Hey there! I love your blog and think it's super cute and informative. I just moved back to SD from NYC where I had a big community of vegan friends and such and I was wondering if you had any info, and if there is, about San Diego vegan meet ups? It has been challenging finding friends here with the same vegan values who are excited about food as most vegans are :) And since I have moved back finding out all my old friends are no longer vegetarian, it has been disheartening. Thanks for any help
Asked by
amyangelo
Thank you so much for reading Vegenista & I am so happy you found my blog! We still have a ways to go, but San Diego is becoming more & more vegan & vegetarian friendly, with new restaurants opening (coming soon - Native Foods & Casa de Luz), lots of non-veg restaurants adding vegan dishes to their menus, & exciting events & meet ups happening around the county.
While the “community” here is certainly not as active as NYC, fortunately for us there are a few meet up groups! The Vegan Vagabonds is a small friendly group organized by my friend, Anil. I recently joined the San Diego Vegans Meetup Group & San Diego Vegetarians & Vegans Unite. I have not been to any of their events yet, but there is a “Vegan Beer & Grub Night at Hess Brewery” this Friday that I am planning to attend. If you are on Facebook there is a SoCal Veggies! Group that is always encouraging new members.
If you are into craft beer, you should definitely check out LOVELIKEBEER. They organize charitable “Vegan Food & Craft Beer Events” at different locations around the city. Their events are the best & I never miss them! Their next event is coming up in February & I will post more information here as soon as all the details are released!
Veg-N-Out, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in North Park, has a “Vegan Happy Hour” the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month where you can get veggie burgers for $3.75 & sides for $1.99, while chilling out to a live DJ spin roots reggae. No alcohol though!
If you like to cook, Chef Jenn Felmley is teaching a “My Vegan Valentine Cooking Class” at Cups La Jolla on Feb 14. She also often teaches vegan cooking classes at Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park. I’ve been to a few & they are always informative, fun, & a great way to meet people as it is all “hands on.”
I also encourage you to check out APRL, a non-profit organization based in San Diego which works to document & expose animal cruelty, educates the public on animals issues through innovative outreach campaigns, & works with policymakers and politicians to implement humane change! They host dinners, workshops, rallies, etc., & put together “San Diego Veg Week” every September.
This is my year of “more activism” so I am hoping to organize some vegan bake sales, happy hours & events myself so please keep in touch! :)
Finally, VegSanDiego.com is a great resource for finding restaurants, bakeries, clothing stores, etc., that are veg friendly. Welcome back to San Diego & hope this info helps! :)
