Spread

I went here solo for lunch. I’ve been a vegetarian for over three years now and I’m always on the lookout for great vegetarian places. When I spotted this place, I knew I had to try it. I started with some spring rolls and soup, and I was impressed! Their food was so tasty and the main course selections were very unique! The food was served pretty fast. Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. Overall experience was fantastic!

It’s late at night, I’m starving and this place was supposedly open til midnight. I’m sitting in front of the place right now and it’s very closed. Wtf, man…

My sister and brother bought me a gift card to Spread for the holidays in December. A gift card NEVER arrived, but they happily charged my brother’s credit card for the full amount. They STOLE his money! For the past 3 months, he’s been calling and emailing to no avail: nobody picks up the phone EVER or answers emails.
They’re thieves. If I could leave «0 stars» I would.

Absolutely not. My advice– stay FAR FAR AWAY
Here is my experience, I did not eat at the restaurant. What? How can you give such a bad review having never gone there? Here is how–
I love peanut butter, so I wanted the best of the best and ordered from Spread. How was it? Oh, I have no idea, it NEVER came. After one month, I called, left a voicemail and an email, no response. Same thing after a few more weeks and a few more weeks, and here I am three months later with still nothing. I have called, emailed, gone through their «contact us» webpage nothing.
I know what you are probably thinking, «she probably didn’t actually make an order». Wrong, my account was charged, the statement clearly says «Spread». And if you know anything about the place, these products are by no means cheap. So I am out of pocket a good chunk of money with no peanut butter and no information. This is just unacceptable.
Oh and now their products page is down. It has been for a few months by the way. Probably a good thing for you so you are by no means tempted to make a purchase only to find out they steal your money and leave you extremely disappointed.

This is my favorite restaurant in San Diego.
The food is created with the vision and passion of an artist.
A chalkboard is brought your table where the day’s fresh offerings are explained.
Deliscious unique tastes, fun and funky décor, superior service!

In June of last year, went here with a friend of mine who was introducing me to the world of vegan eating, and whole foods vice the processed food diet. We ordered two kale salads, and when the rather pretentious waiter brought them to the table, mine had inchworms in it. No kidding… a freaking inchworm sorta wandering around on the rim of the plate… I mean, I felt like I was in some sitcom or a movie, until I found a few more. When I discretely showed the staff they offered a replacement which my friend and I refused, because well… ya think maybe where there’s some inchworms there’s more? They charged us for one kale salad. we paid and left, never to return. I think if I were the manager I would have compted the entire meal, bring it up and offer some explanation or other compensation, etc… they just ignored it. Bad business practice. I feel a bit bad waiting so long to post a review because I wonder how many more inchworms lost their lives in that kitchen or in customer’s stomachs…
Poor little guys…
:)

If I could give minus stars, I would.
Let’s count the reasons:
1*they were closed during their «open» hours
2*we made reservations ahead of time
3*its my birthday
You suck, Spread!

Seriously? Plastic plates? and flatware? and solo cups? I felt more like I was at a tailgate party than a decent restaurant.
And the music was repetitive to start with, but was on an endless loop.
The food was nothing special. The portions were small. Our whole party left feeling unsatisfied, both in a physical sense of not having eaten enough, and in the emotional sense, of having hoped to have a nice dinner, but coming away disappointed.
The most positive thing that came out of our dining experience was our sense of solidarity at what a joke this restaurant is, not only within our own party, but with other disappointed patrons with whom we commiserated as they were leaving.
I second pretty much everything Kelly R. said in her review.
If you really feel the need to pay through the nose for some unexciting vegetables served on plastic plates, my house is just a few blocks away, and I will gladly take your money.

Have I tried the food? Nope. The peanut butter products? Naaaah. And so why am I writing this review?
BECAUSE I’ve been trying to give this place a shot for the last… I dunno… 2 years!!! And most recently I’ve tried three times last week and today… (I was hoping to get my lil grubby hands on some peanut butter jars to give away). So… I’m not quite sure how I keep missing them when I arrive within their supposed business hours and all I see is a pitch dark restaurant and whose number keeps going to voicemail… Is there some secret entrance I’m missing and if not how is this place surviving aaaaand what perplexes me the most is… How are there over 200 reviews of a restaurant thats never open?!
Annoying!!! I’m done trying…

This has been my go-​to fancy pants place for a while now. The last time I went there (until a week ago) was for my going-​away-​for-​deployment dinner I had there 1 ½ years ago. Since returning from deployment, I haven’t been back there and now I am KICKING MYSELF!!!
Went there a week ago and it reminded me of why I loved it so much in the first place. We went there during happy hour and the prices were amazing! Got three small plates, 1 large salad, desert and 3 drinks for $ 40 bucks!!! The owner made everything we ordered gluten free for me, and the best part… my boyfriend loves the tomatoes!!! This is a HUGE DEAL because normally my boyfriend will not touch tomatoes but he LOVED the bruschetta and well… every other dish that we ordered,
If you’ve never been here before, just go. Seriously. It’s amazing.

