GoodLife Cafe & Bakery

Now that I have been introduced to the soups of the GoodLife 5 stars is in order. With an gluten free biscuit available? Yes please!

We just visited this place for lunch today, driving back to the Bay Area. The staff was amazing, everyone was so nice and attentive. Food was really good and oh my, they had A LOT vegan options, which is not normal for America. I also loved the art in the café, if I could, I would buy all the paintings and some of the pottery. Overall, a pretty good place to visit. Definitely will be back!

I love this cute café in downtown Mendocino. The perfect place to get coffee or lunch before going hiking. They have many vegan options and they are clearly marked on the menu. I usually get whatever curry they have for lunch. They have an amazing selection of non dairy milk options. The only suggestion I would have is to get dairy free cream cheese and bagels sans egg wash

Morning bun. Yes.
Bacon cheddar onion scone. YES.
Veggie cake. YAASSSSSSSSS.
Try all of these. Their popular veggie cake is incredible, served warm with a choice of side condiment. The scone has glorious chunks of bacon in it. Morning bun has a hint of cardamon and citrus. I want to come by and try all their other deliciousness. Their food has that quality, homemade taste feel.
For beverage, I got a hoddy toddy– hot water with lemon, sliced ginger, cayanne pepper, and honey. I had a sore throat, and this did the trick.
GoodLife is everything you want in a bakery– delicious food & drink, quick friendly service, cozy, and comfortable. And their bathroom clean, ha. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Order at the counter and pick up your food when they call your number.
We were in Mendocino for a weekend, and we came here for breakfast and lunch on the same day. It’s that good… annnnd there’s limited options in Mendo. =P

The best coffee shop we came across on our Northern CA road trip! We’re from SF so can be snobby about our coffee but we really really enjoyed GoodLife! I’m all about healthy, organic, local, low-​calorie things, etccc lol
Most places don’t have as many milk options so I got a Hemp Milk Latte just to go for something different! It was nice and it was thicker/​creamier than my typical soy lattes.
The Veggie Cake with Pesto Aioli!!! Omggg. why why why did we only get one?! To share between two people too?
I hate lent (I’m not even Catholic– I just do it for the challenge lol) only because I couldn’t try any of their baked goodies that were screaming my name! Their whole menu sounded wonderful. I’m sad thinking about it now because I wish I got to try more of their food!

Good life Bakery is the perfect representation of why I love Mendocino:
1. Healthy food: everything is organic, free range, grass fed, and there are a lot of gluten free and vegan options
2. Dog friendly: there is a large patio if you want to sit outside and eat with your pooch
3. Friendly service: everyone was super nice and helpful.
I had the breakfast burrito which was delicious and my B&B offered their muffins in the am– which were also good.

very popular with the locals and it’s not just bakery. for us it was just another pit stop to warm ourselves a bit. good latte that was extra hot.

I came here for a late lunch during the slow period before Christmas but the place was still pretty bustling! I had a hard time choosing because so many things sounded good. I ordered the veggie cake with the pesto aioli and the tortilla soup which came with a yummy roll and I added avocado on top. Both items were really delicious.
The next day I went to pick up some items for the road and bought the pesto roll and the pain au chocolat. The croissant was good, but that pesto roll was amazing. I wish I would have gotten more!
The service was fast and friendly and I didn’t mind putting my dishes in the bin at all. I would definitely recommend this place for a casual meal in a cute little café.

My boyfriend and I were in town visiting from SF. Coming from the capital of healthy eating… gluten free and vegan food is something we see on the shelf on the daily bases. I must say the options and quality of the food here is actually more than I’d ever expect from this town.
The lines do look long but it moves very quickly.
We enjoyed our quick lunch so much that we came back the next day for breakfast.
Their beet salad is a must try.
Their ham and smoked Gouda cheese quiche is amazing too. The choices of food here are simple yet healthy. Being a diabetic I’ve actually managed to find more than a few low glycemic items to order from the menu.
This is most definitely a spot to stop by if you’re ever in town looking for a healthy place where the food will be delicious and doesn’t taste like cardboard.
They make everything from scratch here. That includes their pastries too. I’m not sure why are people upset about them reheating up a buritto. It is call a bakery after all. It is «within the name»
Want a fresh buritto? Go to chipotle
This place do an amazing job in keeping their product fresh and healthy.
Keep up with th good work!

First time: Try their veggie cakes, WOW! I got mine to go and just munched on them while I walked around town! Delicious!
Second time: I came back 3 months later. This time with my family. They had they breakfast burritos which they said were delicious. I had the veggie cakes again, with a pesto aioli and they did not disappoint, YUM! We also tried some of their gluten free muffins, again, awesome! I am so happy to find people who do great gluten free sweets! We will be going back, today actually as we head back home!
Note: I would like to say, some people on Unilocal seemed upset that they microwaved their food. It’s still very fresh, made daily, and I consider this place more of a breakfast deli counter, if there is such a thing. You place your order from the wide variety of goodies they have displayed in their deli fridge, and they give you a number and deliver to your table, steamy hot and ready to eat!

