My Favorite East Bay Vegan Eats
Even though I live in the Mecca of vegan eatery, I still miss my favorite vegan eats in Berkeley and Oakland, CA. The thing I love about the East Bay is that there is so much pride in the food scene, like people genuinely are happy when you enjoy eating at their establishment.
If you ever find yourself in the Bay Area, you must try these places.
1. Donut Farm
No, seriously, that’s their case of fresh doughnuts. I’m not lying. Also, if you’re there when still have apple fritters, do yourself a favor and get one. Or five. And the breakfast burrito is a MUST.
2. Victory Burger
This is the Veggie Arepa, and it is delicious. What’s that shake? It’s just a chocolate peanut butter coconut ice cream milkshake. And those are fries are hand cut perfection. My friends also swear by the Veggie Burger, but I can never seem to veer away from my tofu veggie arepa.
3. Gather
FINE, Bay Area you have better pizza. You have vegan deep dish at Patxi’s and Zachary’s, and then this delicious cashew cream, olive, spicy tomato pizza with a bubbly crust. For this former New Yorker, this is the best and closest to a NYC pie.
4. Republic of V
Photo: Republic of V’s Facebook page
This vegan emporium has all sorts of good eats, cookbooks, handbags, and more. I was literally overwhelmed with the amazing selection. When we spoke to the guy working that afternoon, he told me I had to buy the best vegan candy bar. He was right. It was vanilla caramel toasted cashews in dark chocolate goodness, topped with sea salt. Everything I like in one bite. I only wish that Republic of V was open when I lived in Berkeley!
5. Saturn Cafe
Maybe you notice a pattern. I like milkshakes and French fries. Saturn Cafe is the perfect place to hang out late at night. The vegan cheese fries and milkshake combo is ideal. (Don’t worry I really do eat vegetables most of the time!). While Saturn isn’t 100 percent vegan, most of the menu items can be veganized.
6. Souley Vegan
Photo: Veggie101.com
I saved the best for last. Souley Vegan has the best BBQ tofu you will ever eat. And their crispy tofu. And the mac ‘n cheese. And the biscuits and gravy. Basically everything is great. This mouthwatering restaurant review from Veggie 101 pretty much says it all!
I should note that I wasn’t able to hit all of my favorites like Ike’s Place or Zachary’s. There’s even a new vegan joint in Berkeley called Sanctuary Bistro.
Reblogged this on chocofigbee and commented:
Definitely makes me want to convert! If you want to see more of Jennifer’s posts, check out http://jchenwriter.com
Fabulous photography–definitely makes me want to convert! Have reblogged to my site
http://chocofigbee.com Thanks Jennifer!
Thank you so much! If you live in the Bay Area, I suggest checking out some of the places, especially Donut Farm. My non-veg friends love it too!
Yum!
I enjoyed reading about places I know as well as don’t know. I love Gather’s pizzas, and I am very particular about pizza. Republic of V has interesting items; the one you described makes me want to go there right now.
Thanks for a mouth-watering tour of the East Bay.
Hi! Thanks so much for checking out my post on the East Bay. Definitely try the caramel candy bar from Republic of V. It’s the best $2 (or so) you’ll spend. What are some of your favorite East Bay eats? I’d love to know so I can keep them in mind the next time I visit.