Native Foods

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this yet!

Ryan and I found the BEST restaurant EVER!! It’s called Native Foods. It is a vegan restaurant, but don’t let that scare you off. The food is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Now don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had meat in almost 9 years (January 1 will be my 9 year mark), so I can’t say for certain that it tastes like the real deal, but whatever it tastes like is PERFECTION!

Native Foods Café was founded in 1994 in Palm Springs, California bringing into harmony our passion for fresh food, animals and the environment. Today, Native Foods Café has grown to become America’s premier fast-casual vegan restaurant group serving made-from-scratch, chef-crafted cuisine to thousands of food lovers every day. Our menu aims to please the palates of vegans and non-vegans alike, with seasonal updates of hearty dishes, delicious desserts and homemade beverages inspired by the travels of our chefs.

At Native Foods Café our food is made fresh daily—from our homemade tempeh and seitan, to our Native Cheese, to our sauces and drinks, dressings and desserts too! Our entire menu is 100% plant-based as we strive to create a compassionate dining experience serving up homemade meals that are good for you, your family and the environment. Come join us for Native Community Days and free Cooking Demos each month!

Native Foods Cafe is a vegan restaurant designed to meet the needs of today's discriminating diners looking for great-tasting food... both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.  

The one closest to us is in Encinitas (although I think if it was any closer we might be there every week). My co-worker told us about it a couple months back, since she knows we are always on the hunt for awesome vegetarian food. I mentioned it to Ryan and of course he was down to try it out (he never seems to turn down food).

We have gone THREE times over the last few months. Every time we spend most of the meal continually saying “Yum”, “Oh my goodness this is great”, “I love this place”, “This is amazing”, etc – between our big bites of food that is.

My favorite part is that you feel great after you eat it. You don’t walk away feeling all bloated or stuffed or anything like that. The food is good and good for you. We have tried a few things, but I have to say, EVERYTHING on the menu looks yummy and I can’t wait to continue testing out more of the items.

So far we have tried the Twister Wrap, Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger, Chicken Run Ranch Burger, Wild Jackelope BBQ Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries, Native Fries, African Peanut Soup, Kale Chips, Lavender Lemonade, Watermelon Fresca, Native Iced Tea, Carrot Cupcake, and Oatmeal Cream Pie. (Of course we ate our dessert first both times we ordered it :)).

I also love that the manager knows us (I am sure Ryan’s big, bushy beard helps us stick out in his mind) – and jokes with us about eating our dessert before our meal, “kids after his own heart” he tells us.

If you haven’t tried out Native Foods before I would URGE you to find the closest one and GO NOW! You will NOT be disappointed!! And if you don’t have one nearby, remember there is one close to us and we have a guest room :). It will definitely be worth your while!!