Avanti Natural Cafe

Does anybody know why this place closed?
Re opening somewhere else or what happened?!

How sad. I finally made it a priority to come here when I found out it was closing up shop. It never seemed that enticing to come here cause it’s located in that weird plaza that isn’t exactly the hottest date spot.
However, they had a few interesting and tasty dishes but I think my fav was the beet, potato, and green bean appetizer. though I wasn’t a fan of the sauce they slathered all over it. The stuffed portobello was also different but, again, I’m not sure I would have gone out of my way for it.
Cool lil veggie joint and prob would’ve come by here if I were alone but def lacking in the ambience and location appeal. Good not great. but also irrelevant. Glad I got to try it tho :)

Closing as of today. Had our last meal there and it did not disappoint. Will miss going there as it was sentimental — my bf and I had one of our first dates there 4 years ago. Farewell Avanti, you will be missed.

This place is spectacular. For me its one of the best restaurants in OC. I’m broken hearted that they are leaving. The soups are like my mother made at home. The pizzas/​flatbreads are magnificent. I could eat the tacos every day with all the different filling you can choose from. They are inventive and experimental. Awesome. I’ve gone to restaurants 3x as expensive with worse food. I think the prices are amazing. Yes if your complaining about $ 1.50 for what fills a taco, then I suggest someplace else. What costs $ 1.50 that you still want to eat? I don’t want BBQ tempeh that costs less. I think the fact that its in a strip mall surrounded by a bunch of fast food garbage, may be why people are confused. I’m biased, fast food is not food, if you are tempted by any of the places surrounding it, i. e Caliente’s, then do not go in.
5 stars on presentation, 5 stars on ambiance, 5 stars on taste. Again its a small place, if its crowded and your in a hurry go someplace else, but then why go out to a restaurant?
Look up ‘Mindful eating’ cause that’s what this place is all about.

I thought this place was okay. Nothing extraordinary but not bad.
+Décor of the place is a win. Love the local artist art work throughout the restaurant
+Parking. Plenty since it’s in a strip mall.
+Pizza. Margherita pizza is more like a nice flat bread. It had a nice, nutty flavor and was pretty hearty. I dig it.
–Tacos. I thought the tacos were just okay. Crispy shell with mashed potatoes inside. If you want to do any add ones it’s $ 1.50+ per taco. A tad pricey in my opinion.
–Quinoa salad. It was highly recommended to us by the waiter but it was kind of bland and the quinoa «nuggets» or whatever they were didn’t taste like anything.

Happy 6 Monthiversary to us !!! xoxoxo
Ambiance:
Love these mom and pop restaurants !
Hole in a wall type restaurant
Small, but inviting
Private lot at a shopping center
Cute décor with personalized paintings and very artsy
Not busy on a Saturday night and we made reservations — maybe it varies here
Menu:
Reasonable Prices
Veg-​friendly !!! Woohoo !!
Bf ordered: Roasted Stuffed Portobello Mushroom — magic garlic spread, falafel nuggets, tahini & sesame seeds served w/​lime dressed baby greens & cabbage & a trio of colorful sauces, romesco, arugula spinach pesto & tahini + toasted sunflower seeds — The mushrooms were the highlight here and we love MUSHROOMS !!! I could eat a whole bowl of these !!! Very flavorful and a colorful presentation.
I ordered: Avanti House Made Baked Falafel — house made organic sesame tahini w/​organic baby greens & cabbage w/​fresh seasonal flash pickled vegetables, toasted sunflower seeds & citrus miso dressing. Good enough portion and quite filling. The veggies could have been presented and flavored a little better. I hate when they get too lazy not to peel the carrots. I eat with my eyes too you know. Overall, I found it looked better than it tasted, but still palatable.
Washed our food down with some Kombucha (which I’m sure they purchased next door at the grocery store), but I noticed they charged higher. Doh !!! I should have gotten something else if that were the case. Oh well.
Build your own dessert: (This was fun)
You get to choose your base, ice cream, and topping !!!
Base: Peanut butter cookie — It was their special that night and not on the menu
Ice cream (vegan) — Vanilla bean ice cream
Topping — Cherry tart sauce
The chef also greeted us ‘Happy 6 Monthiversary’ when he served our dessert ! They also hooked us up with three other ice cream flavors: strawberry, coffee (I think), and mint chocolate ! Everything about the dessert was dee-​licious !!! The peanut butter cookie was still nice and warm from the oven and went well with each of the ice cream. We licked our plate clean !!! Best of all, it was guilt-​free !!
They also have a ‘build your own pizza’ option which I thought was cool ! I’ll have to try that next time I’m here.
Service:
I read some bad reviews on this, but didn’t experience anything problematic.
Everything is made fresh to order so it will take time to get your food and I only saw one chef. Fortunately for us, it was a slow day and we were catered to well. It may be different on a busier day, but we had no complaints.
Overall, 3.5 stars !!!