We had been looking forward to Spread for so long… oh my, what a huge disappointment. Nothing was like the pictures on Unilocal or website. Super incredibly small plates at high prices. Underseasoned, underwhelming by all accounts.
Potato Tacos… two small tacos for $ 8, no garnish on plates, just two potato tacos swimming all alone on their white plate.
Artichoke Brushetta Flatbread… just regular flatbread from a bag, cut into 8 tiny triangles, artichoke heart (only one) that tasted pickled, so I’m guessing from a jar, with a few greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction, probably the glaze from Trader Joe’s. Another $ 8.
Main Dish… Owner’s choice for us… Roasted Vegetables. This plate made our mouths drop… out of shock… It was a stalk of celery cut into two parts, a few florets of broccoli strewn over a couple tablespoons of hard quinoa (which he described as toasted). No seasoning. Spread out in a vertical shape, maybe to look like more? I would have been unimpressed if this had even been served as a side dish. Price: $ 16.
I felt so mad about this dinner… we gave our entrée back and just paid for the appetizers. «I guess this isn’t for you,» the owner said. I really feel like this place is so gimmicky… just trying to use the concept of vegan in order to charge high prices for ridiculous plates of vegetables. There was absolutely nothing special or unique about this food. Either they just had a really bad night when we were there, (place was empty on a Saturday night), or these Unilocal reviews are shams.
If you have read this and you still choose to go… you have been warned.
Take your bucks and get an amazing veggie burger from Raglan’s in OB, or Queenstown Little Italy… or an amazing veggie dish from 101 Wines in Hillcrest or Bo Beaus in OB. I wish that’s what we had done.

I came here the third time because it wasn’t open or special closing the previous two times. I really want to love it, but everything except the paella were too salty.
I don’t think the price really justified me want to come here again, knowing I’ll be leaving still hungry and unsatisfied.
Though if you’re adventurous or want to go a romantic date, I’d recommend the special salads.

The last thing anyone would want to do on their 30^th birthday is eat at *Spread* !
Since I am a vegan, my friends thought it would be nice to take me to a Vegan place for a Saturday Dinner…
Enter: Spread restaurant with 229 all-​good reviews and menu changing everyday !!
Everything looked great until we actually reached the restaurant.
All their menu had was three entrée’, $ 15 each with portions so small that I could eat two and still feel hungry ! Not to forget, the appetizers ($ 8 each) were even smaller (and raw) !
We ended up ordering multiple portions of *everything* on the menu, got up 450 bucks lighter (No kidding !!) and yet walked up to the dessert shop next door to fill us up ! So much for healthy-​vegan food !!
Never going back ever or recommending it to my fellow Vegans !

I wish there was a way to give negative stars to these guys. Total rip off.
Not sure why many people liked this place. May be because they have different food different day?
I went there with a large group to celebrate one of my friend’s birthday — and ordered everything on the menu (Yes they had very few option to eat — Only 3 main dishes).
Everything tasted awful. Portions were very very less. 2 out of 3 main dishes were raw vegetables, which you can only eat on side in a normal meal when you are sick!!!
We end up paying $ 40 each for the worst meal which didnt fill up at all.
Never going back!!!

RIPOFF
Left $ 80 lighter and could have made all the meals ourselves at a fraction of the cost by buying from farmers markets or even Whole Foods. Went to get pizza and dessert after– if you have some sort of appetite these meals will not fill you up– I’m talking a few carrots and brocolli pieces for $ 10 as an appetizer.
I”m all for healthy living but this is just a rip off– they must eat pizza’s in their back room and laugh their butts off in the back. All hyped up food not worth a fraction of what they charge for– felt like I was in candid camera.

Back home after a 10-​day silent meditation retreat (at Southern California Vipassana Center), I am a changed woman! Now on vegetarian diets, me and my great new friends from the retreat headed here for our first post-​retreat meal together.
It was fun getting one plate brought out at a time so we could all pass it around and share the same tasting experiences. Ordered a bunch of the small plates and a main entrée for the table. The food is fancy! Pretty presentation, small portions and unique combinations of ingredients.
Lots of cool new flavors to try + the food seemed pretty nourishing and healthful! Three stars since I personally do prefer larger entrees and was still hungry after all the plates we shared + it was kinda hard to hear each other talk at our table.
Another reviewer mentioned that the way to appreciate this restaurant is to understand that you’re getting great quality and subtle, creative flavors. Totally agree — but wasn’t personally WOWED. It was good but didn’t experience anything that makes me super crazy in love with it.

