Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
Fast food
Juice bar
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Several locations in California. Extensive menu includes many vegetarian dishes: sandwiches, salads, pasta, smoothies, a veggie soup of the day (sometimes vegan). You can ask to veganize a dish using veganaise, etc. Reported closed February 2023.
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508 State St, Santa Barbara, California, USA, 93101
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 28 Feb 2023 by jbohrer60
Update business info
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21 Reviews
First Review by irlandaise
TaraKellyFerguson
Points +252
Cozy place - Edit
Cozy place! With plenty of vegan options available.
Read moreThe people working here are very helpful
Guest
SusanT125
Points +124
Great options for gluten free and vegan - Edit
Easy walk up ordering. Nice selection of salads, pasta,pizza and sandwiches.
Read moreGuest
Dirkster
Points +705
Healthy and fast. - Edit
Perfect for a fast stop when exploring the city. I had the falafel sandwich. Simple but delicious.
Read moreGuest
JeremyLaLonde
Points +573
Simple and amazing - Edit
So many great options and they have a special marked up menu that can show you all the vegan options - which are plentiful. Delicious simple clean food.
Read morePros: Good prices, Lots of variety, Fresh and delicious
Guest
KennyChism
Points +20
great tasty options - Edit
i frequent the natural cafe, especially when i want to share a meal with friends to talk about veganism. many great vegan options. casual atmosphere that is inviting for anyone!
Read morePros: no beef on the menu, plenty of vegan options
Cons: somewhat expensive ($10-12), still serve dead animals
Guest
ca1216wmu06
Points +66
Delicious food - Edit
The food was absolutely amazing - I had the tamale with no sour cream. The staff was really knowledgeable about ensuring the meal was vegan. I even double checked that the filling was in fact meatless - it looked like ground meat! SUPER tasty, would give a 5 star rating if I could!
Read morePros: Easy to eat vegan and/or vegetarian , Knowledgeable and friendly staff
Guest
Josy
Points +35
The perfect lunch - Edit
A lovely salad maybe ½ a portion would have been enough... the salmon was delicious ...
Read moreThe chicken fajitas were delicious and fajita was not too heavy...
Price wise ...just right!
Service and quality of food ... excellent !
Pros: Lots vegan option, Price, Quality of food and service
Cons: More outdoor space , Better indications for service, Wanly tables
Guest
fai_mou
Points +18
Filling Vegan options - Edit
I ordered the Hungry Planet Burger and it was absolutely delicious! I loved the plant-based patty along with the sprouted grains. However, I do wish they would list the ingredients of the patty and bun, because as we all know, just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean a few unhealthy ingredients can’t be snuck in 😉.
Read morePros: filling vegan options
Cons: Need to specify on ingredients used
Guest
megdunn7
Points +76
Good meals, casual cafe - Edit
Healthy and hearty meals that are very good. Most of the menu is vegetarian so if it’s not already vegan, things can be left out or vegan cheese substituted.
Read morePros: Cute little patio on state street, Fast service, Simple good food
Guest
danisoto89
Points +18
Great healthy vegan options - Edit
5 stars! Great vegan options. Very healthy
Read moreGuest
GlampingDudes
Points +18
Hungry Planet Burger!!! - Edit
Good for non-vegans as well with great vegan options. We had the Hungry Planet Burger with a side of guacamole. Vegan cheese and Veganaise. Hella good!!!
Read moreGuest
Zazana
Points +106
Delicious organic food and great place - Edit
Most of the food is vegetarian and there are some vegan options (you can easily veganize things). Food is great, fresh and delicious and portions are more than okay. There are a lot of choices, we ate here twice for lunch and once for dinner. I loved everything I ate here: the Zen Burger, the Natural burger and the 'local favorite sandwich'. My boyfriend who isn't vegetarian loved the food as well. Juices and smoothies are tasty. Staff is friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable. I'm really sad that we don't have places like this one in The Netherlands... I think this one should come to Europe!
Read moreGuest
ShantiPeace
Points +496
Okay. - Edit
I was happy to find this place as I was with a sailing group at the beach right there. I stuck with veggie filled potatoes and was grateful enough. Not highest quality but at least I got a veg meal.
Read moreGuest
pinkstephy
Points +53
Yummy! - Edit
Natural Cafe is Super Yummy and a great place for both Vegan and non-veg eaters. Highly Recommended for visitors.
Read moreThe state street location is a wonderful place to eat downtown during/after a day of shopping on State Street or around the beach.
Pros: yummy , good value , location
Guest
corinal
Points +1738
Great vegan milkshakes, mediocre food - Edit
Their carrot vegan milkshake is amazing! Their food, however, is boring, bland, and uncreative. It's too bad because there is such potential for this kind of place.
