Native Foods

My husband (a meat-lover with an aversion to cheese) swears he'd go vegan if he could eat food like the delicious dishes dreamed up by Native Foods' Tanya Petrovna. We ate lunch there today and I know it's going to be a long time before I whip up anything like their Mad Cowboy Bowl, which has a bbq seitan patty, roasted vegetables, potato...I tried a taste and was stunned! I ordered the Ensalada Azteca, and was duly impressed by the freshness, the flavor, the fabulous vegan food! They do hold cooking classes if you're interested in bringing this into your own kitchen. Open daily from 11am-10pm. more

Native Foods is a vegan/vegetarian diner with a variety of different foods from all over the world. The one that is closest to me is in Costa Mesa, at The Camp. It is nestled in between Active and a yoga studio. You will see a round tin colored building, and that is Native Foods. My first time there, I ordered the Chicken Ranch Burger to go. The food got to me very quicky, and came in a cardboard recyclable box. Inside was my burger with tasty seasoned fries. Hungry now? The chicken, of course, is not real chicken. It is made out of seitan and tofu. I am not much of a meat-eater so I can't say that it tasted like chicken, but it was absolutely delicious. Native Foods also offers miso soup, sushi, jambalaya's, salad, sandwiches, chips, ect...all 100% natural and cruelty-free! more

I've only been to Native Foods a couple times now, but it's definitely a place I'd like to eat regularly. Meat analogs aren't a huge necessity for me, but the fact that their menu caters entirely to meat replacements makes it a good place to take open-minded omnivores to try out vegan food. Being at The Camp and across from The Lab, it's a little hipster, but since they're doing something really good I'd say you can cut them some slack. The food is definitely very good, lots of flavor, and almost as nice to look at as to eat. more

this place has no air conditioning, let's get that out there right away. it's pretty intense in the middle of the day in summer. other than that, i enjoy the chinese chicken salad and the philly cheese steak sandwich. all vegan with fake meats. whatever they have going for the cheese is really good...not really cheesy, but super tasty. i've had other dishes that are not so good here, it seems kind of hit and miss. little more expensive than i feel it is worth, but if you're looking for easy vegan in oc, i would pay. more

This is right down the street from South Coast Plaza and if you are feeling hungry from all the shopping, head on down to Native Foods and have guilt free eating as everything is vegan. They have everything from tacos, burritos, burgers, pizza, rice bowls, and soups all vegan. They also sell shirts and even a cookbook of some of their recipes. Indoor and outdoor seating and it is located in the Camp which is across the street from the Lab so it is in a very hip area and therefore is a hip place to eat. more