Everyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I love Native Foods Cafe. Over the last several years, I’ve written about it frequently (last time at my birthday meal). When they closed the Palm Desert location I was devastated.
Then, in the middle of last season, they up and closed the Palm Springs store! An odd time to do something like that, during the busiest part of the year (I think it is because they are Chicago folks and think everyone hibernates in February. Not here in the California desert!). When promises to reopen in a few weeks turned into months, vegans and non-vegans alike were concerned that we’d seen the end of our only vegan restaurant in the area.
Unfortunately, this post is not to announce the grand reopening of Native Foods Palm Springs (although according to a NF employee and their facebook page they will reopen in September). I hope to do that in a future post.
Rather, it is to rave about my visit to Native Foods in Costa Mesa! We were in Huntington Beach for the weekend (doing our grandparently thrill duty of taking care of the grandsons so their parents could have a little time together). We’d stopped at the Costa Mesa restaurant before on our way home, so I was excited to do so again. We were not disappointed.
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After we’d trundled off the grandsons to their various Sunday activities (one to a baseball tournament, the other to a birthday party), we were free to head home. A quick check of the Happy Cow app gave us the directions and soon we were at Native Foods in Costa Mesa.
As you walk in the funny round building with a huge slow moving fan in the center, you order at the island counter. At first, I was planning my all time favorite, the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger (remember, this is all vegan, the cheese is from nuts, the bacon from tempeh, and the burger is seitan), the most awesome vegan sandwich on earth (and perfect for meat eaters, by the way, in it’s meaty, saucy, deliciousness). But then I saw this:
Click on the photo to see the awesome deliciousness that is in the Bistro Steak Sandwich
And I changed my mind.
Alan stuck with his plan and ordered the OK C’burger. We ordered, went to pay and were asked for our Native Foods Rewards Card. I’d almost forgotten, it had been so long! I pulled it out and noticed in my wallet a promotional gift card that one of my trainers had given me months ago. I handed it to the cashier, assuming it had expired. Imagine my surprise when he told us it was worth $20! So, lunch, including a Stone Pale Ale, was $8 (before dessert, of course).
Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger
Bistro Steak Sandwich (with GARLIC fries!)
This is way more food than I usually eat and I was stuffed when I finished (eating ALL of it). But still, I was at a vegan restaurant with the rare opportunity to have a delicious vegan dessert. What do you think I did?
Cheesecake, baby. Luscious and rich, I ate the whole thing. Alan had the Peanut Butter Parfait, which, in it’s little plastic cup wasn’t as photographable (but delicious).
I was stuffed but satisfied. Too bad that Costa Mesa is about a two hour drive from my house. Native Foods, I love you. Please come home!
Have you been to Native Foods? They’re expanding quickly through the country. In addition to So Cal, you can also find a Native Foods Cafe in Chicago, Denver, and Portland, with many more opening in the near future.
Oh my. This looks heavenly. I may have to visit so we can go eat!
Heidi @BananaBuzzbomb recently posted..Safety While Running
Any time. I’d love to introduce you to the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger (vegan, of course!).
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
I’m so glad you put this up because I am so going there now as it’s not far from me!
Running Hutch recently posted..Hutch’s Guide to Endurance Events
Oh, man, you are so lucky! Enjoy.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
I live in So Cal and have heard of this place, but I have never be there. I think that I am going to have to give it a try! Thanks for sharing!!
Melissa recently posted..Media Blitz…Time to Celebrate
Definitely, vegan or not, you’ve got to go there. Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, West Hollywood, Aliso Viejo, Beverly Hills. Not sure I got them all, check the website. Hopefully coning back soon to Palm Springs.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
Photos look great… and found money is always a good thing!
Pavement Runner recently posted..Fun with #MadeUpRunningFacts
I know! I loved finding that $20 gift card!
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
wow
Id never even heard of them
SEND EM TO TEXAS
MizFit recently posted..S.L.A.P.: the power of a personal catchphrase.
They seem to have ideas about going nationwide, so Texas may be in their plans. Hopefully they’ll open my Palm Springs restaurant first, though.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
Never been but now I want to go!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..Snack Attack!
You should! It’s awesome!
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
It’s amazing when you find a good place, and you can breathe a sigh of relief when you head into another one in the chain, knowing you don’t have to stress.
That food looks delicious! I hope it does re-open in September for you
Kate recently posted..I’m in Sydney. Do we like Bananas?
It really is an amazing feeling, as a vegan, to eat in a restaurant where you can order anything on the menu without worrying (and without asking a million questions!).
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
whoo hoo! that food sure looks great! looks like an awesome place to go! ive never been to a native foods or even heard of it, but it sounds totally cool. i love trying out new restaurants and foods that are out of the ordinary from me. im never scared to try anything new!! happy wednesday! spalove!
