Central Coast of California: The Best All-Vegan Restaurants

When reality first sank in that I was relocating to the west coast (one year ago), the first thing my mother said was:

“There's going to be so much vegan food!” 

Well... she was right - mostly.

Pin-points like San Fran, L.A., and San Diego are definitely going to have the most accessible or well-advertised vegan eats. The central coast was a little more subtle about it, even when scrolling through Happy Cow. But regardless, after moving here and searching high and low on foot and wheels, I've found the best places for you to enjoy. 

Let's get into it.

Number 1:

Bliss Cafe 

(778 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo)
Hours: Sunday - Wednesday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm; Thursday - Saturday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Bliss Cafe Website

Reuban Sandwich from Bliss Cafe

Bliss Cafe is my number one recommendation for vegan food in the central coast, specifically, in San Luis Obispo (also known as “SLO”). And coincidentally enough, Bliss was also my first all-vegan restaurant to hit up in California. Nice.

Nestled inside downtown SLO, it's tucked in a mini-mall of cute stores with a friendly vibe. You'll find it at the back of the hall, with their giant menu plastered on the wall above their registers and juice bar.

In the ten months I spent on the central coast, Bliss went from solely menu items to expanding their cold (salad) bar into a hot (entrees) bar, AND adding a breakfast bar. This means vegan waffles, soft serve, yogurt, and all the topping fixin's.... oh yeah.

You have to try: The All-Day Breakfast Burrito (gluten-free). 

Breakfast Burrito from Bliss Cafe

This burrito was my first and last meal at Bliss, and it has by far been the best. A close second would have to be their breakfast sandwich. They also make killer smoothie bowls and healthy desserts. Not to mention the local kombucha is on tap (Whalebird Kombucha), occasionally CBD-infused, too.

While waiting in line, check out some of their light refrigerated beverages and produce to-go. After a drink purchase, you'll notice they won't hand you a straw - but they sell metal straws and can toss you a compostable one, if you're in dire need.

The only downside? 

Parking can be a beast. But if you park over by the Mission, you can take the back entrance over a lovely creek and through the back patio. (Check out the back patio, regardless.)

Number 2:

Planted Juice Bar & Eatery 

(201 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande) Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Daily
Planted Website

Hercules Bowl

Planted was a location I stumbled upon as a happy accident. My boyfriend, Kyle, actually looked up vegan restaurants and found this one day while we were jonesin' for a brunchfest. They keep the word “vegan” pretty low-key around there, but they use all whole food ingredients and they are 100% plant-based.

Located on the adorable AG strip among all the other brunch-y and boozey spots, keep your eyes peeled for their bright-colored sidewalk tables so you don't miss it. (Although Planted does not offer booze - just booch - here's a tip: stop into Cafe Andreini a few stores over if you're in the mood to hang at a boozey coffee shop).

Parking: Again, it's in your best interest if you just head around back. There's a public parking lot, and you can enter through the back alley near Branch Street Deli.

YOU HAVE TO TRY: 
Smoothie Bowls or the Chocolate Chip Waffle which comes with sliced bananas and strawberries (and it's gluten-free, too!)

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Waffle with Fruit

Anything else?
 Seating can be tricky if it gets busy. Although I mentioned “brunch”, this does not include booze, and is very family-friendly. They also close fairly early, so it's primarily a breakfast and lunch spot – plan ahead!

Number 3:

Shine Cafe 

(415 Morro Bay Blvd, Morro Bay)
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm; Sunday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.
Shine Cafe Website

A short drive northwest of SLO, you'll find that Morro Bay satisfies most of your crunchy, thrifting, and outdoorsy needs. You could truly spend an entire day just walking around downtown and hiking on Morro Rock. It was one of my favorite “getaways” when the Five Cities or SLO was getting a little boring for my taste.

Anyway – put Shine Cafe in your GPS, enjoy the abundance of thrift store fronts on the way downtown, and be sure you take the time to check out the health food stores on either side of Shine.

YOU HAVE TO TRY: 
The TLT – their take on a BLT with tempeh, adding avocado (this IS California, after all).

Tempeh Reuban on the left VS TLT on the right

Any downsides?
Not really. You can almost always nab an outdoor patio table, which coincides well with people-watching – Did I mention it's a crunchy little beach town?