WOW! One for the books. I’ve literally experienced a record low for appallingly bad service.
My husband’s roasted veggie sandwich was piled with roasted veggies that were hard and underdone. The veggies were in big chunks and they kept falling out of the sandwich. The turnips were bitter. Bread tasted stale. Plating was a disaster.
My dear husband, who doesn’t have experience with food description, simply knew he didn’t like it (me and my mom, experienced cooks, knew what made it terrible, but didn’t want to butt in).
He asked the waitress to please take it away as he didn’t eat it.
The waitress asked him what was wrong with it, and he said he just didn’t like the flavor. The Waitress brought us our check, and it was still on the bill.
We asked for it to be taken off, as it wasn’t eaten.
Granted, the manager could have just taken it off. He would have lost around 10 dollars.
Instead, he lost a potential of hundreds of dollars from what would have been returning customers.
Then, the manager came out and chided my husband about how HE in his 53 years, has NEVER returned food just because HE didn’t like it.
He expects the same protocol from his customers, apparently.
The other dishes were good! Don’t know how that «sandwich» happened! But being treated by someone so terribly (especially during what was supposed to be a special dinner for my mom), just isn’t worth the risk.
I don’t think a couple bad reviews will do their business harm, but I do feel really bad for the next people who get chewed out for wanting fair service.

I wish I could give this establishment ZERO stars, but alas…
Never in my life have I ever been treated so poorly as a restaurant patron and my family and I will never return to Avanti Natural Café.
While I could go on about several different disappointing aspects of our evening, from the several uncleared tables when we first arrived to the extreme inattentiveness of our waitress, I’ll focus on the two aspects that lead to my writing this review: the food and the management.
I ordered the Avanti Organic Focaccia Panini Sandwich with roasted vegetables and SEITAN which also comes with a side salad. When it arrived, I couldn’t tell where the sandwich began and the salad ended. Thinking it was actually a sandwich, I attempted to pick it up and eat it when I realized that the bottom bread was soaked with salad dressing/​veggie juices to the point I would have to fork-​and-​knife it. Not a big deal, but in the end, I just was not a fan of the flavors and after just a few bites, I decided I did not want to eat it.
I probably would have ordered something else had our waitress even once came to our table to ask how things were (which never happened). When she finally did come to take my family’s plates away (who enjoyed their meal, but each tried mine and agree that it was not very good), I let her know that I did not like it.
I could tell the waitress was offended and she asked what was wrong with it. I told her it wasn’t what I had expected (you know… a sandwich) and that I didn’t like the flavors. She took the plate away without an apology and I thought that was that.
When we got the check, I noticed that my meal was still on it, so I flagged the waitress down and asked her to remove it from the bill since I had barely touched it and did not like it. She then informed me that when she took my plate back to the manager, Mark, that he said there was nothing wrong with it and not to remove it from the bill. I asked to speak to the manager and her response was «I’ll go see if he’ll come out.» Would I have the pleasure of the manager himself coming out to our table? Time would tell.
When Mark arrived at our table, I could tell he was visibly defensive and clearly offended that I had not enjoyed the meal he had prepared. I explained the same thing I had said to the waitress and his response was, and I quote, «Never in my 53 years have I sent a meal back» and he refused to take it off the check.
While I appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into running a restaurant, no matter what, the customer is always right and it is your job as a manager to make your customers happy and not be defensive if they did not enjoy their meal. If it was handled with a positive attitude, an apology and maybe an offer of something else, I would have gladly returned to try another menu item at another time.
I really wanted to like this place, but the management and poor service was such a turn off that we will never, ever come back.

