Ultimate Guide updates – Mar 2015
VEGAN/VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS/BUSINESSES
Recently Opened * Opening Soon * Opening Sometime in the Future * Still on Our Radar * Closed Restaurants * More Food News
Falafel Wrap at Nourish Cafe (Photo Credit: Brandi Woods)
Chao cheese now at Safeway (American Canyon) Photo Credit: Tammy Lee
RECENTLY OPENED
- Nourish Cafe in San Francisco – as we understand it, the menu is vegan; however, bee pollen can be added to smoothies. Seed + Salt also uses honey in some of their desserts; what’s with “vegan” restaurants using products from bees?
- Please, let’s all be bee friends and not exploit or use the life’s work of this industrious little creature. (Their lifespan is short, like 6-7 weeks, and according to the National Honey Board, it takes them that entire time to produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. ) Lots of great alternatives to honey, and one of the easiest items to replace in your pantry.
OPENING SOON
- Veggie Grill in Campbell (although, for USPS mail purposes it’s in San Jose). The official grand opening for their 28th location is Thursday, March 19th. You know the drill. First 50 people in line when they open will each receive a $50 gift card. This is not a test. It’s the real deal – we heard it from our friends at Veggie Grill.
- Our source at Veggie Grill also nixed the rumor we heard of a Santa Rosa Veggie Grill. After Campbell, next one opening will be in Woodland Hills, CA.
- VG pro-tip: Join their loyalty program and your receipts will earn you rewards (i.e. food). And if you want to show the editors of this blog some love, use our referral code “2y2lz” when you download the app and we’ll get 50 points when you first use it and upload a receipt. Or you could just send us a VG gift card, LOL!
OPENING SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE
- Amy’s Kitchen in Petaluma – the fast food brand is launching a drive-through restaurant in their hometown. Rumor has it as mid-May for the opening.
- Millennium reborn: it’s been announced. A location has been found in the East Bay, in Rockridge near BART, a Kickstarter funding campaign is underway (they have surpassed their initial $50K goal) ! Visit their Kickstarter update for more info.
STILL ON OUR RADAR
- The Butcher’s Son, a vegan deli, in Berkeley
- Citizen Fox, a vegan brew pub in SF
- retail store for Miyoko’s Creamery in Fairfax
- Vegan Burg in San Francisco Haight district
CLOSED RESTAURANTS
- Vegan Paradice in Fairfield (Solano County is now reduced to just one vegetarian restaurant – Vaishnu in Vallejo. But, hey, it’s still better than Napa County, which has none. Sadly, these 2 counties lag the rest of the Bay Area in vegan eats.)
MORE FOOD NEWS
Gaia’s Garden in Santa Rosa (Photo Credit: Tammy Lee)
- Safeway
- Field Roast CHAO cheese now available! 3 flavors spotted in Vallejo’s Glen Cove store, 2 flavors in American Canyon – got any at yours?
- Their vegan chocolate midnight cake has been elusive. It was spotted in Corte Madera at end of February (for $10, previously $9), but haven’t heard of any other sightings.
- Feeling really hungry? Take a trip to Gaia’s Garden. This vegetarian restaurant in Santa Rosa offers a buffet, which includes a hot bar, salad bar, homemade bread, and vegan pudding. If you’re not particularly hungry, you can opt for the “blue plate special” (fill one 9.5″ platter) as well as a salad only or soup only option. On our visit, all of the entrees were vegan except for the Halvah and one of the salad dressings. All the food was clearly marked, and delicious. Both indoor and covered outdoor seating are available. For the buffet, pricing differs between lunch and dinner, too.