And there you have it! My favorite all-vegan restaurants in the central coast of California.

The only other all-vegan restaurant around that I didn't get to try is Y'Not Organic. They're located in Pismo Beach and definitely worth checking out, although I somehow never got around to it in the time I lived there.

If you try any of these, let me know in the comments below - I'd love to hear how it was (and what you got).

Thanks for reading, and happy grub-hunting!

Why We Left California

After living in California for ten months, we've decided to move to Colorado.

This move is different than a lot of my other moves.

This time around, it's for a change of scenery. 

As opposed to relocating for a new work position or for school, 

this one is happening due to an intuitive pull.

Do you ever get those intuitive pulls? 

(My AmeriCorps co-leader always called it “The Pull”.) 

When you can't explain exactly why, and it doesn't make sense to others, 

but you just know it's the right time to do this one thing? 

That's what this is.

Waves crashing at Morro Bay, CA 2018

Of course, it boils down to three main reasons (and a bunch of little bonus reasons).

But first, story time.

For months, Kyle and I had known Pismo wasn't going to be our Forever Place. 

I had originally moved there for a theatre job in November 2017.

The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville in Oceano, California

But when I left that position the following April, I was kind of left in a limbo, of sorts. 

I was actively looking for any kind of survival work that could deem me qualified.

We thought about L.A. For a long while. 

We visited twice in preparation to move, right around the end of my theatre contract. 

I even had a well-paying day job lined up that I was commuting and training for 

while finishing my job at the theatre.

We went down on my days off, we conversed with our AirBNB hosts about the best neighborhoods, and we actively viewed potential apartments. Along with doing some fun touristy things.

In front of the Hollywood Sign after a hike, 2018

Unfortunately, my official end date up in the central coast couldn't line up with the ideal start date the L.A. job needed me for after training would end, and it all fell through.

So, they paid me for two weekends of training, and we stayed in Pismo.

Kyle at Pismo Beach, 2017

Floating between more survival applications and still lazily browsing Playbill for theatre jobs, 

I was stagnant.

One day, the universe gave me an opportunity that I couldn't turn down. 

I went on three interviews with different companies, 

only one of which I was sure to be qualified for 

(a vegan restaurant – the other two were for a bank teller and an office assistant).

At the end of the day, I had received offers for all three.

HOWEVER.

I had also received an email that showed up out of the blue. It stated that I was being considered for a role in a show at a theatre in Illinois. I had forgotten that I submitted – because that's what you're supposed to do, if you want to get used to rejection in theatre – and they'd actually gotten back to me.

Before I replied to any of these interview offers, I bantered with this theatre for a day or so. Once they got back to me, the decision was made in my favor: that I was offered the role in a children's show in Illinois, thirty miles from my hometown. 

This was on my bucket list of places to work - and I'd finally gotten an offer!

Now, the question was: do I take a role at a dream theatre, disappear from the west coast for six weeks, get paid to work near my family... or do I turn it down, take a practical offering of abundant positions that I had just been offered, and buckle down out west?

I took the theatre job.

Knuffle Bunny at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 2018

How is this relevant to leaving California or moving to Colorado?

Here's the grit:

The down side to California is that the job market is extremely niche or extremely underpaid. 

When I left the only niche I went there for, I suddenly lost all qualification for bangin' income in any other industry. But I refused to get paid minimum wage to serve the retired and/or tourist community of Pismo Beach at the local knock-off “Broadway Bagel” shop. (You'll never hold a candle to New York, baby!)

And as for L.A.?

Well... Something in me just, shifted. I had long thought about making the big leap into pursuing film/theatre in Los Angeles among my fellow college grads that had transplanted from NYC. Kyle had also dreamed about finding work as a resident studio musician.

But we weren't ready.

By that, I mean, I wasn't ready to invest A.) financially, or B.) theatrically, at the high level that I would need to in order to get ahead in L.A. So, I tapped out, and I'm glad I did. Truth be told, I'm currently burned out after four years of constant theatre work... and I need a move that's just for my soul right now. If something comes along that I'm right for, then that'll be great, and I'll probably take it. But the energy reserve needs to fill back up in the mean time. You have to know when to say when, and you have to know your limits.

