Vegan-friendly
American
International
Delivery
Take-out
Catering
Breakfast
Casual setting, order at the counter. Offers breakfast items until noon, veggieburgers, salads, stir frys, Mexican plates, pasta, and more. Has a children's menu. Gluten free options. Originally known as McDharmas. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-8:00pm.
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4250 Capitola Rd, Capitola, California, USA, 95010
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Last update on 07 Dec 2024 by JoyZ
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61 Reviews
First Review by Delmar831
DannyG
Points +77
DELICIOUS FOOD!! - Edit
My partner and I ordered dinner there and had the most delicious veggie burrito, steamed veggies and vegetarian chili dog we’ve ever had!! They were SOOOOO GOOOD!! The food portion sizes were huge as well. They also had a quite expansive menu. Highly recommend this place! Enjoy!
Read morePros: Food was incredibly tasty, Very large portions, Great atmosphere
Guest
Chilaf
Points +385
Great ambience - Edit
Order at the counter and sit down. Lots of plants, string lights and a little fountain in a casual setting. Sits about 70 people. Pricey ($64 for 2 meals + a beer) but large portions. Lots of vegan options, could go back multiple times and try something new. Vegan desserts and shakes also on the menu.
Read morePros: Very pretty, Easy parking, Large portions
Cons: Kinda pricey, No ambiance music
Guest
Kwigles
Points +211
Reuben🥹 - Edit
So many vegan options and the Reuben was smacking. Cozy goofy interior with some crunchy Santa Cruz locals
Read morePros: Flavor and creativity
Guest
SarahS88
Points +2619
Been here many times - Edit
Is generally a solid option for the area. Portions are huge! Ask staff for help on what is vegan. Food is good and reminds me of 70s California food in a good way.
Read more4 stars simply because I wish they were completely vegan.
Guest
Vegan_Newsie
Points +351
Nice to dine in - Edit
Everything here is vegetarian and most dishes can also be made vegan. Regardless, there are plenty of vegan options without having to ask for modifications and they are delicious! They also offer a wide variety of dishes such as, pastas, Mexican, American, and Asian. The drinks menu is the same as well with plenty of options from warm to cold style drinks. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful filled with lots of plants. At first I wanted to eat outside but after walking in, I decided to stay inside and enjoy the beauty of the restaurant. Customer service is great and was even allowed to try a few samples of the soups. I ended up going with the salad and soup plate. The salad was the regular Gardener’s Salad with the Lemon Tahini dressing. For the soup I had the Malaysian Corn Chowder which was delicious! The shake was raspberry flavored and I felt it was a bit too sweet for what I am used to but still good.
Read moreThe only downside about this restaurant are the prices. Just my salad and shake turned out to cost $35.
Updated from previous review on 2024-07-15
Pros: Great customer service , Wide variety of options , Beautiful indoors
Cons: Pricing , No table service
Guest
aims8
Points +116
All vegetarian all the time - Edit
This is a go to for vegetarian food. They have a few cheaper dishes, but fairly expensive otherwise. You can expect healthy food with large portions. A relaxing place to sit and eat, you order at the counter and they have a variety of seating options. I always come back here after I get tired of finding a piece of meat in my food somewhere else. I like the Bo Thai with rice noodles. The daily soup and yam combo is a good budget friendly option. 
Read morePros: All veg, Friendly staff, Relaxed casual atmosphere
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Gopala108
Points +4004
fully vegetarian restaurant with many vegan options - Edit
I recently went to Dharma's with my Uncle. We both loved the ambiance. It was spacious with cool paintings and artwork. It had a lot of character. Service was very friendly.
Read moreIt is a fully vegetarian restaurant that has been around since 1981. Most all the items can be made vegan. The menu is quite extensive and thus ordering can be tricky to know what is best to get.
I went with the Tempeh Reuben. I had it made vegan by leaving out the Swiss cheese and leaving out the thousand island dressing. It would have been nice for them to add vegan cheese and vegan salad dressing instead.