We came in a little late for Mother’s day brunch, though it was really perfect timing because a big party had just finished up and was heading out. This place is a GEM. I am so sad to have just found it and then to find out that they are closing in the next one or two months because their lease got bought out. It’s truly a shame for all of us who love amazing, fresh, organic, and creative dishes!
I ordered the strawberry pancakes to split with my daughter and my mom ordered the stuffed portobello mushroom. Everything was as fresh as it can get. They flavors were amazing. I also ordered my daughter a side egg and some toast. She loved it! We were all so satisfied. My mom cleaned her plate, not before I got a bite though. I basically have to come back to get the dish for myself. It was all amazing.
Do yourself a favor and check out this spot before it’s too late!

The first time I came here I had a terrible experience. My boyfriend and I popped in on a weeknight and had horrible service. The food took forever to be delivered and the waitress avoided us until it was ready. I vowed to never return.
We were in the neighborhood tonight and decided to give it another shot. The place was moderately busy, and only one waitress was working. She seemed super busy, and was clearly doing her best to keep up with demand. It took her a while to acknowledge us and deliver menus, and even longer to stop and take our order. My boyfriend had some difficulty choosing what to eat, so I cut some slack on the delay… but our food took a bit too long to come out. The waitress didn’t communicate any kitchen delays to us, and the food was brought out by another worker (maybe chef?) apologizing for the delay.
I’d love to continue to come here but the definitely need to work on their customer service and communication with their customers, and hire another waiter or busser to assist for the size of the restaurant.
The food was excellent. By the time we received it I was mentally plotting to never return for real this time, but after eating my first bite I changed my mind. I figure I’ll give it one more shot at redemption due to having a delicious Stuffed Portobello.

Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-​Free!
Quick story how I came across Avanti Natural Café:
I was looking up places for my classmate and I to eat before we worked on our class project. My classmate mentioned to me that she was a vegetarian and eats only gluten-​free food. She apologizes for being difficult and that it maybe hard to eat a meal with her (silly girl!). I responded back to her «No problem! I got this! Time to Unilocal it up!»
I came across Avanti Natural Café during my search and I was interested in trying their vegetarian pizza. I sent her the link for her to check out and she was automatically interested in trying out the place (I swear it is so hard to get this girl out too!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!).
Service:
Our waitress was very nice and friendly, but a bit slow. I would of loved to ask her some recommendations, but I think my classmate and I were eyeing the pizza already. We were seriously determined to try out how a vegetarian pizza would taste like! haha.
Décor:
Avanti Natural Café is decorated very earthy and calm (it makes you feel calm too). The restaurant was very small. My classmate and I enjoyed the artwork on the walls, especially the hand painted door in the back near the kitchen area.
Food (that we ordered):
Avanti Maguerite Pizza (we ordered it gluten-​free) — the bread part was very interesting and I was not the biggest fan of the texture and the taste. However, the toppings of the pizza was A-​Ok enough for me to eat.
Chocolate Walnut Brownie — my classmate ate the brownie and she said she really enjoyed it. mmm brownies!!!
Overall, it was a nice experience to try this place out with my classmate. I would recommend giving this place a try to anyone who likes to eat healthy, is vegetarian, is vegan, or eats gluten-​free!
NOM for LIFE!

I decided to come here to celebrate my birthday with some friends. It’s a cute lil café. Easy to find. Good parking. Sadly I forgot the name of our waitress but she was super nice! I got there pretty hungry so was a little bummed that they didn’t have appetizers. But the food totally made up for it. I had the taco plate and friends had the avanti scambler. We were all happy campers. Everything was so fresh and yummy. I had the lemonade and it was perfect. Not too sweet and not overly lemony. The best part was the dessert. Chocolate walnut brownie and lemon verbena rose ice cream. Both vegan. Sooooo amazing. Can’t wait to go again.