They have an amazing menu. Many meat eaters enjoy eating there for a change. There is a lot of variety, all the way from the meaty food that I ordered, to raw dishes. They make everything themselves from scratch, even the tofu, tempeh, seitan, and all the different cheeses.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
Thank you for the recap. Delicious! And looks like a great Saturday trip for me! That area has Au Lac, too.
Christine @ Oatmeal Bowl recently posted..Blueberry Crumble Smoothie {Recipe}
I had to google Au Lac. How did I not know about this? It looks wonderful. Although, for Asian food when I’m in HB, the Bohdi Tree is very good and very close.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
Au Lac is popular in the Raw Food world. Have yet to try it though, but has good reviews. I’ll need to check out Bohdi Tree. Thank you!
Christine @ Oatmeal Bowl recently posted..Can You Be Vegetarian or Vegan on a Paleo Diet?
There is another raw restaurant right next to Native Food in Costa Mesa called 118 Degrees. I’ve only been there once, but I really enjoyed it. I’m always amazed at the imagination of raw chefs!
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
Hi Debbie,
I still can’t believe you are a grandmother and your grandsons look so cute:)
I wish people would stop posting pictures of fries, especially these garlic fries that look so delicious:)
Mariella
Mariella Lombardi recently posted..Dukan Diet Review and Special Offer Codes
Ah, thanks
(I actually have a 15 year old granddaughter too.)
Sorry about the fries. They were so worth it though.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
They aren’t here on the E. Coast yet! You W. Coasters get all the good stuff first! I hope yours comes back soon.
misszippy recently posted..Running style
Yeah, west coast when you’re in LA or San Francisco. We go nothin’ here in the desert. Well a few things, but that why I’m whining about Native Foods. And why I’m excited we’re finally getting a Whole Foods!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Native Foods open restaurants on the east coast. The new owners are very ambitious and have plans to really be nationwide. Hopefully, mine will open first, though
.
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
That Vegan dessert looks great!
Kierston recently posted..Staycation Update and Another Pre-Competition WIAW!
It was delicious. Yum! Cheesecake!
Debbie recently posted..Native Foods, I Love You. Please Come Home
I’ll have to check that out next time I am in Huntington beach. Maybe for the Surf City half in 2013~thanks for sharing. SPA love. – Lea
It’s worth it as a reward after the race! There is also one in Newport Beach. Not sure which is most convenient to Huntington Beach.
Debbie recently posted..Wednesday Workout: Back to the Gym
After it comes home to you, I hope that Native Foods keeps expanding. I’ve visited several of their locations in LA and one of their restaurants in Chicago. I think the Costa Mesa location is especially nice, because it’s so breezy and open. Plus, that handmade/local store in the same strip is super cute! (I can’t remember the name of it…)
They’re the kind of restaurant that I think could do big business all across the country. It changes expectations on what vegan food is all about and both vegans and non-vegans respond to it. I love their comfort food sensibility for an indulgent treat. The Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger is my favorite sandwich anywhere, anytime, but I’d love to try that steak sandwich if it becomes a regular part of the menu.
Cadry recently posted..Light & Creamy Squash Blossom Quesadillas
I totally agree with you. I love taking non-vegans there because the food is so good and there are so many “meaty” choices that they feel at home.
Native Foods actually responded to me when I linked this post on their facebook page and assured me they would reopen in late September/early October. Hurray! Of course, I still won’t have my Palm Desert restaurant, which is so much more convenient, but I will still be happy.
They have pretty big plans to open throughout the country, and they’ve already made some pretty big moves very quickly. While I’m not real fond of the whole corporate aspect of it all (I guess I’m just a hippy vegan at heart, plus I know and love Tanya the creator of Native Foods, and things are quite different now that she is out of the picture), they have kept the quality of the food, so I’m happy to see them grow.
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I was really surprised when I found out that Tanya was gone. It seemed so sudden and out of the blue. Do you know if she ever addressed publicly why she was leaving?
Cadry recently posted..The Vegans are Coming to Dinner
When she sold her business a few years ago, it was basically because she felt it needed people with a better busuness background to run it and continue to grow. She was required by contract to be the face of Native Foods for a couple years, but felt she was not really wanted or respected. When the contract was up they hired new chefs and Tanya went her own way. She’s doing a lot of work with animal shelters now, especially in the Palm Springs area. It is my hope that whenever she is able (contractually I mean) she will open a new restaurant here. Fingers crossed.
Debbie recently posted..#Vegan Recipe: Quinoa, Avocado, and Mandarin Orange “Chicken” Salad
Lovely pics!! I am a great foodie and i love desserts. The cheesecake looks so appealing!
TribulusTerrestris
It was delicious. I can’t wait until they reopen in the desert (seems like they keep pushing back the date!).
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