New from the bay area, trying to be hella vegan
Posted by vivalasvegans on Mar 16, 2010 · Member since Mar 2010 · 18 posts
Hey everyone! My name is Hanna, I just became a vegetarian about 4 months ago and am still working on being a vegan, doing it as much as possible until I hopefully can go all the way soon. I'd like to thank Food Inc. and Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet for motivating someone who thought they could never be a vegetarian or vegan. Can't wait to start talking to new people! I'd love any advice or tips too 8)
Hi & welcome! I hear San Fran is a great place for vegans. :)
hi! i'm hannah.
also, you live in the right place to be vegan... you should try gracias madre in sf... i haven't been but it sounds great!
ya seriously vegan mecca over there! any specific questions let us know... i would browse through the forums first though since they have so much info already... good luck :)
Hi Hanna,
Congrats on your decision to go vegan! If you're a podcast listener, check out the Compassionate Cooks Food for Thought podcast, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I listened to one episode a year and a half ago and decided on the spot to transition from vegetarian (which I'd been for about 15 years) to vegan. It's an amazing resource and I can't recommend it highly enough!
Cheers,
Liz
Thanks for all the tips :) yes I am very fortunate to live so close to San Francisco, so many options! I've been to Cafe Gratitude before, but I have yet to try Gracias Madre, Ike's, Millenium, all the biggies haha. But for anyone from San Diego, I went to Pokez last weekend, amazing vegan mexican food! I'm going to the city this weekend though, hopefully I can try one out!
Welcome to VegWeb!
pokez rules! sometimes they suck at customer service and bringing out your food when it's actually warm, though. but it's so cheap!
Hahahah that's the one thing my friend and I said about it, not the best customer service. But the food and prices are beyond good enough to make up for it ;)b
I want to go to Pokez so bad! My boyfriend is from San Diego and he raves about their potato roll tacos! MUST EAT THOSE!
And welcome! I'm in SF too! In fact, VegWeb HQ is here in the city! There are soooooo many amazing places to eat here, it's a crime not to be vegan. If you make it to Ike's this weekend, call ahead so your order is waiting for you or you might be in store for an hour plus long wait! Oh and get the vegan backstabber, it has artichoke hearts in it! Or the Womanizer, it has breaded vegan chicken breast! AHHH SO GOOD. Oh man, I could live at Ike's. All the other places you mentioned are amazing too! I've been to Gracias Madre a couple times now and it's really grown on me...if you go, get the cheesy potatoes (forget the name!) and the flan. THE FLAN OMG.
Okay, I could talk bay area food all day long.
Welcome to VegWeb!!
Hi Hanna, I'm also living in the bay right now, welcome to vw! If you have any bay area vegan questions feel free to shoot me a message, or any of the other great bay vegans on here :) you're in a great place!
Hi, I was born and raised in the bay area but have recently relocated to Nashville. Go to Cafe Gratitude and get yourself some raw dessert. Shit's bomb.
I went to Ike's Place yesterday, it is AMAZING. Delicious vegan sandwiches, and the owner is super nice. If you are in the bay area and haven't gone yet, go!!! :)
Thanks for all the tips :) yes I am very fortunate to live so close to San Francisco, so many options! I've been to Cafe Gratitude before, but I have yet to try Gracias Madre, Ike's, Millenium, all the biggies haha. But for anyone from San Diego, I went to Pokez last weekend, amazing vegan mexican food! I'm going to the city this weekend though, hopefully I can try one out!
I spent this week in SF. Here are the places I visitied. . .
Herbivore, 531 Divisadero. Excellent food: I had both breakfast and lunch there. Good sized portions.
Millennium, 680 Geary Blvd: Pricey but very good, well prepared food. Elegant atmosphere. Large wine list. Good desserts.
Ananda Fuara, 1298 Market Street: It's very near the Civic Center and BART.
Shangri, near Irving and 22nd: Vegetarian (mostly vegan). Great place if you are visiting Golden gate Park.
Extreme Pizza, 1730 Fillmore: They have a vegan pizza with vegan cheese. Called it in ahead. Got one to go, very good.
Gracias Madre, 2211 Market: Very good. Gotta love it - vegan Mexican. Large open kitchen so you can see everything going on.
Red Door Cafe, Bush and Franklin: Tiny, only seats 14. Get there early for breakfast. Great coffee. Many vegan offerings. The owner is real nice, he'll make anything your way. The Red Door is very popular with locals. People sometimes wait for up to 2 hours during busy periods just to get seated. Get there at 9:00 AM and beat the crowds.
I had NO idea Extreme Pizza had soy cheese! I will be going there for dinner very soon, I live right by one. I also had never heard of Ananda Fuara, will be trying that soon. Thanks for the amazing tips! 8-)
There are a few pizza places in SF that have vegan cheeses.
What are the other places that have vegan cheese? So excited!
Amici's, Zante Pizza, Serrano's.
(yelp.com is an excellent source to find good vegan eats!)
and if you like fantastic cocktails: make a reservation at Bourbon & Branch: It's a speakeasy-style bar. There's no sign outside, just a door. You walk up and give them the password. You are ushered into this speakeasy style place where the servers/bartenders look the part.. and they'll shush you for being too loud. Best drinks in the city, and a really cool place for a date or just a one-on-one with a good friend. TIP: reserve a table for 2 hours, because they will kick you out at the end of your reservation.
Hi Vivalasvegans! The more you learn about how healthy a vegan diet is and how awful the animal "food" industries are the easier it is to make the change. Good luck to you!
Just wanted to note Amici's has Diaya available besides whatever soy cheese they use. I went a few months ago and had to specify "NOT the soy cheese, but your new vegan, Daiya cheese". They may be using it exclusively now.
Thank you for the tip JenDiggity! :) I had no clue Amici's had Daiya vegan cheese, I will definitely be going there soon!
I'm also going to Ike's Place again tomorrow, so excited!
I just went to Gracias Madre last night, SO good. If you are in SF and want yummy organic vegan mexican food this is the place to go!
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