It’s that time of year again, folks. My annual San Diego vegan eats round up.
AKA my favorite time of year.
No matter how many times I visit SoCal, I never get sick of it. Perfect weather, beautiful beaches, my closest friends and of course, insane plant-based food.
I hit a lot of classics this year, one’s you’ve probably seen me post about before, but maybe with some new meals this time around. Ya know the buffalo chickn’ sandwich from Plant Power Fast Food will make an appearance EVERY. DAMN. YEAR though.
Enjoy the SD food porn, while I’m home working on new fall recipes since Boulder is currently in the midst of our first snowstorm today and I’m daydreaming about being back on the beach!
This place is truly a dream. It had just opened last November when I was in Encinitas and it was too busy for me to ever find time to go, and I was super upset about it. Flash forward to this year, and I was literally jumping up and down with excitement as I walked in. They have incredible beer, fun/funky decor and some seriously drool-worthy meals. Lots of their dishes use Beyond Meat, which I am obviously a huge fan of. Their menu is full of mock-meat dishes like chicken lettuce wraps, double cheeseburgers and potato chorizo burritos. My best friend and I opted for the spicy Beyond Meat meatball sub with housemade potato chips and the seitan carne asada fries though, and I’m gonna go ahead and say they’re the best items on the menu. Both of them were crazy flavorful, had super legit textures and were overall, downright mind-blowing. I was in absolute heaven and never wanted to leave. Though Eve is right across the street and also one of my favorite spots, I highly recommend Modern Times over anywhere else in Encinitas.
This was my third visit to Second Nature in PB and it was definitely the best yet. In addition to their rotating mix of delicious hard kombucha, their ever evolving menu is always full of great vegan options. This time, Lisa and I went for their fried cauliflower tacos with housemade vegan queso and guac and the Nashville hot shroom sandwich, and both were epic. So much flavor, texture and perfect crispness to both the cauliflower and the shrooms. Their outdoor space is also adorable and I never get sick of it’s coziness.
Here it is. My favorite. I CANNOT resist the buffalo chicken sandwich from Plant Power Fast Food. It’s so spot on, no one would ever know it isn’t actual chicken. They’ve got such a stellar menu (please bring back the mini corn dogs, though), but I always gravitate to this spicy, perfect sandwich. Their fries are so on point, too. Their breakfast sandwich options are also insane, so grab one of those if you’re ever there! Pretty cheap, always quick, and always delicious.
Likely, the most beautiful cafe I’ve ever been to, Trilogy is a rooftop aerial yoga studio, with an adorably decorated outdoor eating space and a gorgeous holistic store, to boot. And the food! Smoothies galore, lots of elaborate raw vegan dishes, colorful wraps and tacos and a mile long list of desserts. My only issue is the high price tag on almost every item. Worth the price I think, just not in my budget most of the time. So my friend Lindsey and I went for their yummy nachos and just split them, because they’re crazy filling but also still expensive at $14 for a bowl. Can’t I marry someone rich so I can eat here all the time?
Though outside of San Diego, I hit LA on my way back to Palm Springs from Yosemite because I was STARVING after an 8 hour drive and there was nothing that I wanted more than the legendary Double Big Mac from Organix LA. I don’t know what it is, but the cheese and thousand island dressing on this bean based burger (you can sub in an Impossible Burger, but this is actually the only bean burger I go crazy for) makes it taste JUST like a burger from McDonald’s. Kinda gross I guess, but also kinda insanely awesome. It’s one of the few super junk food sandwiches I love that I feel great after eating, and not weighed down or sluggish. Organix itself is an all vegan grocery and has a massive menu of amazing plant-based options, so I never miss it when I’m in LA!
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