Saturn Cafe

The service here was superrrrrrrrrrr slow. We had to ask 4 times for water and to 3 different people. I did notice other customers coming in and being served water immediately, so it was annoying that we’d been there for at least 20 minutes and water was nowhere to be found. The cups + water were at the bar right behind where we were sitting, so I was tempted to just go and grab some for us. Luckily the third guy we asked went to get it for us right away, rather than say OK and then never return.
The food is overpriced. The Crispy Sesame Tofu Salad was a small plate of salad with just 4 large pieces of tofu, definitely not worth $ 12.50. The sampler platter was full of limpy fries and onion strings, but the toquitos were pretty good.
We didn’t try the desserts, so can’t comment on those.
They do have a lot of options, so I liked that. However, the quality was so-​so. If you’re not too picky about your food, then I’d definitely give this place a try. But, if you’re looking for something super yummy and vegan, try another place first (especially if you’re crunched for time!).

I’ve been to Saturn Café two times. The first time was a huge dud while the second time was okay.
On my first visit, I ordered one of their black bean patty burgers with blue cheese as I enjoy blue cheeseburgers and no barbecue sauce. That was a disgusting choice as the patty broke apart due to the black beans not adhering to one another, the kitchen put barbecue sauce on my burger when I asked them not to, and the blue cheese had a menthol taste to it, like someone put a cigarette out on the burger or something. Suffice to say, I wasn’t impressed and I felt like I wasted 14 dollars. Service was polite, but not memorable nor efficient.
I came back to Saturn last week as a couple of my friends enjoy their «chicken» sandwich. Maybe I’ll try it one day as the portion is huge and my friends who have tried this dish seem to enjoy it very much. They thought the chicken’s texture was pretty close to real chicken.
But on my second visit, I just ordered a snack– garlic fries. And I must say, the fries were hot, crunchy, abundant, not too oily, and there was plenty of chopped raw garlic on top. Needless to say, I was very happy with the fries. Best 3 dollars spend on fries. I would return for their fries, but I’m not sure about spending money on their meals as I’ve had better vegetarian food from Thai or Ethiopian places.
My experience at this place was tainted by that burger so I think it would be really hard for Saturn to convince me to eat a full meal there, but I would gladly go back for some fries and a milkshake.

I miss the old waitstaff (fun hip and edgy girls serving up my joe). Not too clean but cleaner than Mama Buzz. The food is still great but for a space themed café I always just wished that they would swing a homerun with that theme.
A+ for vegan milkshakes.

Over the last couple of months I’ve noticed a major decline in the service at Saturn. I don’t know if it’s from being short staffed, or just a lack of care from the employees, but the last few times we have been here, the service/​food has been awful.
We went to Saturn for dinner tonight, waited 45 minutes for our food to arrive with no apology for the lateness, and then were checked on once after our meal was completely done. There were 3 people on the floor but it seemed as if only one was actually working and clearly swamped. I try to give the benefit of the doubt, but this has been a pattern over the last few months, and I don’t think we will be going back anytime soon.

Review based on 2 totally different experiences here.
Visit #1 Great service, awesome waiter, very attentive, prompt food. I came here for the first time ever on a weekday midday with my boss’s daughter for lunch and loved it. Having Vegan options in Berkeley is nothing new but this place was new to us. They have delicious lemonade and french fries so I knew I’d be back. Wish I knew the waitress’s name because she was great. I noticed they seem to be big on their milkshakes so I knew I’d have to come back one day to try… (segway).
Visit #2 Salted Carmel milkshake, Root Beer Float, Arnold Palmer, Organic Lemonades on deck for the night… it was all delicious. We got our drink and sweets order promptly but that was the last we saw of our server. Nobody ever came to check on us after over an hour. At this point we were trying to get ready to go and nobody even stopped at our table. I literally stood there by the door until someone asked me who my server was and what it was I needed…
Well I wanted some french fries but that didn’t happen so now I want my bill but now I don’t even know who to pay…
bus girl points to my supposed server and she’s busy talking to a handsome gentleman at another table… I know I’m no handsome gentleman myself so I get it, I really do, but this place isn’t even that busy for us to be ignored or forgotten the way we were…
I’m not sure if I’d give it a 3^rd try because there are too many other cool new places I could be ignored at :)

I added a star because I don’t blame them that I wasn’t aware they served fake, or vegan food here. I do blame them for the slow service, tasteless food and inflated prices for the things they put on a plate and call it food.

