Vegan boutique and specialty food shop stocking a variety of food and products, including hard-to-find items. Has mock meats and vegan cheeses, snacks and sweets, plus fashion accessories as well as pet food. Open since Feb 2014 and changed ownership in 2015 to Animal Place animal sanctuary. Proceeds now go to benefit the sanctuary. Reported closed August 2020.
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1624 University Ave, Berkeley, California, USA, 94703
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Last update on 10 Aug 2020 by Guest
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21 Reviews
First Review by rwalker
Moneyz
Points +497
Find vegan essentials here! - Edit
I love all vegan stores! This store is stocked with everything from vegan t-shirts, vegan stickers, chapsticks, documentaries, etc. They offer a lot of unique and hard to find items all in one place. If you are a vegan cheese fan they hands downs have the most options. They have pizzas, ice creams, mock meats, vegan versions of popular candy bars such as Snickers, Reese's butter cups, crunch etc. They sell chips, milks, cereals and more. I love coming and finding new items, best of all if you shop here you are actually supporting a sanctuary.😄The workers are super chill and nice. I'm pretty sure if there was something you wanted they could also order it for you. Here are the negatives, I wish it was bigger and offered produce, and as many vegan specialty products go, items can be pricey.
Read morePros: Abundance of options, Friendly Staff, Support a Sanctuary!
Cons: Wish offered produce, Pricey
Guest
taiwanesetexan
Points +9512
Vegan junk food heaven - Edit
No fresh produce here: come for the sweet and savory snacks, packaged goods, and stunning array of pasta sauces. They also carry black salt, which has a sulfuric flavor that makes anything you sprinkle it on taste like eggs. Check out the freezer on the right side wall for pizzas and such. The staff are really nice, and I wanted to buy the whole store.
Read morePros: hard-to-find vegan products, fair prices, great staff members
Cons: no produce
Guest
ChristopherSJ
Points +60
Yay! - Edit
100% vegan! They have lots of specialty products you won’t find anywhere else. They recently expanded so now they have even more stuff. Really nice people too. And profits go to support an animal shelter. It’s a win-win/win!
Read moreGuest
Zombiecynthia
Points +5559
Vegan Haven - Edit
Love love love this place! Super rad staff. Everything is vegan approved! And they carry stuff from other vegan places in store! Proceeds go to the animals! Today I paid a “chicken tax” to help feed the chickens at the Animal Place sanctuary! Yay! So not only are you getting vegan goodies, you’re helping the ANIMALS!
Read morePros: All VEGAN everything!, Kombucha, Super friendly staff
Guest
badgirlsvegan
Points +2102
Good for pantry items! - Edit
I recently restocked my pantry items with vegan snacks for my couch sessions in front of the TV. Thank you, Animal Republic!
Read moreGuest
TheVeganNarwhal
Points +257
Very cool - Edit
This place is great for when you're looking for that obscure vegan product that even your local Whole Foods doesn't carry. Love the community outreach they do here as well, such as B12 shot clinic, etc. Great addition to the city.
Read moreGuest
dvcucsc
Points +80
how cool is this?! - Edit
Wow this place is amazing. Lots of hard to find vegan products. I especially liked the options for fun baked goods and candies. Vegan junk food paradise. The best part, all the proceeds go to an animal shelter in Grass Valley
Read moreGuest
MizzB
Points +3833
Excellent 100% vegan grocer - Edit
100% Vegan grocer in downtown Berkeley! Wow! All the sweeter in that all the profits benefit animal sanctuary! Sells staple food items, snacks, canned goods, boxed mixes, shelf stable, refrigerated & frozen foods, plus prepared foods from some local vegan vendors. Should be one of these in every city/community. Friendly knowledgeable personnel. The day I first visited, No Worries Vegan food truck was popped up outside, serving tasty Filipino food to go. My second visit was for their Vegan Jerky Taste-off. Delicious samples of various vegan jerky sold in store. And I won a prize pack of jerky!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-07-30
Pros: 100% vegan grocer, affordably priced, Convenient location downtown Berkeley, Proceeds benefit Animal Place, animal sactuary
Cons: Small. No fresh produce
Guest
sportsoul
Points +134
Really Nice - All Vegan Selection - Edit
I like the selection here. In every section there seems to be something you get nowhere else, but you can also find your favorites. Every time I go, I get something I've never seen/tried before.
Read moreScored a cruelty free wallet here and I recall they do have some clothing, makeup, and jewelry in addition to groceries.
Great place to grab and go and to get something for meals at home.
Pros: Near home, Glad they exist, Folks behind the counter have been cool
Guest
Marthazon
Points +113
For all your vegan needs - Edit
This place has EVERYTHING. Seriously. Even vegan pet food. Besides food they also sell some apparel and accessories. Definitely come check it out; I am positive you'll find your favorite vegan products as well as something new to try!
Read morePros: Quantity of products
Cons: Location might not be convenient for some
Guest
alexandra_vegan
Points +1549
The best ethical store, all profits go to Animal Place Sanctuary - Edit
The shop is bigger than I expected and sells a lot of products including sweets and chocolates (also rice milk chocolates, the best), snacks, spreads&pates, vegan meats and milks, frozen products, vegan apparel.
