Phoney Baloney’s

This is one of the greatest sandwich places ever. The location is unexpected, but the food was amazing. I really enjoyed both the Vegan Elvis and the Chicken Salad sandwiches. But the Vegan Elvis, which includes peanut butter, coconut bacon and banana, was the standout. I also really liked their kale salad. The added bonus is everything is vegan.
Good luck to Phoney Baloney. 2013 is going to be their year!

Hmmm, maybe my expectations for vegan food are too high but I still expect it to taste good, after all it is still food, right?
I thought the sandwiches were just okay nothing amazing like other Unilocalers have said. I had the buffalo sandwich which had too much sauce and I thought the bread could be a lot better — instead of storebought baguettes that were way too hard. The roof of my mouth was sore! It also took a VERY long time for the sandwiches to be made too.
That said, the owner was very nice though, even though they ran out of certain sandwiches. I actually saw them make a grocery store run for more ingredients which was odd bc it’s not like it was packed.
I personally prefer the sandwiches (esp. the pastrami) at Native Food Café much more.

The food here? Amazing. My personal favorites are the BLTA and the Grown Up Grilled Cheese. Seriously… amazing. The coconut bacon on the BLTA is to die for.
The service here? Amazing. Every time I go in the guys are extremely nice. Yes, there is sometimes a wait. I have never seen them stand around and stare into space like one reviewer mentioned… many of their sandwiches are toasted, and if you order gluten free bread like I always do, it can take some time. That being said, the wait is ALWAYS worth it.

I really wanted to write a good review about Phoney Baloney’s because their sandwiches are very tasty. However, I can’t look past the fact that their service is incredibly, ridiculously slow. It’s so slow that, despite the fact I like their food, my family and I are never eating there again.
The last time, it took them 20 minutes to make two sandwiches — and we were their only customers the whole time.
What happened during that 20 minutes?
1) One of the two workers started our first sandwich, then must have thought of something really interesting because he began staring off into space. Or maybe he was looking at the people working out in the fitness center? Or maybe he remembered he left the oven on at home?
2) Then the other worker starts talking to the guy making our sandwiches, and, our sandwiches completely forgotten, the two guys chat and debate whether they should eat some cookies that someone dropped off. Two minutes later, after some debating, yes, they decide to eat the cookies. Munch, munch, munch. Chat, chat, chat.
Satisfied after having a bit of a chat and a cookie, the first guy meanders back to the kitchen. The guy who abandoned our sandwiches remembers that he was doing something … what was it … oh, yeah: He was making a sandwich. So then he continues making the first sandwich.
3) Sometime, around minutes 8 and 10, the first sandwich is completed. There is more staring into space, more chatting for the next 10 or so minutes.
At one point, while the worker making our sandwiches is staring into space again, my husband catches his eye and the guy remembers that we’re still there. So quickly (can that even be said after close to 20 minutes waiting?), he finishes the second sandwich, then hands them to us with a «have a nice day!» Really? It WAS a nice day, until I had to wait 20 minutes for a sandwich that consists of ready-​made, already sliced and portioned ingredients. They are assembling sandwiches; it should not take this long — not even if it was their first day, which I can almost guarantee it wasn’t. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, we were the only customers there the entire time.
It makes me sad to write this about a place that indeed has good sandwiches, but I can’t patronize a shop with such deliberately bad and slow service. :(There are too many other good sandwich places in OC to put up with this.

Found out about this place from an ad on Tumblr.
It was like impossible to find. It’s in the back of a shopping center INSIDE a gym. I’m so rotten with directions and spacial… stuff that I’m surprised we found it at all. That seems to be a big problem for everyone and I’m sure they get a bajillion crazed phone calls from people trying to find them. Poor guys.
It’s super duper small-​just a few stools and a stand like a mini Subway, but it’s so much tastier.
I’m a fatass so I got the buffalo chicken sandwich and also the Cali BBQ. Both were delicious and made right in front of you. They also have some bomb cookies and interesting soda and chips if you want them. I tried both of the cookies (read: fatass) and they were both good.
Price was pretty good for vegan fair, considering. What I liked most was the dudes working there. Super cool guys. I feel like the guy in the hat is famous or something-​I don’t know why but I know I’ve seen him before from somewhere. Maybe I’m crazy.
Love this place. Will definitely return.