I love this place and always make it a point to stop here (at least once!) when we visit. Super yummy food and coffee/​tea selection, very local/​organic and tasty too!

Seriously. Unilocalers think this place is the best? Ordered the baby breakfast burrito. It’s tiny, as its name suggests. Ok. But at 8 a.m., when the shop just opened, we expected it would be prepared fresh, not plucked from the refrigerator case and zapped in the microwave before our very eyes!
Would have ordered something from the bakery case, but nothing looked freshly baked either.
That said, the burrito was okay.

A quaint coffee shop with friendly staff, tasty cappuccinos and baked goods. There are plenty of tables as well as outside area… if the weather is nice! (*It had just rained cars and dogs before I stepped in!) There are lots of gluten free options. We also decided to do «take-​out» for dinner and the pumpkin curry was excellent.

What an excellent bakery! We came here for breakfast on a Saturday and liked it so much that we returned on Sunday. We arrived right at 8am both days, which I’d recommend since the line forms quickly after that. They have quite a good selection of pastries, bagels, hot breakfast items, and fresh salads. It’s hard to make a selection! The first day we shared a kale salad (the only «just ok» item), ham & cheese quiche, and peach Danish pastry – this was seriously the best Danish I’ve ever tried! The pastry was very fresh and not too sweet, the cheese was creamy and fluffy, and there was a ton of perfectly ripe fruit on top. The second day we tried the veggie cake/​fritter, breakfast burrito, and yes, another Danish (this time blueberry). Excellent espresso drinks as well. We’ll definitely be back next time we’re in Mendocino.

So this place has a line out the door. I check their menu and it shows vegan options. It also shows that everything is made fresh and in small batches.
So after waiting in line for 15 min, I ask the guy taking my order what vegan options he has for breakfast as it is Sunday morning and I want breakfast. He has no answer for me. So he asks the manager and she lists three items from the lunch menu.
I ask if they can make a breakfast burrito with tofu. Their answer is «NO.»
Looking in their cooler there has to be a weeks worth of pre made food and breakfast burritos stacked high and deep. I asked the guy if they can make one with tofu and his answer is, «no they make everything in huge batches in the back and can not make one burrito for me.»
Not impressed with this place. Oh and to top it off,
They expect a tip when you order food at a counter and at the table a sign says «Please bus your table. Thanks»

My Mexican mocha was really good — perfect foam and flavor, and the chocolate was flavorful and rich with spices. Also got the Morning Bun ($ 3.75) which was huge and delicious — super soft, sweet and buttery in the middle and crispy on the edges. This place has a nice outdoor seating area as well. Highly recommended!

Good brunch stop. Huge breakfast burritos.
We stopped by after having a large muffin at our B&B. I wanted a small breakfast burrito, but didn’t want one that was gluten and dairy free. My only option was the $ 10 giant breakfast burrito.
I cut it in half and ate the rest later. It was a tasty burrito with the added bacon. We sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed our meal.
Lots of bakery items such as cookies and muffins are available.
Great place for a relaxing, casual meal.

We stayed in Mendocino a few days. Unfortunately our hotel didn’t include a breakfast that included true breakfast food, so we needed to find a place that did. Unilocal to the rescue :)
Goodlife came up as a gluten free location.
So good we had breakfast here twice. I had their breakfast burrito with sausage, wife got their baby burrito.
They have a huge selection of baked goods.

I suspect everything they make here is delicious. For our three day stay in Mendocino we went back two times.
This place is obviously a big reason why the small town is bustling. Everybody that parked we watched them do a beeline for The Good Life. Don’t you want the good life? Of course you do.
First encounter for me was their Bread Pudding. Yes for bfast. For $ 5.50 I got this three thick slices of bread bathe in their home made caramel sauce. I was in heaven. I couldn’t finish it and took the rest to go.
Next was their Chile Con Carne soup with a slice of their wonderful home made bread. Very hearty and very good. A small cup filled me up! $ 5.50.
All of the above was outstanding!
You order. Pay. You get a number. Wait. They deliver your food to you. Enjoy! It can get very busy. Primo spot is the counter facing the street. This is a perfect spot to hone your people watching skills:)
Oh YOU BUSS YOUR OWN TABLE.

My husband and I came to Mendo for the first time for the weekend and we were looking for a lighter breakfast and coffee before our walk.
We ordered a little veggie cake with pesto aioli, a lemon blueberry scone, and a breakfast burrito. The breakfast burrito was a little to tortilla-​y for my taste but he liked it.
The veggie cake and scone were so good!
The café au lait and cappuccino were definitely impressive too! I would send over a couple of other newbies to the neighborhood here for sure. Nothing fancy but a nice comfortable café.