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mother’s market: great vegan food in the OC area
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May 26th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, mother's market

i absolutely love little health food stores with vegan-friendly restaurants attached to them, and i think mother’s market may be the best one yet. the grocery mart has an impressive 6 locations in the orange county area, each one with an adjoining cafe that boasts a large almost entirely vegetarian menu (they serve real tuna for some strange reason).

gingered greens with tempeh: strips of sauteed tempeh with spinach and swiss chard in a light ginger-cilantro sauce. served over organic brown rice or udon noodles. $8.50

we hit up the huntington beach location recently, and i must say we were quite impressed with the quality and value of the food…

first up, we got the gingered greens with tempeh (pictured above). this massive leafy green stir fry really hit the spot, with its delicious sauce and hearty tempeh. it was a lot of food for under 9 dollars, and it was extremely well-prepared. we spiced it up with some wizard’s (mother’s gets extra points for carrying premium hot sauce), and we were good to go!

ploughman's share: a fluffy baked potato or yam with your choice of two toppings. $7.50

next up, i got the ploughman’s share which is basically a huge baked potato or yam with a choice of two toppings. there was so much to choose from….guacamole, gravy, and salsa…but i ended up going with the black beans and steamed vegetables. i’m a big baked potato fan and i’m not hard to please, but this thing was exceptional. the vegetables were cooked just right and the potato itself was extra fluffy. and like the other entree, it was priced just right at $7.50.

vegan biscuit and gravy side. $2.50

we also got a biscuit and a side of gravy to share, because i cannot resist ordering biscuits and gravy when i see them on a menu…especially in socal, where the combo is so rare. i’m sad to report that i didn’t like them at all and i was done with them after just one bite. the gravy was thin and watery, and the biscuit was kind of tough. oh well.

other than the biscuit mishap, our lunch was great and i can’t wait to go back. mother’s is awesome because they have a huge selection of healthy options, as well as vegan “junk food” too. the restaurant is really nice and comfortable, and is completely separate from the market…at least in huntington beach, it feels like you are dining in a separate building.

give mother’s market a shot, this place won’t let you down!

mother’s market
Tags: hermosa beach, potato, stir-fry

13 responses to “mother’s market: great vegan food in the OC area”

Nick May 26th, 2010 at 06:57

I almost never drive down to OC but I may have to hit the Costa Mesa one next time I go to the Detroit Bar.
Vegyogini May 26th, 2010 at 08:41

I love Mother’s Market! I’ve been visiting their stores/cafes since college. So glad you gave them a shot!
Kate May 26th, 2010 at 09:34

Mother’s Market is the best. The food and staff are great and they have a large range of supplements at pricing that beats WFs. I was so excited to see you visited the Hermosa location since I live near there. But I can’t find it on their website??? Am I missing something.
Banana Wonder May 26th, 2010 at 09:41

Nice! I love Mother’s Market – I go there all the time. Their quesadillas (which can be made vegan, of course) are to die for. I always got the Huntington Beach one, so bravo on your store selection 🙂
miss alix May 26th, 2010 at 09:52

holy shit i used to go to mother’s market every week and get vegan french toast on cinnamon swirly bread. oh so good. not close enough to frequent though since it’s deep in the oc.
lex May 26th, 2010 at 10:44

I love Mother’s!!! I wish they’d open a location in LA!
travis May 26th, 2010 at 10:46

I think the food, at least at the HB location, is pretty hit or miss. One thing I can suggest is the Lemon Piccata
Gauri Radha May 26th, 2010 at 11:22

Thanks for the review!! Will check out this place next time I’m in the OC.
Although why’d I look at the photo of that biscuit. Even if it wasn’t perfect, as you guys wrote, now I’m dying for a vegan biscuit with Earth Balance and strawberry spread. Hehe.
spoon May 26th, 2010 at 14:34

Mother’s Market is the bomb! I love that place. REALLY vegan friendly and I think totally vegetarian.
Brenda May 26th, 2010 at 14:57

I practically LIVE at Mother’s! This store seriously needs to be the next Ralph’s/Alberston’s. Priced so much better (and I think with better variety) than WF. I live in HB but my favorite Mother’s is the Santa Ana location. It’s right off the 5 fwy and it’s the size of any other major chain grocery store. They not only do they have the buffet style take-out but also a taco/burrito/sandwich bar, fresh juice bar and pizza take-out. My absolute favorite thing that they (or anyone else) make is the Vegan Tuna Melt. Most amazing sandwich on the planet!!!!
miss mikes May 26th, 2010 at 15:17

you should’ve gotten the club and a vegan shake!
Gregalor May 26th, 2010 at 18:48

I got a really good vegan chicken kiev here years ago.
Ed+Deanna Templeton May 30th, 2010 at 12:49

Whoa QuarryGirl, you came to our neck of the woods on this one! We live literally a 4 minute walk from the HB Mothers! We do all our shopping at Mothers and eat there way too much. The shakes are incredible! We were just in New York, and are currently in Europe (Berlin right now, so much vegan food!) and we have been missing the fact that at Mothers you can get vegan breakfast all day, every day. We looked for vegan breakfast in New York and it was only weekends, or only from morning to noon, etc…
Since we go every day, there are some hit-and-miss stuff about Mothers. For one, the gravy can change drastically. Some days its perfect, others its watery, and sometimes even too thick. The Ploughman’s share is even better with a yam! Mother’s yams are epic. Try the Celia’s Breakfast bowl made vegan, (with scrambled tofu) it’s really good. The Tahini fusion wrap is great, ask for it on a spinach tortilla. The California Club is also great. I had a shake of the month there once too, although it’s not on the menu, called Ed’s Oaxacan Armageddon. (Another Hint for the HB Mother’s: There is a special shake menu you have to ask for with much better shakes than the ones on the regular shake menu.) Ok, we’re rambling.

PS: we want to hear the Quarrygirl take on the Stand in Laguna Beach. 100% vegan. Get the Tamales!