Vegan-friendly
American
Fast food
Take-out
Mexican
Gluten-free
Breakfast

Longtime operating vegetarian diner offering an American food menu of veggie burgers, fries, sandwiches, Cal-Mex dishes like nachos, all-day breakfast and brunch fare. Serves milkshakes. Features weekend brunch with mimosas and vegan donut holes. Punky, funky music and decor. Reported closed, Apr 2021.


75 Reviews

First Review by TexasVegan

JonJon

Points +20246

Vegan
16 Dec 2013

Like it!

One of my favourite place in California. Saturn café has a funny atmosphere, staff is really friendly. And food is really good and offers big portions. I really enjoyed my burger, while speaking some French with one of the waitresses.

Pros: excellent food with vegan options, friendly staff, nice decor

halrhp

Points +48

Vegetarian
12 Sep 2013

Long on atmosphere

Been around for a long time, social, a Santa Cruz cultural icon now.

Pros: unique atmosphere, Chocolate Madness

Cons: can be noisy and crowded, Not the most desirable veggie-oriented

spinner63

Points +74

Vegan
28 Aug 2013

cool veg diner

My friend and I were so amazed to find this cool retro vegetarian diner right on the main street of Santa Cruz, and they have parking . The wait staff are super friendly and prices are good.
My friend and I shared the burger and onion strings plus a side of garlic fries. The burger was good. I didn't like the onions-too greasy. I thought the potatoes were well done-but they age very garlicky with chopped fresh garlic. The Sundays were good, but I would leave off the whip cream.

Pros: location amd parking, friendly staff, great decor

bobbyarroyo

Points +108

Vegan
11 May 2013

Good Service, Sub-Standard Food

The waitress was friendly. The vegan breakfast options need some serious improvement. The bread was hard, the scrambled tofu dry and bland, the potatoes without flavour.

Crisi_S

Points +36

Mostly Veg
25 Apr 2013

Tripster, hipster, fun all Veg restaurant!

Kudos to any Veg place and this one comes with some serious 'ambiance'. The booth tables are filled with nostalgic 'thingies'. I happed to sit at the one all in favor of the 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. If you need to utilize the restroom, Men you are Robots and Women are Aliens.

I went with a veg burger and to this day have not found a place that makes one over the top fantastic, hence this one at least was not mush and the varieties are impressive.

I can't wait to go back and try out some other menu items.

CKay

Points +136

Vegan
23 Sep 2012

Check it out...

I hadn't been here in a few years and just returned recently. For a change of pace, I ordered a salad instead of a sandwich, and it was amazing(and huge). The staff was really helpful and friendly. Glad I went. I love the vibe there. It's a great spot for vegan junk as well, if you are in downtown Santa Cruz it is a great option..

Pros: Tasty, Friendly Staff, Large portions

Cons: Can be pricey

Chia

Points +3635

Vegetarian
16 May 2012

Grungy Burger Joint

I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my Saturn Cafe review.

Was here on a past trip Santa Cruz. I had wanted to try the different pure veg places listed on HappyCow, and this was one of them.

It's a casual diner that offers funky decor, kinda grungy punky, various veggie burgers and fries, etc... My food was all right. I can see why young kids would like the atmosphere.

Pros: convenient location, spacious, friendly staff

Cons: grungy

KamrynWilliams

Points +35

Vegan
27 Sep 2011

LOVE

I love Saturn Cafe with a deep and fiery passion. I still haven't tried everything on the menu yet (I want that french toast still!!!) but things that I have ordered have been amazing. They have great burgers (portabello mushroom, normal vegi burger), french fries, sodas (sounds weird, but they're cane sugar and special), tequitos, salad, ect.
My meat eating friends love it too.
For a poor college student it can seem a little pricey, but in reality its worth it because they give you such a good portion of food. Service has always been great.
Atmosphere is funky, I like it even though I'm very not funky and I still fit in.

