Native Foods Cafe

I love Native Foods! I always enjoy coming here… I love the soul bowl, Baja tacos, and the curry bowl! The peanut butter parfait is really yummy, too.
This location usually has knowledgeable and personable employees, today we stumbled upon a new crew that seemed a little less experienced but they did their best… we miss our star wars guy that went to Africa
One thing I thought could be improved on is the parking in front… there are 3 spots reserved for to go orders only. 3 spots! That’s bananas for Denver… especially seeing as there about… meh, 9 spots in total. This shopping location has so many other restaurants around, I feel like forfeiting those spots allows for other people to choose another options to dine at simply because they have parking available for them.
We love you Native Foods, thank you for filling our stomachs with lovely food!

Sooo good. omg. not a vegetarian of any sort and randomly stumbled upon this gem! i had their bangkok curry bowl and oh my was it delicious! the tofu steaks were amazing, the veggies were ample and fresh. brown rice too. all in all, super healthy yet yummy at the same time. i was blown away! wish there was one where i live… i can’t wait to visit the next time in in town. de-​lish!

This is a perfect fast-​casual place for vegans and meat-​eaters alike! I’m so glad there’s at least one vegan place to go, but saddened to see a lot of these are closing. I went here with a non-​vegan friend today and she stated, «I bet if you didn’t tell a regular meet-​eater this wrap was vegan, they’d never know because it is sooo DELICIOUS!» Please keep this place alive!

The restaurant has lost 100% of its original charm and enthusiasm. The moral of the staff and general experience has gone down hill badly.
The worst offense is saying that you’re open till 10 and then start shutting down the restaurant around 8:30. Why say you’re open only to shut everything down and start cleaning the floors while I’m eating my $ 20 fast casual meal? It’s gross and ruins my fun. Thanks, but no thanks.

My family went yesterday. We were impressed with the large variety of options. It is so very refreshing to have all of the options available to me rather than one token vegetarian option on a restaurant menu.
We had the Thai soup, potato salad, Bangkok curry bowl, meatball sub, fries, lavender lemonade, and watermelon juice. The staff is very friendly and helpful and the restaurant is inviting. We were there around 11:30-ish on a Saturday. There were quite a few other people there, but it was not crowded yet. Although by the time we left, they were getting quite full, there was still ample room to move around so you didn’t feel packed in or that you were going to bump into something or someone.
I was not wild about the Thai soup, it was on the bitter side, but to be fair I was comparing it to the flavor in a Tom Khaa soup which has a slightly sweet but very tangy flavor. If I hadn’t been expecting a Tom Khaa flavor, I would have thought their Thai soup was just great. The yummy potato salad was light with the herby-​lemon dressing. The Bangkok curry bowl was just delicious. The sauce was the right amount so as to flavor the bowl without making the dish soupy. The tender kale was a pleasant addition to the bowl. My meat-​eating husband enjoyed the meatball sub and fries. We are all looking forward to coming back to try more of their menu items.

I love Native Foods and this location is no exception. I appreciate that they always ask if this is your first time because they want to explain what the restaurant is all about. Most of the food is priced reasonably and food is always fast. My favorites are the native nachos, the lavender lemonade, the ensalada azteca, and the Bangkok curry bowl.

Certainly a great concept, but I perhaps caught them on an off day. The the bbq chicken salad was good but the very raw avocado requiring a knife to cut threw me off a bit. Avocado slices should not require a knife to cut through. The hummus was unfortunately lumpy and quite bland, and the slices of carrots served with it were wilted.

I’m goin with 4 stars because giving the fact that I eat lots of meat and sauces and spices, the healthy food here was good. I had the chicken tender wrap with sweet potatoes fries and I could not even tell it wasn’t chicken! I don’t eat chicken tenders much either but I enjoyed the food here. I want to come back and try something else. Regardless of how much delicious food I eat (I’m Mexican and honestly home made Mexican food is like no other for me) once in a while I will eat other things like healthy vegan food. Their organic lemonades were my favorite they tasted fresh and healthy too!

So good!!! I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian but I could make the switch with food like this!
Had the Mexican Cobb salad. Excellent! Very flavorful.
Nice atmosphere too.

