Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American

Cafe, shop, and kitchen teaching classes. Specializes in fermentation and fruit jams. Sources local and organic ingredients. Open Mon-Sun 7:00am-5:00pm.


Venue map for Happy Girl Kitchen
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31 Reviews

First Review by SarahLovesPigs

chaifaerie

Points +63

Vegan
07 Nov 2023

Lovely

Went for the first time yesterday and was not disappointed! A cute, cozy atmosphere with a lot of vegan options which is perfect for me :)

I didn’t try the food but I did stop by for a coffee and was pleasantly surprised to see so many vegan pastries!

I tried the:
• vegan snickerdoodle cookie
• vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookie
• vegan rose cheesecake


Tbh everything was solid! I can’t wait to come back again and try more things.

Pros: Atmosphere , Pastries (I have a sweet tooth), Coffee was good

willis_mcgayhee

Points +20

Vegan
07 Jul 2023

Delicious and nutritious!

Amazing spot. Stopped here for lunch with the family. Pretty much everything is or easily can be vegan. The store area is full of awesome goodies as well. Will happily go out of the way to go here again when in town.

TotesMabes

Points +161

Vegan
30 May 2023

Great Breakfast Spot

We stopped in for breakfast, and ordered two vegan frittatas and a full order of avocado toast. The food was great, and each dish came with some fermented veggies. The coffee and house-made chai were both good. They also have a nice little merch room with jams, nut butters, olive oils, etc.. Great spot, highly recommend.

Pros: Delicious & healthy food , Nice to-go section with salads, soups, & desserts, Reasonable prices

Cons: None

gimme_veg

Points +43

Vegan
18 May 2023

Love this place

This is mainly a vegetarian restaurant but they can do vegan too. I have had the chickpea frittata before, and had their “bowl of the day” (Vega mixed by subbing avocado for yogurt on top) today. It was very good, filling and reasonably priced.

CeciliaVargas

Points +234

Vegan
02 Mar 2023

Fresh!!

Ate 2 mornings in a row on our visit to Monterrey. Loved the avocado toast, chickpea frittata, and pickled carrots.

MariaBaczewska

Points +562

Vegan
14 Feb 2023

Really good vegan selection

Nice place with really good food and cakes. You can always ask about making your dish vegan, but also lots of sandwiches are premade in the morning, so keep it in mind:)

andyjng

Points +4513

Vegan
28 Nov 2022

Fabulous Vegetarian Cafe

My first time exploring Monterey with a plant based lifestyle and I was excited to seek out good eats that wasn't seafood. Fortunately my happy place came when I stumbled upon Happy Girl Kitchen Co, an entirely plant friendly restaurant and cafe.

They currently offer outdoor seating which was perfect on a beautiful sunny day in the bay. Their menu items include sandwiches, salads, soups, bowls, and baked goods. They also have some home-brewed drinks including a refreshing Hibiscus Lemonade that was to die for.

Seeking a heartier lunch, I ordered their $13 lunch special which comes with a cup of soup, small bowl, and half a sandwich. Their menu offerings change daily so you'll have to see what's included to see if it's worthwhile. While everything is vegetarian, everything can be made vegan be removal of a few items that they use to top their dishes.

On the day we went, our menu included a potato soup, dal-mango chutney rice bowl, and a tofu steak sandwich. I absolutely loved their rice bowl. The chutney was fantastic and the spiced dal mixed with jasmine rice brought out some amazing flavors. I thought the sandwich and soups were good too but I would have rather chosen a larger rice bowl in the end. Still, I loved being able to try a variety of plant based dishes for a good price.

Street parking is available and wasn't a problem for us even on a busier weekend afternoon.

Pros: House made beverages, Organic and fresh ingredients

Kedugan

Points +148

Vegan
23 Nov 2022

Lovely vibe & good food

Sat outside for lunch with our dog and everyone in our crew really enjoyed their food. Bonus: dessert was delicious

Pros: Lots of vegan menu options, Everything was delicious, Take home some jam!

JustynaAgnieszka

Points +66

Vegan
24 Sep 2022

Lovely place

We had sandwich of the day which was great and my chamomile tea was awesome. I also bought a spicy kimchi.

Pros: Loved the sandwich , Lots of pickles , Great tea

Cons: None

BaileySchneider

Points +2141

Vegan
27 Aug 2022

Updated review- solid spot

I went today and I got the black bean beet patty sandwich special. It was vegan as is. From reading other reviews, it seems like sandwiches are pre made that morning so you can’t customize it or ask to make it vegan if it is only vegetarian so keep that in mind. The sandwich was pretty good. I just didn’t like the ketchup on jt- it overpowered a lot but I would still order again. The pickles were thick cut and tasty which was nice. It also came with some pickles carrots on the side.
I also ordered the snickerdoodle cookie (after reading many reviews saying it’s a must) and the lemon cheesecake. Both vegan. The cookie was so good and chewy and the cheesecake was super flavorful and creamy. I really enjoyed both and 100% will be back for those again.
I also ordered a jar of the hibiscus drink, which I figured would be tea but I’m not sure what it was. It was not the best in my opinion. I would skip on that next time as it had a fermented type taste and no other flavor in my opinion.
Lavender lemonade is DELICIOUS.
Their to go packs are solid and the peanut sauce brown rice and broccoli is amazing.
The half order of their avocado toast is a full piece of bread. Really delicious and the bread is wonderful.
Overall pretty great. Pretty decently priced as well for other restaurants in the area. 😊

Updated from previous review on 2022-02-23

drosey

Points +48

Mostly Veg
14 Feb 2022

Yummy and wonderful

The food is great; bought a lot of their granola and other delicious breakfast choices. Plenty of vegan and vegetarian choices. They do a lot of canning with so many great choices of jams and sauces. Deep commitment to organic and community. Go there!

