Long Life Vegi House, Berkeley

The decor here is odd, yet the wood paneling is somehow comforting as you sit beneath the immense paper lanterns and the giant swordfish. Long Life believes a veggie diet is the secret to a long life, and its expansive menu is testament to the fact that the taste and skill of authentic Chinese cuisine can be delicious and inexpensive. It offers soy protein dishes and wheat gluten like Kung Pao Vegi Beef. The seafood is real, however, and includes Lobster Creamed Sauce Prawns. It offers a weekend Dim Sum brunch where dumplings and buns can be had for pennies.