The dudes at Phoney Baloney’s are a class act. They really care about making you the most delicious food they possibly can. I like ordering the trifecta of Tropical Sunrise, Farmer’s Fiesta Salad and Sonoma Chicken Salad (on sourdough roll). It’s hard for me to break out of the cycle now, but everything else I have had there has been great as well.
The location inside of the gym can be slightly awkward at times, but you have to give it to the Phoney Baloney guys for figuring out a location that’s going to allow them to sell their products without tremendous overhead. Being in Irvine and starting a business can be very hard. The Irvine Company is very unfriendly to any business that is not a chain and rents can be through the roof for any small business owner.
We’ll have to tolerate the awkwardness until the Phoney Baloney crew starts making money hand over fist from their delicious vegan food!

Whats up with this obsession/​trend with bacon and eating clean?! Yay for clean eats though! A healthier America sounds good to me!
So I’m always searching for NEW places particularly ones that have opened up recently! Always have to support the new businesses too! Due to the high ratings, I immediately caved in and didn’t even bother to do further research. Although I did notice all the comments about the location and read all the helpful tips! I love how someone mentioned the red umbrella! Hahah! But SERIOUSLY, look for the red umbrella! First of all, it’s located in the back of custom bodies fitness! You could always park in the back of the building and you’ll see the red umbrella!
Cali BBQ: so freaking deliciously tasty! Flavorful «beef» with coleslaw on toasted sourdough roll! The beef was absolutely yummy! Have to admit its better than Veggie Grill’s BBQ burger and that’s saying a lot!!!
Chicken Mediterranean Sandwich: very healthy! It’s not bursting with flavors like the Cali BBQ but they don’t skimp you on that hummus! I started to get a little thirsty cuz of the hummus! You can definitely taste each ingredient and sauce used in this sandwich! Chicken was soo yummy and quite tasty!
Sandwiches on the original menu are $ 5.95 and the new ones are around $ 7 something! I wanted to try their BTLA, but they ran out of their homemade coconut bacon! I’m not a bacon kid, but that was pretty eye-​catching!
$ 1 off ANY sandwich when you check-​in! Staff is friendly and helpful! So happy to see many new places offering «clean eats» ! As for the price, phoney baloney is decently priced! :)
Definitely coming back!!! (Expand to Newport/​HB area please!)
Enjoy! :)

Phoney Baloney’s is worth the frustration of finding it. Located in the back portion of Custom Bodies Fitness’ reception desk where, fortunately, hungry vegan sandwich carvers are extremely distinguishable from fit gym goers.
The sandwiches are straightforward mock version of normally meaty names. The Grilled Cheeses are some of the cheesiest non-​dairy sandwiches I’ve ever seen and their house-​made coconut bacon is better then any soy based fakin’ on the market to date.

I came here on a whim after reading Unilocal reviews and being intrigued of their cool vegan selections.
As a meat eater turned vegetarian, this is as good as it gets. I ordered the Sonoma Chicken Sandwich and had a vegan dark chocolate cupcake. The «meat» definitely had a good texture to it, but didn’t make me feel like I was cheating the vegetarian society by eating meat, either. The sandwich was perfectly crafted with grapes and lettuce along with the meat mixture. The cupcake is so densely packed with flavor it was amazing! I will definitely go here again to try the other selections.
Service was great — the cashier was super friendly.
The only downer to this place is it’s tucked away in a corner, but after reading other Unilocalers’ comments, it’s not difficult to find (just look for a maroon umbrella!).

