Restaurant Review: Vegan Nirvana in Huntington Beach, CA

Jackfruit Limeade at Vegan Nirvana!

Over the weekend I finally got around to checking out Vegan Nirvana, a new vegan restaurant in Huntington Beach. Ok, new-ish vegan restaurant since they've probably been open for about 6 months! Even though it's only 20 minutes away from my house, for one reason or another I just hadn't made it over to Vegan Nirvana, even though I was keen on checking it out due to its eclectic decor as well as the raves it kept getting from vegan friends. It's got a unique space-hippie vibe, with its decor featuring UFOs, aliens, chakra-Jesus and its menu items have very enlightened names that sound like they are named after yoga poses. All that only adds to its charm, though!

New Raised Vegan Donuts at The Donuttery in Huntington Beach, CA

My box of vegan goodies!

Attention all Orange County vegan donut fans - The Donuttery in Huntington Beach JUST started offering classic, traditional raised donuts that are VEGAN! Their vegan cake donuts (review here) are freakin' phenomenal, but these new raised donuts take their vegan game to a whole new level!

Bring Cowspiracy Documentary to Orange County

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I heard the best news last night! The documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, is scheduled to screen in Huntington Beach, CA on Thursday, September 4th, 2014! However, there is a minimum amount of pre-sale tickets that must be sold before the screening of this fine documentary can happen, so please buy your tickets now!

5 Must-Try Vegan Options in Orange County

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I have SUCH exciting news, ghouls and boils! I wrote my first article for Vegansaurus about "5 Must-Try Vegan Options in Orange County" and it was published this past Monday!!! I am so over-the-moon excited about this because 1) Vegansaurus straight up rocks and you should be reading it regularly if you aren't already, 2) Vegansaurus has always been there for me on my vegan journey and I could always rely on them for straight talk peppered with sass! It truly is an honor to see my writing on a site I have read for years and years now!

You can check out the article on the "5 Must-Try Vegan Options in Orange County" on Vegansaurus or read all about these awesome places below. 

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: while LA is undoubtedly the vegan Mecca in Southern California, Orange County isn't far behind. Orange County is located between Los Angeles and San Diego, roughly an hour from each, and has amassed quite a collection of excellent vegan restaurants that are definitely worth the visit.

Since it would probably take at least a few dozen paragraphs to tell you about all the vegan options in Orange County, I've decided to spare you a wall of text and instead recommend restaurants based on meal-times throughout the day, from brunch to a late night snack. A lot of people will be coming to town this upcoming weekend to attend the Natural Products Expo, not to mention those who visit for the beaches or Disneyland on a regular basis, so now is the perfect time to recommend the best vegan options for those on a tight schedule or for those that may only be visiting Orange County for a day or two. I've only included restaurants that are unique to Orange County so you can maximize your time and try new things!

The vegan Huevos Rancheros at Seabirds Kitchen

Restaurant Review: Bodhi Tree Vegan Cafe in Huntington Beach, CA

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

For one reason or another, I had never been to Bodhi Tree Vegan Cafe in Huntington Beach, though it is on the busy Main Street and I must have walked by it a dozen times! It is tucked into a row of storefronts slightly up from the hustle and bustle of the Main Street and offers a welcome respite from the crowds and traffic. Mister Spooky and I went on a Sunday around lunch, and we were the only ones there.

We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated. I was surprised how large it was on the inside with lots of tables, plus outside seating as well. This would be a perfect place for large groups and/or meet ups! The ambiance was warm and inviting, even peaceful (despite the Christmas music still playing). Maybe it was just that we had the whole place to ourselves or that our hostess/server was so welcoming, but I felt totally relaxed there.

Vegan Donuts at The Donuttery in Huntington Beach, CA

The Donuttery's vegan donuts 

(don't mind the bite taken out of one...I couldn't wait!)

Two words - vegan donuts!!

This little hole-in-the-wall donut shop off Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach now carries vegan cake donuts (and raised donuts as of February 2015), woo hoo! I can't remember the last time I had a donut, so as soon as I heard this place was carrying vegan donuts I hightailed it over there to get my paws on some cakey deliciousness.

As soon as I walked in to the establishment I was greeted by the lovely sight of a sign that read "We now serve Vegan donuts" and rows and rows of vegan donuts. Woo hoo!

The Donuttery's vegan donut selection

I chose three cake donuts to try - a lemon-glazed one with sprinkles (please see the update below - the sprinkles used at The Donuttery are NOT vegan!), maple-glazed one sprinkled with nuts and a chocolate glazed one. I am not sure what I was expecting, but certainly not the deliciousness my mouth was greeted with! All the donuts had the perfect cake-like consistency and the glazes were divine. They were sweet without being overpowering and they tasted just like I remember donuts tasting. My favorite was the lemon-glaze one because it was sweet and tangy. Mmmm mmmmmm mmmm!!

The Donuttery is open 24 hours a day, so if you are in the mood for vegan donuts at 3 AM and live around Huntington Beach you can get them! Score!

The Donuttery is located at Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue and also carries a variety of non-vegan donuts, coffee drinks, salads and sandwiches (I didn't see anything vegan-friendly on their food menu, though).

UPDATE #1: Someone has brought to my attention that the sprinkles used on the vegan donuts ARE NOT vegan! The sprinkles contain confectioners glaze (i.e. crushed up bugs) and therefore are not vegan. The donuts themselves are vegan, though, so you could order the ones without sprinkles.

UPDATE #2: The Donuttery no longer uses non-vegan sprinkles on their vegan donuts and has better educated themselves on vegan ingredients, so you are free to enjoy all their vegan donuts! They now also carry RAISED vegan donuts, vegan donut holes and vegan bars!