Native Food Café Offers Fast and Casual Vegan Cuisine at its Second San Diego Location in Point Loma

June 3, 2014

The ruler of plant-based, fast casual fare, Native Foods Café, is up and running full speed at its second San Diego location in Loma Square at 3369 Rosecrans St. in Point Loma. Native serves fresh, chef crafted vegan cuisine, made from scratch daily on location, including protein-packed superstars tempeh and seitan. And you might be surprised by this not-so-little stat - 85% of Native diners are neither vegan nor vegetarian. We recently stopped into Native to sample some of the menu items and were pleased by the delicious offerings and extreme value - everything is under $10!

Native Foods Café was founded in 1994 in Palm Springs, CA, bringing into harmony a 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 their creations to thousands of food lovers every day at 17 locations around the country, with an additional 12 to 14 coming this year. The 100% plant based 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 their chefs.

We made our way to the new Point Loma location of Native Foods Café for a preview of the menu. After placing our order at the counter and receiving a number, we filled our cups with some house made watermelon agua fresca and lavender lemonade and sat on the outdoor patio. In no time, a server was there with our tasty appetizers.

Native Chicken Wings ($6.95) - six crispy battered faux chicken fingers with ranch and buffalo on the side.

Butternut Polenta Bites ($5.95) - pesto baked polenta topped with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and toasted pumpkin seeds in balsamic over arugula.

Since we were eating vegan, we decided to go as seemingly gluttonous as possible with our entrees, but our intentions were foiled by the fresh and healthy ingredients used by Native.

Bistro Steak Sandwich ($9.95) - Native Seitan 'steak', thinly sliced and seared, topped with homemade bleu cheese dressing, oven roasted tomatoes, crispy shallots and arugala on a grilled baguette.

Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger ($9.95) - Thinly sliced Native Seitan, melted cheddar, caramelized onions and crispy Native 'bacon' on a bun, slathered with barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, romaine lettuce, carrots, onions, and tomato and topped with crunchy battered dill pickle chips.

All desserts at Native are dairy-free (as is everything else), cholesterol-free, refined sugar-free and priced at $2.95.

Carrot Cream Cheese Cupcake - fresh grated carrots combined with cinnamon and orange juice, baked and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Peanut Butter Parfait - creamy whipped peanut butter filling layered between homemade banana bread crumbles and chocolate chps. Sweetened with agave syrup and gluten free.

Native Foods Café is dedicated to keeping both its prices and environmental footprint minimal, charging under $10 for each plate and not contributing to toxic ranching emissions. The company focuses on delicious and fun food, community giving, and compassion for animals and the environment. Their monthly community events benefit local and national groups where a portion of proceeds go to the non-profit’s cause.

Be sure to stop by Native and try for yourself and don't miss Native Community Days and Native's free Cooking Demos. In addition to the Point Loma location, there is a Native Foods Café in Encinitas Village at 127 North El Camino Real and another slated to open in September in Clairemont Mesa at 5604 Balboa Avenue. For more information, visit nativefoods.com.