Boulder has loved Vietnamese cuisine for a half-century. The first Southeast Asian eatery, New Saigon Restaurant, opened in the early 1980s on North Broadway. Locals were introduced to spring rolls, lettuce-wrapped treats, pho and vermicelli bowls.
Since then, dozens of Vietnamese and pan-Asian eateries have come and gone. Saigon-born Thuy Le opened Chez Thuy in 1992; it’s still dishing on 28th street.
While vegetarians and those avoiding gluten have generally found multiple items to order at Vietnamese eateries, vegans have been shut out from enjoying some favorites.
Yes, there was always tofu, but no shrimp-lined spring rolls, grilled beef-topped noodles, chicken curry and especially, the soup that has come to define Southeast Asian cuisine in the U.S.
Pho — pronounced “fuh” — starts with animal or fish bones and parts being simmered for hours, if not days. The noodle-packed soup is often topped with meaty cuts ranging from raw steak slices and meatballs to brisket and tendon.
Boulder’s Thuy Steward and her husband, both vegan, felt left out.
“It was hard to find any vegan Vietnamese food locally that we liked, so I decided to open a place,” Steward says. Lotus Moon quietly debuted in late 2024 in the former Black Pepper Pho space at 2770 Pearl St.
Steward grew up in a Vietnamese household in California and Texas. “I loved looking at recipes and watching cooking shows, and then I started trying to make dishes,” Steward says. She operated a Boulder catering service for two years.
Lotus Moon’s lineup of appetizers, noodle bowls, entrees and pho is available with a choice of plant-based proteins in addition to wok-cooked or fried tofu. They add the chew — the textural satisfaction — missing from some vegan cuisine.
Starters include cool, rice-paper-wrapped summer rolls packed with lettuce, cucumber, noodles, peanut sauce and “shrimp” that replicates the yumminess of the crustacean. “Chicken” drumsticks on sugar cane sticks are served with plum sauce.
In a nod to fusion fare, Lotus Moon “calamari” rings are served with marinara. Entrees include a vermicelli noodle bowl, Hainan “chicken” with jasmine rice, creamy vegetable curry with noodles or rice and a traditional banh mi sandwich. A large toasted roll is layered with “ham,” vegetables, herbs and a knockout umami-rich vegan pate Steward’s husband has whipped up.
Lotus Moon’s meal enders range from boba smoothies and mango sticky rice to amazing dark chocolate brownies (made with black beans) that pair perfectly with oat milk Vietnamese coffee.
The menu’s best-seller so far are giant, steaming bowls of vegan pho.
“We simmer vegetables, mushrooms and spices every day to make the broth,” Steward says.
This golden liquid is rich, complex and deeply seasoned and jammed with slurpable noodles and tender carrots, daikon radish, broccoli and shitake mushrooms, plus a drizzle of truffle oil for extra umami.
I ordered pho topped with slices of toothsome five spice-flavored “beef” and chewy fried tofu. On the side was a plate of Thai basil, jalapeno and mung sprouts plus hoisin and chile sauces for an added boost. I asked for a little more of that broth to finish out a thoroughly satisfying bowl that was missing nothing.