Our server made a lot of mistakes, which meant we couldn’t eat together. A place with vegan options should take care when vegans order (we had two at our table, not me; both had order problems with real cheese served to them when I clearly heard them state vegan needs).
The kombucha is nice; but, it’s $ 5.50 for a tiny glass that seems to get smaller each time I go there. Server brought me the wrong drink and it was too much trouble to trade, what with all the other issues. Ok food. I won’t go back.

Unfortunately, I feel the need to update my review after my last few experiences at Saturn.
For the last year or so, I’ve noticed a dramatic change at Saturn. Saturn has been one of my favorite restaurants for years now, and I’m disappointed in the way it seems to be going.
I feel the need to write this review to alert the owners/​management and hopefully see the necessary changes so that one of my favorite local restaurants may stay in business for many years to come. Otherwise, I fear it’s on it’s way out.
Let me begin with my history at Saturn. For years, I dreamed of living in Berkeley and enjoying all of it’s unique and vibrant culture. Dinner at Saturn was one of the first and most memorable meals I enjoyed when I visited California for the first time, and seemed to capture exactly the sort of quirkiness and creativity I so greatly appreciated about Berkeley. After moving here 6 months later, Saturn became a regular choice for lunch or dinner. I began to bring friends and family who were visiting. I celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and even enjoyed dinner at Saturn the night my husband proposed to me. It held a special place in my heart, and everyone I brought there seemed to enjoy the food and atmosphere, whether or not they were vegan/​vegetarian.
Over the course of the last year, and especially in the last 6 months, I’ve noticed fewer and fewer patrons visiting Saturn. I often see only one or two servers being stretched far too thin, juggling too many tables. I used to see the same friendly faces for at least a few months at a time, but now it seems to be new staff each time that I go, indicating a high turnover. Prices have increased, and now dinner and shakes for 2 will run you about $ 40. I’ve waited 40+ minutes for food to reach the table when the restaurant was barely half-​full, received burnt appetizers after entrees have been served and eaten, had servers who seemed either too distracted or too overwhelmed to remember things like a request for water, and most importantly, the staff doesn’t seem happy to me anymore.
By contrast, my first visit to the Santa Cruz location in November provided an experience similar to that of the Berkeley Saturn in years past. Although the place was packed, we only waited 20 minutes or so for a table and were served quickly. The food was delicious, and the menu even offered desserts no longer served at the Berkeley location. It begs the question, why can’t the Berkeley location manage to maintain satisfactory service for a ¾ empty restaurant, while the SC location can provide an exceptional experience with a full restaurant and a line out the door?
I don’t mean to discourage anyone from visiting– I’ve been a loyal and happy customer since my first visit nearly 4 years ago. However, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify the cost of visiting Saturn, especially when I’ve been so disappointed the last 6 or 7 times I’ve gone. Mind you, I don’t blame the staff for being overworked, and always tip well. My greatest concern is what is going on higher up that has caused such a drastic change in only a few short months. I really hope that my voice is heard and something is done to help Saturn stay in business.

This was the first vegetarian restaurant I’ve been to, it was delicious!
They served breakfast and lunch. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone vegetarian or not, I’m not a vegetarian and I thought the food was great. It also had a lot of vegan options too The staff was friendly and helpful. I will go back for sure next time I’m in the area.

My wife and I went here for the first time and it was great the food was great and so was the service. It wasnt crowded at all which was great. I had the space cowboy burger with sweet potato fries. She had the vegan chicken bacon club. We will definitely come back only Sunday nights seems to be the best time to avoid the crowds and get a good table.

