The Sanibel Sprout

My girlfriend, Lauren W, commented on this. I’m not trying to overdo it here with the reviews, but I feel this place deserves the love and praise. The food was out of sight. It was hearty without being heavy. The prices were very reasonable and the portions were perfect. The staff was very friendly and welcoming.
NOTE…when you are looking for this place, it is nestled in the corner of the shopping center. Kind of hard to miss at a quick glance but this will be very hard to forget.
ENJOY!!!

I loved their kale salad with avocado dressing and their green diamond green juice. Definitely a great place to get your veggies in while on vacation!

Delicious. Amazing. Welcoming. Cozy. I could go on and on. I could easily eat every meal at this place. The food is unbelievable. This place prides itself on serving only natural, vegan, gluten free food and it should be proud. I am a vegetarian and I limit my dairy intake. I got the Mexican salad which was hearty and flavorful. My boyfriend got the Un-​tuna sandwich and said it was one of the best things he’s ever eaten. We also got smoothies which tasted AMAZING– super sweet but not sweetened with anything, just the natural ingredients. The staff was friendly and smiling, and the atmosphere is inviting and warm. They also sell some unique gift items including clothing, teas, and jewelry. I can’t say enough about this place– we’ll be back!!!

When you are vegan and traveling, this is the kind of place you hope is waiting for you at your destination. We loved the atmosphere. It is cozy and filled with an eclectic mix of organic and health/​Earth conscience items. The staff was super friendly and our dishes were made to order. The food is creative, colorful and delicious. They have an amazing list of smoothies and juices. There is something for everyone. If we lived here, we would be regular costumers.

This place is… OK.
I mean, it’s awesome that in this small crowded island there’s a vegan place.
But it’s a bit overpriced for what you really get, although, to be fair, almost everything in this island is overpriced. If you’re buying food, just go over the bridge to the mainland and you’ll save yourself a bundle.
Still, I don’t mind expensive at all (quality is sometimes costly), I’ve been to other (pricey) vegan and non-​vegan restaurants, but at least you’re getting your money’s worth.
I had the «Mexican» salad which was… meh, and a coffee smoothie that was actually pretty good.
However, I was still quite hungry after the salad and the smoothie, but if it hadn’t been for the weird, awkward service, I would’ve definitely tried another dish.
Customer service, yes, customer service can make a huge difference specially when your food is not spectacular. It really helps when you encounter people that are outgoing, friendly, and willing to help you learn more about the dishes specially when it’s your first time there.
There were five ladies working the day I went. Two young ladies behind the juice and smoothie counter who were not bad service-​wise, two middle-​aged ladies behind the prepared foods counter who were odd in their demeanor, and an elderly lady at the cashier who was adorable.
The two ladies behind the prepared foods counter need to be much more helpful, please. One of them doesn’t even smile or talk as if she was bothered or something. Maybe she’s very shy, who knows. The other one did smile, forceful smile, but alas not very helpful either. I’d ask her if she recommended anything from the menu and she would say that «everything on the menu is good», and that’s all she would say. By the way, this small place was not busy, this was not a case of she being bombarded by questions from me or a bunch of people at once.
Anyway, I asked for the «Vietnamese» soup and nope it wasn’t ready. And it wasn’t ready for a while as another customer came in later and asked for the same thing to find out it wasn’t ready yet. Again, nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with the food being cooked/​prepared at the moment, being fresh. But would it kill them to be a little more informative, helpful when you ask them about their menu? At other restaurants you get all the info needed in five minutes.
So I ended up getting the so-​called «Mexican» salad because I had previously read here on Unilocal that it was good…
Thankfully, I had the coffee smoothie which I totally recommend and when it was time to pay for my food, I had the pleasure to meet the elderly cashier lady who’s a natural when it comes to dealing with customers. Soon after, my friends picked me up to then go to a popular seafood restaurant in Captiva Island where I only had a side dish, but being at a table with good company (ten of us) across the ocean while being waited by an outgoing, friendly, helpful, professional server in this busy restaurant, made our visit to this spot worth the trip.

A little gem on Sanibel that just keeps getting better ! Especially so, when it comes to quality vegan food which is sorely lacking in this part of Florida. I eat here every time I’m on Sanibel– in fact, sometimes I’ll go to Sanibel just to eat here!
Everything is fresh and delish. The soups and stews are the bomb — every single one I’ve tried. There’s a great selection of cooked and raw vegan dishes to chose from.
The gluten-​free waffles are amazing!
Last time I ordered a mocha chai «cheesecake» pie for dessert which took me straight to Nirvana! Why anyone would event want to eat conventional desserts after trying this is beyond me.
They’ve now added pretty decent house-​made Kombucha to their drink selection. They also serve juices and smoothies.
I’ve not been super thrilled with the latter, due to some ingredient choices– e.g. store bought almond milk, non raw conventional cocoa powder, dried coconut flakes (which result in a slightly strange texture), etc. I wish they used high quality raw organic cacao powder and fresh coconut meat anyway– for delicious flavor and all respective health benefits which are lost through temperature and other processing.
Overall, the quality of food is outstanding and I was practically never disappointed.
And unlike say Loving Hut that mainly serves up fake meat made of gluten, soy and other junk, I’ve not seen any soy or tofu on the menu in this place which is a huge plus in my book (I won’t even go to the LH the second time).
The café also has a mini shop with books, supplements and organic produce and other odds and end. Yet it feels very cozy and has a very nice décor and energy.
The owner– Nikki, is super nice and always happy to answer questions about the ingredients and dish preparation.
I must say the very nice older lady at the register by the door does manage to throw me off with her standard question «how can I help you?» literally a moment after I enter, before the door even closed behind me. How about giving me a few minutes — that’d be helpful. And perhaps greeting customers with «hello and welcome» instead after they’ve just entered.