Read morePros: milkshakes, Good vibe, Nice to sit outside in the sun
Cons: Boring food
Guest
m@earthville
Points +9935
So-so: acceptably tasty, marginally healthful - Edit
All the Natural Café locations serve the same middle-of-the-road fare: nothing stellar, but plenty of OK options.
Read moreOur main complaint about the Natural Café, besides the fact that it serves meat and doesn't always get special orders right (e.g. vegan special orders are sometimes served with dairy and must be sent back, etc.), is that the food is neither remarkably flavorful nor remarkably healthful. It's perfectly acceptable and better than a restaurant that makes no effort to use healthful, natural ingredients, but that's about all we can say in praise of the food. They do not make a point of using organic produce, and a lot of the food is fattening, so though "natural" is in the name, that doesn't strongly equate with genuinely healthful food.
Put less delicately: the Natural Cafe serves food that tastes like "health food" but isn't in fact especially healthful.
That said, we still prefer it to most other restaurants in Santa Barbara because at least they do have some OK vegan options and at least they do make a minimal effort to use fresh and "natural" (though not organic) ingredients.
Recommended (though not very enthusiastically) are the tempeh tacos (order without cheese) and the "natural tamale" (order without sour cream).
In the end, if flavor is more important to you than the minimal attempt at "natural" cuisine, you might be happier with one of Santa Barbara's several veg*n-friendly Asian and Italian restaurants (e.g. Shanghai on Milpas or Galanga just down State Street).
Pros: Several vegan options, Minimally healthful
Cons: Serves meat, Not dependable in catering to vegans, Not organic
Guest
marlasinger
Points +24
If Chuck Norris were any tougher, he'd be vegan. - Edit
I sat in the Natural Cafe for several hours while waiting for a friend. How pleased I was to find coffee refills are free! The atmosphere is quite pleasant and I even had some people join my table. :) The guacamole is amazing, so I suggest getting at least a side of it. My salad was beyond delicious and had a hefty amount of tofu (yay, protein!). I intend to go back and try as many other things on the menu as veganly possible. Just looking at the dishes being eaten around me caused me to salivate (even after consuming my own feast).
Read morePros: delicious, wholesome, relaxed
Cons: busy
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
ideal location on State Street - Edit
Enjoy the large outdoor seating and soak in the sun and watch the tourists idling by. The bread isn't vegan (honey) so the sandwiches have to be done in pita's. You order at the register in back and then they bring you the food via a # they give you. The girl at the register was pretty knowledgeable on what was and wasn't vegan, but I think they accidentally put the wrong non vegan sauce on my sandwich, which they did put in the pita...
Read morePros: location, outdoor seating
Cons: could be more vegan
Guest
fancy!
Points +87
Natural Goodness! - Edit
I go to the Natural Cafe every time I am in Santa Barbara. It has a great location on State Street with plenty of outdoor seating so you can enjoy the weather and vibe of the bustling street.
Read moreThey have a huge menu and a juice bar.
My boyfriend loves to get the chili cheese dog (the Zog Dog) which he gets with no cheese because it is one of the few places he can get that dish that he loved when he was younger. It is like comfort food.
I've had the tempeh tacos, falafel pita pocket, natural salads with tahini dressing, stuffed potatoes, and veggies over tofu and rice. They also have veggie burgers, veggie chili and many other options...burritos, etc! So much to choose from.
They are not 100% veggie but they let you sub and modify orders. The staff is friendly and the cafe is nice and open and comfortable.
Pros: great location, healthy cuisine, good value
Cons: not 100% vegetarian
Guest
jamber79
Points +376
good healthy casual place - Edit
Very casual, almost fast food style, so very quick and inexpensive. Right in the heart of State St. where all the fun shops are. Had the Super-Natural platter which is cornbread topped with veggies, beans, cheese, etc. which was very good. Tried the pesto pasta and it was good too.
Read morePros: fast, inexpensive
Guest
irlandaise
Points +149
Good in a pinch - Edit
When my husband and I first started eating at "Nat-Caf" it seemed like there were many many more veg dishes, and only a few dead animal options on the menu. They have been moving more and more into the chicken-and-fish realm and a couple of times I have actually found bits of dead bird in my sauteed tofu (though not recently). If you're in a hurry, on your lunch break, or just passing through town looking for a bite to eat, the Natural Cafe will work in a pinch. The staff are pretty friendly but a lot of them don't really seem to get the "vegans don't eat sour cream" concept. Oh well! You could do worse! (If you are vegan, be wary of the soy cheese, not caisin free!)
Read morePros: Fast, Casual, Reasonably Priced
Cons: Less and less VEG options, More and more meat being served
Guest
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