Thanh Tinh Chay courts locals with a $5 baseline price for nearly all dishes. It’s a bargain tempting to everyone—vegan or not. Van Bui had never run a restaurant, but the need for one was clear.  Cost is a large hurdle for those exploring vegan and vegetarian dining, and while City Heights is filled with affordable Vietnamese restaurants, most have limited options for those seeking meat-free meals.  The lack of affordable vegetarian food in City Heights (and beyond) begged for a solution.  Read more: https://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-plant-powered-v ..read more

Before social pressures, we would just eat and tell others to eat wherever we always ate. These days, it seems, recommendations come skewed by hype (to which I too am not immune) when what we really should be sharing are the places we return to over and over even when no one is looking. So, here is an un-scientifically compiled list of the restaurants I frequented in San Diego the most in 2019, which was totally inspired by this tweet: I actually think if more food writers did lists of the places they visited the most in a given year that’d be more useful to the average person than any ..read more

Summer Rolls are one of the great culinary inventions in the history of man. A perfect package of crunchy vegetables, fragrant herbs, and the soft but snappy bite of rice paper enriched with the sweetness of some sort of sauce. At Purple Mint Vegetarian Bistro I appreciate that they don’t dilute the rolls with extra noodles, offering rice paper stuffed with tofu, purple mint, lettuces, basil, jicama, and carrots.  The sauce, although spiked with crushed peanuts and pickled carrots, runs bland and benefits greatly from a kick of hoisin ($5.95). Purple Mint ups the anti on summer rolls ..read more

The joke starts “In heaven, the chefs are Italian…” and for reasons beyond me San Diego is becoming more like that good place. Italian restaurants are popping up and down the southern most coast of California. Many, such as Ciccia Osteria, offer a thoughtful vegan menu. Chef Francesca Penocelli hovers over the desserts, lovingly tending to a gluten-free vegan chocolate cake and chiming in as guests ponder the counter-service menus. As I order my carefully considered dishes Francesca leans in to the tell me there is also a special vegan ravioli—stuffed with greens and tofu—but the weight of th ..read more

CITRUS SHANDY gh pilsner, grapefruit, orange, lime Gravity Heights is a strange fellow. Atop the hilly landscape of Sorrento Mesa⁠—a wise move to capture the tech workers trapped in the valley by the 805’s unholy rush hour traffic—clear glass walls bath the space in light, while maple veneer and sky blue upholstery keeps the interior on trend. The latest project of Whiskenladle Hospitality, Chef Keith Voight (formally of Prep Kitchen Del Mar which was formally a part of the Whisknladle brand) helms the only vegan-friendly menu of the group’s portfolio. Perhaps vegan-friendly is too effusive ..read more

There are two types of people: Those that love a specific style of pizza, and those who love supreme examples of EVERY style of pizza. Tribute Pizza—where pizza topping combinations are inspired by all the American greats—is for people who love them all. The cavernous hall of the old North Park Post Office seemed an audacious choice for a debut restaurant. But attention to detail and a sweeping love of pizza quickly attracted customers. On most nights, the restaurant is packed. Read more at: https://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-tribute-pizza-north-park ..read more

The indoor/outdoor Telefónica Gastro Park offers an array of global flavors infused with the creativity of some of Tijuana’s rising chefs. The Vibe Long under the influence of its northern neighbors, the relatively recent dip in tourism has given rise to a brave new breed of Tijuana restaurant. Aimed at feeding the local’s hunger for innovation and community, chefs are pushing the boundaries of Baja cooking. Telefónica Gastro Park encapsulates this shift. Read more here: http://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-telef-nica-gastro-park-tijuana ..read more

I’ve long espoused the idea that foodie culture rose from the smashed emotions of the Great Recession swizzled with Yelp. But lately I’ve been reading the theories of food as entertainment—a phrase that immediately rings true. Because foodie culture also rose along side Food Network, increasing obesity, grocery abundance, Salt Bae, and other bastions of 21st century American culture. Our Birthday Lady, Beth But for longer than that, food has been the fuel of the party season. Entertainment not aimed to sell us more or make us docile, but to share a bit of joy with friends, and friends of frien ..read more

The Short and Skinny At Sattvik Foods the menu flutters through a well-honed collection of curries and rice, offering only a few options each day. Lay your trust in Kanta Jina’s spice-tempered pots and pans and follow her around the metal thali, because they’re all good. The Vibe Counter height tables line the walls leading to a small window overlooking the open kitchen. Here, the women of Sattvik Foods can been seen stirring pots of daily dishes like sesame aloo and turia patra—ridge gourd stewed in colassia leaves and topped with gram noodles. The space has the feel of a catering kitchen, wh ..read more