Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar

North county favorite!
I was looking for a good healthy option spot on my way home from work. Lotus didn’t disappoint.
I had the vegan Indian curry bowl and not only was it super, super good but it was huge. I can go to a lot of restaurants and leave hungry… this curry bowl had me filled to the brim.

Good vegan options. Friendly staff. Good vibes. I had the vegan breakfast burrito and it was delicious!

Loved the Nachos added fried tofu and it was out of this world! We got the chili with cornbread so yummy. They offered so many different Vegan options I loved it! I will be back to try so many other awesome things!

This place makes me so happy. SO many vegan breakfast options! Ever since turning vegan it is hard to find a delicious breakfast menu that offers a variety of vegan options. They even have vegan bacon!!! We came here right before visiting the Fellowship Meditation garden and it was more than perfect. Will be visiting again! Reminded me of Natural Café but with a lot more vegan friendly options.

I FINALLY found my new favorite spot for Sunday brunch! This place is absolutely divine! Without a doubt, consistently delicious, always fresh ingredients, homemade and healthy!
Always an impressive variety of healthy options: Vegetarian /​Vegan, Fresh Juice Bar, Gluten Free, and Fish /​Poultry. The Artichoke Pesto Chicken is out of this world. Grilled chicken tenders with an artichoke pesto, Jack cheese, grilled onion, fresh lettuce and tomato, and tasty, flavorful garlic mayo on a whole wheat bun or sourdough bread. I ordered it with a vegetarian friendly minestrone soup, generously packed with lots of different veggies. Their soups of the day change daily. The combination of a sandwich and soup is classic and complementary. The sandwiches aren’t huge, but the quality and taste of the sandwiches suffice to make up for the lack of size.
Food is ordered at the cash register, and the employees are always sweet enough to make a recommendation and suggestion for food if you don’t know what to order from their huge menu. Food is taken to your table, but everything else is self-​serve.
They have an area to help yourself with salsas, ketchup, and all the other must-​have condiments. Always packed. Lines is out the door during lunch and breakfast on the weekends. The best part is the price.
In sum, Healthy and Affordable. There’s really nothing better than that!

Very disappointing. Epitome of fake spirituality, save-​the-​planet hoo-​ha for sale. Did I mention it’s the disposable kind? Yeah, let’s all go vegan/​vegetarian and eat in one time use disposable containers. So hypocritical, and even when requested by a customer who wants reduce waste… Lotus Café can’t be bothered.
When your customer comes up (clearly already upset from other issues, literally with tears in my face) asking for a refill on salsa that came in a disposable plastic container, your douchy staff says straight up no. When saying I just want more salsa without having to have a one time use serving of each one, and ask them are they serious, I get a very unapologetic no.
If you are going to imply ecological values for your restaurant, make it happen for real, not just as a front. Can’t stand places like this. Have you ever heard of bamboo and other biodegradable containers and disposable utensils? Ever heard of composting your waste? Come on, get it together. Or just call yourself the Plastic Lotus Cafeteria, Mc Vegan on special today.

Favorite spot for my VEGAN/​VEGGIE or all
around healthy cravings!
This spot has been a mainstay for me since I came to North County area a few years ago. It’s right across he street from my yoga studio and a block from the beach. The location is perfectly situated off the 101 in wonderfully «woo woo» town of Encinitas!
This area is prime for zen modes, high vibrations and conscious living/​eating. Surfers, yogis and professionals alike can all be seen munching here.
I always usually order the «PORTOBELLO Burger» Marinated, grilled portobello mushroom with jack cheese, grilled onions, tomato, pesto and garlic mayo, on GF (Gluten Free) Bread. It’s perfect post workout lunch paired with a green goddess juice pressed fresh here!
The staff are attentive and kind and the service it great! Establishment is clean and airy with liberal outside seating to take soak in the sea breezes and warm sun!
If you like clean eating and good vibes head on down to this lovely spot!

Its our first time here. I ordered Acai bowl with almond milk and blackened salmon salad. I love the Acai bowl. Not to frozen and taste so good. My husband ordered tempeh taco. He said it’s okay. The service was really fast. I’ll go back again.

Great quality, delicious food! The tahini sauce is to die for! There’s usually a line, but you know that’s when somethings good, for sure, worth the wait! I highly recommend this place, especially if you’re looking for something different and something healthy!

I fully intend to try the food at Lotus still but I somehow always manage to get just a smoothie. The Strawberry Soother, which has strawberries, peaches, bananas and peach juice, is delicious but looking over the selection of smoothies, I don’t think you could go wrong. They all sound amazing!
The dining room is spacious and my friend and I enjoyed a quiet corner booth. Great place for meeting as it’s not crowded or loud.
The menu has a lot of vegetarian options and I hope to get my vegetarian boyfriend over to Lotus soon to try the food!