The sandwich was quite good though and perhaps could have been even better. Very nice presentation.
My Uncle got the lasagna. He found it underwhelming. He felt he order the wrong thing yet he appreciated the ambiance and friendly service.
He would be willing to return to try more of the menu and I would return as well.
Recommended checking out if in Santa Cruz!
Pros: fully vegetarian restaurant with many vegan option
Guest
themuppetlibrarian
Points +2865
Glad it exists - Edit
There’s not many places with a vegan menu as big as Dharmas in the Santa Cruz area. It’s also almost a cultural landmark because it’s been there so long. I’m taking away a star because it’s annoying to customize vegetarian dishes into vegan, and not everything can be customized as vegan.
Read moreGuest
andyjng
Points +5554
Pricy but Full of Options - Edit
Dharma's offers a huge variety of vegetarian fare that can easily be made vegan. You order at the counter and wait for your number to be called.
Read moreI ordered the Mega Burger ($18) vegan style. Their burger is a protein and bean mashed creation (so no Beyond/Impossible meats here) and the 'mega' part includes grilled soy meat replicating bacon, tomatoes, and grilled onions. The box also included some greens and a side of spicy potatoes. They happily recommended I sub the cheese for guacamole and removed the 1000 island dressing for a soy mayo. Erm, Heck yes! There was also no up charge for the guac so that is a win in itself.
Loved the black bean patty that they created and would get that again in a heartbeat. Keep in mind that because it uses a lot of soy substitutes, it can be very heavy. Make sure to eat your greens at some point during your day to balance out such a meal.
Although great, the pricing is high so try to split your meal into two to make it last longer.
Pros: Lots of vegetarian options
Cons: Pricy for portions
Guest
amyvotta
Points +631
Always a winner - Edit
I’ve been dining at Dharma’s for years. They make an amazing vegan milkshake, among other things. Today I had their delicious soup/salad combo for lunch. The Kitchari is so satisfying & yummy. Vegan salad dressings include a yummyTahini-Lemon. Extensive menu & most things can be made vegan.
Read moreGuest
lvincent67
Points +88
Delicious! - Edit
I got the Bo Pad Thai was very good—I got it with rice because they said their rice noodles were not gluten-free, which is weird.The Kicheree was good. And the tofu scramble was pretty good—would have been better with some veggies or tomatoes, and I like my potatoes cooked more thoroughly. I wanted to order vegan pesto, but they were out. Still pretty good though. I also saw lots of other dishes that looked delicious too! Next time. I’m definitely coming back.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan and gluten-free options!, Good food, Large portions
Cons: Expensive for self-service
Guest
KellyHudson
Points +523
Delicious Healthy Variety - Edit
Love the food, the beautiful green plants and the paintings. The food has always been amazing. A little pricey but worth it, the servings are great.
Read moreI’ve been eating there since 1988 when I was only 9 years old. McDonalds sued them in 1988 when they were called McDharmas and they had to drop the “Mc”
Pros: Lots of vegan options & large portion sizes , Healthy & organic , Beautiful restaurant with plants
Cons: Expensive (but worth the price)
Guest
JoanneNJeff
Points +93
Great food, huge menu, ample portions! - Edit
Very casual restaurant with a broad menu….tons of vegan and gluten free options….the various tofu scrambles, the breakfast burrito, and the spring rolls are all huge highlights in our book!
Read moreGuest
beetsrock
Points +813
Huge menu - Edit
First-time here and ordered the most popular dish according to the staffer: Bo Thai. It was delicious and a good size portion. I would go back if I was looking to indulge in a vegan junk food craving — not a lot of healthful items on the menu.
Read morePros: Big menu, Lots of seating, Parking
Guest
AndreStamos
Points +20
Best Veg/Vegan restaurant in Santa Cruz - Capitola - Edit
Dharma’s is a wonderful veg/vegan restaurant. The food is fresh and tasty. The vibe is casual and laid back, in particular it is a great place for Sunday brunch (Sunday in Capitola is about as relaxing and laid-back as you can get.) My favorite is the Tempeh Reuben sandwich. There is good parking right in front but if the lot is full nearby parking is usually available, but on weekdays the parking can sometimes be difficult. When a restaurant has a large menu selection it is usually a bad sign, but Dharma’s does an excellent job serving a diverse menu.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Lots of selections, Generous portions
Cons: Can get crowded
Zombiecynthia
I totally enjoy thorough reviews like these! Thanks so much for letting us know about the VIBE!
