Vegetarian's View

Molly gives her view of Hobbit Cafe...through the eyes of a vegetarian.

Hobbit Cafe
2243 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77098

Overall Vegetarian Selection: (5) Stars
Brief Take: Hobbit Café is a vegetarian’s dream. The selection is very diverse with over 20 vegetarian (and some vegan) dishes on the menu. Every category has a variety of meat-free options. The vegetarian selection is so large I actually have a difficult time deciding what to order. This is a new and strange feeling to me which hardly ever occurs since many restaurants only have two or three vegetarian items not counting the kid’s menu.

Taste: (5) Stars
Brief Take: I didn’t order an appetizer but out of the 10 appetizers, six were vegetarian. That is what I call getting off to a good start. For my entrée I ordered a sandwich called the Shire. Hobbit Café has two sandwich size options: slim and classic. I was super hungry when I went and opted for the classic which was HUGE! The Shire sandwich was piled so high I could hardly take a bite, but I am not complaining. The sandwich was sliced in half with generous portions of avocado, tabouli, tomato and alfalfa sprouts on whole wheat bread. The menu calls for the sandwich with mayo but I decided not to include that. I really liked the Shire and thought the taste and texture complimented each other nicely. The avocado got a little messy but it was still very delicious.

The sandwich comes with black beans, brown rice or chips. I substituted fries for a small charge. The fries were just ok, I didn’t each much of them. Next time I will get the beans/rice instead.

Other menu items that caught my eye and I will probably consider next time include the Hobbit Wrap and Veggie Enchiladas. I didn’t order a smoothie but wished I would have because Hobbit Café’s smoothie selection looked wonderful. They even have the option to add protein or yogurt for under a dollar – that always makes a vegetarian happy.

Healthy Rating: (4) Stars
Brief Take: My sandwich was very healthy, but the fries were not, hence four stars instead of five. If I ordered the beans/rice instead, my Hobbit Café dish would have easy garnered five stars. Everything on the sandwich was healthy from the whole wheat bread to the tabouli.

Overall Opinion: (5) Stars
Summary: Hobbit Café is a win-win for vegetarians and meat eaters. I go with my husband and he always is pleased with the variety and selection of meat and seafood dishes. The restaurant is very laid back and the menu consists of American fare. I like to dine on the patio when the weather permits. Parking can sometimes be a problem during peak hours. I’ve been lucky a few times and parked in the lot but mostly I end up on a side street nearby. Their wine section is pretty good but next time I am getting a smoothie with protein for sure.