Seed of Life

Delicious, but sadly turned to a catering business in Spring ’09. Really a veggie treasure in S.Berkeley.

So often vegan food leaves me yearning for something more substantial and bold; I can only eat so many permutations of soy without cravings. Seed of Life demonstrates just how flavorful and fulfilling it can be to indulge in a vegan meal that’s creative yet simple, and delivers it in a down-​to-​earth way.
The menu is short and sweet, quick and easily preparable, in good-​for-​your-​cells organic form. With the festive Jamaican décor, nourishing quality of the food and kind sincerity of the proprietor, a meal here will leave you uplifted and energized.
To round out the experience and cap off the meal, sipping on one of their lovely teas allows the rare chance to linger and savor the moment.

Oh geeze…
The hardest part about reviewing this place is which part to begin with???
The adorable couple Nano and Magic that run the place? The nice and cozy setting? The FOOD!!! The food? Ok, Let’s start from the beginning…
I had heard the rumors of this spot, met the folks, seen the name around…
Me being a city dweller, I usually do what I gotta do in the east bay, and head back to the concrete jungle of SF. Luckily, I took a detour to my amazing girl’s house that glorious evening a few weeks ago, and we finally decided this was the time to make it to SOL together (well, she had been many times, but ya know what I’m saying).
Yaci and I walk in, and are instantly showered with love.
We ordered a delicious cup of mint tea (perfect for a rainy day), salad, soup (I wish I could recall the type of soup it was, it was SO FRIGGIN’ GOOD) and The Big up Burger
… Oh… The Big Up Burger… Dripping with delicious home made sauce, topped with big luscious Avocado, sprouts… I had a foodgasm. One of the best ones yet!
I was practically stuffed, but then lucky for us. Another dear friend we called to join us (who had also partaken in this SOL food bliss many times) arrived.
He ordered the broccoli soup (!!!) and two different sushi rolls… I was glad I had a tiny pocket of my tummy remaining so I could sample these delicate treats as well.
After that I had to stop putting amazing SOL things in my mouth… But if I could have squeezed anything more, YES!!!
One of the BEST Vegan spots in the bay. Hands down, simply no doubt about it. If you live in the eb, you are missing out by not visiting Seed of Life Café. Plus, the adorable couple that runs that place are great eye candy. Such beautiful and light beings!
The only slight downfall I can imagine for myself is the price. But, I do understand they are using the best organic ingredients, so? What can I say, besides that it will have a remain a special treat for me!
I HOPE TO RETURN, SOON!

My wife and I, both omnivores, took a vegan friend here for his birthday in late January, and we all had a fine time, enjoying the ambiance, the banter with the four guys behind the counter, and what our friend called the best portobello mushroom sandwich he’s had in several decades of veganism. My wife’s wrap was wonderfully tasty, and beautifully presented, if a bit on the small side. The cakish dessert was OK but less memorable.

Luckily this place is just far enough from me that I don’t eat every meal there.
I don’t even want to go into details. Some people miss out on things in life. If you’re not going here often, its you. Consider yourself reprimanded.

My friend and I lounged here last night while a band played inside. The square footage is limited so we enjoyed our pots of tea outside. The vibe was very relaxed. The Chrysanthemum tea I settled on (they were out of the Black Rose — sorry, I’m English, I’ll always ask for black tea first) was very delicious and affordable ($ 5 for a pot). I’ll update once I actually try the food, but so far so good. :-)

This little gem of a restaurant serves up amazingly satisfying and wholesome vegan food without pretense. A quiet alcove off the busy streets with an irie island vibe… It is one of the few places I don’t mind showing up to when the day is through and I’m a bit tired. The simple and thoughtful menu of all organic ingredients is complemented by their full tea menu. Everything on the menu is delicious but the Samurai Soba is killer! Pair it with the Chrysanthemum tea or the Blossoming Jasmine Lily… and make sure you’ve got cash because there is nothing plastic about this place, including payment.

everything about this is good… the feeling, the food and the employees. a down to earth spot with down to earth food.
this place puts all those poser passive aggressive berkeley hippies to shame because this place is the real deal.

Long ago, I nominated the Thai Brunch District as «America’s Crunchiest Neighborhood.» The Brunch, The Bowl, and the vegan Pizza Plaza make the area a virtual Foodist Colony. (I don’t say ‘foodie’ b/​c it’s diminutive.)
Ital Calabash fit in perfectly, with its blissful smoothies being the most excellent in all of Jah-​Jah Creation. But Ital closes at normal business hours, and doesn’t offer the finest teas in China. Seed of Life to the rescue!
Seed of Life manifests in Ital Calabash’s enchanted Rasta Hobbit shanty, across the street from Ashby BART, during the evening and night hours. And we are all the more Blessed for this happy event!
Now I can pick up a super tasty, mostly raw midnight snack on my way home from BART. Selecting a fine brew from the nice selection available at the corner sto’ to go with it makes life perfect.
But what about the food? Sorry, this is Unilocal.So you’ll have to read through pages of my irrelevant life story to get to the part about The Food.
The Food: I was born in the backwaters of an agricultural river delta. As a child, I played in floating ash from the burning sugar cane fields…
Anyway. The Food is fit for Kings, and those that love enlightened cuisine. My pseudo-​maki roll features a raw (collard?) green wrap that binds together a delicious soft center of yam, avocado, red cabbage, black rice, and quinoa. The side salad is shredded beets and carrot in an ephemeral sesame vinagrette.
The quality is 100% goodness. Relax and dub out to chill reggae beats as your order is prepared without stress or hurry. Read the spines of the books comprising their library of mystical wisdom.
I’d love to read the one about the Dogon tribe (who worship stars invisible without telescopes and pass down tales of receiving visitors from there). Likewise the new David Icke and an old volume on the Knights of the Order.
This is the real deal, not the polished Hollywood version of New Age that a certain chain of expensive, gimmicky raw «we think honey is vegan» cafes market to weight-​loss oriented Madonna wannabees for swallowing like so much Kabbala and wheat grass.
Seeds of Life’s operators are genuine, warm, and utterly lovable. They maintain an atmosphere that is more irie than Bob Marley smoking out Heile Selassie, with ganga grown by Augustus Pablo, at a ⁴⁄₂₀ concert featuring Yabby-​You and Vibronics opening on the decks.
The Calabash is no doubt chill during the day, but late at night Seed of Life raises the bar. We’re talking stonier than taking a Black Star Liner cruise from Jamaica to Amsterdam with the Viceroys and a chalice made from the skull of King Tubby.
It’s also a good place to study, thanks to the careful selection of teas of unusual quality. I can’t wait to try the homemade chai, but they all look good. At only $ 3 per pot, this is the best deal in town for fine tea service.
Berkeley’s late night food situation was unduly constrained by the failure of Babylon System. Now Seed of Life, like the geomantric pattern it’s named for, offers a shape from which all things can feed and grow.