Vegan Virgin

vegan-virgin

Meli of Bikes and the City spotted this COMING SOON sign the other day, and Paolo at Eater SF ran with the story today. Seems Gracias Madre, specializing in vegan Nuevo Latino Cuisine, is a new venture from the Cafe Gratitude folks, going in at 18th and Mission. Link.

Previously:

Punch-Me-In-The-Face-Please Serenity at Cafe Gratitude

39 Responses to “Vegan Virgin”

  1. sea cliff vert ramp says:

    I’ll be walking right past this on my way to Cancun.

  2. zinzin says:

    18th & mission is proving to be quite the hotbed of newly minted commercial activity.

  3. kiya says:

    I normally try not to be negative about a business that isn’t even open yet..
    But VEGAN Mexican food?
    That sounds seriously disgusting.

    • meave says:

      vegan Mexican food is only “disgusting” insofar as the dishes are poorly made, as is the case with any cuisine. what do you think a veggie burrito sin queso y crema is?

    • 24th & Bryant is where I live says:

      Yeah because the 90% of the burrito you eat isnt already vegan/vegetarian, moron

      Rice+Beans+Tortilla+Guacamole+Salsa = no animal products.

      • Juan says:

        er, any self-respecting Mexican cook will make sure that beans are made with a bit of pig (a hock or lard — if refried) and flour tortillas usually have a bit of manteca too. Rice, also, is usually made with a meat stock (most often chicken). Why do you think this stuff tastes so good? And I’d be curious to know just how “mexican” a “vegan burrito” can be.

        More power to any new business in the Mission, but the one and only time I ate at Cafe Gratitude I had a terrible stomach ache after.

      • kiya says:

        You CANNOT be serious, you really need to read up more about what goes into staple mexican food ingredients.
        Almost every single one of the popular taquerias in the mission use chicken stock to cook the rice, lard in the beans, and lard in the tortillas.

      • 24th & Bryant is where I live says:

        Im not the douchebag shitting on a new local independent business without even fucking trying it first.

        I hope you get run over by the 14.

      • kiya says:

        Such a convenient point for you to change the subject.

  4. meave says:

    we’re all very excited about this! WOO!!!!

    I would put “credible carne guisada” on my wishlist for this marvelous place, but apparently that is Tex-Mex and therefore unlikely to fall under the Nuevo Latino heading. Oh well. There are still so many things to hope for.

  5. 18th at Harrison says:

    Well not to burst anyone’s bubble or anything, but Cafe Gratitude is friendly in the way hanging out with Hare Krishna’s is friendly. I never let my guard down there lest some man eating plant injects its pod spawn into the back of my neck and I disappear into one of the slightly disturbing wall paintings (suddenly, I’m in the doorway of the lovely black woman reaching out to the homeless guy, or in the swimmin’ hole scene). That said, since the burritos will surely set a new price record if Cafe Gratitude is my guide — I’m willing to bet $15 at least… why didn’t they name it “Cafe Gringos’ no Gracias?”

    • meave says:

      OK fine, excited with caveats. But certain Gratitude dishes, including the taco salad, are very good, so we remain hopeful–especially hopeful that this will be more than a basic taqueria. but they’re smart, they know they wouldn’t be able to compete if all they offer is a standard (raw?) vegan taqueria menu.

      what I want: vegan birria.

      • 18th at Harrison says:

        Ah, I’m kinda playing anyway. Look, if they can do an ass kicking vegan huevos rancheros I’ll give em a shot.

    • sangroncito says:

      LOL!

  6. zinzin says:

    any new commerce on mission street (especially north of 19th street) is good commerce. ceptin crack & ho’s, of course.

    good luck vegan nuevo mexican food, or whatever. long may your seitan burritos wave.

  7. kiya says:

    To: “24th & Bryant is where I live”,
    You CANNOT be serious, you really need to read up more about what goes into staple mexican food ingredients.
    Almost every single one of the popular taquerias in the mission use chicken stock to cook the rice, lard in the beans, and lard in the tortillas.

    • meave says:

      OK troublemaker, try asking these taquerias’ employees about how much lard/chicken stock they’re using in their food.