I’ve been here twice now. Both times I found the staff to be super friendly and knowledgeable about the food. The food was also very prompt.
During my first visit, I had the Korean BBQ sub. It was very rich in flavor, chock full of stuff, and the seitan had good texture. It was a bit on the salty side for me, and I craved a bit more sweetness. The ciabatta, though clearly fresh, was a bit too chewy for my taste. I was definitely nursing a sore jaw after that! The steamed kale was tasty and the perfect palate cleanser.
During my second trip, I had the Avocado Crunch Wrap and the Portobello and Sausage Burger to-​go. The avocado wrap was exactly what I wanted. The avocado was warm and crunchy instantly quenching my aching desire for avocado fries. The slaw in the wrap was super fresh and helped to cut the richness. I got the dressings on the side, and both went well though I wasn’t sure which was a which.
I snuck a few bites of the burger which I planned to save for lunch. The flavors were all spot on. I loved the garlicky mushrooms with the seitan sausage. I do wish that there were more lettuce or something to go on it, as it would have helped add some crunch and keep the bun from getting as soggy.
Overall, I’ve had some good experiences and would definitely go back. It was fairly quick and well-​priced vegetarian food with lots of creative options. Also, don’t forget to get your rewards card and register it online as you get a BOGO entrée or 50% off one.

Wait a second… Denver, the land of high desert cowboys and the donkeys has how many Native Foods? I counted four of them all in Denver proper while bookmarking every Vegan place in town. In fact, I believe there’s more Native Foods in Denver than there are of all the Vegan places combined!
Native Foods is set up nearly exactly like Veggie Grill as far as their ordering process and general concept. It shouldn’t come as no surprise since they were created by the same folks. Now with a fresh influx of millions of dollars, they are both rapidly expanding.
I’m a nacho fiend and Native makes some of the best in the business. Huge piles of cashew cream, corn salsa, tons of cilantro, guacamole and a smooth cheesy sauce. This is one of my favorite nachos around. The price is spot on too. Their cheese sauce is a bit sweet so it could use a few tweaks to make it perfect.
I could pretty much live off their starter menu alone. I also had to get Buffalo Wings even though I knew I would be stuffed. They have a nice crunch to them but the sauce isn’t as great as Veggie Grill. Then again VG makes the best in the industry so it’s not a fair comparison. These were still pretty good and I doubt you’ll find better anywhere else.
My honey loves their Native Bowls She got the Morroccan Bowl which just so happened to be gluten free for all you weirdos out there. It was pretty damn good. Maybe even better than VG!
They have a much better selection of desserts than VG has. Several cupcakes and parfaits are available.
All we wanna know is when the hell is NF coming to the Bay Area to give Veggie Grill a run for their money?
My honey loves them too:

I can’t believe how many Native Foods are in Colorado. I can only wish for one in the Bay Area.
As my first night in Denver and since my flight came in pretty late. This was our go to eatery for the night. Plenty of parking made it very convenient.
It’s also a great place to come with a group of people since you order and pay at the counter.
We ended up ordering the buffalo wings, nachos, Moroccan bowl, carrot cupcake and peanut butter parfait (not shown).
All of the dishes we ordered were great. No complaints here. I opted for steamed kale instead of quinoa on my bowl. It was excellent the second day. I guess the overnight marination made it even better.
Nachos and buffalo wings have always been good. A definite must order. My honey ate those up! The only complaint I would have on the nachos is the Cheeze sauce was more towards the sweet rather than spicy.
So if your vegan and visiting Denver, this is a must!

I’ve only had dessert from here before so I was excited to try some savory selections for lunch. I went with the buffalo chicken sandwich with a tea and potato salad. The potato salad had an up charge of $ 2 which I noticed after I ordered. A little ridiculous because potatoes are not expensive. Plus I had to season it before I could eat it.
The sandwich was very good and for being vegetarian it was a great knock off of chicken. The tea was decent but not wow inducing. Overall I thought the meal was good but quite overpriced.

I like this place because they give you a lot of different seitan alternatives for vegetarians and they really dress up their meals. I got the Moroccan earth bowl which consists of quinoa, a mixture of grilled veggie, raisins, sliced almonds and tofu. My meal was vivid with color. The order of sweet potato fries is a bit stingy… But my oatmeal cream pie made up for it because it was the size of my face! My boss recommended this place for lunch after a busy day of work. I didn’t know what to expect but it was pretty good.

