Thrive Vegan Cafe

I’m very sad to see that other Unilocalers did not have as amazing an experience as we did at Thrive. It may be the only vegan restaurant on the island, and we will definitely be returning before we go home. First, our food was AWESOME. I had mushroom soup to start which was hearty, earthy and full of flavor-I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but this was very satisfying. My entrée was the avocado melt sandwich, (artichokes, avocado and vegan cheese melted on locally made bread and sprinkled with sunflower seeds), I devoured it! I wish I had ordered the full sandwich instead of the half… I finished up with a slice of vegan pumpkin pie which was satisfying but just wasn’t very creamy, (which I understand seeing as there is no dairy in it).
The owner came and talked to us before our meal, filling us in on how the restaurant came to be and told us about the specials and where all the veggies came from. I really enjoyed this, it’s why I love small businesses! He was very respectful though and let us finish our meal in peace.
I just hope people are not dismayed by the negative comments on Unilocal because I think thrive is a true Whidbey gem.

I have been vegetarian/​vegan for over 22 years, and outside of the time I had food poisoning at a food cart in Belize this is by far the worst restaurant experience of my life. This is basically what people who don’t know better make fun of vegans for eating: raw veggies and mushy, bland gruel. We should have just bolted when we saw that the chop sticks on the table were moldy.
The «yellow curry» was brown and tasted like low fat pumpkin pie filling, and despite being ravenous we couldn’t even finish it. There was absolutely no evidence of any spices added to this dish that would constitute a curry of any kind. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was reheated from frozen.
Other low lights included their «famous» black bean burger: a dry, crumbly patty on a plain bed of chopped raw veggies (one of which still had dirt on it). At least this was edible, but it still felt like I was being punished for misbehaving.
The owner Tom also took our orders and is extremely proud of all these overpriced culinary misfires. He is long winded and overbearing, frequently interrupting our table conversation to brag about his «amazing» food, his entire life history and various dubious nutrition facts. Do you want to play ridiculous movie trivia in the middle of your meal? It doesn’t matter, you’re going to anyway.

Wow, extremely over priced for what you actually get. My husband and I traveled from SoCal to vacation on the island to crab & fish the humpie run. Being vegan, the in-​laws mentioned this place to us. I looked at the menu online and ordered take out to go sit on the beach and enjoy our dinner (early anniversary dinner). Seeing the prices, I assume it would be quality & quantity you would receive in Seattle and surrounding cities providing vegan and gluten free items. However, this was not the case. The $ 13 veggie quesadilla should be sold for maybe, maybe $ 6 – 8. It was a green (probably spinach) tortilla with vegan cheese, spinach, tomatoes and onions in it. Some sprouts, 2 slices of cucumber and 2 cherry tomatoes as a garnish with a ramkin of pico de gallo. It was not an extra large tortilla, but a smaller one cut into 4’s. We also ordered the grilled cheese. The bread was amazing! It had vegan cheese and also a cucumber and tomato garnish. Menu said it had pickles with it, I did not receive any pickle. This was either $ 9 or $ 11, I can’t remember. Also, maybe a $ 6 – 8 item. These items did NOT have sides to them… No salad, no fries, nothing. For what you receive, it is insane the prices they charge. My in-​laws brought over a slice of blackberry pie and a slice of blueberry pie, both vegan from here. I think the forgot to add any sugar! It was bland and dry.
I don’t believe there is A/​C in the place as we were hot in the short time it took to pay the bill and leave.
I would love to support local anytime we return, but with these prices, there is no way I would return. I cook vegan, I eat out vegan, and I expect quality & quantity for the money I pay.
I hope the best for the place and hopefully they can do something about the cost/​pricing so repeat customers can be a norm for them. Unfortunately, the reviews on here indicate otherwise.

