One World Cafe

First off, if you are into being a chichi vegetarian, earth loving, whole foods shopping, TOMS wearing, person, you might not like One World. It is a melting pot of people and food.
I have been to One World many times and never had a bad meal. I brought a friend of mine who is usually a Chili’s, meat eating, kind of person. He fell in love with One World.
The concept is awesome, you pay for what you eat. Simply and delicious.
Get the Quiche, you won’t be disappointed.

The food is good especially if you appreciate healthy food and I love the mission and whole concept.

I love the mission and the food.
3 of us piled 3 plates with all types of food, we arrive at the register, and the server suggested $ 20. I couldn’t believe it, especially after tasting it all.
I ended up donating double what we paid out of gratitude. This restaurant is the ideal to which all others should strive to be.

One thing that must be understood about this restaurant is that they don’t really have menus or recipes. They buy whatever they can at the local farmers market and make whatever they feel like making. You pick among their dishes cafeteria style. You pay whatever you feel it was worth – anonymously placing your payment and a poker chip into the drop box.
There are a couple of implications about this model, which many of the reviews do not seem to understand:
First, you will only enjoy this place if you like the hippie «pay what you feel» concept, and you don’t mind (or even enjoy) eating on second-​hand silverware in rooms furnished and decorated from thrift stores, served plates of food by possibly-​homeless people working for a free meal (patrons who cannot pay can earn a meal by working one hour).
Second, given the frankly experimental nature of the food, it will necessarily be hit-​and-​miss. I find that the experiments usually work out – at least some of them do. Try a little of everything on a small plate, and maybe go back for a second. I tend to like their soups – one of them is almost always amazing (or at least tolerable and unlike anything I’ve ever had before).
Other than that, try an everything cookie for desert. That’s their tradition. Like everything almost else about this place, it’s unique. That counts for something in my book.

I’m an out-​of-​towner that stopped by for a meal with my wife.
First off, the concept is five stars, the people there are great and friendly. The food could be a bit better, but that’s not really the top priority here.
We gladly paid the suggested price, plus a little extra, to support the cause. And for those that can’t see the forest through the trees, you take your money to that fancy san fran vegan restaurant.

I have never encountered a restaurant that makes me pay more attention to sociology and politics than to the food I am ingesting. I don’t dine out to feel «green». I fulfill those needs by recycling and voting O’bama. I go out for good food. Period.
Fortunately, the One Word Café serves mostly solid, well prepared, home-​style food. And the constantly evolving selection is not purely vegetarian, thank Vishnu. You can enjoy Salmon along with your veggie quiche or beet salad. While the food tends to lean towards blandness, I’m generally satisfied with it’s wholesomeness and quality.
But it is all overshadowed by the thinly veiled «suggestions» that lurk behind the naïve and misleading motto that «Everyone Eats». Sure, everyone eats; as long as you follow the rules, which are posted for everyone to see.
And the rules have gotten more specific over the years. They started out just having a donation box. Then they moved to posting a sign urging donations and giving patrons a little envelope to put it in. At my most recent visit, I noticed that they now have a posted menu with specific set prices. And they have had to stoop to actually having a cash register. The nervous vegan behind the counter rank me up and asked for nine dollars, a lot of money for three spoonfuls of various salads and a cup of watery bean soup. I guess the «pay what you can» philosophy is now dead. They should just surrender and charge for their food like everyone else.
Why has One World had to resort to basically becoming just another bohemian, organic restaurant? Because some people took advantage of the «everyone eats free» philosophy. That should come as no surprise. People are inherently selfish. Socialism doesn’t work. Read Ayn Rand!
I appreciate the effort, and the trust in human nature that One World tries to convey, but it’s a bit tiresome. I actually feel kind of bad for them. They have had to concede that if they held to their naïve and utopian view, they would go out of business. It’s like a kid learning there is no Santa Claus.