Read moreGuest
AshleyKolodziej
Points +86
Quantity over quality and pricey, look elsewhere if you’re traveling - Edit
I’ll lead with the core problem - it cost us $76 to get a side of chips and guacamole, two entrees, and two drinks on cafeteria trays you bring back to the table yourself after your name is called out over a microphone. Back in Boston, $76 is about what I would pay for a nice meal at a mid-tier to fancy restaurant with table service. Everything here is roughly $20-25 a plate and the taste and ambiance just don’t justify that cost. This place reminds me of Cheesecake Factory in theory and pricing, except at Cheesecake Factory, with your huge portion sizes and the $25 a plate cost, you also get table service, nice ambiance, and the food tastes good.
Read moreYes, the portion sizes are huge, but I don’t want two meals in one that don’t taste all that good while I’m traveling. It would help if you could order half portions to reduce food waste in cases where you can’t bring the leftovers home.
Still, $12.50 is more than I would have paid for a half portion of the butternut squash ravioli I got. It looked and tasted like prepackaged ravioli. I ordered it with a basil, garlic, and olive oil sauce, and it didn’t have much flavor at all. It really could have used some salt and was overall edible, but very bland. I can deal with undersalted food, but at this price point and for being billed on the menu as being a “house specialty”, the butternut squash ravioli was really disappointing and an expensive mistake.
My partner had better luck with his enchiladas, but they weren’t $25 a plate good. It seems like as a vegetarian restaurant, one of the things they rely on to make things taste good is dairy products, and don’t necessarily know how to compensate for the lack of salt and flavor when they are removed. I guess that’s fine and all for vegetarians, but on that same note, I can slap cheese and sour cream on something and make it taste good too. Why spend so much for that?
I regret going here for my only meal in the Santa Cruz area. It was down to this and Cafe Gratitude and both my partner and I agreed that this wasn’t a good choice after we ate. If the costs were lower, I wouldn’t have had such high expectations and would have let a lot of these things slide. This would be a 1 star review, but Happy Cow gives an automatic star for being fully vegetarian, so I can’t rate this any lower than 2 stars. I hope they improve their vegan cooking and become less reliant on dairy for flavor.
Updated from previous review on 2022-03-06
Cons: Very pricey for quality of food, Not a nice sit down or dinner atmosphere, No options for ordering small/half portions
Guest
debaser
Points +111
So good, and soooo much food - Edit
This place was amazing. I was in Capitola for 4 days with my family (there were 9 of us, all of whom are vegetarian and/or vegan) and I ate there twice. The first night I had dinner there and the 2nd time we had brunch. The staff and food were excellent. TONS of options for vegan/vegetarian & GF.
Read moreI tried many things in my two visits including the Vegan Reuben, Tempe Terriyaki Burger, Tofu Scramble, Pasta, Kitcheree, & Terriyaki Rice Bowl. Each of them was excellent… I should’ve just eaten all my meals here, I could’ve easily had some thing different with every meal😄
Pros: So many options, Exceptional Service, Great food.
Guest
darren2dream
Points +327
Mega Burger or bust!! - Edit
I love Dharma's and have pulled many people out of the way to hit this place up while on the road.
Read moreThe menu is kinda huge and the portions are as well. I live for the mega burger, it's amazing and it's too large but every single time I think I can finish the plate. I often do and then I'm in pain for a while :)
Ambiance isn't really the reason to visit, it's a basic place where you order at the counter, bus your own dishes, plenty of seating and, it's in a small strip mall kinda thing. But if you show up hungry, you will not be let down. Did I mention the Mega Burger? There are also other nice things on the menu (or so I hear).