      A vegetarian/vegan person can safely eat burritos at El Faro/lito, Cancun, El Metate, La Taqueria, and Papalote. All you have to do is order properly. Some places (e.g., Farolito) make their refried beans with lard, but I’ve never been to any taqueria in the Mission without one true vegetarian burrito choice.

      Your comments are obnoxious and are contributing nothing to this conversation.

      • Allan Hough says:

        Wait then why are the veggie burritos at Cancun so good? I always thought it was because of lard in the beans and meat stock in the rice.

      • kiya says:

        Uhm, how are you eating a vegan burrito at a place where there’s lard in the fucking tortillas?!

      • foon says:

        Kiya, how do you know there’s lard in the tortillas? Have you asked? At least in the US, most tortillas available on the market (particularly those available in the mass quantities a taqueria needs) are made without lard. The only tortillas I’ve ever seen with lard in this city (and I do check) are hand-made by a grandma. So unless you’re able to put up, I suggest you shut up.

      • foon says:

        And Alan, I actually think the veggie burritos are not that great at Cancun. That may be because of a lack of stock in the rice, who knows. But the whole beans don’t have lard (refried do).

      • SFDoggy says:

        Meave: I think your response to Kiya was obnoxious. Maybe Kiya was wrong, but Kiya was certainly adding much more to the conversation than you.

  8. mamiel says:

    By the owners of Cafe Gratitude? Finally, the $20.00 burrito will be a reality!

  9. miguel says:

    white people are so funny. everything about this place says “white people.”

    I can see it now, “Excuse me, waiter, there’s a white person’s dreadlock in my burrito!”

    the crack and ho’s [sic] comments are really childish btw. one block of people trying to survive and what have you done to help?? will this place give even one person caught up in the game a job?

    • foon says:

      You think the first half of your comment puts you in a position to call someone else childish in the second half?

  10. Jeani says:

    Yay! Something besides Papalote for us veggie peeps!

  11. stephen says:

    vegan latin food is like dehydrated water.

  12. Mai says:

    I’m just excited that people are optimistic enough to consider opening up a business now in such a dreary economic climate. Also looking forward to Mexican vegan desserts done Gratitude style.

  13. maria says:

    Lots of latin people don’t use lard in their cooking anymore for health reasons. My Dominican family who cooks everything from scratch never uses lard or stock in anything. It still tastes amazing. It is very easily made vegan and anyone who thinks that Latin American food = nothing but non stop meat in everything is wrong.

    amor, a friendly omnivore

  14. zinzin says:

    i never dreamed seitan burritos would be such a controversial topic.

    racism notwithstanding, of course.

    • 24th & Bryant is where I live says:

      Overly pro-meat-eaters-to-hide-their-deep-ridden-guilt = worst people.

      Like, why was the first comment even posted? Because of this exact reason, its so corny, just get it how you live. Oh great YOU arent interested in this place, here’s an idea: shut the fuck up.

      Kiya’s original quote would be like if a gay bar opened in the castro that was for bears and they wrote “EW BEARS!” instead what they should have written: nothing at all. worthless opinions ahoy in this thread.

      everyone else: this spot looks the goods, cant wait to dig in!

      • SFDoggy says:

        Ahhh, you poor little vegan, have the mean, mean people on Mission Mission hurt your feelings? Please, if you are going to be obnoxious (and you certainly have been) expect that it will be returned in kind.

  15. kiya says:

    Ok, so positive comments only, got it.
    Last i checked this was an open comments section to a blog about the Mission, not the Mission Merchant’s Association forum.

    • foon says:

      Positive comments only? No. Comments that are not equal parts belligerence and ignorance? Preferably, yes.

  16. 17 year local says:

    i have to be honest. when i heard the idea for vegan-virgin i was excited. not so much that i thought it was going to be the best ever, but excited by the options it would provide.

    but after reading it’s the Cafe Gratitude folks…….no thank you!! i can’t stand them. they give gringos a bad name.

  17. im vegan for 10 years ..i living in oakland and i looking for jobs ..