• Chocolate Maven Bakery and Cafe

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Serves meat, vegan options available. Veggie reuben with soy, tofu grill, vegetarian soups, tofu scramble, and tofu migas, pastries made with eggs and dairy. Open Mon-Fri 7:00am-6:00pm, Sat 9:00am-6:00pm, Sun 9:00am-3:00pm.


Venue map for Chocolate Maven Bakery and Cafe
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17 Reviews

First Review by skotting

LiveWellIdyllwild

Points +1298

Vegan
23 Oct 2023

Great breakfast option

As a vegan, finding a breakfast spot is not always easy. Was happy to find this “off the beaten track” option on Happy Cow. Giving 3 stars because of limited options, although the option they did have was very good.

They can make most items vegan by replacing the eggs with tofu scramble. We elected to get their standard vegan scramble, as is. It’s not the normal dry tofu scramble. It had a lovely rice oil with seasoning that made it moist. Came with potatoes and beans. Coffee was excellent too!

This is a full homemade bakery that is primarily wholesale. When you’re sitting in the café you can watch the bakery in action. 

If you’re going for the pastries, they didn’t have vegan options available today (with exception of one muffin). Vegan bakery options are a hit or miss. If you’re vegetarian, but gluten-free, they had a lot of options for you in bakery.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-10

Pros: Tofu scramble “style”, Off the beaten track - unique setting , Can make several options into vegan

Cons: Bakery “Vegan” options- not standard

Baugust

Points +216

Vegan
11 Aug 2023

Great for vegetarians, okay for vegans.

First, the location is great. It is in a larger building and feels almost hidden. The restaurant seating is limited, but there is a glass wall between that seating and the bakery, so you can watch them bake.

If you are vegetarian, the place is great. The breakfast and lunch menus have good options. My kid wanted to go for breakfast and my wife wanted lunch, so we ended up going twice.

The tofu scramble was great. My wife had a classic country breakfast made vegan (tofu, vegan sausage, toast, fried potatoes) and thought it was excellent - especially the bread. My kid had the French toast (not vegan) and it was decadent. We had a very good experience.

For lunch, I had the bahn mi. It was good, but not really a bahn mi. It did come with homemade potato chips and that was the highlight. My wife had the reuben (vegetarian, not vegan) and gave it a solid review.

The bakery looks wonderful, but there are not many vegan options (two cookies when we were there).

I would recommend it for breakfast, especially for those who eat dairy. Vegans can probably find a better fit for lunch.

xbleedcurrentx

Points +543

Vegan
15 May 2023

So freakin good

They have so many things that can be made vegan! We got the migas and country breakfast. Tofu in both was really good! Migas were pretty spicy. They also have some vegan cookies.

challiebread

Points +86

Vegan
18 Mar 2023

Changed my mind!

Order online to see all the vegan options or ask someone! I thought it was only the tofu scramble (which is delicious) but it turns out almost everything egg-based can be made deliciously vegan😄

Updated from previous review on 2021-04-05

Kikleton

Points +112

Vegan
29 Dec 2021

Garlicky Tofu Scramble

Based on the previous reviews I did a beeline to the tofu scramble. On the plus side, the tofu had crispy edges with spinach and tomatoes mixed in. The flavor would have been good had it not been inundated with garlic. I can only really recommend the tofu scramble if you love garlic.

LucyGates

Points +20

Vegan
11 Feb 2020

Amazing tofu scramble!!

It’s very hard to find a good tofu scramble at a non-vegan cafe, but this place did it right!! I’ve had a lot of tofu scrambles in my 23 years of vegan life, and this was one of the best, and it came with delicious potatoes and black beans. Also got a delicious pour over coffee, and they had soy, almond, and oat milk options. Was with 2 other vegans that got the same thing and they also loved it. The ambiance was also very unique because where you eat is next to a giant window that looks into the bakery where all the pastries are being made. Would give it 5 stars if the app allowed me too.

chelsea.elle13

Points +447

Vegan
26 Aug 2019

Very few options

Really disappointed, they shouldn’t even be on happy cow. No vegan desserts, all they really have for vegans is tofu scramble which is so easy to make myself that it’s not even worth it.

Cons: No vegan desserts & limited options, Weird/hidden location

ajw2106

Points +24

Vegan
27 Apr 2019

Good vegan breakfast!

Went here for breakfast the other day and had a great tofu scramble with black beans and smashed potatoes. Great way to start the day! And the staff were very friendly and attentive. There aren’t too many vegan options, but what they have seems great.

laurasaurus

Points +43

Vegan
24 Apr 2019

No vegan desserts

Had the chipotle chicken salad with tofu instead, it had a delicious orange chipotle dressing. But aside from the tofu scramble and one or two other things, not very vegan friendly. Really disappointed there were no vegan options for dessert or baked goods. Service was very friendly , if slow.

ginaanbe

Points +16

Vegan
08 Oct 2018

Not very vegan friendly

Very little vegan options!!! Menu said that most of the menu options could be made vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. Only a few of the savory options can be made vegan. Tofu scramble or the chilaqules. When we asked if it any of the sweet breakfast options i.e. pancakes or waffles or crepes can be made vegan they said no. Also all of the pastries (except 1 type of cupcake) were not vegan and there was at least 50 different types of pastries and desserts! Good for vegetarians and non vegans.

