Native Foods Cafe was founded in 1994 in Palm Springs (California) by chef Tanya Petrovna. It’s now a 16-unit restaurant chain with an entire 100% plant-based menu.

“At Native Foods Café our food is made fresh daily—from our homemade tempeh and seitan, to our Native Cheese, to our sauces and drinks, dressings and desserts too! …  We strive to create a compassionate dining experience serving up homemade meals that are good for you, your family and the environment” ~ From Native Food Cafe’s website.

This is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in the US. It’s also our #1 mandatory stop when visiting Palm Springs. We used to frequent the original Native Foods Cafe, off trendy El Paseo in Palm Dessert.  This placed was closed down a few years ago and reopened in a not as popular area, few miles down the road.  Other than location, there are only positive things to say about this place.

My family loves the refillable watermelon agua fresca and the lavender lemonade.

For starters, I ordered the Soup Du Jour: Coconut Corn Chowder.

It was creamy and insanely delicious!

For the main course, I  actually ordered 2 appetizers: the Butternut Polenta Bites and the Native Chicken wings.

The Butternut Polenta Bites were served with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and toasted pumpkin seeds in a balsamic over arugula. It tasted similar to a vegetarian Cuban “tamal en cazuela”, my all time favorite dish. It was so good, we decided to go back the next day for seconds.

The Native Chicken wings were served with ranch and buffalo sauce on the side. We have tried a similar dish at both Veggie Grill and Whole Food Market. This was as good if not better.

My kids ordered the Native Chicken Nuggets with brown rice and dipping veggies. They also enjoyed Freddie’s Mac and Cheese made with quinoa “super” pasta,  cow-friendly cheese sauce and broccoli.  My oldest asked if we could go back to this restaurant again.  Of course!  I happily mentioned to her that there is a new Native Foods Cafe in Encinitas which is 5 minutes from my work!

I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone: vegetarians and meat-eaters.