Pros: Excellent food & portions, Great service, Great menu selection

ericgoldman

Points +129

Vegetarian
30 Aug 2011

We Love This Place

Saturn Cafe is a venerable vegetarian institution, but it easily can get lost in the shuffle. Trendy restaurants like Source and Plant Cafe have stolen some of its thunder, and Saturn Cafe's chainification has diluted its uniqueness. But Saturn Cafe always delivers a hearty, tasty, cost-effective meal, and it retains a special place in our heart accordingly.

I kept Saturn Cafe as a secret post-kayaking destination for my daughter Dina. Even when the kayaking trip went bust, I knew Saturn Cafe would be a hit. We took Dina there a year ago and she loved it--the decor, the coloring menu and the food. What fun!

This trip she had banana walnut pancakes and I had the very tasty vegan breakfast burrito. Both were completely devoured before we left our seats, feeling quite full. The bill was a paltry $15.

I wish Saturn Cafe would come to the South Bay. It would compete directly with Hobee's in both food and price, but I would pick Saturn Cafe over Hobee's (a long-time favorite of mine) both for being completely vegetarian and for its more flavorful options.

vegboy2009

Points +86

Vegetarian
30 Jan 2011

Great food, great place!

The Saturn Cafe sets the perfect example of what a vegetarian diner should be. The food is excellent and the staff gets it out fast. The atmosphere is nostalgic and pleasing, and the decor is entertaining. The only thing I might add is a good sound system with a juke box. Of course, the last time I went, I had to get take-out, so they may have added that already. Great place-highly recommended!

Pros: Good food., Fast service., Cool atmosphere.

Brooklyn

Points +46

Vegan
30 Dec 2010

A favourite

Saturn offers vegan versions of foods that I thought I would not be able to have anymore. It's a fun, lively space that is open late. The donuts and french fries really stand out. Highly recommend!

Pros: Excellent food, fun staff, Great hours

AmandaUCSC

Points +64

Vegan
07 Sep 2010

Lived three blocks from here for 2 years

Saturn cafe made my decision to become a vegetarian/almost-vegan a pretty easy choice. I haven't been able to eat dairy in years, so you can imagine my excitement when I moved from the east coast (dairy lovers) to Santa Cruz and discovered that the place three blocks from where I lived sold dairy-free chocolate soyshakes until 4AM every night...! Trust me, some of the best vegan comfort food in the world is found at this place: steak fry baskets, sweet potato fries (YUM), huge organic green salads, the soy shakes and other vegan desserts, and oh yes, the vegetarian and vegan burgers (not all are vegan, you have to check the menu and/or ask the waiter). My roommate, a non-vegetarian, LOVES the jalapeno burgers. The staff is quite knowledgable about the ingredients in the items on the menu so don't hesitate to ask.

The best value item on the menu, without question, has to be the vegan breakfast burrito (served all day long): it's basically soyrizo, tofu scramble, potatoes, stuffed inside a huge tortilla, with sides of salsa, guacamole, and the soy sour cream. I think it's still $6.95 last time I checked (June 2010). This thing will last you two meals (unless you're starving and haven't eaten in a while :) ).

Now, here are the two bad things about Saturn besides the weak coffee (go to Delmarette!!! It's down on Pacific Ave next to Del Mar theater, organic roasted beans and strong flavor):

- Saturn is often too expensive. A soyshake is $5.25 + sweet potato fries ($5.95) or organic house salad ($4.95) + tax and tip = about $13-15. A vegan burger + fries runs $8.50-9.50 + tax and tip (as do most of the standard dinner items). Yikes. On the other hand if I *just* order the vegan burrito..... :)
- The service is sporadically crappy, and I've noticed it doesn't really matter how many people are in there. By crappy, I don't mean waiting a long time for food (although some people will have to be patient here) but I mean waiting a long time to order because they aren't sure who's supposed to be attending my table, or a waiter who can't remember what I ordered. On the other hand, they're usually friendly once you get their attention.