Pros: Great food, Great service, Great values, commitment to organic and community

ecochee

Points +400

Vegan
08 Jan 2022

Delicious!

Portions a lot smaller than I’m used to in LA, but the vegan bowl was delicious.😊

sizehaus

Points +11

Mostly Veg
06 Jan 2022

Love this place!

Love to come here! Everything homemade, fresh and local! Pretty much everything can be made gluten free and vegan (and most already are), plus yummy baked goods!

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Fresh, local, organic, Lots of gluten free options

caw

Points +2545

Vegan
19 Oct 2021

Lovely

Everything was really tasty.
The avocado toast had lots of flavour, the vegan lemon cheezecake was gorgeous, I'd love to try the other flavours that had. The matcha latte was perfect unsweetened 😊

Updated from previous review on 2021-10-19

captmayhem

Points +91

Vegan
13 Jun 2021

Amazing Chickpea Frittata

Enjoyed this place so much! The chickpea frittata was Indian inspired with turmeric and coriander seed. Must get avocado on top!

sbperry7

Points +13

Vegetarian
30 Dec 2019

Don't order the pancakes

I've eaten here a few times because I want organic food when I can get it when travelling. The atmosphere is pretty basic. A few tables (some communal)... not always clean.

The food is usually decent, but I ordered their weekends-only pancake breakfast which was described as three 6-inch pancakes.

When the pancakes were brought to me there were 2 large (9-inch) thick pancakes instead and the cook said, "These aren't the normal way we do it, but I screwed up" The pancakes were not fully cooked in the middle and I did not enjoy them at all. You would think that if the cook knew she "screwed up", she would redo them before presenting them to a customer!

Pros: organic food

Cons: tables not cleaned, messed up order

KelRae11

Points +187

Mostly Veg
13 Sep 2019

Mmm

Had the chickpea frittata for breakfast and it was pretty good. The snickerdoodle cookie was also delicious! Decent amount of options and quality ingredients.

IrisBeach

Points +17

Mostly Veg
01 Sep 2019

Amazing options!

From the on tap Kombucha to the Bean Salad and jars of pickled and fermented options, there is something for anyone. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, always willing to answer any questions you have. The rotating flavors of Kombucha on tap is sure to please and keep you coming back to see what they have to offer!

Pros: The vegan options are tasty!

kelkerr

Points +15

Mostly Veg
28 Jul 2019

Love this place!

Great cafe/food, wonderful place to pick up jams, pickles, shrubs, etc., and the classes are a hands-on way to learn to do it all at home.

Browncoat3000

Points +135

Mostly Veg
14 Jun 2019

Delicious

Great place, food was delicious and the folks friendly. Best Ice Tea I’ve had in a long while.

adri5995

Points +27

Mostly Veg
04 Jun 2019

Amazing

Really cute cafe and shop. The avocado toast was amazing and the oatmeal was perfect on a rainy day.

Pros: Lot of vegan options

DesireeMohanOffner

Points +162

Vegan
29 Apr 2019

Refreshing find for vegan options

The food, bread, pastries, coffee bar, jams, preserves are all made fresh. The coffee drinks are prepared with love. The service and smiles are awesome. The potato leek soup was inviting, fresh and vegan. The avocado toast is made on fresh sour dough. Loved the welcoming vibe and freshness of Happy Girl Kitchen. Loved the many vegan options.

Cons: Not all vegan, but felt good about the choices.

daveoz

Points +941

Vegan
06 Oct 2018

Exceptional

This is a wonderful place. Good organic food mostly vegan however you need to make sure you ask because their hot cereal is cooked in milk. However what is really great is that the portions are perfect and therefore very inexpensive. For instance the chickpea frittata is a nice slice and only $4.

AKgma

Points +44

Vegan
03 Oct 2018

Great place

All the food we tried was great. Cute little place to eat. Cookies are amazing!

juliemoonx

Points +52

Vegan
16 Aug 2018

yum

yummy yummy pickles ! good cashew spread sandwich!

lilshanahan

Points +28

Vegan
19 Jul 2018

Lovely cafe with yummy breakfast/lunch!

Huge fan of this place. Lots of vegan options- I went with the chickpea frittata and it was filling, delicious, and full of veggies. I also got an organic salad with sesame dressing (fresh and great!) and a vegan berry scone (among the best I’ve ever had). Their coffee is legit too, and they have califia almond milk which is a win if you ask me. Definitely recommend! They seem to have cool fermentation/cooking classes here too, and the space has good vibes. Today when I came in there was a class of young people learning to cooking something or other in the back. I’ll be returning to this place next time I’m in Monterey for sure

Pros: Delicious food, Positive energy, Great coffee

Anthonyk536

Points +37

Vegan
02 May 2017

My favorite restaurant in Monterey

As noted in the description not everything is vegan. However, they have quite a few options that are not only vegan but very delicious, nutritious, and farm fresh. There are usually 1 or 2 specials that are also vegan. There's bottled and on tap kombucha as well as many excellent deserts and snacks. The vast majority of the menu is very healthy and there's tons of gluten free dishes or items that can be made veg/gf. There's also a small retail section. I love the decorating inside and they have beautiful parklet seating out front. If you're traveling with a group of diverse diets and health preferences this place will have something for just about everyone. I highly recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Pros: Delicious AND healthy vegan food, friendly staff, wonderful atmosphere/decorating




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