Seriously was astounded!
My boyfriend took me here and this cute, quaint little place really impressed us!
We got a pitcher of their IPA on tap (only 11 bucks!) and split the Stacked Mushrooms and he got the tacos (HIGHLY SUGGEST!) and I got the pesto pizza with BBQ tempeh. Simply amazing. The service was really really great and it was a perfect setting for our date night. We keep asking each other when we’re going to go back… and its only been 3 days! We love it.

My father and I stopped by about six months ago, found a table and sat around for an hour or so and still had nobody come up and take our order, or even bring us drinks.
Granted, it was dinner time so they were a bit full but still, you shouldn’t have one person getting orders and having him ignore new customers.
We came back after all and tried to give them another chance.
Everything was going good up until we ordered some bread and a kumin sauce to go with my fathers salad. I tried the bread and didn’t enjoy the after taste one bit, and still hours later I’d burp up some of the flavor again. My dad was enjoying the kumin sauce so far, I went about finishing my mac and cheese, which was something I probably could have made at home, and I noticed something sticking out of my fathers sauce.
We found a long black hair sticking out of the sauce, now my father has the shortest grey hair in the world and I have long blonde hair, so we ruled out it being one of ours and left the bowl alone.
Overall, the feel of the place just made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. The two people that were working while we were there were goofing off in the «„kitchen“».
Not pleased.

I was debating between a 3 and a 4 for this one. Wish there was a 3.5 button! Came here with a couple friends and ordered a few things. We got the:
Garden Green Medley Salad with the Citrus Miso — this was good, but nothing special.
Arugula and Spinach Pesto Pizza — this one was tasty for no cheese (we opted out of the cheese). I would choose to try a different pizza next time though =)
Avanti Hot Tacos — this was delicious! The napa cabbage with the garlic pâté made this one our favorite! It was so good, we wanted to order another order of this, but we were pretty full by then. I would come back just for the tacos =)
I’m sure we’ll come by again, can’t wait to try the other items on the menu!

Well, it took my wife and me long enough to finally try Avanti’s brunch, but try it we did today. Once again, Avanti came through. I got the 10+ Avanti Scrambler and she got the special, which was Southwest Organic Egg Cake w/​Roasted Red Pepper Gravy. Avanti may be the most creative vegetarian restaurant I’ve ever eaten in. They always have a way of coming up with unique dishes with unusual ingredient combinations that sometimes sound odd on the menu but invariably turn out delicious on the plate. Today’s special was no exception. Maybe we should have traded orders, because my wife couldn’t stop eating the Scrambler with the 10+ grain toast. I loved the smoked mozzarella!
Brunch is usually $ 14 and comes with brown rice and beans and a beverage (coffee, tea, juice, or lemonade). The special was $ 15. They also started us off with a fruit salad. Brunch is served until 4:00 pm.
N.B.: No alcohol at the outside tables. Too bad for us, because I love those margaritas!

So shi-​shi fab, this vegetarian joint can make tofu taste like Kobe beef. Great booze selection (I had the Spanish red) and nummy desserts, too.
They bake their own bread ($ 8 a loaf; take some home), and it is seriously tasty. Plus, the owner designs and crafts his own pottery in which to serve the dishes.
Best part? The wait staff are oh-​so friendly. Let’s just say: If this place had booths, I’d move in.

Tried this place out with my vegetarian enthused girlfriends. I got the one-​eyed pizza and was pleasantly satisfied with its flavor. Definitely wouldn’t call it your normal pizza. It was more of a flat bread/​crust with flavorful cheeses and a plethora of garden ingredients.
The dinner menu is fairly limited and it’s different from their lunch menu. I feel like it might be better for lunch.
The one thing I did REALLY like were their hot sauces. All three (green, red, and yellow) were delicious and fresh tasting.
I did not like the customer service. The one and only server rudely asked me if I was going to eat here, when I was just waiting outside the door for my friends to arrive. During the entire duration of the meal she never once acted enthusiastic about us being there or having to work. And she didn’t put her customers first whatsoever. Every time we asked for something (order, to-​go box, bill, etc.) she continued lighting the hundreds of candles that were everywhere. She even at one point reached across our table and took her sweet time to light a candle right in the middle of us trying to split the bill.

