7 Best Vegan & Gluten Free Restaurants/Cafes in San Diego
San Diego is filled with residents and tourists that love vegan and gluten free food. In return, the city has a range of options and delicious restaurants to choose from. As someone who has a gluten allergy, eats plant-based regularly, and grew up in San Diego, I’ve had my fair share of these places. Hope you enjoy!
Trilogy
Rooftop Vegan Cafe
Location: Rooftop & Level 3, 7650 Girard Ave Suite 400, La Jolla, CA 92037
Trilogy not only offers all vegan and all gluten free delicious food, but is situated on a rooftop in the gorgeous neighborhood of La Jolla. If you’re looking for a niche hidden gem cafe with a large variety of healthy foods, this is for you.
They have acai bowls, burgers, toasts, wraps, salads, bowls, tacos, mac n cheese, enchiladas, desserts, smoothies, a breakfast menu, and more.
Vegan: everything
GF: everything
Evolution
Vegan Fast Food
Location: 2965 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
Sometimes you just need some comforting fast food. What better way than the place with the world’s first vegan drive thru?
Evolution’s entire kitchen is vegan and many of their products are also gluten free. The burger patties are either made out of black beans or tempeh (tempeh is my favorite), and you can substitute a gluten free bun.
Don’t miss out on the various fries they have like cheddar bacon ranch and Evo style which is a vegan version of In-N-Out’s animal style fries. The store’s location is conveniently right next to downtown and provides its own parking (on top of the drive-through option, of course).
Vegan: everything
GF: burger bun option, fries, tacos, chili, wrap as a lettuce wrap
Peace Pies
Raw Vegan Restaurants/Cafe
Location: 4230 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107
This is the only restaurant on this list that is completely raw vegan. On top of that, they’re completely gluten free and soy free. But don’t fret, their wraps and other unique options are delightful. They also have very delicious kale chips and sweets. You can find fun items such as Cheezy Kelp ‘n’ Kale, Mushroom Stroganoff, Peaceful Pizza, Majestic Mediterranean Wrap, and more.
Vegan (raw): everything
GF: everything
Plant Power
Vegan Fast Food Restaurant
Location: 2204 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego, CA 92107
Don’t hate me but the iconic fries here are 10 times better than In-N-Out animal fries. The fries themselves, the amount of onion, the sauces – it’s all so mouth-watering. Similar to Evolution, this is a vegan fast food shop, so they have burgers, fries, and shakes. This restaurant also serves breakfast till 11:00 am if you’re looking for a morning sandwich, burrito, bagel, or hashbrown.
Vegan: everything
GF: burger bun option, iconic fries, fries, shakes
Tocaya
Modern Mexican
Location: 4301 La Jolla Village Dr Unit 2003, San Diego, CA 92122
If you’re looking for a Mexican inspired health food restaurant, check out Tocaya. With a wonderful location in La Jolla’s UTC mall, you’re bound to find something you want to enjoy. There’s everything from burritos to salads. While they do sell meat and cheese, they have vegan cheese and protein options. If you click on the menu, you can scroll down a little and switch to the vegan menu specifically. Most items are either gluten free or they have a gf option like the gf burrito.
Vegan & GF: bowls, tacos, burrito, salads, quesadillas, chick’n soup, chips & salsa, avocado toast
CAVA
Mediterranean Fast Casual Restaurant
1652 Camino Del Rio North FS17, San Diego, CA 92108
8849 Villa La Jolla Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037
These types of restaurants are definitely my favorite. You know, the ones where you can customize your own bowl, or you can opt for a signature dish if you don’t want to make your own. They have so much variety and accommodations for dietary restrictions including gluten free and vegan options. The only products that are essentially not gluten free are the pita, pita crisps/chips/, falafel, and desserts. They do suggest that you tell your server if you have a gluten free allergy, so consider this if you’re concerned.
GF: options include right rice, meatballs, chicken, lamb, roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes, all dressings, & hummus
- everything but pita, falafel, & desserts
Vegan: options include falafel, sweet potatoes, greens + grains, pita, roasted vegetables, & lentil tabbouleh
- everything but chicken, meatballs, lamb, tzatziki, feta, yogurt dill, & some desserts
Café Gratitude
Organic, Plant-Based Food
Location: 1980 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
Cafe Gratitude is more on the high end in terms of price. But they have unique options such as buffalo cauliflower, tiramisu, tofu bahn mi, coconut calamari, and more. Everything is vegan other than some items that contain honey. They do claim to be a plant-based restaurant, and they have many fresh and healthy options.
Vegan: everything but honey in some drinks
GF: spring rolls, buffalo cauliflower, nachos, sub gluten-free bun, salad, calamari, pho, pasta, cauliflower steak, bowls, curry, enchiladas, smoothies, tiramisu, acai bowl, ice cream, juices, etc.
Healthy Creations
Organic Restaurant
Location: 376 N El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024
Healthy Creation is 100% gluten free, and is still filled with bread, desserts, sandwiches, and more. While they’re not completely vegan, their menu notes various vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, and paleo options. They have options like cashew mozzarella and cashew milk. It is located a little bit on the outskirts of San Diego, and in the corner of a small mall, but the food is worth it.
Vegan: options include wraps, tacos, toasts, bowls, paninis, soups, salads
GF: everything
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