Pros: Portions are huge
Guest
VeganChatLady
Points +206
Great veggie comfort food - Edit
Visiting the area this weekend, partially to be close to Dharma’s! I ordered the mega burger, which was veganized w vegan mayo and cheese. Huge portion w soy strips and grilled potatoes on the side. I love that Dharma’s has tons of variety: Mexican, Asian, burgers, shakes,breakfast all day , plus sides from tofu scramble to mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. Easy online ordering, will probably be back again soon.
Read morePros: Much of the menu is vegan., Generous portions, Variety of dishes
Guest
dan&mia
Points +759
Huge variety, good food - Edit
We've eaten here a bunch of times and always enjoy it.
Read moreGuest
johnnytallica
Points +105
Never disappoints - Edit
The service is always great, very helpful staff. The food is delicious, they always rotate the menu, but my wife and I always find incredible vegan options that are so tasty! The portions are huge, but the food is so good we always finish our meals.
Read moreGuest
kalavinka
Points +250
Best vegan options in the county - Edit
This is my favorite vegan restaurant in the county and I'm giving it 3 stars. That should tell you something about this county. The portions are generous but the price of some items cannot be justified. Everytime I order from here, my wallet tells me I should just cook at home. This is an old school vegetarian place (it shows when you go inside) where the inspiration is Indian vegetarian, yet most of the menu is vegan--they just don't tell you that. So everytime you order, just say "vegan" to make sure they get it right. Given that they have vegan cheese, it's a little puzzling that not all items with cheese can be made vegan but I appreciate that they know their limits. Best garlic bread ever.
Read morePandemic complaint: they cannot get their act together. Normally would give them 4 or 5 stars but the service has been awful for over a year. The first couple of months, I figured they were adjusting but they never got better. Order weekly and they never get the order right. Not kidding. Orders wrong so many times that I've stopped telling them because I don't want to get banned. Simple things like changing the default non-vegan dressing to a vegan dressing. Ordering multiples of the same item and only getting 1. Ordering a side of overpriced avocado only to go home and realize they never gave you the avocado. Often get home to realize things are wrong but by then they've closed. Started opening the boxes in front of them and scanning my email receipt but still miss things. Online ordering is available but the problem is they handwrite the ticket from the online order and this gets transposed incorrectly. Popular place so orders usually take longer than the estimated time. One time it took about an hour longer. Running out of patience with Dharma's.
Updated from previous review on 2021-05-20
Pros: Tasty food, Large portions
Cons: Expensive, Orders made wrong
Guest
SamanthaKTeng
Points +1469
Lots of veg options - Edit
Been here several times. Have tried the butternut squash ravioli, tofu breakfast burrito, Prima Vera pasta, Brahma burger, corn bread, dharma dog, lasagna, tempeh burger, bbq tofu d’beest and strawberry chocolate milkshake.
Read moreNothing that I’ve had here has ever tasted spectacular/ultra flavorful or super special. My favorite so far has been the bbq tofu d’beest. It’s pretty tasty and hearty.
Portions are very big here. Not all menu items are vegan but most can be made vegan. I’d give this place a 3.5
Guest
anutthar
Points +823
Variant taste - Edit
Soup, salad and potatoes were amazing. The enchiladas were like cardboard and the mega-burger was decent
Read moreGuest
Marc_S
Points +28
Wonderful - Edit
I love this place. Lots of extremely delicious options and very generous servings.
Read moreGuest
naama651
Points +372
Great vegan options - Edit
We took on take out (corona time) the breakfast burrito, the veggie burrito and the chocolate chip cookie, everything was delicious! There were two things that I would change: 1. It will be great to have a white rice option 2. I don't like the brand of their vegan cheese, I hope they will change it (daiya). We will definitely come back😄
Read moreGuest
IreneWalsh
Points +40
Excellent - Edit
Amazing selection of vegan food, plenty to satisfy anyone!
Read morePros: Incredible selection, Delicious food, Enormous portions, had to take out half
Guest
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