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Community Corner

Review: Potala Organic Cafe - A Very Special New Restaurant in Albany

Have you tried Albany's newest eatery, Potala Organic Cafe, at 1045 San Pablo? Let us know what you think in the comments. Read on to learn what one local diner experienced.

We had lunch recently at (on San Pablo between and , both excellent restaurants in their own right) and it was delicious and homey and really healthy all at the same time.

Potala is actually more than a cafe, being open for dinner as well: Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5:30-9 p.m. daily.

That there's no meat, no wheat and no sugar could almost go unnoticed, the food is so good, but the chef is scrupulously 100 percent organic. This is a great addition to Albany's suite of restaurants.

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Unlike , our other marvelous organic cafe, you can eat dinner here, and there are several excellent reviews on Yelp already. 

Interestingly, it seems the new owners, Lobsang and Tashi, Tibetans with a lovely attitude of service, were partly persuaded to move into space because of the coming in across the road. While I enjoyed the view of the meadow and would much prefer that to the sight of a Whole Foods store, it put another spin on the subject. 

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We each had a wholly satisfying medium plate for lunch (you order the amount you want of the set menu, which is different every day), and the price, $10.95, included a hearty miso/mixed veggie/ginger soup, a soft and yummy rice-quinoa burger topped with pepper/tahini sauce, anasazi beans with kabocha squash and onion, sauteed carrot, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower (done just right), steamed collards with shitake mushroom-leek sauce and a mixed green salad with a delicious light dressing.

There was sesame salt and a hot pepper shaker on the table and tea and a lovely complex and not-too-sweet (sweetened with agave) dessert. I believe the prices are a notch higher for dinner.

This is very comfortable food with a delicious and surprisingly complex variety of tastes. I recommend you go eat at Potala Organic Cafe!

[Editor's Note: Catherine Sutton, , shared this review with Albany Patch. It previously appeared elsewhere, but has been reprinted here with permission.]

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