In the heart of California’s Central Coast near the agricultural corridor of the Pajaro Valley, Santa Cruz is a small city with big personality that’s always given off serious vegan vibes. And for good reason: the city of 64,000 is known for its forward-thinking nature and progressive history. Besides the iconic beach boardwalk where the movie Lost Boys was filmed, it’s home to UC Santa Cruz, community activists, environmentalists, and more recently, Silicon Valley expats seeking respite by the sea.
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With surf, mountains, and urban trails all within 20 minutes, there’s plenty of outdoor adventuring opportunities to work up an appetite—along with ample vegan options to satiate it. Though at the time of writing, there’s only one entirely plant-based eatery: Veg On the Edge. As Santa Cruz keeps evolving, however, so does its penchant for plant-based cuisine.
The Vegan Chef Challenge comes to Santa Cruz
Even restaurants that don’t overtly advertise vegan options have plant-based, “secret menu” entrées chefs prepare on request. Some eateries are further evolving their plant-based options thanks to the Vegan Chef Challenge, coming to Santa Cruz for the first time this month.
Throughout April, participating restaurants compete to create the best new vegan menu item. A winner is selected via diners’ reviews, and restaurants are encouraged to keep the new dishes on their menus long after the challenge concludes.
With 27 participating restaurants, it’s stiff competition. Vim is whipping up spiced lion’s mane mushrooms served with creamed corn grits, celery apple slaw, and remoulade. Chipotle black bean-stuffed tetelas and a decadent rhubarb frangipane galette are also on offer. At Pharaoh’s Plate, which specializes in Egyptian street food, expect koshari, Egypt’s national dish composed of fluffy rice, lentils, macaroni jam, cumin-tomato sauce, and garlic-infused vinegar da’ah. And in downtown, Chocolat is offering roasted butternut squash in spicy mole, comforting deep dish pizza, and more. These are just a few of the dishes diners can expect.
Where to go for a quick vegan bite in Santa Cruz
Not one, not two, but three acai-centric establishments show the influence of Santa Cruz’s Brazilian expat community. The OG, Samba Rock, has a variety of vegan bowl options and smoothies made with plant-based milk. Downtown offers the primarily plant-based Palmetto Superfoods and Café Roxa, aka “the hammock café” in the breezeway of Abbott Square, where you can swing in a hammock with your acai bowl and an herbal tonic. Just be sure to ask them to swap the honey in case it’s in one of the tonics.
Palmetto Superfoods
For those whose vegan refuel would be incomplete without a little post-meal quality cafecito, Santa Cruz boasts its fair share of local independent coffee roasters. While Verve is most famous, two up-and-comers for your caffeine fix are Cat & Cloud and 11th Hour. Accompany your oat milk cortado or almond cappuccino with the Overnight Oats or vegan burrito at Cat & Cloud. Grab a Brunch Bowl (hold the egg and pesto) or the Original Avocado Toast at 11th Hour.
Vegan Santa Cruz: the 12 must-try restaurants
Whether you make it to experience the Vegan Chef Challenge or arrive well after its conclusion, the 12 spots below will have you eating your way around Santa Cruz regardless of when you visit.
Veg On the Edge
1Veg On the Edge
Santa Cruz’s only entirely plant-based outpost, Veg On the Edge is housed in Abbott Square, a food hall located downtown. Multitalented chef and musician Akindele Bankole, a German-born, Nigerian-American, has created a menu of tastebud-tantalizing West African cuisine. Standouts include pumpkin seed stew and spicy mushroom suya, a vegan take on the grilled meat skewers popular in West African street food.
The menu also features fan-favorite American fare like Beyond Burgers and tofu scrambles with housemade sriracha maple sauce. If you’re ordering classic American comfort food, try incorporating a West African twist: opt for cassava fries instead of typical French fries or get your burger or bowl topped with suya.
Copal
2Copal
Oaxacan restaurant and mezcaleria, Copal is the long-held dream of executive chef Ana Fabian Mendoza, and it’s likewise dreamy for plant-based diners. Mendoza’s locally famous negro and coloradito (red) moles are available in a vegan dish made with tempeh, chickpeas, and roasted chayote. The vegan carne asada in the Oaxacan taco plate is perfectly seasoned, juicy, and delicious. For those looking to imbibe, mezcal is available by flight or in a satisfying margarita.
Ibiza
3Ibiza
For an upscale lunch or an early Friday dinner, Ibiza is a Mediterranean gem with a full vegan menu. Expect options such as the falafel platter with delectable, creamy hummus; the Ibiza Hippie Salad featuring yams, bulgur, kale, and crispy chickpea; and the Fatoush-y Salad with romaine, castelvetrano olives, blood oranges, fennel, mint, za’atar pita croutons, pepitas, and lemon sumac vinaigrette. Add falafel to your choice of salad, and pair your meal with sangria or a housemade sparkling lemonade. Pro tip: don’t miss the vegan tahini soft serve for dessert.
Vim
4Vim
This upscale yet laid-back 1920s-themed restaurant is named for that decade’s phrase “vim and vigor,” meaning one possessing energy and vitality. A third “V,” for “vegan-friendly,” should be added to the phrase, as Vim’s chef-owner Jesikah Stolaroff makes a point to feature a creative plant-based option in each category of appetizer, entrée, and dessert on the seasonally rotating menus.
Dharma’s
5Dharma’s
A casual spot with counter service, this longtime establishment in nearby Capitola offers vegetarian and vegan dishes with international flair. Whether you’re craving pad Thai, a Dharma Dog, or a giant burrito, there’s something for everyone. Dating back to 1982, Dharma’s is a true Santa Cruz institution and an original on the vegetarian/vegan dining scene.