One of the best vegan restaurants I’ve been to. Great atmosphere, very relaxed and great owners (mother, daughter). I ordered the sweet baked potatoe and the coffee smoothie. So delicious !!!

Amazing organic and vegan food. Highly recommended. Their waffles are to die for! Waffles are vegan and gluten free and taste heavenly! Every meal I’ve had at this place for the last 12 months have been delicious and freshly made.

Great vegan café on Sanibel Island. I came 2 days in a row to get their freshly made juice and both times it was perfect. They also sell food, but I wasn’t able to try anything this time. Everything I saw looked delicious though!
The staff was very friendly and they all have this healthy glow which is super inspiring. Next time I’m in Sanibel, I will definitely return!

After skipping breakfast and then spending hours on the beach, we wanted cool, refreshing and filling. A vegan place seemed perfect and we pulled into this beachy shopping center.
This place is nestled into the corner and can be easy to miss. Christmas jazz was playing over the speaker and eclectic furniture and vegan friendly products lined shelves. A few spaces for seating are in the the middle and the whole place has a cozy easygoing vibe.
I ordered the Emerald Mermaid smoothie and the Porabello Paradise and my husband ordered the Coffee Sproutaccino and the Mexian Salad.
The smoothies are wonderful. The Sproutaccino is the perfect blend of coffee and chocolate flavor. The Emerald Mermaid tastes refreshing and ‘green’! I had to sub peaches for the mango in the drink since they were out of mango, but it was quite good with that combination.
The Portabello Paradise is huge. A veggie burger sits on top of the massive cap. It’s flavorful, warm and filling. The Mexican Salad is made with great cashew «meat». The strong cumin flavor really makes the dish.
Come early because they seem to run out of dishes during the day. We showed up for lunch at 1pm and missed out on a few dishes we tried to order.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and highly recommended.

Excellent food no lie! A bit pricey but worth every dollar. Get there early for they sell out fast. A true gem!

Best food on the island! The Quinoa Burger on a portobello mushroom is probably the tastiest vegan meal in the world. and all the juices are excellent. So good we ate there for lunch on both days we were on the island!

This is an excellent little deli for what it is in that they serve slow-​food, real food gluten free organic unprocessed food goodness. The veg lasagna was amazing. We also loved the waffles. The lentil soup was the best I’ve ever had. I took a star away for being awkward. The menu has no prices, it’s a surprise until you get to the register. We wanted to order enough food for a party of three. They would run off and make each item only after hearing one item, so had to stand there through the whole process so we could tell then the next item upon their return so they wouldn’t move I to the next customer. I wish we could have given them our entire order then sat down. This happened both times we ate there.

The Sanibel Sprout is a wonderful little place! The food was absolutely delicious! If you are looking for fresh, Organic, gluten-​free, Vegan, made from scratch, AMAZING food, juices, and smoothies, this is the place!
My husband had the loaded baked potato (potato loaded up with rooted vegetables and roasted tomatoes on a bed of arugula). I had the portabella mushroom (nice big portabella, loaded up with a veggie burger, avocado, and tomato, on top of a bed of arugula, as well as the carrot zinger for dessert (fresh carrot juice, orange juice and lots of ginger).
It’s a quaint little café, tucked back in the corner of a shopping center. Simply phenomenal!
Joy Martin

This was a truly great find during our Labor Day Weekend getaway. It’s always difficult to find fresh, healthy, organic food while dining out. We started with a sproutaccino. We then ordered the baked potato stuffed with roasted vegetables and the taco salad. Both were equally tasty. If we’re ever back in Sanibel this will be our first stop!

Amazing food and juice bar! Everything is so clean, fresh and healthy! My mom comes here all the time and she told me to try them out since I’m a healthy eater. Nikki is an amazing chef and such a sweetheart! My new favorite spot on the island for when I visit my family! Check them out if you’re on the island!

Wonderful staff who made my family feel welcome, delicious food that we couldn’t get enough of and smoothies that even my picky eater child loved. Will definitely be a frequent stop when we visit the island. Please try the Mexican salad, Kale salad and delicious cheesecake desserts. Does not disappoint.

Amazing little gem on Sanibel. If you are tired of the standard greasy fare and fried island food, this unassuming location is for you.
Had to double take if the food was actually vegan, because I couldn’t tell. I assure you it is… it all is. Mexican salad comes highly recommended and for good reason. Best Mexican salad I’ve had in any variety, vegan, vegetarian or with meat. It was out of this world.
Great smoothies, desserts and even breakfast. A must try for anyone interested in trying vegan food, a seasoned vegan, or anyone who wants to give their digestive system a break from vacation food.
Fantastic. Would return.

Luv Sanibel Sprout came in quick to get a green juice. Never thought of visiting Sanibel Sprout in years past, but decided to go in and grab a nutritious drink in the evening.
Very welcoming…

A lovely place with delicious and healthy food, juice and smoothies. I love the local, personal feel of the place, and the helpfulness of the staff. We made several visits to the Sanibel Sprout during our recent trip to Sanibel, and we are already looking forward to the next visit. It is an oasis within an oasis.