So my wife and I watched a movie called «Forks over Knives» and are trying our best to switch to a Vegan lifestyle… all I can say is I hope all Vegan fooderies are like Phoney Baloney. My wife ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and it was delicious the sauce is pretty spicy next time I will find out if they have vegan ranch dressing :) I ordered the Cali BBQ and I couldn’t tell the difference in Vegan «meat» and normal meat. I really liked it. The Sourdough is a little tough so I think next time I will try the Squaw bread. Oh and for the grand finale we ordered Chocolate Chip Fluffernutter, which is DELICIOUS!!! I might go on Fluffernutter runs when I want something sweet.
Cons: It’s difficult to find, when you arrive at the store front of the gym DON’T PARK you need to go around to the back of the gym and enter through the «front» door.
Definitely will go back and get more tips on the Vegan lifestyle from the very friendly staff.

Went here on recommendation from Unilocalers for a great vegan place and was not disappointed. We tried the Buffalo Chicken sandwich and the Cali BBQ (we heard that the Vegan Elvis was good, but for our first trip we decided to stay relatively safe with the flavors). They make the sandwiches right in front of you and they have a tantalizing display of vegan cupcakes on the counter (after giving in, we tried one and it was delicious!).
They also have this punchcard for loyal customers that gives you a free sandwich after you buy 10 — needless to say, we’re definitely going to go back to try out the other flavors!
Just a note to first time customers — the place itself may be a little hard to find. It’s a counter located inside the Custom Bodies Fitness gym (the door is right next to the table with the red umbrella over it). Just walk past the front counter inside the gym and Phoney Baloney’s is on your right!

The reason this place earned 5 stars is based on three factors
Price– 5 dollars for a very filling, delicious and loaded sandwich, it doesn’t get more fair than this.
Staff– Mike the owner is very friendly. The other cashiers have always been friendly as well. Mike seems to always be working and working hard to satisfy every customer. I hope this works out for him!
Quality– Every sandwich is made with time and effort. They spend a lot of time ensuring your item is going to be delicious! The bread is delivered daily and is AMAZING. Their spicy buffalo sauce is very good as well.
Im not vegan and I would easily choose this place over subway ANYDAY!
Definitely check this place out!!!

Have had this little golden nugget bookmarked since the day after I had to go gluten-​free. There are so few options for gluten-​free grub around my work (in Tustin), and I have tried and yawned at them all, which really isn’t a big deal because I bring my lunch 99% of the time anyway, but it’s still nice to know I have options that don’t revolve solely around spinach salad with dried stupid cranberries.
I am so happy to know this place exists. Like other reviews have noted, the location is kind of bizzare. It’s in a big shopping center, at the back, on the side of the parking lot, inside of a gym… ideal for a drug deal. Or I guess a sandwich.
The gym itself was completely empty and the only people I encountered were the cutie pie girl who made my sandwich, and the owner, Kyle.
I basically memorized the menu before I came so I knew exactly what I wanted… I ordered the «Grown-​Up Grilled Cheese» on gluten-​free bread. Soy cheese, red onion, fig spread and apple. They were out of the pepperjack cheese that is supposed to go on it, so they subbed it for a mix cheese, but it was sooooo good I didn’t even care. I’m sure the spiciness of pepeprjack would have only added to the perfection though.
I work in the food industry and have probably tried just about every gluten-​free bread there is to try… the one they serve here is in my top two. The only thing I would have loved to see on this sandwich, and I know it probably sounds weird… but bbq sauce. For some reason the mix of the red onion and the cheese reminded me of bbq chicken pizza… the heartiness of the apples completely replaces any desire for chicken in this sandich, but I think a drizzle… or a heaping smear of bbq sauce would serve this sandwich well and seal the deal for me. Regardless, I loved it. The owner let me try a little sample of their coconut bacon, which when I first read about, I assumed it was bacon flavored or coated with coconut… no…it is actually MADE from coconut! I swear on my gluten-​free diet, this «coconut bacon» was better than any real bacon I’ve ever had. I can’t even describe it. I wanted 50 more sample cups of it. Or just the entire tray… every morning for breakfast.
There are 5 or 6 barstools if you want to sit and eat at the counter, but it’s more of a take-​out type of place because like I mentioned, it’s inside of an empty gym. ?? I don’t even know. The aura of this place was all fucked up until I bit into that sandwich and then all I saw was… the car in front of me, because I couldn’t even wait to get back to work to dig in.
They had an assortment of cupcakes including one gluten-​free flavor which did not interest me… but the rest of them sounded and looked soooo good and they come from a bakery which I happen to know is Vegan.
I like it here. Eat here.