So let’s be frank. .. ;-)
Eating animals sure tastes good. Few things can beat a ribeye grilled medium rare or a really good burger, huh?
But we know it’s more healthy and ethical to eat more vegetables and cause less animal suffering and pain than when we choose to eat meat.
Now don’t get me wrong. I hunt and fish. And hey, did I forget to mention that I’m a hypocrite sometimes? But really, come on. The practice of eating factory-​farmed meat and fish is pretty disgusting. We should all just honestly confess to the truth of that.
You can say it’s «natural» and we were anatomically born programmed to eat meat, and that may be true. It doesn’t, however, make the conditions under which we get our meat any less troubling. And hey, I’ve been to what’s marketed as a «cage free and free range» chicken farm. Lemme tell you that’s not a very pretty sight. Looking out over 25,000 chickens jammed inside a warehouse that was where they are fed and given water (and therefore «choose» not to venture out into the sun-​baked barren yard – which they call the «range” – available to them) was a sobering sight.
But also let’s admit that a lot of vegetarian food just doesn’t taste that great. It isn’t that satisfying and frequently not that filling either. That’s probably because our bodies just love the taste of fat (and salt and sugar. .. ummmmm).
So what’s this got to do with the Native Foods Café that on it’s storefront calls itself «The world’s greatest vegetarian restaurant?» Well, NFC has been teaching me that I can have that full and satisfying taste of fat and salt and sweetness without having to eat meat every day. Over the last short while I’ve become addicted to their Portobello sausage burger, their Rueben and their «Native Chicken» twisters (all vegetarian). God are they good. Haven’t tried their desserts yet because after having one of their sandwiches and a side I’m too full to consider dessert. But next time I’m gonna skip the side and save room for one of their great looking cupcakes.
So Native Foods I love that you’re making my change to a more plant-​based diet a pleasure instead of a pain. Thanks and see ya again soon.
David «No longer hatin’ seitan» M.

I am seeking out vegan restaurants so that I can get a bite out from time to time and break up the monotony of eating at home all the time while on my diet. Found Native Foods Café on Unilocal and it looked like a great option.
I really like the fast-​casual concept and the fact that I can order take-​out if the mood strikes me. You can order at the counter or online, then they hand you a cup and a number, you fill up your drink at the juice bar, then take a seat and they bring the food out. I ordered water, but since it was my first visit they offered me a little sample cup to try the juices and teas — what a nice touch! The girls behind the counter were super friendly and helpful. I tried the watermelon fresca (yum!) and the strawberry lavender lemonade (also very good, but probably too much sugar for my diet).
I ordered the Thai «Meatballs» which are made with seitan tossed in a sweet thai chili sauce. It comes with Super Slaw (cabbage, kale, chia seeds), lemongrass broccoli (to die for, ate all of that up first), and quinoa. The bowl was huge. Even though I had skipped breakfast and was absolutely starving, I only ate about half. And every single thing in that bowl was delicious.
I will be back. In fact, the biggest challenge will be not blowing all my money here.

For me, Native Foods is, in the words of Bono, «even better than the real thing.»
Now that I’ve brought horrible shame on myself for name-​dropping Bono, I’ll start the actual review:
It’s delicious!
Although I am an omnivore, I do love experimenting with vegetarian and vegan foods whenever I get a good chance (i.e., when it’s not, say, a mixed green salad with a couple of carrot matchsticks and a single, sad cherry tomato on top). Some of my favorite Native Foods dishes include the Bangkok Curry Bowl, the Portobello and Sausage Burger and the Buffalo «Chicken» Wings. They also have a selection of tasty juices with flavors like watermelon mint and strawberry lavender. So yum. A little pricey, but yum.
So, if you love meatless foods (or love someone who does, like my husband), I heartily recommend giving Native Foods a try.

1^st of all I want to say, I *HATE* when people knock stars off a review of a VEGAN PLACE because: they did not have meat options /​they were «deceiving» for having faux meat. I think you guys are missing the point…
ANYWAY, Best Native Foods location IMO, & I’ve been to almost all of them. I love how NF has a wide variety of proteins… Tempeh, Seitan, Tofu, «Meat“balls, and more :) Sure, some of the faux meat doesn’t taste exactly like meat, but you’re not going to taste real flesh when you are living way healthier and compassionately (vegan)… I’m glad I can come here and get the best tasting thing without the guilt and cholesterol :)
The desserts are soooo good I order three, eat one before my meal and save the other two for after. yeah I’m a fatty lol
Also the whole staff is super nice and awesome. Several cute bearded guys work at this location so that’s a plus.

My favorite place to take my veggie/​vegan/​adventurous omnivore friends! As someone that eats meat but just loves food, Native Foods is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner when you’re downtown (haven’t been to their other locations in Denver). Weirded out by the idea of seitan or tofu? This is the place to give it a try!
Sign up for their loyalty card — it’s free, you get a free drink on sign-​up, and then earn rewards every time to come in.

Amazing vegan comfort food in the Glendale suburb of Denver. The menu is diverse and everything on the menu is vegan. From bowls to sandwiches to burgers — this place does a great job of tiptoeing the line between healthy and greasy spoon.
I had the Greek Gyro Bowl and it was a massive portion of seitan, hummus, broccoli, kale, carrots, zucchini on a bed of quinoa.
My lovely wife had the reuben and it looked delicious as well.
We will be back.