For eight years, Grains has been one of San Diego’s most dependable refuges for plant-based dining, a cozy University Heights café where Thai-influenced pastas, curries, and creative bar snacks helped prove vegan food could be both comforting and destination-worthy. The family-owned restaurant opened in 2017 in the former Adams Avenue Grill space and quickly built a following for dishes like Buffalo cauliflower, “calamari” mushrooms, drunken noodles, and vegan tom kah, all served in a rustic, barn-house setting with craft beer and wine. Its own website framed the mission simply: at Grains, it’s not just the food you’re tasting, “it’s the passion.”
Now, that passion is heading into a dramatically different direction. In an Instagram post this week, Grains announced that it is “beginning our next chapter” and “evolving” into a space for an even broader range of diners, while keeping many of its existing plant-based dishes. The post describes rising costs, a shifting world, and the struggle for small restaurants to stay afloat, and explains that Grains plans to add new plates and drinks “made for everyone at the table.”
In the announcement, Grains told followers, “Whether you eat plant-based, meat-loving or something in between - you’ll find something to share, something to enjoy and someone to laugh with.” The statement confirmed what countless commenters quickly zeroed in on: meat will now be part of the menu at what was once a strictly vegetarian and vegan gathering space.
The reaction from San Diego’s vegan community was immediate and intense. Within hours, the comments section filled with messages from longtime patrons saying they felt blindsided and heartbroken, with many pledging not to return if meat is introduced. Several commenters argued that adding animal products is the opposite of “evolving,” accusing the restaurant of abandoning the values that made it a safe haven for those trying to avoid cross-contamination and support fully vegan businesses.
Others voiced more pragmatic concerns, warning that the move could backfire financially. Self-described regulars pointed to other formerly vegan spots that struggled after going “hybrid,” insisting that meat-eating guests already felt welcome at Grains and that its brand identity was built on being plant-based from top to bottom. A number of customers suggested alternative paths, like rotating seasonal vegan specials, refreshing the menu, or collaborating with the community on new dishes instead of fundamentally changing the concept.
A smaller but notable contingent expressed support for the pivot, arguing that Grains should be free to adapt in order to survive in a brutally difficult restaurant economy. Those guests said they were excited to see what the owners create next and hoped the restaurant could balance its legacy of plant-based cooking with new options for mixed groups and families. Even among supporters, however, there was a clear sense that Grains is embarking on a risky experiment that could either broaden its audience or alienate the loyal base that sustained it for nearly a decade.
Grains’ decision lands at a complicated moment for vegan and vegetarian dining in San Diego. In nearby University Heights, high-concept vegan sister restaurants Dreamboat Diner and Vulture are facing uncertainty after the building they share under the neighborhood’s iconic sign was listed for sale just six months after opening, despite strong early buzz and an investment-heavy buildout. San Diego-born Plant Power Fast Food has also begun to contract, recently shuttering its SDSU location and closing other outposts even as its original Ocean Beach flagship and a handful of units continue to operate.
At the same time, the city is seeing fresh investment in plant-based concepts, suggesting that demand has by no means disappeared. Viral “vegan McDonald’s” import Mr. Charlie’s is preparing to open locations in Hillcrest and Pacific Beach, betting that a playful, fast-food approach to meatless burgers and “Not Chicken” can capture both vegans and curious omnivores. Against that backdrop, Grains’ move reads less like a rejection of vegan cuisine and more like a high-stakes recalibration in a market where some plant-based operators are struggling, others are scaling, and diners are increasingly choosy about where they spend their money.
For many San Diegans, though, Grains was more than just another restaurant in that ecosystem. It was one of the city’s earliest modern vegetarian landmarks, a place where omnivores, vegans, and the merely veg-curious could share noodle bowls and craft beers without anyone having to compromise on values. Whether its next chapter as a mixed-menu café will preserve that spirit or mark the end of an era depends on how the owners navigate the rollout - and whether a community that once rallied around its plant-based identity is willing to follow it into unfamiliar territory.
Grains is located at 2201 Adams Avenue in San Diego's University Heights. For more information, visit grainscafe.com.
Originally published on December 9, 2025.
Others voiced more pragmatic concerns, warning that the move could backfire financially. Self-described regulars pointed to other formerly vegan spots that struggled after going “hybrid,” insisting that meat-eating guests already felt welcome at Grains and that its brand identity was built on being plant-based from top to bottom. A number of customers suggested alternative paths, like rotating seasonal vegan specials, refreshing the menu, or collaborating with the community on new dishes instead of fundamentally changing the concept.
A smaller but notable contingent expressed support for the pivot, arguing that Grains should be free to adapt in order to survive in a brutally difficult restaurant economy. Those guests said they were excited to see what the owners create next and hoped the restaurant could balance its legacy of plant-based cooking with new options for mixed groups and families. Even among supporters, however, there was a clear sense that Grains is embarking on a risky experiment that could either broaden its audience or alienate the loyal base that sustained it for nearly a decade.
Grains’ decision lands at a complicated moment for vegan and vegetarian dining in San Diego. In nearby University Heights, high-concept vegan sister restaurants Dreamboat Diner and Vulture are facing uncertainty after the building they share under the neighborhood’s iconic sign was listed for sale just six months after opening, despite strong early buzz and an investment-heavy buildout. San Diego-born Plant Power Fast Food has also begun to contract, recently shuttering its SDSU location and closing other outposts even as its original Ocean Beach flagship and a handful of units continue to operate.
At the same time, the city is seeing fresh investment in plant-based concepts, suggesting that demand has by no means disappeared. Viral “vegan McDonald’s” import Mr. Charlie’s is preparing to open locations in Hillcrest and Pacific Beach, betting that a playful, fast-food approach to meatless burgers and “Not Chicken” can capture both vegans and curious omnivores. Against that backdrop, Grains’ move reads less like a rejection of vegan cuisine and more like a high-stakes recalibration in a market where some plant-based operators are struggling, others are scaling, and diners are increasingly choosy about where they spend their money.
For many San Diegans, though, Grains was more than just another restaurant in that ecosystem. It was one of the city’s earliest modern vegetarian landmarks, a place where omnivores, vegans, and the merely veg-curious could share noodle bowls and craft beers without anyone having to compromise on values. Whether its next chapter as a mixed-menu café will preserve that spirit or mark the end of an era depends on how the owners navigate the rollout - and whether a community that once rallied around its plant-based identity is willing to follow it into unfamiliar territory.
Grains is located at 2201 Adams Avenue in San Diego's University Heights. For more information, visit grainscafe.com.
Originally published on December 9, 2025.