On the bright side:

Being closer to family in Illinois and Iowa has a large effect on this decision and is reason number one for me to move inland a little further. I have two parents who are thankfully still around, two sisters with their families, and a niece and two nephews (ages five, three, and three). 

It sure would be nicer to be a little nearer to these little faces, don't you think?!

My nephew Wayne, niece Kendra, co-worker Cydney, myself, and nephew Aaron

Denver also happens to be the hub of the country for domestic travel. To phrase my first solo in college: “I came on two buses and a train... can you imagine that? Two buses, and a train!” 

Leaving the central coast of California for a trip or (God-forbid) in a state of emergency would involve: two shuttles, two flights, and two more shuttles. Not exactly my cup of tea when traveling half-way across the country in a panicked mode.

Reason number two in moving to the Rockies is that we have friends there.

When you move around as much as I do, it can get pretty lonely. You have a plethora of contacts across the country, sure! But when it comes down to it, you don't get to see familiar faces when you're flying around so frequently. You're simply moving too fast; It's basic physics.

My first California sunset that I shared with... myself.

What's reason number three? 

The apocalypse. 

I'll be far enough inland and high enough elevated that I'll be safe from The Big One, 

when and if it arrives.

On top of Loveland Pass, Colorado 2017

Just kidding.

(Still potentially valid, though!)

The third reason is definitely the culture. 

“Oh, 'HIP' culture! You must be moving there because of all the vegan food, and the music scene, and the breweries, and the distilleries, you friggin' hipster!”

Sharing a drink with A.J. Stone at a Midwestern craft brewery

You're not wrong.

However, I give you my word that my flannel shirts will not be worn in irony.

I promise to actively participate in your communities, Colorado.

And I hope you can teach me some tricks of the trades, such as winter sports, re-learning intense hikes at elevation, and possibly investing in your housing market, when the times comes.

Colorado is somehow both ahead of the times and behind the times in all of the best ways. 

It mixes rustic living with city vibes, which is perfect, in my eyes. I can't wait to be closer to family, friends, and all the things I enjoy in a more accessible (and somehow simultaneously remote) area.

Here's to the next adventure.

Welcome to Uprooted Foodie

Hello! Welcome!

You may have found your way here from 

the Uprooted Foodie Instagram, Facebook, or by random chance... 

But this is the very beginning of the Uprooted Foodie BLOG, 

and I'm so excited to share it with you!

My name is Miranda. 

I'm a 30-year-old, Midwestern native who has gotten quite used to "uprooting" myself. 

(See what I did there?)

Redwood National and State Parks 2018

Every so often, whether it's for work or on a whim, I'll find a new place in the U.S.A. to call home.

Why?

Well... we have to back up a little, for that explanation. 

For starters, ever since I up and moved to Montana to volunteer my services with AmeriCorps in 2011, I've been addicted to traveling. Specifically, I've become drawn into the rambling lifestyle: meeting new people, hearing unique stories, learning about the world and being unable to deny the craving that I must experience it.

Backcountry Trails Training near Helena, MT 2011 (feat. me as a redhead)

I spent ten months in Montana based out of Helena. I then moved to Austin, Texas to help with a fire reconstruction crew in Bastrop State Park for three months before transferring back to Montana for yet another ten months - the second time based out of Billings. Working with Montana Conservation Corps greatly shaped my view on the world and how I interact with people to this day.

After Montana, I went back to the Midwest and worked at my sister's newest vegan restaurant, Trumpet Blossom Cafe. More on that to come – but I frequented trips to Asheville, North Carolina, where my boyfriend at the time was living. (We had met during our AmeriCorps terms, 2012.) In fact, it was in Asheville that I spent my first Christmas away from home. My Dad actually bought the ticket for me as a gift, even though it meant that he wouldn't see me on Christmas day. 
(Thank you for that difficult but oh-so-thoughtful Christmas gift, Dad!)

In NYC with my dad after graduating college 2014

While nature and traveling had sparked something wild and wonderful within me, I still had some unfinished business I wanted to look into. In high school, I was involed in just about every fine arts program offered. I'd attempted to go to school for this a handful of times, but always dropped out, fearing that I wouldn't find work. Once I'd completed AmeriCorps and returned to the Midwest, I wondered about it from time to time... And after waking up from a dream where I was back on stage, I knew I had to go back to school and finish my degree in theatre.