After a run along the coast the other day, I really wanted a fresh, cold smoothie bowl. I was cruising by Lotus, remembered I’ve had it bookmarked forever, and made a hard right into the parking lot.
Shame on me for not reading the reviews in detail recently and for the «juice bar» description coming into focus more than the «café» description on their sign. I was tired and with two of my kids and I really just wanted something fast. I think I caught them off guard when I ordered my bowl to go (it came in a metal to go container making my hand freezing cold while I ate and drove!) and it took the guy putting in my order a while. It took over 7 minutes before I even heard the blender going in the back. So yeah, it is definitely more a café than a juice bar. Don’t expect your items quick.
But despite my own self imposed angst at waiting, I enjoyed my pitaya bowl more than I expected. It was different than at other places I’ve had them and was huge! The portion was very generous. And they gave me the granola on the side so it didn’t get soggy. It was sweet and there was a good amount of fresh fruit on top. I had a quick sip of my sons smoothie (it was strawberry, orange, and banana) and loved it! Everything was fresh and delicious!
Maybe get some paper products for those occasional to go orders?

Very good and healthy. Yesterday was my first time there. I’m excited to come back and try more on the menu. I had the soulful salad with albacore and lemon herb dressing. Delicious!

I ordered an acai bowl. It came with granola lined on the bottom despite my request for none. Methinks this is a ploy to offer less acai. The acai was watery and soupy in consistency. It was an ok acai bowl but I won’t order this item again.

Stay local!
You get that «guilt free super full» feeling when eating here. So many choices on the menu, makes you wanna come back and try some more.
Wonderful ambiance. Perfect place to catch up with friends and sit forever and keep talking.

Great place to go if you are vegan or vegetarian. I am not but they have the most beautiful acai bowls. Good juice bar selection too. Parking in the back. Clean restroom that smelled really nice.

If you’re a hippie and you know it, clap your hands! Got vegan friends but you eat meat, clap your hands! Yogis lined out the door and the kombucha ain’t a bore, if you’re healthy and a hipster, clap your hands!!! I love me some Lotus Café!
P. S. Give yourself an extra hour to find parking during peak hours.
P. P. S. No booze. I’d take a point off, but kombucha kinda counts.

My husband made our way from San Francisco all the way down to San Diego for Comic Con this year. During one of our weekends there, we drove through Encinitas. Not only is Encinitas a beautiful seaside town, but it has restaurants such as Lotus that welcome people will all kinds of dietary preferences: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, low fat, low sodium, etc. What a beautiful thing!
This restaurant blew us away. We were so excited when we learned that we could bring our dog along with us. That’s right! Lotus is PET FRIENDLY! You can bring your fuzzball with you and dine out on their shaded balcony.
The way you order is to go inside to the counter and place your order; there is no waiter service.
After a short wait, you will be served a healthy, fresh meal that will blow your mind. During our two visits here we had The Encinitas Veggie Grill ($ 8.95: Grilled fresh seasonal vegetables with balsamic vinaigrette served over organic brown rice. Added sauteed organic tempeh for $ 1.95), the Nirvana Burrito ($ 9.05 Sauteed veggies, pinto beans and organic rice wrapped in an organic whole wheat chapati topped with ranchero sauce), Ganesh’s Veggie Tacos ($ 7.95 Sauteed veggies* on organic Non-​GMO corn tortillas with cheddar* topped with shredded
lettuce and sprouts. With chips & salsa.), and the Daily Greens juice (Spinach, cucumber, parsley, celery and green apple).
All of the food was delicious, and we will absolutely make plans to come here again in the future!

Excellent brunch spot for vegan/​vegetarians. Broad menu options, plentiful outdoor seating areas. Mellow atmosphere. Dog friendly. Attentive waitstaff.
In the Northern end of the Lumberyard, Encinitas off 101. Lot or street parking.

My dream for Lotus is to shift from decent to delicious by hiring a chef who understands flavor and texture as much as the ethics behind the food. For example, they could toast gluten free buns as the default option instead of serving them cold as cardboard; roast sweet peppers; cook beans thoroughly; and cook rice al dente instead of slightly mushy. This food is hippie cuisine that has mainstreamed.
That said, Lotus is the one restaurant in North County where a mixed group of eaters with challenging diets – such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-​free, and omnivore – will find accord. It’s affordable, and they offer a large outdoor dining patio. I come here with a meditation group for monthly luncheons.
If you’re a foodie, expect to be disappointed in your dish. I always am. Bright side is that the people who work here are really super nice, and they are improving the quality of their dishes with more options on the menu for organic veggies and wild-​caught fish.

Can it get any fresher than this???
Stopped in for lunch on Saturday with my family and I am so glad ended up here, rather than some place that served unhealthy/​heavy food.
Located in the beautiful, beach town of Encinitas, CA on Hwy 1– you will find this all organic establishment. They offer street front open seating, inside restaurant seating AND outdoor/​back patio seating. You order at the register and then you are give a number, which is used for the servers to deliver your food out to you. The restaurant décor is really cool and soothing.
I am in LOVE with the Cosmo salad, no turkey-​add chicken with the house lemon vinaigrette dressing!
That will be my go to salad at all times!
Everything is completely fresh. My party and I walked out of the restaurant not feeling overly full, although we had a lot to eat.