Santa Cruz Vegetarian Restaurants

Elizabeth Hodges

There are dozens of delicious dining options for vegetarians and vegans in Santa Cruz. Those of the herbivore tendency can expect more than just the regular old leaves and twigs. Whether you’re looking for a healthy breakfast, a fresh and delicious lunch or a satisfying dinner, you’re sure to find what your taste buds are craving.

Vegan and vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner options abound at most restaurants in Santa Cruz. There are also some restaurants that specialize in the earth-friendly cuisine.

The restaurants listed below serve an assortment of vegetarian or vegan options, from colossal breakfast burritos, fresh salads and stir-fries chock full of veggies to ethnic comfort food and late-night munchies that you would not believe are vegan. Whether you live in Santa Cruz or are just passing through, never wonder how to satisfy your voracious veggie appetite again.

Malabar Restaurant

Downtown Santa Cruz

Asian Rose by day and Malabar by night, this Asian-fusion restaurant serves up delicious and inventive vegetarian and vegan dishes by candlelight in the evenings. Their menu is worth drooling over, with combinations of ingredients and flavors that evoke Sri Lankan and Indian cuisine with a twist of California freshness and local influence. Everything is made to order from scratch. Try the savory, sensual and slightly sweet Kabocha Pumpkin Squash Curry with roasted coconut and black curry powder and the Sizzling Kabob Vindaloo, starring flavorful soya roasted broccoli and cauliflower in tangy curry sauce.

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Saturn Café

Downtown Santa Cruz

With its kitchy, sparkly planetary décor, Saturn Café has been a Santa Cruz standby for vegans, vegetarians and closing-time crowds since 1979. Their diner-style menu offers scrumptious vegan and vegetarian comfort food. They carefully source most of their ingredients from organic and local farms. Their Space Cowboy burger, one of their signature dishes, comes highly recommended – a Saturn patty topped with fakin’ bacon, onion strings, cheddar cheese (vegan option) and BBQ sauce. Wash it all down with an out-of-this-world vegan peanut butter shake.

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Café Gratitude

Downtown Santa Cruz

Completely organic and vegan, Café Gratitude in Santa Cruz is part of a small chain of restaurants whose mission is to create a menu that supports health and sustainability for the local community and the planet. All café locations source their ingredients from local farms and their own farm in Vacaville. The café offers a diverse menu of vegetarian, vegan and raw food items with cheery names, including the “I Am Peachy” smoothie featuring peaches, almond milk, dates and vanilla bean and the popular "I Am Grateful" bowl, a mix of raw kale and black beans atop a bed of brown rice or millet. For generous portions, seasonal ingredients and a local beer and wine list, Café Gratitude is an exciting part of the Santa Cruz vegetarian and vegan food scene.

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Pearl of the Ocean

Midtown Santa Cruz

Award-winning chef and owner, Ayoma Wilen cooks up delicious Sri Lankan cuisine at this aptly named restaurant, Pearl of the Ocean. The menu features mostly vegetarian and vegan dishes, with a few options including meat and seafood, so carnivores are welcome. They offer an extensive selection of teas and exotic drinks to go with their unique dishes, many of which cannot be found anywhere else. Voted Best New Restaurant in 2010 in the Good Times readers' poll, their fresh and organic ingredients are sourced locally, with a few specialty items imported directly from Sri Lanka. Prices are reasonable and the servings generous at this welcoming, homey little eatery.

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Dharma’s

Capitola

Dharma’s has been a vegetarian institution in Santa Cruz since 1982, when they opened as McDharmas with the slogan: fast, natural foods. They’ve come a long way since then, and have been touted in many reviews, winning Best Vegetarian Restaurant in the Good Times readers' poll in 2013. Dharma's menu is 95% vegan with many gluten-free items. Dharma's serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, with flavors reminiscent of cuisine from Mexico, Italy, Thailand and America. It’s all tasty, but some favorites include the breakfast burrito, the American sauté, the gardener’s salad and their sinfully delicious shakes.

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Alfresco

Downtown Santa Cruz

Alfresco offers hungry and busy downtown lunchtime diners a quick and tasty alternative to fast food. Located in a small kiosk on Pacific Ave., this eatery serves up fresh and satisfying vegetarian food, ready in two minutes or less. Owner Marilyn Strayer serves an extensive menu from her Monterey Green Business-associated food stand, using only biodegradable cups, cutlery and serve ware. The steaming brown rice bowls are delectably topped with shitake mushrooms in peanut sauce and teriyaki-baked tofu. Additional menu items include customizable salads and wraps; and Mediterranean small plates.

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