First of all, I am not vegan/​vegetarian. I came to this place when I stayed home sick from work, and wanted to do a body good and get something a little more simple and easy on the stomach. It wasn’t too difficult to find, just follow the signs for Custom Body Fitness and look for the red umbrella. It is better to enter on Northwood than Yale, so you can avoid all the horrible drivers in front of Zion Market.
I got an O.G. grilled cheese and a small kale salad. The grilled cheese was interesting. It’s obviously not real cheese. It wasn’t disgusting or anything, the consistency was unusual and rubbery, like I was eating silly putty. There was no gross aftertaste, but it didn’t exactly taste like cheese either. It has avocados and tomatoes in it that were a little difficult to taste. The bread I’m sure is missing other things as well. It pretty much tasted like sourdough but a little harder in consistency.
The kale salad was pretty good. I love the raw onions and apples in it. It is a good mix of flavors, but I realize now that kale is kind of tough to chew. Maybe it was because I was feverish. And I have TMJ. My jaw was a little sore from eating this. More so than the sandwich. But still, it was pretty good.
I definitely think that the grilled cheese would be amazing with real cheese and sourdough. But not bad. Better than other vegan stuff I’ve tried, so it is a good option if you are vegan. For meat and dairy eaters like me, there are much better choices out there.

Phoney Baloney’s is in the same plaza as Zion Market, Carl’s Jr, Yogurtland, and Northwood Pizza. And if you didn’t know, it’s inside Custom Bodies Fitness. Here’s the thing — you need to walk around to the left of Northwood Pizza and into what seems like the back entrance of the gym. So now there’s no excuse for you to not be able to try these delicious sandwiches!
My girlfriend is vegetarian and we always try to hit up vegan restaurants. Benefits are that she has no reservations about tasting what I (a carnivore) ordered, and that she gets to delight in the fact that she can eat anything on the menu with no worries about substitutions or a stray bit of meat.
We were welcomed by two friendly employees who suggested the Sonoma Chicken Salad. I ended up going with the Buffalo Chicken while my girlfriend got the Cali BBQ. They use an iPad app called Square for their credit card transactions, and it’s pretty cool cause you can tap to select a tip amount in 5% increments after 15%.
As far as price vs. quantity, it’s great. For $ 6 you get an approximately 10″ long sandwich split in half. My girlfriend and I, wanting to get the best of both worlds, traded halves, and it was simply delicious. The Buffalo Chicken was nice and had a strong, but just right tang to the sauce. The Cali BBQ was quite good as well! The flavors really balanced each other out. If I had to pick a winner, I’d go with the buffalo, but only under the condition that I had some (vegan?) ranch on the side. The «meat» was textured just like the real thing… and I think my girlfriend experienced memories of straight devouring buffalo wings during her time as a carnivore.
All in all, I’ll be back! Definitely gonna make it a point to try out all of the sandwiches. Customer service to me is big, and even though we were surrounded by an empty gym, unused equipment, and dim lighting, the employees’ amiability made for a great experience!

You know how your vegan/​vegetarian friends always need to find «vegan-​friendly» items on a carnivore’s menu? Well, Phoney Baloney’s is a vegan place that offers «carnivore-​friendly» items on their menu. For real!
This is easily the best vegan/​vegetarian place I’ve been to! I came here because of a promotion these folks were running for Redditors, and I’m so glad they are getting the word out about this wonderful place. Coconut bacon? Check. Grilled «cheese»? Check. I came too late to try out the Sonoma Chicken Salad, as they had just run out, but it gave me an excuse to indulge in the OG Grilled Cheese. I kind of expected the «cheese» to be a weird-​tasting substitute, but to my surprise it was a delightful-​tasting substitute that easily fooled this dairy enthusiast. Although specialty shops like this can come with a premium, I’m thankful that you can get out of here with $ 5 — $ 6 for a sandwich — incredibly reasonable!
They also offer smoothies — I can highly recommend the Tropical Sunrise, and next time I’m in the mood for dessert I’m getting the Gorilla Food. They partner with the Life is Sweet bake shop, a vegan bakery, to offer guilt-​free cupcakes.
I wish this were closer to work so it could be a regular lunch stop for me, but as it is I can definitely see myself making the trek out from time to time for carnivore-​friendly vegan eats!

