Talk to any vegan who visits San Diego regularly, and you’ll immediately get their answer to the all-important question:

Does Pokez or Ranchos have the best Mexican food?

While I have a very clear preference, answering the question is a little like answering somebody who asks: “Should I buy a Ford Explorer or a Mini Cooper?” Those cars are designed for entirely different purposes, and the two restaurants are different enough to warrant a similar analysis.

In this case, rather than write yet another typical review of each, here’s a shoot-out comparison of several categories, with the inevitable “winner” chosen by adding up the wins and losses. Here we go:

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we go down to san diego pretty often, and for ages people have been urging us to check out ranchos cocina. the small mexican restaurant has two locations (one in ocean beach and one in north park) and although it serves meat, it boasts a massive vegan-friendly menu with everything from breakfast to dinner and specialty products like daiya and mock chicken & steak. we visited the north park outlet for an early lunch, and i can safely say that it was better than most vegan mex options in LA.

we arrived at around noon and were quickly seated. the waiter was friendly and helpful, and brought us a basket of chips with unlimited salsa. great way to start the meal. the salsa was superb too: packed with heat and super chunky. for my entree, i went with a combo plate that came with rice, beans, and 2 bean enchiladas for $7.95. it’s worth noting that this normally comes smothered in daiya, but i opted to get it plain…

Combo plate w/ rice and beans: Bean Enchiladas topped with sauce. $7.95

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recently i got an email from a vegan restaurant consultant alerting me new animal-free options at larchmont bungalow. she explained that the vegan menu was small but expanding (we have it at the bottom of the post) and that the restaurant would love my feedback. i can’t wait to check it out! i haven’t made it over there yet, but one of my readers did. here’s D‘s review:

So the local hip larchmont eatery has adopted some new vegan friendly fare; Along with the purchase of one of these they ask for you to score a feedback card… and if you take part, you get a free coffee beverage. So it seems like they are taking it pretty serious.

green vegan enchiladas: marinated five grain tempeh, sauteed spinach, caramelized onions, vegan mozarella and topped with roasted tomatillo salsa with guacamole, pico de gallo and black beans. $13.55

I asked what was most popular and landed on the enchiladas… $13 ain’t cheap, but I got a free coffee which was nice.

Taste: The enchiladas are kind of a healthier, drier version of the enchiladas “special” you can get on occasion at flore. Not that that is a bad thing, per se. They were REALLY tasty. The tempeh was perfectly cooked, Daiya mozz on top, the house made tomatillo was great and the guac smoothed the flavor. As I noted on the aforementioned feedback card, I would give the dish a 4/5 for taste.

Glad to see some more vegan options around town. I was also told the vegan breakfast burrito is great, so I will have to check that out next time.
word.

here’s a look at the menu…

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after a long day of traveling and getting by on only snacks, papacitos in greenpoint, brooklyn was the very first stop we made from jfk airport. i was so starving and tired i only took this single barely lit photo of my enchilada plate. papcito’s is incredibly vegan friendly and everything is clearly marked on the menu. for their filling options on tacos, enchiladas, etc, they have four vegan options: seitan, tempeh, grilled veggies, and soyrizo.

seitan enchiladas

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hey dudes, we’ve got yet another awesome field report for you today. it comes to us all the way from allison ritto in orange county, where she checks out the vegan options at matador cantina in fullerton. i love vegan mexican food, and this place is dangerously close to bootlegger’s brewery…tacos and beer this weekend, anyone?

In an Orange County city of over 100,000 you’d think vegetarian and vegan restaurants would be in abundance. But the only time a completely vegan restaurant can be found in Fullerton is when the Seabirds Truck rolls into town. My hometown, full of college students, health food stores and not one but two Farmer’s Markets, does not have a single dedicated vegan eatery- yet. There are paltry options at a few places if you have the patience to research, quiz the staff, and cross your fingers. I was completely skeptical when I heard that Matador Cantina, in the heart of Downtown Fullerton’s restaurants and bars, was advertising vegan tacos. Mexican food usually falls into two categories: unsafe but “authentic” (lardy beans, rice made with chicken broth) or safe but quickly tiresome fast food (sorry, Chipotle). When eating at most sit-down Mexican restaurants I am lucky if I get a bean and veggie burrito and chips without cow grease to soak up the tequila and quell my salty tears of disappointment. Many places will shrug and try to sell you tortillas with manteca, sauce made with chicken stock, and veggies cooked on a meat juice-soaked grill and insist that your burrito is vegetarian because there isn’t a big chunk of pork in it. Yes I’m talking about you, Super Mex! It’s not because they hate us vegans, they probably just don’t understand, so I resist the urge to vandalize those poor ignorant businesses. So when a restaurant DOES care, and goes out of their way to call an item vegan in black and white on the menu for the world to see, my heart does a little hippity-hop.

