Eatery - Native Foods Cafe (CA)

The District at Tustin Legacy, 2453 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Vegan/Vegetarian
www.nativefoods.com

My friend and I wandered over here after attending the Golden Foodie Awards' Wine & Cheese Social at the District Art Gallery because we wanted substantial food for dinner. I had heard about the caliber of food at Native Foods at my previous Grubwithus meal so was curious as I had often seen it but never stepped inside.


You should really step inside. The restaurant has a great vibe with earth tones that still manage to be crisply modern and clean. I loved the ambiance.


We shared an order of perfectly crisp sweet potato fries that were seasoned well. My entree order was of the Rockin' Moroccan Bowl with a drink of lavender lemonade (think lemonade in taste but with a huge aroma of lavender every time your nose gets near the cup). I chose to go with the "chicken" marinated in homemade Moroccan sauce with grilled veggies and quinoa, all topped with currants and toasted almonds. The other choice was tofu but I was in the mood to see what this mock chicken was like, considering how it was made with soy, wheat, and pea protein. It was a very impressive imitation of chicken in terms of texture. My friend actually didn't even realize it was a vegan place at first until I pointed it out. The bowl was generous in portion (I took some home to-go) and full of hearty goodies. The spices blended together to give a very exotic picture on my tastebuds that made me think of home (even though I'm not Moroccan in any way). I honestly really enjoyed it.


My friend got the Greek Gyro which had "thinly sliced Native peppered seitan sautéed with shallots on quinoa, steamed vegetables, and kale with lemon garlic sauce and hummus" and was "served with grilled flatbread." I got a quick taste of the seitan which looked remarkably like lamb; I was a fan.