I really like this place and the owners. They have a pretty large vegan and gluten-​free menu! The male owner Tom greeted us and told us about the whole menu and about why he chose to open the café. I really appreciate this because it’s hard to find passionate business owners these days. I also really appreciate anyone trying so hard to get the vegan message out there. Tom and his wife also really care about health and wellness. Again, this speaks to me.
I was hungry so I forgot to photo my food, but my husband and I started with the Veggie Hummus Plate. It came with fresh grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, rice crackers and olives. What makes the olives special is, they are not soaked in lye which makes a huge difference in taste. They were fresh tasting, not salty and had a crunch to them. All were great choices to dip in the homemade hummus, which was simple and earthy, we really enjoyed this starter. My husband ordered the Mt Baker Bean Burger and it was HUGE! He enjoyed the bean burger very much, it came with vegan cheese, Chao Brand. It also came with a side of salad or soup, he chose the Lentil Soup, which he thought was very good. I ordered the Quinoa Salad and I really enjoyed it. It had rainbow quinoa, avocado, walnuts, grape tomatoes, currants and a dressing of simple balsamic vinegar, fresh olive oil and herbs, on the side.
I’ve read the other reviews and I am so pleased I went in anyway. Their food is all organic, simple and healthy. You do not need tons of seasonings and salt to make your food taste «better» when you’re eating whole foods. This is the way I cook at home, vegan, organic, simple and healthy. I love that I didn’t feel stuffed or heavy when I left. People think you need TONS of ingredients, and that’s just not the case for us. Yes it was pricey, however what do you expect? It’s you health. I make 99% of my meals at home, I was on vacation and found the next best thing to my food! I will be back.

I found the menu items pricey considering the portion and taste. Lunch items for four people came out at different times. I ordered a veg quesadilla which came with large chunk raw onions and feel should have been sautéed with the spinach. Owner too chatty with guests. Would not return.

First of all, big props to the owners of this place for creating a vegan, gluten-​free restaurant! That combination is so rare.
That said, I found the food quite bland and very pricey. The pricey part makes sense because there weren’t a lot of customers and the owners are obviously trying to stay in business, so they are charging more.
I think a couple of moves could really have this place reach its potential:
1. Hire a menu advisor to come in and make the recipes sing a little more. There are lots of precedents in the restaurant world for richly flavorful rice-​bowl options, for example.
2. Cook items fresh to order. My Buddha Bowl tasted like the veggies had been cooked earlier and reheated. They had lost their color and full flavor.
2. Cut the prices. $ 17 is outrageous for a rice bowl. If you need to reduce the portion size, then do that.
Again, I wish the owners all the best and hope they make a few improvements so the island can have a great vegan, gluten free place.

it is worth the visit to this tasty café just to meet and visit with the adventuresome and knowledgable owners, tom and janice sellers. be prepared to be regaled with adventures past and present.
what i particularly LOVED is that, although known for their vegan offerings, the zellers are willing to cross the line and offer REAL cheese for those of us who are not purists.
their soups are divine, the quesadilla melts in your mouth and their thai curry with 21 spices cannot be copied.
yum!
sheryl-​free spirit

I have gone here off and on when I want to eat something healthy but do not feel like cooking and preparing it. However, I will not be going back again after today.
Every time I go in, the owner is complimentary and friendly but way TOO friendly. I was trying to eat lunch with my mom when he hijacked the conversation, and cornered us for almost the entire meal. He talked about his daughter and her high school days and how he always knew her boyfriend was gay. Then he tried to sell us his frozen soup for another five minutes. By the time he left, my mom had to go back to work. I was very frustrated that I didn’t get to chat with my mom.
Then there was the food: We shared Nachos ($ 16.00 Nachos, mind you). It came with whole beans, cheese, and 6 tiny whole tomatoes. I asked if we could get avocado and she said it would cost another 3.00. I was not prepared to spend 19.00 on a plate of Nachos so I declined. It took 20 or more minutes for them to bring it out (with only one other table of people in the whole place). The Nachos were flavorless, and the cheese was barely melted and tasted chalky. The cheese was only on the top of the Nachos and the rest was an endless pile of dry chips.
In summary, I wish I could support this business because they do offer healthy food but it is way overpriced with underwhelming flavor and an owner who incessantly talks about himself at your table.

This place is amazing, I can’t say I’ve ever been anywhere quite like it.
What makes it so special is, without question, the owner Tom. He is super friendly and really makes an effort to get to know you, which is aided by his impressive ability to strike up a fascinating conversation on almost any topic. He fervently believes in the health benefits of a vegan diet and is clearly enthused about the health and wellness mission of his café. Some people find his boisterous enthusiasm off-​putting, but I found it a refreshing change from «the Seattle Freeze» mentality that I’m used to. He puts his heart and soul into this place, and really wants to be your friend, not just your chef or server.
Now, on to the delicious food. The absolute highlight was when I came in for breakfast and got their gluten-​free vegan pancakes. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but out came two glorious, thick, golden brown cakes with maple syrup and sliced fruit. They had the perfect balance of chewiness and crunchiness with an amazing caramelized flavor, a far cry from the cheap floury taste of most pancakes. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say these were the BEST pancakes I have ever had!
Their lunches are also excellent: I tried some truly delicious black bean nachos, a protein-​packed strawberry smoothie, and an Avocado Avalanche sandwich on locally-​made bread. All were very tasty! One minor note: If you’re vegan, be careful to make sure they use the vegan cheese, as they also have dairy cheese (when we went they used Chao vegan cheese, which tastes amazing and can even fool carnivores!).
As if that wasn’t enough, this place really puts in the effort to go beyond the typical restaurant experience. The provided water is not just tap water but carefully pH-​balanced water delivered in elegant blue bottles. The salt provided is not boring old table salt but Himalayan pink salt. The shelves are lined with health supplements and all kinds of vegan packaged food — perfect for picking up those hard-​to-​find items in a pinch. They also have a small bakery that offers a variety of baked goods (pies and cookies) for dessert. They even offer a wide array of frozen soups and refrigerated deli items to take home with you!
In summary: super friendly staff, delicious food, and much more than you might expect at first glance. I’m seriously considering traveling back to the island just to go there again.

