I was quite bummed about missing the Boston Vegetarian Festival this past Halloween, but the warm weather in California was calling my name. Off South Coast Highway 101 is
Surfdog's Java Hut Coffee House & Smoothie Shop ( Encinitas, CA) For some reason the name made me miss Worcester's Java Hut. ;( Anyway, I got a delicious "Surf Dog" smoothie made with banana, strawberry, mango & mango juice, complete with a little plastic monkey gripping the straw. Although Surfdogs isn't specifically a veg establishment, they have a variety of fresh juices, smoothies and coffee with soy milk as an option. I make a lot of fresh fruit smoothies at home, but the outdoor seating area complete with ocean breeze made it more awesome.
At the 100% vegan
Cruzers Pizza (Los Angeles, CA) I ordered a vegan lasagna, but the amount of Daiya vegan cheese was a bit heavy for me. Although I like Daiya, it needs to be used in moderation. Pasta & Daiya does not a vegan lasagna make, and it was missing something... more veggies, zuchinni, or tofu perhaps? On the flip side, Cruzers has a noteworthy vegan Philly cheese steak. It comes with a side of chips and spicy marinated cauliflower & veggies that I could have eaten an entire bowl of! The ratio of bread to faux meat and cheese was just right on the cheese steak. One draw-back was that Cruzers only had a small counter for 2-3 people to eat at, and there weren't any tables set up outside. I gather that Cruzers is more of a vegan take-out and delivery service which makes me wish I had tried their vegan pizza!
If you love delicious but cheap Mexican food and you're freekin hungry, check out
Pokez Mexican Resteraunt & Vegetarian Cuisine (San Diego, CA) They have vegan Mexican food and the portion sizes are massive. I went there for breakfast, thinking I'd order a little tofu scramble... I ordered the Vegan Chorizo (tofu scramble with vegan chorizo.) It came with 3 tortilla wraps, a side of rice, a side of cabbage salad, a bucket of tortilla chips, and salsa! (For only $5.25) The plate was plenty large enough to share with a friend, and it was difficult to finish even a quarter of it. The tofo scramble chorizo was delicious and I'd recommend it for sure, but the size was a bit overwhelming. To be honest, I was mostly impressed with the side dish of cabbage salad. It was perfectly seasoned with dressing and had a light, pleasant crunch that became the go-to texture in between bites of the softer, spicy rice & tofu. Pokez is full service and has plenty of spacious seating, unlike a few of the other vegan eateries I visited. It has an authentic Mexican feel but with a more underground grungy/rock atmosphere, perfect for a vegan burrito before heading out to a local show, or early morning eats with friends. I was a tad disappointed that I didn't have anyone to share my tofu scramble with, because it could have fed multiple people. Ha.
I was quite bummed about missing the Boston Vegetarian Festival this past Halloween, but the warm weather in California was calling my name. Off South Coast Highway 101 is Surfdog's Java Hut Coffee House & Smoothie Shop ( Encinitas, CA) For some reason the name made me miss Worcester's Java Hut. ;( Anyway, I got a delicious "Surf Dog" smoothie made with banana, strawberry, mango & mango juice, complete with a little plastic monkey gripping the straw. Although Surfdogs isn't specifically a veg establishment, they have a variety of fresh juices, smoothies and coffee with soy milk as an option. I make a lot of fresh fruit smoothies at home, but the outdoor seating area complete with ocean breeze made it more awesome.
At the 100% vegan Cruzers Pizza (Los Angeles, CA) I ordered a vegan lasagna, but the amount of Daiya vegan cheese was a bit heavy for me. Although I like Daiya, it needs to be used in moderation. Pasta & Daiya does not a vegan lasagna make, and it was missing something... more veggies, zuchinni, or tofu perhaps? On the flip side, Cruzers has a noteworthy vegan Philly cheese steak. It comes with a side of chips and spicy marinated cauliflower & veggies that I could have eaten an entire bowl of! The ratio of bread to faux meat and cheese was just right on the cheese steak. One draw-back was that Cruzers only had a small counter for 2-3 people to eat at, and there weren't any tables set up outside. I gather that Cruzers is more of a vegan take-out and delivery service which makes me wish I had tried their vegan pizza! 
If you love delicious but cheap Mexican food and you're freekin hungry, check out Pokez Mexican Resteraunt & Vegetarian Cuisine (San Diego, CA) They have vegan Mexican food and the portion sizes are massive. I went there for breakfast, thinking I'd order a little tofu scramble... I ordered the Vegan Chorizo (tofu scramble with vegan chorizo.) It came with 3 tortilla wraps, a side of rice, a side of cabbage salad, a bucket of tortilla chips, and salsa! (For only $5.25) The plate was plenty large enough to share with a friend, and it was difficult to finish even a quarter of it. The tofo scramble chorizo was delicious and I'd recommend it for sure, but the size was a bit overwhelming. To be honest, I was mostly impressed with the side dish of cabbage salad. It was perfectly seasoned with dressing and had a light, pleasant crunch that became the go-to texture in between bites of the softer, spicy rice & tofu. Pokez is full service and has plenty of spacious seating, unlike a few of the other vegan eateries I visited. It has an authentic Mexican feel but with a more underground grungy/rock atmosphere, perfect for a vegan burrito before heading out to a local show, or early morning eats with friends. I was a tad disappointed that I didn't have anyone to share my tofu scramble with, because it could have fed multiple people. Ha.