Pros: Tasty food for non vegans , Vegetarian friendly

Cons: Expensive, Very little vegan options

valijoy

Points +70

Herbivore
09 Jan 2018

delicious!

We very much enjoyed our meal here. I would give 5 stars if allowed. I got the tofu scramble for breakfast and it was flavored and spiced perfectly. I was also able to get hot chocolate with almond milk and it was so good. I enjoyed being able to look into the bakery production room as well.

Dazzle59

Points +60

Vegan
23 May 2015

A few standout vegan options!

I agree with vgndrl that Chocolate Maven doesn't offer many vegan options. The owners and chef are Sikhs and ovo-lacto vegetarians, and I wish they would add more vegan options to the menu (especially during dinner). However, that doesn't stop me from visiting the Maven for a soy cappuccino and their New Mexico-style tofu scramble (be sure to request no cheese on the black beans). Also - the Maven's garlic rosemary french fries are out of this world!

Updated from previous review on Tuesday February 07, 2012

stacypatel

Points +157

Vegan
26 Nov 2014

Bland and expensive

We wanted to love this beautiful restaurant so very much. It seats only a handful of tables and faces large glass windows into the production area of the bakery. Although they do offer vegan options, which we appreciate, the offerings we very bland. We ordered the red and green chile breakfast burrito, chilaquiles, all made with organic tofu and breakfast potatoes. The chile was bland, tofu flavorless and not seasoned at all, the food was barely warm. They do have soy milk for coffee drinks, no baked goods that are vegan at all. The prices did not match the quality of what we were served. The staff is helpful and friendly and guided us to the vegan options. In a warehouse district, a bit challenging to find. There are better options for breakfast in Santa Fe.

ecogeek

Points +32

Vegan
21 Apr 2014

Delicious veggie reuben

We stopped by here to taste their veggie reuben and despite the server's comment that they didn't normally make it on the weekends (it was a Saturday) they accommodated us. The reuben was excellent and the chips also very good. Would go back and get a sandwich with veggie soy ingrediants the next time. It was about 2 pm and the café was full of customers. Great to see some veggie choices.

Pros: Friendly, Helpful

binjones

Points +87

Vegan
26 Jan 2013

Chocolate Maven nearly Vegetarian Nirvana

I a vegan, but my wife is not. We were on or annal cross country trip when we came upon te Maven for breakfast. Despite the fact it is not heavy on vegan, what was ordered and the fact that they were willing to accommodate gave us one of the greatest experiences during our trip.
For those who complain about what tey do not have try driving across American and you will see really how much that do provide and how the were accommodating.
We loved the Sante Fe scrambler and wish we could match all of their flavors. The black beans were great even sans the cheese We highly recommend the Chocolate Maven

Pros: Flavor, Simplicity, Complexity

Cons: Limited

vgndrl

Points +23

Vegan
06 Jan 2009

Vegan friendly? I think not.

I was travelling through New Mexico on my way to Colorado and did some research to see what places I could stop at for dinner while in town. I decided that I should stop by Chocolate Maven after reading the reviews on this site. I was very disappointed when I arrived at tea time and was informed that there was nothing vegan available. The women behind the counter told me that all pastries are made with eggs and dairy and that some of the premade food was vegetarian, but not vegan. They were very unwilling to make any sort of alterations to the food to make them vegan. I would recommend this place to vegetarians but definitely not to vegans and suggest removing "vegan friendly" from this restaurants information on this site.

Pros: Veg friendly

Cons: Nothing vegan

wnoyes21

30 Aug 2013

I think perhaps you had an un-informed server. Many of the Mavens pastries are egg and dairy free, although they don't label them vegan. Perhaps what they serve during tea-time is different, I've never attempted it, but I would give them another try if you pass through again.

skotting

Points +13

Vegetarian
17 Aug 2007

Great Vegetarian Options

The good news is that the Chocolate Maven has remodeled, and there is a lot more room, especially downstairs, and it is a gorgeous environment now. The bathrooms are really nice, and the dining room window the bakery is huge, and totally fun to watch the bakery in action. We had a great vegetarian meal, and there were tons of vegetarian items on the menu. There were vegetarian versions of a lot of the sandwiches. I got a fantastic salad with tons of really fresh greens and sliced tofu. For breakfast the tofu scramble is one of the best I have had and you can get most of the egg dishes with tofu, you can even get vegetarian eggs Benedict with veggie Canadian bacon. The soups are always vegetarian, and the Maven is famous for soup and bread. Personally, I find the staff is really friendly especially for such a busy place. They are eager to help, cheerful and quick. So it is one of my favorite places to go on a regular basis. I always buy an awesome loaf of bread on the way out. Oh yes, there is also high tea in the afternoon with cute little vegetarian tofu salad finger sandwiches and all sort of goodies... totally fun. The parking lot is probably the worst aspect, and I agree with the suggestion to park in the street and walk up - I just avoid pulling back there at all. It can get crowded and busy too, but to me that's part of the fun. Overall I really love to recommend the Maven. It's a unique place in Santa Fe, and it is popular with us locals for good reason. At any rate, I would not visit Santa Fe without including time for the Chocolate Maven.

Pros: Del Veggie Choicicious, Lots of Veggies, Cheerful and friendly

Cons: parking, hard to find, waiting in line




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