Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar - Hillcrest
There is a new veg-friendly eatery open on my side of town & I could not be more excited…
I first learned about Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar when my cousin brought me an enormous vegan cupcake from their Encinitas location. One gorgeous afternoon, Anna & I found ourselves there gorging on Veggie Chili Dogs, a guilty pleasure of mine. Encinitas is only 30 minutes or so up the coast but with my busy schedule, even though it is an easy trek, I don’t make it up there that often. So you can imagine my excitement when Anna told me that they opened a second restaurant in Hillcrest, a nearby neighborhood & 5 minute drive. Woot! Their mission:
“Lotus Cafe is dedicated to serving fresh, natural, healthy food at affordable prices, prepared with one, simplicity, & a joyful heart. Ingredients are sourced with care & are always natural.”
That is a mission I can stand behind! Even better, it is located in the same plaza of the Landmark Theater, which is the best place in town to catch an artsy or independent film (we saw The Descendants - heart breaking, but so well done). A healthy meal & a good movie is one of my favorite ways to spend the afternoon, so that is exactly what I did this weekend, with my sweet Mama as my date.
This new location is bright & clean with beautiful lotus paintings adorning the walls & subtle flute music filling the air. It’s almost reminiscent of my yoga studio with the peaceful & quiet energy you’d find there, but with a menu of nourishing food, instead of classes.
There is truly something for everyone at Lotus. The menu is very well organized with icons next to each item indicating whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free. They even indicate which menu options can be made vegan & tell you specifically what to omit when ordering. Their extensive menu consists of appetizers, all day breakfast, salads, sandwiches, pastas, side dishes & vegetarian entrees - where you’ll find stir fries, Mexican dishes, & curries. Fish & chicken dishes are offered as well. In addition, there is a juice & smoothie bar, & a dessert case with giant vegan cupcakes & other desserts.
With so many amazing things on the menu, it took me a solid 5 minutes, maybe 10, to decide what to order. A good rule of thumb would be to try to get a feel for what you are in the mood for ahead of time, so it’s easier to narrow down the choices. One decision that came easily however, was ordering a cup of this soup…
Vegan Creamy Artichoke Soup
I saw this on the “specials” board & l knew I would start there. The soup selection changes daily, but there is always 1 vegan & 1 gluten free offering. Saturday’s selections were “Vegan Creamy Artichoke Soup” & “Lentil Soup” both of which sounded wonderful. However, I love artichokes, & put vegan + creamy + artichoke together & I am sold. We both ordered a cup & it was delightful. Savory & creamy, but not too rich, with small bits of artichoke in every spoonful. Something I will certainly have to create at home.
On to our entrees. My Mom had as tough a time as I did deciding between a healthy salad, a Mexican dish, or the falafel, which she’d had previously at the Encinitas location. In the end she went with her first inclination - the falafel…
Pipe’s Pita - Falafel balls with hummus, tomato, sprouts & shredded carrots with tahini-ginger sauce in a whole wheat pita.***Omit tahini sauce to make this vegan.
Ever since dining at L’As du Falafel during our 2006 Paris trip, we’ve been trying to find a local falafel that doesn’t pale in comparison. I dare you to find anything better, because we surely haven’t. Yet. The closest I’ve found is at Mama’s, & according to my Mom, the falafel here at Lotus is pretty tasty as well, at least it hits the spot. I’m not quite sure what makes their tahini sauce not vegan, & I suppose I should ask.
After agonizing over the menu, I decided to err on the healthy & order a salad. I eat salad everyday for lunch & could’ve been more adventurous, but after a heavy vegan waffle & tofu scramble breakfast, greens sounded refreshing & the components of this salad sounded wonderful…
Chapati Salad - Baked whole wheat chapati topped with black beans, rice, mixed organic greens, carrots, sprouts, jicama, radish, salsa, & guacamole. ***Comes with sour cream, but can be omitted (which I did) to make vegan.
This is the alternate view. I wanted you to see all sides of this generous serving. Some salads can be halved, but not this one. It’s substantial & very filling, so come hungry. And what you see is only the top! Beneath the layers of veggies are layers of black beans, brown rice & crispy chapati. I chose the (honey-vegan) Lemon Herb dressing & (vegan) Tahini Dressing on the side. This salad was wonderful - hearty, filling, full of fresh veggies & greens, with the added bonus of beans & rice to make a complete protein, while the salsa & guacamole satisfied my Mexican craving.
After a quick stroll around the shops before the movie we returned to snatch up a vegan cupcake to smuggle into the movies! :)
Our choices were chocolate or carrot with cream cheese frosting. We chose chocolate, but I’m including the picture below (taken previously) of the carrot cupcake Anna & I shared. I wanted to give you an idea of the scale of these decadent beauties…
Now that’s a cupcake! They’re good, but we agreed, the ones we make are better. Who knows perhaps there is a vegan cupcake business in our future!
Nevertheless, when in San Diego or Encinitas, definitely check out Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar. Healthy, reasonably priced, locally owned & operated, & something on the menu for everyone. Can’t beat that!
