Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Berkeley Visit and Vegan Food at Herbivore

On Saturday, we decided to visit Andy’s alma mater. Before exploring the campus, we went to Herbivore – a vegan restaurant at 2451 Shattuck Avenue. Herbivore also has two locations in San Francisco, and I had been wanting to visit one of their locations for quite some time. Luckily, we were not disappointed.


We decided to split the raw kale salad. I was going to get the lemongrass noodles and Andy the shawarma wrap with “chicken.” Our waitress had indicated that Andy’s order was her favorite. The menu can potentially be a bit confusing as it lists chicken and beef strips (without quotes). Clearly, they are meat substitutes, but we actually overheard customers asking for clarification as they were confused by the language on the menu. Perhaps it would be a bit clearer if “chicken” and “beef strips” were in quotes…


Since we weren’t very clear when we ordered, our waitress only ordered the kale salad and the wrap. This was actually a good thing as the kale salad filled me up. It was simply dressed but very tasty. The onions were very mild (maybe soaked in ice water?) and added a nice crunch to the salad. It’s definitely a kale salad that lets the kale shine and doesn’t try to cover up its flavor. I enjoyed it a lot, and even the kid ate his fair share of it. I also had some of the filling of Andy’s wrap, and it was very tasty as well. It was marinated in a very flavorful, slightly spicy sauce and came with a nicely dressed side salad. The meal left us satisfied and ready to explore the campus. We can’t wait to go back and explore more of the menu!


After lunch, we walked toward campus.


But first we stopped at the student bookstore. 


We had to take a picture in front of the famous Sather Gate. 


And then we headed to the Campanile Tower. 


We took the elevator to the top (unfortunately you can’t take the stairs) and enjoyed the view. 


Then we headed to the Life Sciences Building and checked out some dinosaur bones. This was definitely the highlight for the kid!


Then we explored the beautiful campus some more. It was a great way to get some steps. I love it when we get plenty of steps effortlessly! 


Exploring Berkeley and the university campus was a great way to spend a Saturday. I love the relaxed, offbeat atmosphere of the city, and there is lots to explore on campus, including lots of things to keep kids interested. We can’t wait to go back to explore more and try more dishes at Herbivore! 

Questions: What was the highlight of your weekend? Do you have a list of restaurants you want to visit? I do have quite the list, but since we hardly ever go out to eat, we pretty much never visit any of them. I’m glad I can cross Herbivore off the list but also want to go back! Smile 

Be well,
Andrea