You’re a fan of supporting small, local businesses? Of course you are. Well, here is one worth supporting.
Orange County veg folks may have stumbled across the blog «Vegan Vagrant». Phoney Baloney’s was started by the writer of that blog, and you’ll probably meet him when you stop by. He’s a really nice guy.
Although this is a new shop, the menu is pretty varied. Some of the sandwiches feature Gardein (which is, in my opinion, the best vegan «meat» that’s currently available). Some use Daiya (again, the best vegan cheese I’ve tried – it puts all other vegan cheeses to shame). Some just have lots of fresh veggies. There are also salads, smoothies, and one particularly awesome dessert that we’ll talk about in a minute.
First, the place is a little tricky to find. Once you locate Custom Bodies Fitness, you’ll want to go around to the back entrance. You’ll know you’ve found the right place when you see the table and chairs by the door (but there’s also seating inside).
The prices are really reasonable, and the servings are filling without being too huge. Also, you gotta love the name (although my husband was a little disappointed that there was, in fact, no phoney baloney anywhere in the place). Wanting to try everything, my husband and I probably ordered too much food. I had the buffalo chicken sandwich and the barley salad, he had the OG grilled cheese, and we split the strawberry cookie monster sandwich.
I had never really thought of making a barley salad before, but it was good. The owner compared it to a more healthy version of a pasta salad. The buffalo chicken sandwich was a good use of the Gardein chicken, although I thought it could have used a little bit more ranch dressing – but I love ranch more than some people do. My favorite, though, was the grilled cheese. There’s just something about the avocado, tomato, and cheese combination that was really satisfying. It’s great the way it is, but I could also see adding in some grilled peppers and onions for extra veggie goodness.
Then there’s the cookie butter sandwich. Oh yes, you saw that – cookie butter sandwich. (That’s right folks, cookie butter is vegan!) What is cookie butter, you ask? Basically, it’s a spread with the consistency of peanut butter, only it’s made with ground up gingerbread-​ish cookies. Now imagine that in a sandwich with Tofutti cream cheese and fresh strawberries, grilled panini-​style. Surprisingly, it’s not overwhelmingly sweet. It could possibly be improved by using a sweeter or even neutral flavored bread, since it currently comes on sourdough, but as is it’s awesome. You need to go try it before the strawberries are out of season, though I’m sure by that time, the owner will have an even more creative dessert in mind.

I stumbled upon this tucked away sammy shop in search of the perfect veggie sandwich. And boy, did I find it. Although the place was difficult to find at first, (back of the shopping complex in Custom Bodies, but someone said its the main entrance?), its definitely a place I’ve returned to over and over again. The veggieplooza was perfect — fresh carrot shavings, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado and lettuce all smothered with the perfect amount of homemade hummus. Almost everything is local and organic. Kyle, the owner, has got the right idea, and he’s always so nice!
I tried the chicken salad sandwich too, and that was absolutely delicious! Who knew phở chik’n could taste so good? The dill was a great touch. Sadly, I found out I am gluten intolerant only a few weeks ago, but I went back to good olé Phoney Baloneys knowing they had gluten-​free options. Of course, I couldn’t try any of the other phở-​meat sandwiches (soy-​based = celiac’s nightmare), so I went back to my fave — the veggiepalooza, but this time on gluten-​free bread (a first try for me since kicking gluten to the curb). Surprisingly, it was pretty good! Dense, yes, but not cardboard-​y tasting.
Kyle will have me coming back, there’s still salads and smoothies I can try. I still need to try the coconut bac’n, plus he promised me gluten-​free cupcakes! ;-)
This place needs to become a chain and get its butt down to San Diego! Such a good idea. Cheers!

