicious vege food I have ever eat. Highly recommend!

A super-beautiful and inviting restaurant. I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to experience such vegan delights. Highly recommended.

We’re on the way back to Manchester after 3 weeks travelling by train around Europe- the meal we had here was the best of the trip. We are vegetarian so often end up in pizza places or vegan restaurants. But this was the best! Incredibly tasty and delicious food, made with love - the staff were amazing and we are already planning to return soon. Thank you for showing just how good vegan food can be - made with top quality ingredients and lots of heart. ❤️ xxx

Very stylishly decorated, menu with a good selection of different dishes and drinks, very, very tasty; plants that you sometimes don't even know (anymore), cash only, friendly staff

It tasted great, I'll be back! The appetizer platter and the udon noodles were delicious!

The food itself was good, but having to pay €6.50 for four spring rolls is really crazy. All the extras don't help much. The main course comes with three small pieces of tofu – wow. Otherwise, it's just greens. All well and good, but a "rice and tofu dish" should consist mostly of rice and tofu. On top of that, the table is sticky... can't hurt to wipe it down... I ask for payment and have to wait a bit, even though they're not busy... The ambiance was really nice, though.

Friendly service and incredibly good food. If I go back to Leipzig, I'll go there again.

It was good, a lunch menu for €9.50 and a really large portion. Ginger tea at €4.50 was too expensive for the food! The taste was good, the sauce was a bit too slimy (probably MSG), the lettuce on the side confused the cake without the dressing, but the vegetables were plentiful and tasty. When I asked if I could have the sauce without garlic, I was told that wasn't possible. Is everything ready? Or from a bag? The atmosphere was okay, a bit strange, I can't say exactly what it was, but the waitress didn't seem to be particularly interested. Otherwise, everything was okay here, there are certainly better food options, I wouldn't come here for a date - but for lunch, it's completely fine.

Absolute favorite - lunch and dinner. My favorite is the rice dish with tofu and mango(!) sauce! So yummy! I love eating and enjoying here. Choose the mango sauce and thank me later 💛

Highly recommended if you are staying in the area. The Gao crush lemonade is absolutely delicious, and the mock duck recommended by a lot of reviewers here lived up to expectations. Staff were friendly and food was quick.

I discovered this sensationally fine testament restaurant right next to my hotel and was not disappointed.

I love meat and was skeptical, but the vegan food was really great. Great service, and the kids were offered a custom dish that was really good.

Overpriced food with basic ingredients made out to sound fancy. Very mid Aperol.

Delicious vegan food and drinks, super friendly staff, we will be back, top value for money

Overpriced meals and small portions. Good description in the menu but in reality nothing special. Sorry :/

We went there for lunch because of the good reviews (online) and the fact that it's a completely vegan restaurant. The food was solid. The furniture is showing its age, as evidenced by wobbly and partially broken benches and tables. Overall, it was rather disappointing; I won't be returning again.

The food was very good – the udon noodles with tofu were delicious, as was the mochi ice cream for dessert. The iced tea was also pleasantly fresh. The ambiance is very nice, both inside and outside. My only criticism: Service outside was slow, sometimes taking a long time and only arriving after being asked for. Overall, though, a very good visit and highly recommended!

The best udon I've ever had, it's become my favorite and I don't think I can top it!! Very good 🫶

Always great. A must whenever we're in Leipzig! Very delicious and varied food, great drinks, and excellent service. cheers

Luckily, I hadn't had much time to eat during the day before my visit, so I was able to at least try two things from the menu... 😅 The taste and presentation were excellent! I was very pleased with the unusual creations, such as stuffed tofu and V-wings with skin. The ambiance is also really nice. The service was friendly. Payment by credit card was possible (actually a basic requirement, but since Germany is so behind in this area, it's still worth a positive mention).

Long live the duck/chicken. Great food, lovely atmosphere, and even as someone who enjoys meat or fish, I don't miss a thing here. In summer, the number of tables is significantly reduced to accommodate more seating outside.

In short, it was a lovely stay. The food was delicious, served really quickly, and beautifully presented. The drinks were also really delicious and a feast for the eyes. All in all, highly recommended.

Beautifully presented and delicious food; we were very happy. The staff was attentive and friendly. We were there for lunch, and they have a special menu with good deals. Be careful with the sodas; I can't get enough of them. They're not cheap, but they're worth it.

Very, very tasty food. Great value for money. The waitress was alone, so there were long waits. But she tried to make the best of it and really made an effort.

We were in Leipzig for a city trip and spontaneously ended up at Gao. The food completely won us over; everything was super fresh and tasty—very spicy and authentic! It couldn't be better. Since we opted for a mango salad and dumplings for starters on Saturday and the No. 21 for the main course (a hot plate with crispy rice, super fresh vegetables, a side of bacon, etc.), we went back on Sunday before our departure back to Hamburg and tried two more dishes: Long Live the Duck and Gao's Rolls. Once again, we tasted extraordinary flavors, and the dishes were lovingly prepared with an eye for detail. We'll definitely be back!