You don’t know what «made at the time of order» means until you eat here. This is something your mouth verifies, not your ears.
Shocked at how empty it was. Was the only other table alongside another for a good hour or more on a Thursday night. Wait for the food took a good while, but you forget about it all once devouring the meal, your whole body tells you it was worth it.
Their flatbread/​pizza menu for dinner is the most extensive, of course you have their soups, salads, tacos etc. Review the menu ahead of time to get an idea.
I was so pleased with my portobello mushroom eggplant stack, with refreshing and crunchy cabbage slaw in the middle. It was healthy comfort food, just what I needed on a cold night.
Friend ordered the Avanti Maragrita pizza (with house made smoked mozzarella). I usually like more on my pizza than the usual Marguerite, but holy cow if this is what vegetarianism could always be I would be one in a heartbeat. AMAZING, and the gluten free garbanzo bean crust; outstanding. I am not gluten free but I’m impressed they opt for a nutritious garbanzo flour option and not gf rice flours which have no nutritional value.
Service was genuinely friendly. My friend forgot to mention she needed her pizza gluten free after they brought over her meal, and they were so gracious with her mistake, I couldn’t believe that didn’t urk them. I don’t think I could have kept my composure! You guys rule.
Honestly, just don’t come here if you’re in a rush. This place isn’t meant for that. The ambiance is so intimate yet simple, it would be a waste to be irritated by the wait and have that ruin your stay.

Avanti is a cool name for a cool place.
Their menu is tasty vegetarian, while I have no problems with veggies, they are not my 1^st option. I tend to lean towards the sweet and carb rich treats…
But this place make healthy food as tempting as their «bad» cousins
Super tasty food, creative mixes of vegetables and organic ingredients, totally yummy and nutrient packed.
I have been here twice and it’s kinda hard to pick a favorite.
Maybe I’d say that the flatbread
So far I never have been disappointed, also their service is good and attentive.
One more reason to love this place: their coffee is really good.
Can’t wait to go back, next time I’m trying their tacos and their desserts :)

I came here with my work friends for the Costa Mesa Restaurant Week not really knowing what to expect.
Food: We all agreed that we thoroughly enjoyed every part of our meal.
— I got the Pumpkin Hush Puppies, and it did not have an overwhelming pumpkin taste (which happens with a lot of other pumpkin foods that I don’t like as much), but the ‘coleslaw’ that it was served with was very bland and was probably more for decoration than anything else.
— Next I got the Polenta which had a nice combination of Kale, Apple, Tomato Sauce, and a very pleasant spinach sauce. I also got to take a bite out of my friend’s Garlic Greek pizza and I instantly tasted how each of the ingredients blended together wonderfully
— Lastly I got the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich for desert, and I got to say it was delicious. The peanuts were evenly distributed and neither the chocolate nor peanut butter seemed to overwhelm the other.
Service: Was kind of on the bad side. The staff was friendly, but hardly ever stopped by our table and it was quite slow. We honestly waited liked 10 – 15 extra minutes on sitting down when we were ready to order, it was not even that busy, maybe like 3 – 4 other parties that were there. Oh and they even forgot who ordered what and had to come back to ask before they could put the order in.
Atmosphere: I really enjoyed the setting they provided, it’s definitely a place I would take my date to. Also the way they plated and presented the food was very aesthetically pleasing. Definitely added to my enjoyment of the night.
Price: Since I came for Restaurant Week I paid for all that for around $ 27 including tax and tip, which is somewhat reasonable for nicer food and the fact that it’s vegetarian.
Overall Opinion: One thing I was surprised about was the fact that I felt filled regardless of the fact that all the food was vegetarian. Normally vegetarian places I don’t feel full despite paying a full-meal’s price, or I’m quickly hungry soon after, but I did not feel like that after coming here. The food is definitely something people should try, but the service may get on some people’s nerve since they are a bit slow and forget things.
Not sure if I’ll come back since I really dislike having bad/​slow service. But that desert is something I won’t soon forget.