First of all, I like their business name. When I told a friend about it he laughed so hard. Clever, he said.
Wow, wow, wow what a new find! I attended OC Veggie Meet Up at this new sandwich shop tonight. There were about 20 people came all at once to try this new place. The owner was overwhelmed but still provided great service. He apologized a couple time to us since some of us had to wait for our sandwiches. He said that we were his largest size group of customers so far (the place just opened for 3 weeks).
The place is small, used to be a juice bar. It is inside a gym called Custom Bodies Fitness Gym. So it is a bit hard to find but as long as you look for this gym, you’ll find it. It is just inside the entrance of the gym. There are plenty of parking spots and there is a table and set of chairs outside. It is quite peaceful outside, actually.
However, what is really outstanding is the food. We didn’t mind the wait. Sandwiches are awesome, tasty, big, reasonable price, healthy, and savory. The combination of the fillings inside the sandwich was the creation of the chef/​owner and he is PRETTY CREATIVE!
The following are what I tried: Sonoma Chicken Salad (has grapes, almonds, and celery), Buffalo Chicken (spicy sauce, tangy, with romaine lettuce), Cali BBQ (the slaw, pickle, and chipotle sauce combination is pretty good), KP’s Kale Salad (I like the apple and walnut and the dijon dressing).
Now, what I think the BEST is the Strawberry Cookie Monster special dessert sandwich. It is not in the menu but it is offered on a special flyer posted on stand on the counter. This is a WINNER! It is whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread toasted with fillings of cream cheese (sweetened, I think), fresh strawberries, and cookie crumbled in almond butter. This is a grilled dessert sandwich. If you like strawberry and cream cheese, you’ll like this one. The cream cheese and almond butter filling were oozing out of the sandwich: warm, soft and creamy. One of the meetup attendees claimed ‘This sandwich needs a new name! ’ ’ What? ’ I asked. ‘Food Orgasm!’ she said. LOL! Ya, I agree totally! It was that GOOD! I think I even like it better than the dinner sandwich I just had.
My husband had the Veggiepalooza which was also yummy. Lots of fresh veggies in it with a layer of spicy hummus. The dark brown roll called squaw sandwich roll is really good. It is better than the white sourdough roll. At least I like it better so I am going to order all my sandwiches on the squaw roll next time.
Oh, oh, if you like sweet savory sandwich how about this: Grown Up Grilled Cheese sandwich which has fig butter, apple, onion, and pepperjack cheese. Brilliant! Then, how about the Vegan Elvis: peanut butter, banana, smokey coconut bacon on a whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread, grilled. You think it is strange? Don’t knock it until you try it. It sounds strange but if the ingredients are all eaten together in one bite it generates a savory sweet flavor. True, it is not like any other sandwich we eat everyday but the flavor combo is unique and flavorful!
There were some cupcakes served tonight. I had the Salted Caramel Chocolate cupcake. Very moist, salty, sweet, and chocolatey! YUM YUM! I am not sure if he is going to serve cupcakes all the time. I sure hope so.
If you don’t want too sweet, the smoothie was not that sweet. It was fruity but not too sweet. My husband ordered that and I approved.
The price of the sandwiches were pretty reasonable. Like I said, the sandwich is large and fresh.
I will definitely be back.

I first visited Phoney Baloney’s during their Cinco de Mayo soft opening (check out my original review for info on that), and today I came back to try their official menu. I ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich, and my friend ordered the Cali BBQ sandwich with the gorilla food smoothie. I tried all three items and loved them! The flavors were all very unique and compelling. The produce they use is completely fresh and almost 100% local and organic. Kyle, the owner, said that he shops a few times per week for their ingredients.
Although I am not vegan, I can very honestly say that if I could eat at Phoney Baloney’s for the rest of my life, I would become vegan in a second. It really is that wonderful, so for those of you meat eaters or vegetarians out there that are skeptical, please come try Phoney Baloney’s!
In addition to the fantastic food, the service is quick and friendly. The owner gave us both a dollar discount on our sandwiches, which is amazing given the fact that this place is VERY cheap for a vegan place already. This is definitely my new favorite place to eat and I would highly recommend it to anyone.