I got the vegan nachos (with fries instead of chips). It was incredibly good. My friends got the donut holes and shared them with me. They were delicious. They also got an egg thing they liked.
The food took longer than I hoped for, but it was not that long. Service was good. The waitresses were kind and helpful.
The décor is very cool. They have a quote from Che Guevara on the wall and the whole place is pink. Very interesting.
I highly recommend it.

Service is always pretty bad here, thankfully or not you never see the same waiter twice. Not going to go into a long tirade about all the bad experiences here as I’m sure everyone has a story and its never been straight up horrible or offensive but, they do need to learn how to give better customer service :(
The food is pretty hit or miss but, now that I know that they have wifi I just may have to come here more often.
I am enjoying the gluten free burgers and tacito’s with a side of chipotle sauce. Also, though it hurts my tummy, the vegan nachos can’t be beat :)

I tried here for dinner looking for more vegan places I could frequent but this was more diner food than the type of vegan food I was looking for. If you like diners you’ll probably like this place more than me, but if I’m going to a diner I don’t know that I need it to be vegan.
To give you an idea on vegan places I like as reference– Shangri La (Oakland), Café Gratitude. The food here is different from that type of vegan food.
It looks like they’re known for breakfast/​brunch, I’ll have to try that next

Delicious! I was worried that the «chicken» club sandwich with «bacon» would be risky. I’m not a vegetarian, but I tried it based upon the waitress recommendation. It was so delicious, I couldn’t tell that I wasn’t eating chicken or bacon. I highly recommend this wonderful café and their milkshakes!

Saturn is my go-​to comfort food! The milkshakes alone are reason to go. I’m also a fan of the bbq ranch «chicken» burger and the mushroom sandwich. The nachos (and nacho fries) are pretty popular too. Though I have to admit that I’m not impressed by their brunch — I’ve had the banana walnut pancakes and french toast which are both mediocre. On the upside though, the portions are really generous, and service is always friendly.

I’m usually not one for diners, but Saturn Café really steals my heart in terms of its concept, service, and quality of food. With all menu items (which include sliders/​burgers, sandwiches, omelets, milkshakes, etc.) either vegan or vegetarian, it’s a place which everyone can enjoy.
The diablo burger is one of my favorites (vegetarian patty with jack cheese and chipotle sauces, fresh grilled jalapeños and onions, lettuce, and tomato), as well as any of their «chicken» burgers. Highly recommend the slider platter as an appetizer — each slider is seasoned to perfection.
The milkshakes (which can also be made vegan) are hands down the best I’ve ever had — creamy, not too sweet, and just decadent.
The interior of the restaurant is pretty wacky — I feel as though a unicorn-​obsessed 4 year old designed this place. Half of the pillars inside are a strange bubblegum shade of pink, and there’s shiny metallic Saturn models dangling around the ceilings. It’s…odd to say the least, but I mean, we’re in Berkeley, right? Adds to the character of the place and just makes it not your regular ol’ diner.
All in all, great place in downtown Berkeley to grab a hearty comfort meal with friends.

I ate here today for lunch with co-​workers from the UC — we have one vegan in the group so picking a place that’s vegan-​friendly was a must. It’s not too hard in the Berkeley area at least.
Looking at the menu online the night before, I was having a hard time finding anything I could possibly want. I’m not vegetarian and I’m a pretty picky eater, so I was really just hoping I’d arrive and find a soup of the day that seemed like a good option. Getting to the restaurant, that was the case! Yay!
At noon on a Monday during dead week, we were pretty much the only folks in there. Getting seated and getting our orders in was easy and quick. Getting our food was kind of another story.
Somehow, a bunch of vegetarian and vegan stuff (including a few salads and soups that are generally pre-​made if they’re soup-​of-​the-​day) took over 20 minutes when there were no other orders for the kitchen to do. They also forgot one completely; they had it out in a few minutes but that makes me wonder why it took so long earlier!
I got the soup and salad — I had the coconut curry soup which was really quite delicious and the house salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. The dressing was pretty good and the salad portion big, but just greens, red cabbage, a couple cucumber slices and shredded carrots I was underwhelmed. I would have loved a few grape tomatoes or something else in the salad for interest.
Everyone else seemed to like their food and the two who got the creamy tomato soup said it was fantastic. Soups tend to be great here!
I had to leave early to get back to work (I mean we all kind of did but especially me and one other person. You’d think that being close to the UC they could hurry a bit knowing that staff have a limited lunch hour.
Overall, the food was pretty good but I probably won’t be back since it wasn’t notable enough to me to want to have to pay for it myself and the service was just okay. Since I’m a meat-​eater there are a bajillion other places in Berkeley I’d rather try out or go back to.