From Matador's Facebook page: "The Vegan Street Tacos are made with seasoned “soyrizo,” a house-made meat alternative with sautéed Poblano peppers and grilled onions. This offering is also available as a meat substitute for any menu items at no additional cost."

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talk about turning a grim situation into something awesome! this thursday may 10th, the spanish kitchen on la cienega will be hosting a “defend the donkey” 3 course vegan dinner, and if it does well, they will continue the vegan dinners as a weekly event!

check out this email i got from the spanish kitchen:

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this is GREAT news for the los angeles vegan world. kay ‘n dave’s, a mexican restaurant that we love in culver city, is now experimenting with daiya vegan cheese…and if it does well, they’re gonna carry it at all their locations!

yay for vegan cheese!

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do you live in LA and wanna celebrate the 149th anniversary of the mexican army’s victory over french forces at the battle of puebla with some craft beer and amazing vegan food?!?! if you answered “yes” to that question, you’re in luck!

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if you don’t have a reason to make the drive from LA to san diego anytime soon, you certainly will after reading this post. the beach city is one of our favorite long weekend getaways, and it’s not because of the gorgeous weather or relaxing scenery. nope, we make the 2.5 hour drive for one thing and one thing only: dinner at pokez.

at first glance, the shabby little mexican restaurant doesn’t appear to be anything special–just your typical dive in a college town with scrappy decor and a heavily tattooed waitstaff. one look at the menu though, and you can see that this place is a godsend for herbivores. pokez serves classic style mexican fare, but without all the chicken stock and lard that we’ve come to expect at “good” mexican restaurants. in fact, the menu is highly vegetarian-friendly and all options that can be made vegan are marked with a “v” symbol. not to mention, the food is insanely cheap and the portions are massive. what more do i require?

our first visit to pokez was about a year ago, and to say it was the best mexican meal of our lives would be an understatement. we returned this weekend with uber-high expectations, which i’m happy to say were exceeded…

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los angeles vegans, rejoice! cafe gratitude is opening today in larchmont village!

vegan cheesy potatoes will be there!

the vegetarian restaurant chain (almost entirely vegan, but some menu items contain honey), is already a huge hit in the bay area and we are so happy they’ve decided to set up shop in LA. and in even better news, they’ll be serving some of the menu items from their sister restaurant gracias madre (one of our favorite places EVER)!

lilliam over at mondette stopped by the new cafe gratitude location and swiped a copy of the insane-looking menu. check it out:

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hey vegans, you still have until february 20th to get a 25% discount at hugo’s tacos between 5-10pm when you mention “quarrygirl”! have you taken advantage of it yet? i seriously suggest you get over there and try all the insane vegan food this taco stand has to offer.

vegan green tamales: sweet corn and spinach tamales. $2.39 with QG discount!

i’ve recently fallen in love with the tacos and green tamales…

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you probably already know by now that hugo’s tacos is offering a 25% discount on all vegan items until sunday between 5pm-10pm when you mention “quarrygirl.” if you haven’t tried the amazing vegan torta ahogada yet, this is your chance.

it doesn’t look that intimidating wrapped up all neatly in yellow paper, but let me assure you, this thing is one beast of a sandwich…

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we’ve got exciting news, people! every evening this week, hugo’s tacos is offering a 25% discount on all vegan items for quarrygirl readers!

here are the details of the deal…

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heads up, readers! i just wanted to throw this out there in case you are already starting to make your dinner plans for next week: be sure to pencil in a couple evenings at hugo’s tacos.

throughout next week, the super vegan-friendly taco stand is gonna be offering a pretty epic vegan dinner deal that i’ll post about on monday morning. it’s gonna be every day from 2/14 – 2/20 after 5pm, at both locations (atwater village and studio city). details to come, but i know you’re gonna love it. i mean, have you been to hugo’s tacos yet?! they have insane vegan burritos, taquitos, nachos, tortas, tostadas, soft serve—i could go on and on—and it’s all part of the deal!

mexican food on valentine’s day? you know it makes sense. i may just need to have dinner at hugo’s tacos every day next week.

hey everyone, time for another field report by bess from i dream of greenie! today she reviews vegetarian restaurant mother’s cafe and garden in austin, texas…and all i know is now i’m absolutely dying to go there and grub up on burgers and mexican food. seriously looking into texas flights. check it out:

While on a recent trip to Austin, I had the pleasure of eating some of the best vegan meals I have ever had. In fact, I am still riding on a food high from the meal I ate at Mother’s Café and Garden.

This fully vegetarian spot (with almost everything veganize-able) was almost not on our meal itinerary (yes I plan out the restaurants before we arrive), but the place we were planning to eat at was closed on Monday (Beets Café, I’ll hit you up next time). However, our omni host was quick tor recommend Mother’s and all I can say is that I am forever grateful to her for this recommendation…

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