I have a lot of vegetarian friends in Utah who extol the virtues of this place. And to be fair, it’s one of the few places in SLC where you can get affordable vegetarian/​healthy fare. Also, they had quinoa when I went there, a particular favorite of mine.
My positive review ends there. I didn’t mind the ambiance or the lack of chairs so much. There’s only so much a «pay-​what-​you-​think» establishment can afford. What I DID take terrific offense to was the entirely bland nature of every single dish I ate. Look, I live in the Bay Area, and while I am a voracious carnivore, I’ve had plenty of delicious vegetarian/​healthy food in my life. Healthy no longer has to mean flavorless, but apparently the One World Café hasn’t woken up to this 21^st century fact of flavor yet. Bland, bland, bland, bland, BLAND. If you want your food to be properly seasoned, even in a health-​food sense, DO NOT GO HERE. I certainly won’t.
Guess how much I paid.

I’m going to pile on the praise of One World. I’m lucky to work just 2 blocks from OWEE (One World Everyone Eats) and I’m sad to say I just discovered it a year ago. This place makes me happy it truly proves that people are basically good and altruistic. One day I was having a really shitty day at work and went out wandering for a walk and found myself sitting in One World. My entire day changed from that point, the place made me feel like less of a cog in the wheel of the great machine of life and more of an active participant. Eating here can change you and I think that is the point.
The actual quality of the ingredients is great but it depends on who’s manning the kitchen as to how good the end product is. I would say I’ve never had a bad meal but I’ve often had great ones.

Upon asking our gracious SLC hosts for a lunch recommendation that fell within the nexus of awesomeness and affordability, we were first greeted with blank stares. Awesome food? In Salt Lake? Not as far as those former San Franciscans were concerned. Eventually, however, they directed us to the One World Café, which they promised would deliver, if not mind-​alteringly delicious food, a thoroughly unique experience.
And deliver it did. The ethos of this place is off the do-​gooder charts: eat as much as you want from a cafeteria-​style offering of two kinds of soup, several cold salads, and 3 – 4 hot entrees. Drink decent free coffee. Pay what you wish, or volunteer your time in their kitchen or garden. They also offer free daal and rice for those who can’t afford to pay anything or can’t be arsed washing dishes or pulling up weeds.
It’s a shame a place like this wouldn’t last half a week in a city like Boston. «Dude, let’s go to One World! We can totally have a seitan-​eating contest for, like, 2 bucks!» «Can’t we just use your dad’s credit card again and go to Morton’s?» «Nah brah! One World! WOOO!»
No, the food isn’t awesome, but it’s decent, and I didn’t mind paying more than its strict market value, since I so very much support their mission. May its ilk find places to flourish in more cities that aren’t overrun with college goons and unscrupulous sorts who could certainly afford to pay more but ain’t gonna.

This place rocks. Not for the ambiance or the presentation or whatever other pompous BS that people generally rate restaurants on. Simply because it is good simple food that is on a «PAY AS YOU FEEL THE MEAL IS WORTH» basis. Wha???
Yes it is calling all hippies. If you want to go somewhere with linen napkins, ambiance and appetizers the size of my thumb then go somewhere else. Odds are you will end up spending at least $ 50. But all that is lacking here and still it still gets 5 stars because, I repeat, you pay what you think the meal is worth.
That’s right folks, if you didn’t enjoy it, you pay $ 5 (if that is what you feel it is worth) and be on your merry way. And considering the restaurant has an overall feel of catch as catch can furniture, something tells me that happens alot.
Personally I went back for seconds it was that good. Had some bomb breaded fish and a good salad. The food in general was a bit salad and lentil heavy which limited what I actually liked. In all honesty if I was REALLY paying what I felt the meal was worth it would have been 10 dollars but because I feel that purpose behind the meal was worth more than the meal itself, I dropped $ 20 without a second thought.
Seriously, anyone who doesn’t give this place at least 4 stars is missing the whole point. As far as I’m concerned what this place is trying to do, feed the world, is awesome and should be recognized as such. I wish we had one in San Francisco but sadly as much as we would like to call ourselves hippies, the rents are too high and there are too many homeless people for a place to say «pay what you feel the meal is worth» and stay in business for longer than two seconds. But please if you know of one in SF, for god sake let me know. I’d love to be proved wrong on this one.