We stopped by spontaneously yesterday and were so impressed that we came back today. All the dishes we ate were a true delight (even as non-vegans). The portions were generously sized, and everything was super fresh and of very high quality. We're already looking forward to our next visit 😃

I can't recommend this restaurant. The food was oversalted, too sweet, and too greasy for me. The restaurant was too cold and dirty, there was trash on our table, and some of the toilets were broken. The wait time was long even though there weren't many people there. The service was poor, the waiters unfriendly, and difficult to understand. We asked for tap water and were told to get some until the waiter came back and said they didn't have any. I understand if you want to make money with drinks, but you should just be honest about it. It's a bit unbelievable that there's no tap water. When I asked if the food could be wrapped, the only answer was "50 cents." The waiter could have at least offered a full sentence. When paying, I pointed out again that we weren't satisfied, but I didn't feel the waiter cared. Maybe the Stanford is so good that it doesn't matter. I find the prices in the restaurant rather high and therefore expected more. For me, this was my last visit. After all, there are enough good alternatives in Leipzig. :) Edit: We brought food along so that no food would go to waste. That's not what you do. We mix it with more rice, and then it's fine. It's not inedible, it's just not particularly tasty. It's too salty and too sweet. I don't know if it's also too fatty, but it tastes good. They didn't make fun of a particular phrase, but pointed out that there are other ways to communicate it, just "50 cents." How are we supposed to know that our colleague is currently in a language course? And being nice isn't something that only depends on the language. You can always just smile and try to explain. It wasn't possible to give us tap water? We were practically alone in the restaurant when the request came up. There were several waiters there. I don't understand.

The food was excellent. The service was friendly, but not overly so. It took about 20 minutes between "We'd like to pay" and actually paying, but that's manageable, considering it was busy. Otherwise, I absolutely recommend it; everything on the menu sounds incredibly good, but unfortunately, I only have one stomach.

Absolutely LOVED this restaurant. They are doing incredible things with seitan that are a vegetarian’s dream. The food presentation is really well done. The staff is friendly & multilingual. Only negative was that the entire menu was in German but Google translate solved that problem. If you are nearby, I highly recommend giving them a chance, whether you are vegetarian or not, the food is soooo good.

This place has become my favorite in Leipzig. It's so delicious! The dishes combine flavors in a very harmonious way, and it's healthy too. The servers are very friendly, and the place has a lovely peaceful and tranquil vibe. The menu is only in German, so you'll need an app to translate it or ask them what each item means. 😅 The mochis are delicious!

This Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine is truly exceptional. The dishes are presented in a unique and flavorful way. The staff is very friendly, and I’ll definitely return. Highly recommended!

The service was super friendly. The food was absolutely delicious.

Great food, something different than meat. It's worth trying vegan food for everyone. Very friendly service.

the ingredients or taste were not so impressive given the price. the restraunt itself was too full & big…

I love it and would love to come back again and again 🤤

Can not stress enough, how good the food and the service is here. I think we ate here 3 of 4 days we were in Leipzig because it was so good! Try the vegan chicken legs.. to die for

The curry was amazing. One of the best I've ever eaten. Service and ambience are also top.

Very good food and some nice staff, the food came quickly

Very tasty and unusual dishes that are rarely found in other Asian restaurants! And it was super tasty :)

Food really top notch with stars. Super tasty. Nice friendly service. Starters, main courses and desserts to fall in love with. Toilets could be better.

Food was really great for longer. The best was the Gao Special with rice base. The seitan skewers are also highly recommended. Even the non-vegans were impressed by the taste.

Everyone was so nice. It was a very cozy restaurant and everything was vegan and soooo delicious, including the spring rolls and the glass of pasta salad

Super delicious food. Very nice and courteous service.

The food is very tasty and very flavorful. I haven't eaten so well in a long time.

Very tasty food, fast, friendly, umami!

Very tasty and generous portions. The staff could be a little more careful.

A huge selection of dishes, each tastier than the next. My recommendation would definitely be the vegan duck. So I'll definitely be back!

Super delicious, go here at least once a month.

Very tasty vegan food, I've rarely eaten so well.

Very tasty Vietnamese food in a beautifully decorated restaurant. The baked tofu is highly recommended.

The food was delicious and the service was very friendly despite the huge crowd (we were there during the LBM).

I was traveling alone in Leipzig and spontaneously looked for something vegan to eat and came across the restaurant. I received a very warm welcome. The food was prepared quickly and was extremely tasty. I also liked the ambience. Can only recommend it.

Were there twice via LBM. Everything was super fresh, service was very quick and friendly. Keep it up! :)

Very good food, relatively large portions.

Surprisingly outstanding! I could hardly decide, as everything on the menu sounded incredibly delicious. My choice was just as good as promised. I was totally won over!