Pretty Good Advice
6Pretty Good Advice
An all-vegetarian, vegan-friendly eatery, Pretty Good Advice is a popular destination to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. The owners grow their own fruits herbs, mushrooms, and vegetables, so seasonal ingredients shine in sandwiches, salads, burgers, and more. Don’t miss the tofu bánh mì, Ryan’s Lobsta Roll (a housemade French roll stuffed with oyster and shiitake mushrooms, artichokes, and chives dusted in Old Bay seasoning), or Tom’s Bright Eyes Surprise (hashbrown, avocado, roasted jalapeno, mushrooms, caramelized onion, and vegan sauce between two ciabatta buns).
The Buzz Sushi
7The Buzz Sushi
The only sushi restaurant in town to offer plant-based fish alongside the usual suspects, the menu at The Buzz Sushi features an entire list of creative vegan rolls like the Cuerno de Chivo—with steamed pumpkin, shiso, avocado, spicy nuts and tofu, jalapeño, and garlic—and the Alcatraz Escape with vegan salmon, cream cheese, avocado, jalapeño, and unagi sauce. Try the poke salad for a taste of all the plant-based fish, or the vegan chicken teriyaki don for a non-sushi meal.
Hula’s
8Hula’s
While this longtime Hawaiian favorite once had a separate vegan menu, they’ve recently incorporated the options onto the main menu. Luckily, the delectable plant-based selection at Hula’s remains the same: fresh Vietnamese spring rolls paired with peanut and Thai chili mint dipping sauces, kale or arugula salads you can top with vegan chicken, the Jungle Tofu bowl with housemade curry sauce, and the spicy Jawaiian Jerk Plate that can be made with vegan chicken or tofu. Choose from a rotating selection of Tiki and non-alcoholic drink specials to round off your meal.
Lúpulo
9Lúpulo
Craft beer house Lupulo (Spanish for hop) features a plant-forward, heavily Mexican menu including vegan asada tortas, nachos, and tacos. For something a little lighter, the Green Goddess salad can be topped with the housemade vegan asada.
Bookie’s Pizza
10Bookie’s Pizza
Located inside Sante Adairius Brewery, Bookie’s Pizza offers a truly unique, flavorful pie topped with vegan mozzarella, feta, arugula, harissa zucchini, sungold tomatoes, and black lime. For the Vegan Chef Challenge, Bookie’s created “Beeteroni pizza” featuring vegan pepperoni made in-house using Badger Flame beets. Aside from pizza, maitake mushroom wings and the Green Goddess salad with nooch and avocado dressing are also standout options.
Charlie Hong Kong
11Charlie Hong Kong
Featuring staple comfort foods like rice and noodle bowls, Charlie Hong Kong’s dishes are vegan by default; so, in a refreshing reversal from the usual format, there’s the option to add non-vegan items rather than remove them. Locally sourced produce is featured heavily on the menu. Bowls come with a medley of organic vegetables, and garlicky tofu makes for a delicious plant protein option. The massive salad wrap, in the style of a fresh roll with pickled carrots, daikon, vermicelli noodles, avocado, and mint, is a must-have.
The Crepe Place
12The Crepe Place
A Santa Cruz institution since 1973, The Crepe Place is a staple of the Midtown neighborhood. You can view the original menu on display at the bar, and it sure didn’t include vegan tenders or crispy cauliflower florets with buffalo sauce. But times have changed. Every crêpe on the menu, such as the Italian-style Mamma Mia with eggplant and the Mexican-inspired Special Salsa, can be made vegan. Linger at a patio table over brunch on a sunny day or go at night for live music.
48 hours in Santa Cruz
Only in town for a weekend? We got you. To start your day, roll into Harbor Café for brunch and order a Harbor Bowl (hold the feta) or tofu scramble (ask for the vegan version) along with coffee or a guava mimosa before hitting up the Boardwalk, beaches, farmers market, or trails.
For lunch, grab some beach grub from Staff of Life Market including vegan Reubens, pastries, salads, and hot bar options. Or stop by New Leaf Markets, which sponsors the Vegan Chef Challenge. Their newest location on River Street ups the ante with an entire vegan prepared-foods section.
The Penny Ice Creamery
Other great grab-and-go’s for the beach are the vegan burrito from De La Hacienda and acai bowls from the aforementioned Palmetto Superfoods or Samba Rock. To cool down afterward, local ice cream shops offer vegan ice cream and sorbet. Penny Ice Creamery has rotating sorbet options, and Mission Hill Creamery now offers oat milk ice cream in addition to sorbets (get oat milk vanilla as an affogato for a caffeinated kick!). Longtime family favorite Marianne’s recently added a full dairy-free ice-cream menu, including chocolate mint chip, Oreo fudge ripple, mango coconut, and blackberry fudge.
Come happy hour, wind down with a cocktail and hummus plate at Venus Spirits’ Westside tasting room. When ready to dine, the adjacent restaurant’s vegan menu items include a mushroom bánh mì, vegan Caesar, and crispy Brussels sprouts with date jalapeno cashew cream, black garlic sauce, pickled onion, and nori sprinkles. Still hungry? Make it over to nearby Vim for a vegan dessert and nightcap; the restaurant is named Vim Dining and Desserts for good reason.
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Liza Monroy is a freelance journalist and the author of the novel 'The Distractions,' which takes place in a future where the whole world is vegan. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA.