Pros: vegan comfort food, burgers, dessert menu esp soy shakes

Cons: price, service

Ali-Con

Points +50

Vegan
24 Jul 2010

Pretty glitter

A pretty neat place with pictures of planets and columns covered in pink glitter. They have very delicious french fries and soy shakes. In fact, I've enjoyed everything I've tried here and my meat-eating parents did too. It's diner-style comfort food and probably not the healthiest, but a still fun.

However, as a vegan I really wish their menu had more vegan friendly options. As it is, I can't go too often without getting tired of the eating the same few things. Also, a couple times I've had servers who just plain forgot my order.

But overall, a good place that I would recommend to anyone, veg or not.

Pros: Good food, Fun atmosphere

heybuttercup

Points +28

Vegan
26 Apr 2010

Out of this World

The food was sooo much better than I expected. Don't let the fast-food/space-theme fool you...Saturn Cafe has excellent quality veggie fare! Oour service was lightning fast. Loved the vegan burger...I will definitely go back for more exploration of Saturn!

Pros: High quality food, Fast Service, Friendly staff

AndrewL

Points +37

Vegetarian
11 May 2009

Crazy Good

My fiance and I took a road trip across the country in 2007, and Saturn Cafe was probably the best vegetarian restaurant we came across. We ate there for dinner and ended up returning the next morning for brunch. Both meals were great. Essentially, this is '50s-styled diner food translated into a vegetarian context, with veggie burgers and nachos and thick soy shakes all replacing the usual meaty, fatty items. Throw in some funky space-age decor and a very hipster-punky clientele, and you've got the restaurant that topped our road trip list. One of the best vegetarian places in America, in my opinion.

Pros: Nachos!, Shakes!, Veggie burgers!

Delmar831

Points +40

Vegan
19 Feb 2009

Vegan Nachos and Shakes

The best Vegan Nachos evar! Many items can be made vegan on request.

Pros: Vegas Options

Cons: Can get crowded

philjdomm

Points +945

Vegan
18 Nov 2008

ate here a few times

service was slow and terrible before but with possible new turn out in staff, it may have improved. not vegan but little selection. love their breakfast menu.

sbm02002

Points +40

Vegan
08 Sep 2008

friendly, simple, delicious

it's all vegetarian but i was a little skeptical by the relatively small number of vegan options for dinner - there are more on the brunch menu.

but, i shouldn't have worried, because my very nice server recommended the vegan taquitos and they were really great - crunchy outside, a little fluffiness inside, served on a huge plate with beans, rice, salsa, yummy guacamole and a scoop of excellent sour-cream-esque dip.

the portions for everything were huge and my vegan chocolate shake was so big and delicious with lots of chocolate syrup. they even served me the extra shake that didn't fit into the glass - i loved that!

the staff were really casual and friendly to us and to each other - it made for a very pleasant atmosphere.

Pros: big portions, diner-style, nice servers

Cons: more veggie than vegan options

Seitan_Nic

Points +201

Vegan
02 Nov 2007

Diner food veg style

I ate at this place almost everyday when I last visited Santa Cruz. Limited vegan options, but well done- I never had any problems with the service nor did I find the place to be dirty or "grungy"

Pros: Good food., Interesting decor, Friendly service.

Cons: Not so many vegan options...

PsychoKlown

Points +24

Vegetarian
24 Aug 2007

Great Place =)

The food there was very nice and our server was very attentive. There was a nice, hip atmosphere to the place. However, i found the decor a little on the shabby, grungy side.

TexasVegan

Points +87

Vegan
16 Mar 2007

good joint

Loved the decor - but grungy? Poor description. You guys make it sound like it has curtains made from old flannel shirts or something. It's a hipster spot. 100% vegetarian but vegan options are relatively limited. Fortunately, the vegan options they do have are great. The Buck Rogers is amazing. The vegan chix caesar is also great. Loved the vegan shakes. Loved the music. Loved the atmosphere. I'd be fat if I lived near this joint.

Pros: great food, great music & atmosphere, open really late

Cons: none




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