I met a friend at Spread for dinner on a Wednesday evening. The first thing that struck me was the strong smell. It didn’t smell directly of fried food, perhaps a mixture of fried food and something else? I did reek of the place after dinner, and even my purse smelled of Spread for the next weeks.
The «menu» was brought to us on a chalk board that you might normally see outside a restaurant. I thought this a bit charming, though the selection was limited. The waiter was able to describe the food, though not much beyond what ingredients were listed I front of us. We ordered both items he recommended – nachos and pasta with capers and tomatoes. We also ordered the lemon drop in its virgin form, which tasted like fancy, delicious lemonade. The food was served in a family style, which was fine as we had intended on sharing. (I’m not sure if the food is normally served this way, or if we had implied we would share.) The food was flavorful and overall enjoyable. I think the food was a bit steep for what it was, but only by a few dollars (maybe the $ 18 pasta was really a $ 12-​$ 14 pasta?).
Another observation was that we were there from 6:30 to 8ish, and we were the only two dining there the whole time aside for one other couple. Doesn’t affect my rating, who doesn’t enjoy having the restaurant practically to themselves? But worth noting, I think.
I borderlined on giving the restaurant a 3 or 4, based on the overwhelming smell, limited selection, and price, but a 3.5 gets rounded to a 4. ;) I would go back if someone else recommended it, though I would want to sit close to the door for fresh air.

Let me say first off I have never eaten here at the restaurant. I have only ever come in to grab the most wonderful, delicious and oh-​so-​amazing peanut butter ever. I’m not even a huge fan of peanut butter, but this stuff can only be described as pure liquid candy, its that good. I literally just eat it using a spoon right out of the jar. I eat one or two spoonfuls and that satisfies any kind of sweet craving I might have.
Some of my favorite peanut butter flavors here are the dark chocolate, honey crunch, butterscotch toffee, white chocolate infused with pretzels, truffle, with my absolute favorite being the butterscotch.
The owner and all the people working here are always super friendly and they only charge $ 10 per jar. On the Spread website they go for more than that so coming to buy in person is worth it. I’ll definitely continue to come back here for all my peanut buttery yummyness needs.

I’ve had this place bookmarked FOREVARS and I finally got a chance to go for a long awaited GNO !
I was poppin’ my SPREAD cherry tonight !
First of all, let me say that this place is teeny tiny and you might just unknowingly pass by it since the sign up front is barely noticeable. I had to ask a nearbly passerby for directions.
REQUEST: PLEASE PUT UP A BIGGER/​FLASHIER SIGN. It would help tremendously thank you. :)
Anywhoos.I walked in straight towards the counter bar and immediately noticed their famous spreads displayed.
Note to self: Must try them one day. Online orders available too.
I was greeted by two gentlemen with a smile and seated promptly at our reserved table of 7.
Ambiance:
Décor is let’s say…‘different.’ Artistic pieces such as unique tree-​like branches coming down from the ceiling. Eh? White linen table clothes and futuristic/​extra-​terrestrial looking seats also added a nice touch to the room.
Overall, the place was refreshing, cozy, bright, and chill. Simple, solid, and clean colors. Ideal spot to have good conversations with a group or *ahem a hot date. ;)
Food:
Vegetarian/​vegan-​friendly entrees vary day to day and served tapas style. We decided to go all out and ordered everything on their menu.
Poison of choice: red wine, blood orange sangria with edible gold bling bling confetti. I was buzz happy after just one. ;)
All ingredients are FRESHLY PICKED and ORGANIC. It’s all about QUALITY and not so much the QUANTITY here. I appreciated that. Popular dishes (which I can’t recall by name), but sounded really delish were the app. salad, gumbo (although a tad salty), tri-​color cauliflower and mashed potatoes, and a gravy concoction over fries.
Don’t expect enormous portions, but the dishes are easily split amongst a small group. The lack of quantity is compensated by the amount of time, love, and effort put into each dish. Just enjoy the visual presentation and complexity of the unique flavors and your taste buds will thank you for it.
Customer service:
Decent. They gave us a brief breakdown of the menu prior to ordering, which was nice.
Waiters checked up on us and refilled our glasses throughout the service and even hooked up my girlfriend with a FREE DESSERT to go, but later on realized it was the wrong order. Doh ! Oh well, at least it was free.
Cost: ~$ 24/​person including tip which wasn’t bad for a group of 7.
Would I go back ?
It’s not my top pick and it can get pricey if you’re not with a group, but I do LOVE the versatility and uniqueness of the dishes. I wouldn’t mind splurging here from time to time. In the meantime, I’ll just whip up my own Shay-​inspired yummy concoctions at home.

Spread
SD: North Park
Thursday March 31, 2011
Four Stars
Freshly Pricked, Local Grown ‚& Organic Ingredients. Open at 6pm. All Vegetarian. Daily Created Menu for All to Share.
Order:
1. Chop-​Chop Salad: Greens, Purple Carrots, Blueberries, Celery, Heirloom Tomatoes and Dill Yogurt Dressing.
2. Malt Vinegar Fried Asparagus with Black Sesame and a Yellow Tomato Basil Dip
3. Home-​made pasta with Sweet Peas, Yellow Tomatoes, and Mushrooms
The Salad was really delicious. The Asparagus was delicious. The Pasta was delicious.
The yogurt dressing is a greater alternative to a Ranch-​like one.
The Deep Fried Asparagus was a great idea but ended up a little salty.
The Pasta did not really taste house made and peas were undercooked.
Overall, the meal was substantial and restaurant puts on a good dining experience.