I love One World. For the food (I had this carrot ginger soup there one day that I swear to god, was the best thing ever), the atmosphere (more living roomish than homeless shelter, but hey– maybe that says more about me than the restaurant), and if One World was a person, I’d date it. Or at least get some super obsessive crush and maybe stalk it a little. Anyways, the staff is always nice, and even though the space looks small from the outside, it is actually quite large, with a lot of different smaller rooms sort of branching off everywhere. I think the food is… well, it’s like how I aspire to cook someday. You know– homemade, but better. So… eat here, look at their website, and be amazed that it exists in Utah.

Despite my 5-​star rating, if you come to One World expecting a traditional «5-​star» dining experience, you’re definitely coming to the wrong place. All the reviews so far are essentially true, and I won’t rehash the specifics about the mission and how-​it-​works at this special little «restaurant». What I will say, is that I make it a point to eat here every time I’m in town (which is fairly regularly, at least 5 times a year) and I have never been disappointed. Sure, the selections are limited and the food is a little different every day. But the «Everything Cookie» is a classic, unpredictable and varied though it may be. The quiche is always great. And the pesto-​peach-​chicken wrap I had yesterday was to DIE FOR. Seriously amazing. I love One World. It’s one of the best things about Salt Lake City. Elitists (cheesecake? please) and neo-​bourgeoisie — please go ahead and avoid the place, you probably won’t enjoy it.
Also: the address shown on Unilocal is incorrect. The café is at 41 S 300 East — that’s the west side of 3^rd East, between South Temple and 1^st South.

I give One World 4 stars. Why? Three for the food and service and I give them a bonus star for the cause that is behind this little place.
One World is what it is. They live on donations. They don’t set prices for their food. You pay what you feel is right. They give jobs to people who would otherwise be asking you for money on the sidewalk. There is no harm in any of that.
When you go here know these things and know that because of these things you get the following…
–A very different menu everyday. The food is mostly grown in their garden or donated so the menu will change daily. It is vegetarian fare at it’s humblest roots. When I have an abundance of produce in my garden I deliver it here or to the food bank. That is where the food comes from and that is where the menu’s come from. If the cheesecake was fat and sugar free they probably didn’t get any fat or sugar donations… Understand this and you will not be disappointed. Help them out and donate some butter and sugar and take the cost out of what you pay for your next meal. They won’t mind.
–Donated furniture and dishes. They live on donations here. The furniture, the dishes, the cookware and whatever else are donated. They often times post a list of needed items on the wall, so the next time you want to throw something out like glassware or plates, tablecloths or chairs, perhaps you should call and see if they need it or even deliver it to DI or Good Will.
–Jobs for people who need them. They give jobs to the people who need them. Many times it is a work for food situation. That man who asked you for money yesterday, and you walk by averting your eyes, he may be working here today. Not taking your quarters to buy vodka, but working for a meal. In this isociety (as in ipod) of ours we all live close to this situation. Maybe someday you or I will be working for our lunch. Beats asking for quarters from the next eye averting person.
I have had good meals and bad meals here and I know that I will always have this option. It is a risk I am willing to take to keep this place in business. I pay accordingly as well. You pay what you feel is right, after you eat, with no questions asked. They even take credit cards.
Some days you will have a one star meal and some days you will have a 5 star meal. The service is pretty much always the same. They average out to 3 stars.
This place is a great and noble cause and deserves to be noted as such.