My jazz class in college (far left, red leotard) 2014

(Since we aren't here to delve into that too much, 

I'll just leave my website to that world linked here for you to peruse, if you like.)

New York City changed me, and I loved it for that. It brought heartache with the end to a romantic relationship, a tough, big-city learning curve, but I became confident, better-dressed, and happy. It enabled me to walk the concrete jungle with my head held high and my professional resume proudly in front of me. Thanks to a college friend who saw an advertisement that was right up my alley, 

I booked my first professional gig out of college. 

This gig took me up to New Hampshire, where I happened to have a close friend 
from – you guessed it! - AmeriCorps. 

Foose in blue, my co-leader Chandra in green, me in grey (2012 Montana Trails Training)

I loved New England more than I thought I would. 
Foose (pictured above) is a dear and wacky friend. After my job contract ended, she wanted to take me in and show me the New England way. I was ready for a change, and thought, I can do theatre anywhere! 
It was perfect timing to try a new location.

I was introduced to new friends, and I felt like I'd found a family. 
Nature hikes, beautiful scenic drives, and tasty breweries and coffee shops had me officially packing my bags and saying goodbye to the city for a while. This involved a very bittersweet break-up with a Brooklyn band I was in, and some difficult “See you later” moments with all of my college buddies... 
But New England was pulling me north, and I had to honor that.

I went on a series of self-sought gigs through rigorous networking opportunities 
and I did manage to sustain myself (barely) for the next year... 
and then I fell in love.

Me and Kyle 2015

I fell for him hard. I mean, LOOK at that ginger beard! Who wouldn't?

We worked together for a summer at a theatre on Lake Winnipisaukee, and my crazy ass moved to the D.C. Area to be closer to him. But it worked out! His name is Kyle, and we've been together for three years. He's a large part of Uprooted Foodie, as a model and also behind-the-scenes, so you'll be seeing and hearing from him from time to time.

As this is already a saga, I'll keep the rest brief: 
I moved up and down the east coast for a variety of theatre gigs, and even one National Park Service Internship. I sprawled west every now and then to Illinois, Colorado, and finally, California - Which brings us up to date.
You can probably understand the concept of “Uprooted” now.

Light Globe on display at Street in Portsmouth, NH

But, what about the “Foodie” part?

This goes back a little further than the beginning of my wanderlust movement.

In front of Homegrown Smoker's mural in Portland 2018

While in community college circa 2007, a high school acquaintance who turned into a good friend was in a French class with me. She was vegan for seven years at the time, and she spoke of it often. I was pretty open-minded, so I asked a lot of questions and listened intently. I had NO IDEA what went on in the meat and dairy industries. 

I ate one final steakburger at Steak 'n' Shake, and I went vegan overnight.

There have been some bumps along the way, but I never intentionally ate meat again. The bumps were more like... desperate encounters with cheese pizza and caving in to my grandmother's Christmas cookies. Overall, it's been a dedicated journey for just over eleven years, and one that's become a lifestyle, not a “diet”.

Why?

...We'll get into that.

My favorite kitchen towel from Target (for three bucks!)

On this blog, you can expect photos and regaling from 

a quirky vegan who gets the itch to travel frequently.

I want to share my tips and experiences with you along the way. 
We'll cover travel: moving, travel for work, vegan while traveling. 
We'll cover veganism in general, including recipes, restaurants along the way, 
the how-to's, meal prep, cruelty-free beauty and lifestyle, and more.

Whether you're a seasoned vegan or an omnivore who can barely survive Meatless Mondays, 

you're welcome here.

Whether you're an earthly rambler or you've only traveled five hours north of your hometown, 

you're welcome here. 

And out of curiousity... 

What brings you here? 

What are you interested in regarding travel or vegan food? 

I've got plenty of ideas in store to share with you,

but I invite you to comment with some topics you'd enjoy reading or learning more about.

You can expect to see a new blog post here every week.

Meanwhile, welcome!

I can't wait to take you on my adventures with me, in the kitchen and around the globe.

- Miranda

Standing in front of Kyle's van: The Rainbow Rider