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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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64 Reviews
First Review by Delmar831
CKay
Points +148
Good stuff.. - Edit
Just went here for the first time, and thought it was great. Yellow curry tofu scramble was delicious. Prices are decent, the breakfast portions are large, the and staff was friendly. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area..
Read morePros: Tasty, Large Portions, Good Value
Guest
norcal girl
Points +32
in my top 3! :) - Edit
This cute little place is at the top of my list of favorite places in ca to get delicious vegan food. prices are moderate, setting is laid back/hippyish which i like, and the food is sooo good, and generous size portions. I'd list my favorites but then id be here all day. love this place!
Read moreGuest
halrhp
Points +48
One long time staple for local vegetarians - Edit
Formerly McDharmas, but McDonalds sued and when you are a big fat bully, you usually get your way. When you eat a lot of Big Macs, you will more likely be a big fat bully than the gentle folks who eat at Dharmas where there is a highly diverse menu, always good.
Read morePros: variety, quality
Cons: stand, order and wait, crowded at times
Guest
vegboy2009
Points +86
Been a fave for years... - Edit
When I used to live in Santa Cruz, I went here all the time and loved it, but although still pretty good, the quality and attention has slipped a bit. I really miss the air fries, and regular sunflower sprouts.
Read morePros: Quality food, Good selection, Happy, peaceful ambience
Cons: Air fries gone ;'(, Sunflower sprouts not always there
Guest
AmandaUCSC
Points +64
To the point - Edit
Ok, I've lived around the world and I spent 3 years in Santa Cruz. Dharma's is, hands-down, the only mostly vegan (entirely vegetarian) restaurant I've *ever* visited that has many dishes it does quite well (not all are terrific: I would recommend the "Asian-style" dishes for vegan Pad Thai and I LOVE the dan dan noodles, but I was only so-so on the vegan pizza). The Mexican entrees and Italian ones aren't bad either, but I was most impressed with the Asian-style and the salads. The salads are not just fresh and very green, but have a variety of ingredients in them so you won't get bored. :)
Read moreBut here's the best thing this restaurant has: dairy-free 'milk'shakes with about 8-12 different flavors!!! It may cost a lot (I think $5+) for the shake, but you get a pint glass of dairy-free heaven, I am not kidding you I have travelled to Dharma's just for the mint chocolate chip shake, and I've even just ordered a single slice of pizza or small salad in order to save room for it.
The other big item on the dessert menu are any of the cakes they have that day made my Black China bakery - vegan double chocolate, vegan German chocolate ETC. You won't be disappointed. I tasted BC here and then called the company to order my wedding cake.
The major problem with Dharma's is that it's too expensive (please charge me half the cost and give me half the food!) and it's out of the way for those without cars. I lived in downtown Santa Cruz with a bike and no car, and public transport is kind of backwards (often inconvenient and behind schedule), so I wished it had been closer. It makes for a nice afternoon bike ride, but it's definitely not the kind of place you want to be traveling to in the dark on a foggy or cold night in SC (which is often).
Still, I have to say, I have yet to find its match anywhere else I've been or lived (several places in Europe and East Asia).
Note to gluten-free people: they have vegan, gluten-free pizza on the menu.
Pros: lots of variety, fresh ingredients, can share big portions, the dairy-free shakes
Cons: the prices, location
Guest
goodeaten
Points +34
The best resturant ever in the world - Edit
I tell my friend im visiting him in Santa Cruz but really im going there to eat here. All of the breakfast and lunch items are amazing.
Read morePros: good tasting healthy food
Cons: expensive but well worth it
Guest
Sangita
Points +17
Something for everyone - Edit
Dharmas used to be called McDharma's but McDonalds sued them and they changed the name. This restaraunt always has something for every taste from mexican to asian to italian inspired dishes. The food is very good and the portions are gigantic. The atmosphere is really relaxed but it is important to know that they don't allow use of cell phones inside the restaraunt.
Read moreThe only downside are the prices which can be really high.
Pros: variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes
Cons: Pricey
Guest
Benfell
Points +115
Capitola classic - Edit
Yeah, Dharma's.
Read moreEverybody (from around here) knows about Dharma's. It's been here since 1981. It's an institution.
So it is not surprising that on a Monday night, I found a line for dinner when I went in. Neither should it be surprising that parents are bringing in their toddlers, who of course, were running amok.
Yet, cell phones are forbidden. You can't miss the signs; they're all over the place.
As one who brings neither form of annoyance, I was bemused by the preference. I also noticed the menu seemed to favor lunch and breakfast items over dinner items.
So I came back on a Tuesday afternoon and had a Brahma burger. At this writing, there's a salmonella scare on tomatoes; the burger came with only lettuce and a bun, accompanied by what appeared to be boiled potato wedges. There was still a line, but it wasn't as long, and this time, the toddlers were no where in sight. This was a much more pleasant experience, but the burger seemed dry--I really missed the tomatoes.
Guest
groovyvegan
Points +299
Consistently Delicious :-) - Edit
Dharma's has a large selection of food choices, about 95% of which are already vegan or an be made vegan upon request. Their food is not gourmet, but consistently delicious home/deli-style cooking. I've eaten here more times than I can count, and never had anything that was less than 3 stars on a 5 star scale. Most items are 4 or 5 stars. A worker there told me 95% of ingredients are organic.
Read moreMenu categories are Burgers & Dogs, Sandwiches, Mexican Naturals, Salads, Soups, Side Orders, Pasta, International Saute's, Breakfast, Beverages (over 30 choices), Desserts, and New Items. In addition, there are always specials on the board. I especially like their blueberry pancakes, pestoroni (pesto-vegan pepperoni) pizza (a special), bo thai saute, aloha burger, and any salad with tahini lemon dressing. Salad ingredients are always quite fresh. I'd give their soy mint chocolate shake 3 stars, and their Mexican corn bread about 3 1/2.
You wait in line, order at the counter, and pick up your meal when your name is called. At prime meal times, the line can be long. There are lots more seats than a typical vegetarian restaurant, and some outdoor seating where people often eat with their dogs along. Non-sandwich meals often cost in the $10 to $12, but portion sizes are HUGE. I can easily split meals here with my 6'5", 250 lb partner, and we both get plenty to eat. Order takers have never messed up my order.
I really don't have any complaints about this Dharmas. My suggestions are: add some raw foods items, expand the dessert menu to include some vegan chocolate mousse and fruit pies other than just apple, make the nacho's vegan, and expand the fresh juice options.
Pros: Lots of delicious vegan choices, 95% organic, Lots of parking
Cons: Nacho's can't be made vegan, Sometimes a long line, wait
Guest
Delmar831
Points +40
pretty good - Edit
The fact that the menu specifies what items can be "veganised" is very helpful. The food was relatively okay. I really appreciate that they make so many vegan options for things like Mexican Mole.
Read morePros: Vegan options
Cons: Prices
Guest
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