Though they call themselves a vegan café they serve «regular» dairy cheese. The food was subpar (of three dishes and dessert we ordered we thought one was pretty good and threw away the dessert.) The price just adds insult to injury. The owner was inappropriately flirty and made several comments that were misogynistic. I won’t be returning and would highly recommend finding somewhere else to eat.

I wished I’d read the reviews here before going to this place. As others have said:
1. The food is mediocre at best.
2. Way too expensive.
3. The owner talks non-​stop trying to impress you with his «knowledge» and up-​sell you on his «products» which ruined a family dinner. Seriously, the guy was talking about Goose poop infecting turkeys therefore we shouldn’t eat turkey… during our dinner.
I gave them 2 stars because the beer was reasonably priced, the only bright spot.

I got the daily special for $ 10 the vegie curry. Quite ordinary and not as good as we make at home. Cmon you guys, if you want to sell food, charge what it is worth. This meal has a food cost of nothing, $ 17? I’d never come back at that price. $ 8, sure, it’s worth that. Good luck; nice vibe, the owner is a bit of an aggressive salesman, with a nice personaltiy. All in all, not as good as I had hoped, but I will try it again. Something different next time,

Meh. I think it’s cool that there is a vegan option available in the area, but the food is mediocre at best. It was what I think non-​vegans assume vegan food is: mashed vegetables with little flavor; I sincerely hope this is not anyone’s first encounter with vegan food (if it is/​was don’t be discouraged– there are much better options out there!). We were greeted by a gal with thinly-​veiled distain for her job and/​or customers who barely looked at us as she directed us to sit wherever. She came back 10 min later to take our order. To her credit, she was a one-​man show– both serving and cooking, bit she was not pleasant.
The dining area serves as a small wellness store, which was cool– it gave us things to check out as we waited. And for being as small as it is, they have a pretty diverse offering including vegan protein powders, sugars, essential oils, teas, cosmetics and cooking supplies.
The menu was small and surprisingly did not have any protein options (I’ve never seen a vegan menu without tofu!): veggie bowls, veggie burgers, wraps, salad, soup and mexican. The prices were steep, especially considering they didn’t have protein: the veggie bowls were $ 15 – 17 (side of avocado: $ 3!). We were one of two tables and it still took over 30 min for our food to come. We ordered the thai curry bowl and the «spicy» crying tiger bowl; they could not have been more underwhelming. The thai curry tasted like pureed sweet potato and lentils over brown rice with no seasoning– pretty bland. The tiger bowl was even worse. It was sauteed veggies over rice with a hint jalepeno– no spices, zero heat and no flavor. My husband ate 3 bites before stopping. I understand that they don’t salt their food «because it will kill you», but there are plenty of other spices besides salt that they could have used.
While I would love to be able to support a small business catering to a niche market that I am a part of, this really was not good. Especially for the price and bad service. Would not recommend!

This is a mixed bag experience. Lovely dining area surrounded by shelves of good for you stuff (vitamins, herbals etc.) it feels part retail part café.
I have enjoyed the lentil soup (curry makes the dish) Thai curry bowl (outstanding), Mt Baker burger served with excellent local Bloom’s wine.
Alert: the black bean Mt Baker does fall apart, no binders added.
I like that they have you salt and spice to YOUR taste not theirs.
Teriyaki gluten free bowl with homemade peanut sauce is to kill for, so saith my wife.
The gluten free peanut butter cookie is breakfast, lunch and dinner worthy.
Here is the catch, I’m a gun loving, meat eating right winger who appreciates good healthy hippy food (I guess I miss the 60s)
Tami our server rocked.