We are completely satisfied, incredibly nice waiter, everything looks very chic and the food is fantastic 👍

Gao convinced us again with excellent service and vegan dishes. All dishes were freshly prepared and very tasty. The drinks were exactly as described and presented. The numerous service staff are friendly and very quick. Revisit 2/25: The food was excellent - however the menus are now really disgusting and completely worn out. There are always a lot of guests, so a “make-over” would be good for the Gao.

Price-performance? Absolutely unbeatable! We were guests at Gao on a Friday evening - a restaurant that is second to none. There are purely vegan dishes here, and best of all: none of them cost more than €20. In times of rising prices, this is a real rarity. The starter and the main course were not only visually appealing, but also a hit in terms of taste. The portions were so generous that unfortunately there was no room left for dessert. I was particularly impressed by the freshness of the ingredients - crunchy vegetables are always a good sign. The service was also great: attentive, friendly, but never intrusive. A quick chat with the owner told us that the menu will soon be revised - new, exciting vegan Vietnamese dishes will be added. Bottom line: Excellent food, fair prices, great service. I would even pay more here - but it's even nicer that it's not necessary. Full marks – please keep it up!

The food tasted very good. However, the waiter was rather listless and when someone else criticized him, he reacted insultedly, only cleared 2 out of 5 plates and then didn't come back for over 10 minutes, even though we wanted to order something else. You can have a bad day, but you shouldn't take it out on your guests.

This restaurant offers a really great price-performance ratio. A visit to Gao guarantees fresh, refined and balanced food with many very well-balanced flavor components. It's a celebration for me every time <3

Very tasty vegan food with a twist (“shrimp”, “duck”, etc.) in a nice atmosphere and very friendly service..

Simply indescribable. The perfect restaurant for vegans/vegetarians who still like the taste and consistency of meat. Super open, friendly service. High-quality furnished ambience. We look forward to the next time and meal.

First of all: when I'm back in Leipzig, I'll definitely come back to the restaurant. My husband took me here (he was supposed to choose a restaurant) and he also chose one that I'm sure will taste good. The homemade ice tea and the lemonades were very tasty. The food comes extremely quickly and everything was incredibly tasty. I would have loved to eat every appetizer and then eat my way through everything. I also had dessert, unfortunately I forgot to take a photo. It's one of my favorite desserts. Sesame balls with red bean paste as a filling 🤤 The staff was very quick, friendly and attentive. We can definitely go back!

Overall a great place. The waitresses were very friendly. We got our food quickly even though it was very busy. The food was beautifully prepared, served hot and tasted delicious. The huge selection of dishes is also positive. The only thing that bothered me was that a lot of salad was served with the main course, which didn't "contribute" anything to the dish. I also find it misleading when you order "four spring rolls" as a starter, but you actually only get two rolls that were simply cut in half, so that four half summer rolls are served.

Delicious food at fair prices. Great atmosphere and very nice employees. I can only recommend it.

Seems like the staff was having a bad time. Trotzdem, a really nice place for a special occasion. All vegetarian and food which is a reminiscence of our time in Thailand.

Everything is just perfect - from the food to the staff! Beautiful facilities and atmosphere. Simply recommended. 2 starters + 2 main courses + 2 drinks = €53. Worth every cent

Good food, but please don't call yourself vegan if you don't offer vegan dishes. This is simply misleading.

Nice staff, very tasty food and nicely and comfortably furnished inside :)

Very tasty food and was brought to the table very quickly, despite the restaurant being super full on Saturday evening. The tables are quite narrow, but it's okay. Definitely recommended. The picture shows the (vegan) chicken with coconut sauce.

Large selection of very tasty vegan dishes. 🤤

Great, fast and friendly service. The food is varied, very fresh and super tasty. When we are in Leipzig, we always like to come by.

Today my twin brother and I were there for the first time and everything tasted good and the service was also fine, all the colleagues were nice. We would love to come back. 👌👌👌delicious food.

I can recommend the “Tipsy Kira”. Tastes good and puts you in a good mood! (Shoutout to Kira for the creation)

Very nice and cozy atmosphere, friendly service and varied, delicious dishes that you won't find in every Vietnamese vegan restaurant --> my recommendation: Lotus pan!

The shop is nicely decorated and also very spacious. The food was also very good. As far as service and ambience are concerned, one point is deducted because the service was professional and not exactly unfriendly, but also far from friendly. It just didn't make you feel quite as comfortable. If that's not so important to you, we can recommend the store with a clear conscience.

Food came quickly but could have been seasoned better. The Aperol Spritz was watery and, to be honest, a joke for 8 euros. The service staff obviously didn't feel like it and you had to fight to be served and to be able to pay in the end. Interior seems very crowded. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant.

Mega good selection and very good quality. All very tasty. Food and drinks came super quickly. Unfortunately the service is a bit unfriendly, absent and seems slightly annoyed. But absolute recommendation.