Despite being vegan, there was only one item my son and I could eat here, due to almond milk being the substitute in almost every meal. With so many nut allergies, it seems there could be a few additional alternatives.
Also, the service was HORRIBLE. Non-​exist, except for a kind COOK who we finally grabbed. He kindly took our orders (well, at least confirmed the 99.9% of items I couldn’t eat;) in addition, he served our food when ready. Our waitress NEVER even stopped with an apology or to fill drinks… NOTHING.
With the above mentioned, there is no way I can recommend. The second star is for our kind «waiter»…err, cook. Too bad he didn’t receive any help from his coworkers!

3.5 is accurate.
If you’re a healthy vegan/​veggie, this ain’t the spot for ya. It’s got a burger joint feel. Lots of murals, in a diner style joint. Food is aight. Been here several times and it’s a good place to chill & do work.
2.5 for food.
2 stars
I had the space burger with black bean patty. $ 1 extra for gluten free buns = tasty. Nothing extravagant, just aight.
3 stars
Tomato soup is a bit sour, but kinna good. Tastes like there is some cheese action in there. Doesn’t come with bread.
3 stars
Side salad– small, basic, not out of your neighbors garden.
I’ve been here at least 4 times now. On average, things here are okay. Not bad, just ok. If you want a good vegan spot… Herbivore is just down the street (better produce, healthier choices & juices).
4.5 for ambiance.
It’s an incredibly creatively decorated place with dope tables to look at for an artist. Each table is different, from Che Gueverra /​/​Andy Warhol prints to vintage puppies to Dia de los Muertos tables… Each table is different and as I was walking I noticed each table was different.
From your local sometimes vegetarian,
Renee Rises– The Filipina foodie

When I first started my vegan journey, this was one of the many places I visited the first month. Not only did I enjoy the food, I kept coming back for more. What I like about this place is the portions. They give you a lot of bang for your buck. Maybe because it’s near UC Berkeley and students need a break.
The décor reminds of 1950’s era, where you would see the cast of Grease hang out. The neon pink décor, would definitely get the approval of the pink ladies. The once confusing restroom labeled «Robots & Aliens» soon changed. Not like I still understand the new concept.
Saturn is not an all vegan restaurant, they also offer vegetarian options. We usually go here for breakfast, because it’s my favorite meal of the day. During Monday-​Wednesday, make sure to check-​in on Unilocal to receive 20% off your meal.
What have tried for breakfast…
SATURN’S COMBO BREAKFAST (4 star) is easily shareable. Don’t let the word «short stack» fool you. It’s a big meal. When I ordered it, I upgraded the pancakes for a Walnut/​Banana for an extra $ 1. In my opinion, I preferred the original short stack. The walnuts or bananas are not mixed inside the batter, it’s just placed on top. The tofu scrambler was ok, I’ve had better but add some ketchup and hot sauce and it makes a world of difference.
SOUTHWESTERN OMLET — ONLY SERVED DURING BRUNCH TIME (4.5 stars). This is the scrambler to order. It is very flavorful and has a variety of ingredients.
HUEVOS Y PAPAS BURRITO — (4 stars). This is the breakfast for College Student’s on the go. It’s packed with tofu scramble (or egg as optional), soyrizo, home fries, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa. This will either fill you up to the verge of sleeping in class or help you stay awake throughout the day.
I have also tried several of their lunch menu, but wasn’t a huge fan. I prefer coming her for breakfast rather than lunch or dinner.
Remember breakfast is the most important part of the day. So what are you waiting for go eat!!!