I drove 45 minutes to this shop in hopes of some good vegan food. I got the Mt. Baker black bean burger, with potato leek soup, and a slice of silk chocolate cream pie. My boyfriend settled for the pico de gallo (blue corn chips and salsa). Everything was sadly under seasoned, because they don’t use salt. The burger was pretty bland and charred on the bottom, yet fell apart before getting in my mouth. The soup was also pretty flavorless. Although the pie was good paired with some soy icecream (I brought it home) it was too bitter to eat on it’s own. The restaurant is very expensive, the food isn’t great, but my waitress did a good job. Not going out of my way to go there again.

On a Saturday road trip we stopped at this quaint place for lunch.
This is a small place with a couple tables and shelves and shelves of items to purchase some edible and some not.
I had the veggie wrap with their mustard. I enjoyed my wrap. Others in our groups ordered the bowls, and one order the black bean burger. Most of the comments from our group is the search for salt and spices.
The owner is very passionate about what his business.
I would probably not be going back but the owner has carved out his niche.

Salt-​free. That’s where they go wrong.
I’m a supporter of any restaurant that serves vegetarian or vegan food. We need more of them!
I had the Dragon Bowl. Mixed vegetables and brown rice in a mildly spicy yellow sauce. Veggies were cooked right but the lack of salt in the sauce kills it.
I was unaware of any war on salt. And, as a reader of Huffpost, I’d know if there was one. :)
I’m glad this place is here and the owners are very passionate about what they’re doing. If profit is one of their goals of running Thrive, I’d recommend salt, maybe some corn-​based options as well.

I wanted to like this place. I was visiting Whidbey island as I do every year and love to support veggie establishments. The food here is lacking in taste and originality. It is also severely overpriced. $ 16 for a salad is not okay. They proudly don’t salt there food, because «it will kill you.»
The worst part is the male owner. Once hearing I was from San Francisco he went on and on about how much he disliked it and «that must be why we look so unhappy.» I finally got fed up and told it was my hometown and I didn’t appreciate it. He also had food smeared all over his mouth every time he spoke to us. He continually bragged that he was offered the job as CEO of some prominent hospitals in SF, but he couldn’t stand to live there.
Would not go back.

Deck was nice.
Food was ok, but over priced. Most everything was made with fake stuff. Fake cheese, etc. nothing was original or creative. There were huge chunks of broccoli stem, and the tips of the carrots were still on…
The male owner/​server was VERY rude. I am a server myself and always give the server the benefit of the doubt but this man was mean, talked down to us, basically told us we were stupid, he was sexist, and bragged about himself while I would have liked to have been enjoying time chatting with my mom.
Might be good if they got a good server.
Also, hours of operation were very awkward. 10 – 7, for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Was excited for a vegetarian place on south whidbey. This is the first since blueberry hill I believe… I was pretty disappointed… Bummer.

My girlfriend and I are on vacation on Whidbey Island and decided to check out the vegan restaurant in town. I ordered one of the dragon bowls, which was a generous portion of stir-​fried veggies and cashews in ginger over brown rice. I thought it was pretty good, but was a little sticker-​shocked at the $ 16 price. My girlfriend ordered an onion and sun-​dried tomato quesadilla, which came out with the onions barely cooked and the cheese not totally melted. She couldn’t really eat it because of a raw onion allergy and had thought the onions would be grilled inside. When asked, they did provide something else, a grilled cheese (Daiya) on this thick, tough bread. It was okay, just kind of a strange grilled cheese. She said her jaw hurt when she was done eating. I can’t say I was overly impressed, but it’s a nice vegan resource for the town with the small store inside. I decided to forego dessert because dinner was just mediocre. My main beef (no pun intended) is that they have «Vegan» in the title/​name of the restaurant, but they offer dairy cheese as an option on the menu (though Daiya vegan cheese is the default). It makes me wonder how committed to veganism the restaurant can be if they are willing to serve dairy upon request. If you are a vegetarian restaurant, do not call yourself vegan. Also, the male owner appeared to be overly intrusive and chatty with the other table that was finishing up their meal, telling them lengthy personal stories (to the point of not greeting us and not taking our order for a long time — actually his wife ended up coming out from the kitchen and taking our order eventually). We both had time to look over the menu, go to the bathroom, and run out to the car for something before ordering and there was only one other table which already had their food. We had been warned of this by somebody in town prior to going and tried to steer clear of appearing interested in conversation. We left thinking… hmm, strange place.