Reviews Cafe Gratitude San Diego

It's because of places like this one that I wish we could give more stars ...During a recent trip to SD, I had the privilege to do both take out and then also dine in at this lovely restaurant. A true vegan, I am not, but two friends are and one being local said it was one of the best she's ever eaten at and the other friend is a wandering traveler like myself and he too had nothing but positive rave reviews about the food as well. Ordering online was a breeze and when picked up everything was packaged beautifully and still piping hot. Dine in, both indoor and outdoor seating is offered, only one down side of eating outdoors are the flies that bug you once your food arrives but obviously not the restaurants fault, they generously offered us an inside table and we continued on our feast! Onto the food! I AM EXQUISITE - Coconut Calamari — What kind of voodoo is this?! I had to double check the mission statement after trying this.. The flaky and lightly crispy beer-batter crust wrapped each mesmerizing bite. I dare say I may like this better than REAL calamari! I AM ECLECTIC - Buffalo Cauliflower - The batter on each morsel was really reminiscent of what you would expect on a usual piece of popcorn chicken that it made you forget it's a fried veggie. The buffalo sauce had an enjoyable salty vinegary spicy kick . I AM GIVING - Hawaiian Pizza- A controversial topic across the culinary world. I am PRO-Hawaiian! I have tried many vegan pizzas looking to replace that flavor of a city slice from local spots in NYC and this one def didn't disappoint! On this particular one, I've had smokey tempeh in the past but the way they prepared this one made the texture taste of a soft piece of ham. Divine. I AM ENTHUSIASTIC - Chicken Fried Mushroom Sandwich. - A fried chicken sandwich is as much of a treat for me growing up as any piece of candy. I knew mushrooms were versatile and have had many crimini mushroom burgers that embodied the flavor of beef so well. I never thought they could also become chicken! I AM MAGICAL- Black bean burger - my dining partner said this was a bit underwhelming when she got it the last time she was here and upon hearing that our server told us that it was way better in a wrap than in a regular bun so we did just that! The patty still has some chunky black beans in it so I liked the texture difference it created in every bite. Mushroom Carnitas - These are a side you can add to any dish and this is so freakin delicious that you must get then with just about everything. I AM LIBERATED - One would think because it's noodles made of kelp it would taste kind of like the ocean or fishy even, but NOPE! The raw basil pesto with the briny olives, sweet cherry tomatoes and the fermented nut cheeses gave this dish a wonderful burst of flavors and mouth feel. I AM LOVING - Forbidden black rice bowl - This black rice bowl was exactly what my black soul needed today. Not only did everything taste great combined into one bite, but every individual component of this dish could definitely stand alone as their own. Of course we had to dessert as well! The strawberry mousse pie was refreshingly light and the warm chocolate chip cookie skillet with pistachio ice cream was just divine. Being a bit cynical and very sarcastic NYer, I had mixed feelings about the titles of each dish, positive affirmations that you had to say out loud to order the dishes you wanted - but truth be told, it does bring a spot of positive bright energy to your meal. Our server said that there was a ? of the day and asked if we would answer, so we obliged and the question was, "what makes you grateful today?"... We each said ours and she shared hers. She said by day she was a NICU nurse and that she was grateful to be able to help these tiny humans in her charge... Well, as a mama of three now healthy sausages who were all previous NICU babies at birth, I thank you deeply. OH AND CAN YOU PLEASE OPEN IN NYC?! Pretty please!!!

I don’t eat strictly vegan, but my fiancée does. Therefore, when she’s around, we eat at a lot of vegan spots. Cafe Gratitude is my new favorite vegan brunch spot, for sure! Good coffee, nice atmosphere, seated right away on a Sunday morning. I got the tofu scramble and she got the Crunchwrap (best item for sure). We split a cinnamon roll that was also excellent. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area and interested in some tasty vegan options (even if you aren’t vegan yourself)

Loved the Pesto noodles- so refreshing. The mexican bowl and calamari were really good too. Were disappointed with the nachos, they were little dry. Desserts were okay. The ambience was really nice. All in all, loved the experience. And throughly enjoyed the creativity of the menu. Such cool names of the dishes!!

I would move to San Diego for this restaurant. Seriously can not say enough good things about this place. From the look, to service, definitely the food, everything was amazing. We got three plates, two drinks, and a cinnamon roll and every bite was spectacular. In addition to being vegan I am also gluten free and there were so many options. I was so surprised about the cinnamon roll… I can never find them, but these were amazing!!

Update Wednesday January 19, 2023 time 12:55pm: I just went to order several items to your restaurant and it’s closed, online it says you are open, I’m really upset, I drove all the way over there, spent several minutes trying to find parking and then I walked several blocks just to find out you are closed, there’s no notes on the wall explaining if you’ll come back later or if you are closed for good. First you cancelled the Meal plans and now you are not open. What’s going on? Update January 15, 2023: I am so sad that I only got to enjoy the meal plan for a couple weeks because now they won’t deliver to the San Diego area since the food is made in Los Angeles. First review: This is about their Meal Plan, to begin with I didn’t know they had a meal plan service and I am so happy I found out about it, every meal is really tasty, how can they make vegetables taste soooo good? I choose to pick up my Meal Plan instead of getting it delivered and when I saw it in the package I was like ugh this is not gonna be good but I’m glad I gave them a chance because it’s so so so good. I am so happy that I finally found a place that offers healthy food but mostly I am happy that I will no longer have vegetables getting rotten in my fridge hoping I will eat them one day and because I’m not a good cook that neeever happens, I had been wasting money and food, but No more! great gob!

I really enjoy this place. It’s the first time I was at the one in San Diego. I have only been to the one in LA. Service was great. They started to use the Toast App which I personally enjoyed. Pay for stuff beforehand & as soon as it is paid for, it gets sent to the kitchen to be prepared. Whenever you’re finished, just get right up & leave. All the dishes were spectacular & our service did not hinder lack with the Toast App. I’ll be back soon.

This is a very nice vegan place. We went there for breakfast. They have indoor Nd outdoor seating. We were shown to our table by a very nice lady. They have contactless ordering. You can scan the menu and order online. Their menu is very unique, healthy and fresh. We absolutely loved the food, staff and ambience here. We tried I am Nourished, and some other dishes whose names we forgot 👻

Overall its good food. Don’t recommend the hummus plate though, the bread is way too oily and the hummus itself has too much tahini. Mushroom burger is nice and the fries are good, coconut calamari are great, don’t recommend the sauce that comes with it though, plain ketchup is better. Really good Key lime pie, it’s plain perfect.