Read moreThe prices for some products are a bit higher that at bigger stores, but as I said, you shop here for a good cause, and with your purchase you're supporting a great organisation in helping the animals.
Guest
sncpapa
Points +160
Great Place to Check Out - Edit
All items are vegan. Lot's of hard-to-find items like Butler's Soy Curls, Upton's seasoned jackfruit, and VeganEgg. There is no produce such as greens, carrots, etc. They stock vegan packaged items like meat substitutes, cheese substitutes, etc. It's fun place check out and proceeds help an animal sanctuary.
Read moreGuest
SFRobbie
Points +1102
Awesome ALL VEGAN everything store - Edit
What a great concept! I will definitely be looking for any excuse I can make to get to Berkeley to support this store. All profits go to support a farm animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, California. It's like a vegan's dream playground with both common food items available in large chain grocery stores plus many unique items that I've never seen. The prices are a bit cheaper at the big chain stores, but I felt really good paying a little extra to support this store and the animal sanctuary rather than supporting mega-corporation profits. And the selection is WAY better here. Staff can steer you in the right direction if you are overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar products. Thank you Vegan Republic!
Read morePros: you don't have to ask--EVERYTHING is vegan, supports a great cause, easy neighborhood parking/public transportation ac
Guest
vegan_ryan
Points +3869
All-vegan junk-food-lover's paradise - Edit
This store was actually overwhelming for me. There were so many novelty items I'd never seen or heard of before, and I had a hard time choosing.
Read moreIt's really cool, but attempting to try everything they have would take forever and cost a fortune. I settled on some imitation cheez-its and some jerkey. Very surreal experience.
Pros: All vegan
Guest
saveur
Points +1168
Lots of great things here - Edit
Lots of great new vegan things here. Some I have never seen before, either, including Miyoko's cheese and Booda Butter. Loved it. Prices served ok and even support an animal sanctuary. Definitely stop by if possible.
Read moreGuest
SonjaCPA
Points +5270
vegan boutique - Edit
We stopped in to check out Vegan Republic and it's definitely a specialty item boutique as opposed to a grocery store. There were lots of snack items and refrigerated/frozen items like cheese, meats and convenience foods. They also had some beauty and clothing merchandise as well. It was great buying some hard to find vegan items while supporting a wonderful sanctuary. Definitely stop by to support them.
Read morePros: vegan speciality items , friendly staff
Guest
corinal
Points +1698
A must-stop for vegans! - Edit
A nice surprise as we were walking down University Ave! There was too much to buy and not enough room in the car. The salted caramel so delicious ice cream with salted caramel sauce was amazing. It has a good selection of vegan classics and new treats to try. The so delicious cool whip is so good.
Read morePros: Great selection, New goodies
Guest
AshleyLorden
Points +1254
Great little shop! - Edit
As a sign at Republic of V will tell you, they're 1 of only 8 all-vegan stores in the US. That's pretty sad, but it means you should take the time to stop by if you're in Berkeley, support them and discover a fun new product!
Read moreIt's metered street parking for this small shop with an appealing variety of dry and refrigerated/frozen vegan food staples as well as a small lifestyle section with things like vegan slogan T-shirts, pins and bumper stickers, and animal-free belts, wallets, purses, and skincare. They also have a pets rack with food and treats for dogs and cats. Featured are both local products like Miyoko's cheeses, fresh S+M sandwiches, Califia Farms almond milks, as well as specialty products imported from around the world.
Although it's definitely not a replacement for shopping elsewhere (no produce, etc.), it's worth it to add Republic of V to your routine to discover vegan products at competitive prices in a really positive atmosphere. Also a go for shopping for a vegan if you're unfamiliar with the products, new/transitioning people to discover a lot of excellent resources, or anyone who might normally resort to order specialty products online (Matt+Nat bags, vegan fish oil, bulk nutritional yeast...) to check out in person.
Pros: Competitive prices, Good selection, Fun snarky shelf labels
Guest
modified-vegan
Points +22
We need more stores like this - Edit
I was so overwhelmed walking into this store, as EVERYTHING is vegan! They have almost every specialty vegan item you could think of. I would live in this store if I could, it's literally a vegan's dream.
Read morePros: friendly staff, reasonably priced
Cons: small
Guest
sandramv
Points +110
So grateful for this place! - Edit
First of all, wow! To go into a grocery store and have everything be vegan, first of all, is amazing. Second, they have all the products you were hoping to find and more. They have food, accesories, t-shirts, some make-up/beauty care stuff, treats and food for dogs and cats, among other things. Everyone there is always super nice and helpful. I always go with Whiskey, my dog, and they give him treats and he's even been in a photo on their page! I go there at least once a month, to stock up on stuff for me, and buy stuff to send in my monthly vegan swap box! Their selection is perfect to send my swap box friends, since there are local things that some people don't know about yet! :)
Read morePros: That I don't live close by! :P
Guest
rwalker
Points +116
This is the greatest store ever!!! - Edit
This place is fantastic!!! They have everything I ever dreamed of, and it's all VEGAN!!!!! So many specialty foods with tons of variety. I Love this place!!!
Read morePros: Variety, Price, Location
Cons: I Wish It Was Bigger!!!
Guest
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