I thought this restaurant was going to be the cat’s meow, but as it turned out, cat’s hairball was more like it. Served cafeteria style, you ask for portions of any of a variety of dishes from dredlocked, friendly, but unbathed-​looking staff. The food is organic, vegetarian, healthy, low-​fat, etc., etc., etc. Need I say more? Well, OK, here goes…
As far as bleeding-​heart liberals go, they don’t make them more liberal than I am. But even One World goes a bit too far. It’s not that the price-​free food and ‘donation’ box in which you put the value you ascribed to your meal is out of the question. In fact, it’s sort of cool. It’s not even the variety of so-​called dining rooms in the restaurant, which are more like coffeehouse reading nooks with their random political protest posters, sheer accent curtains, and squishy second-​hand furniture. It’s not even the melting pot of clientele ranging from pot smoking homeless people, to pot smoking college students, to pot smoking esteemed professors from next door’s Utah College of Massage Therapy. For me, what made a second visit out of the question was the cheesecake.
The hippie at the counter said, «Today’s dessert is peanut butter chocolate cheesecake,» so – amid excited, anticipatory salivation – I asked for a sliver.
It tasted like dying.
Upon asking, I found out that they had chosen to make it sugar– and fat-​free, thereby destroying not only the texture and taste of the cheesecake, but also killing off a little sliver of my soul. For those of you who like Harry Potter, it turns out that cheesecake is one of my Horcruxes. I mean, come on, One World! You can overthrow political regimes, eat organic, AND Free Tibet, but don’t mess with cheesecake.
The rest of the food, by the way, was bland and mediocre at best.
Great idea; foolishly executed in practice.

One World fills a special niche. It is not perfect by any means, but I am very pleased to be able to find a place (especially in Utah) that uses only organic food and where there is only a selection of healthy dishes. Okay, so the silverware and dishes are an eclectic mixture of no doubt donations and thrift store buys, and you have to eat in a funky old former residence, but who cares?!! They did recently replace more of the sofas with good old fashioned tables & chairs so you can eat like a normal person. And, yeah, it would be nicer if people would clean those tables after eating since the staff emphasizes food over busing tables. But let’s talk food. One World has the good of a buffet (opportunity for small tastes before committing to big portions) without the bad (here, the cooks do the serving). They flavor their dishes well and use a wide variety of veggies — common things like broccoli and carrots to ones less rarely seen in restaurants like turnips or rutabaga. I think there’s added attraction in not knowing what’s going to be served on any given visit. I don’t mind that they choose less expensive ingredients (not poor quality, just chicken legs rather than breasts, for example) and use the more expensive meats sparingly, favoring vegetable and grain dishes. That’s okay! Don’t Italian restaurants do the same with pasta? This tastes much better! Don’t forget to ask for quiche — the cooks often forget to mention it — and come back for a slice of «everything cookie». Also, they don’t skimp on their coffee beans — the coffee’s great! And as others have mentioned, you just pay what you think it’s worth, there’s a box at the front counter. How much fairer can that be? I like this place!

Calling all hippies is right. I was very excited to eat here because I had heard great things, but I was pretty disappointed. I lost my appetite because of the ambiance. It felt dirty, honestly. I felt like I was in a homeless shelter or something. It is basically an old run-​down home with gross used furniture in it and dingy carpet. I didn’t think the food was good, either. The place grossed me out. If you are particular about cleanliness (not that it violates health codes or anything), I would skip this restaurant.

Calling all hippies.
Actually, you never know what sort of crowd will show up during work hours at this progressive café. Tucked out of sight, with a small garden plot in back, this is your healthy eating paradise.
No set menu, but all fresh, mostly organic and vegetarian foods. It’s served cafeteria style. Everything is made in the main kitchen. There are a few different rooms to eat in.
Here’s the kicker. No set prices. That’s right. You decide what to pay. They encourage you to sample small portions and then come back for more. If you have a lot of money, pay extra to help subsidize others. If you’re penniless, work for an hour for free food.
Self serve drinks, soup, and cleanup. This café is an experience and it’s fun to take people who’ve never been.