Julia’s

Julia’s is a quaint little vegan/​vegetarian restaurant tucked away in a strip mall in Pacific Grove. We were there on a Saturday night for my daughter’s birthday and there were people without reservations constantly being turned away or told there would be a two hour wait. We tried a few of the salads, pizzas, raviolis, and the garden burger and everything we had was great. There was only one person waiting on the tables, but she did a great job making sure everyone was taken care of in a timely manner. She also took the time to help us celebrate my daughter’s birthday by serving her a piece of ginger spice cake with coconut caramel sauce, a side of soy ice cream, and a candle on top. We all really enjoyed the cake. On the beer menu there was a foreign beverage that the server said would make the body of a person drinking it feel relaxed. My older daughter was brave enough to give it a try and sure enough she said her body did have a strange relaxed sensation shortly after drinking the beverage. We enjoyed our dinner at Julia’s and will definitely go back.

Service was Unthoughtful. Despite how much I enjoyed their vegan gluten free pizza, their poor service left so much to be Desired. We bought the specialty juice of the day, artichoke appetizer, an eggplant curry entrée, the tamale pie, vegan pizza, AND dessert… Racked up quite the bill, eager to support this place. however, we will not be returning. Maybe had we had the shorter much kinder and helpful waitress who was attending to other tables, our experience would have been different. What a shame.

The gold standard of home cooked vegetarian food! And the décor is like you are in a country kitchen. If you are vegetarian or just dabbling, this place is a must.

Greatly spiced, clever well executed, options. Challenging parking. Leisurely paced service was fine for us!

A good variety of vegetarian and vegan options, especially the rice bowls. Food comes a bit slowly but it’s worth it; the staff made adjustments to the dishes, avoiding garlic to my mom’s preferences, which was super nice of them.
The soup of the day we had was flavourful too.
Recommended if you want simple homely vegetarian fare.
(Update): we returned the next day on our way back and tried the rest of their rice bowls. In sum: all of them are great.

Super delicious and filling vegetarian food. We ordered a blue cheese pizza and a very hearty dish of garlic roasted vegetables and rice. We throughly enjoyed both the food and the service. We also brought our own wine and corkage was very reasonable. The bottom line is: this restaurant has a great feel to it, fabulous food, and wonderful service.

Had a great vegan meal. Split the rustica pizza and Sophia salad with a friend. The food was amazing and all the staff were so sweet. Very flavorful and healthy meal.

The star is for the awesome, friendly waitress.
The food was pretty terrible and rather expensive. I might go back if someone else is paying because the restaurant itself was cute and it looks like other people actually like this food.
Also it’s the only completely vegetarian restaurant in the area, so I hope it improves the food.

As a foodie who leans towards vegetarian/​vegan cuisine, I must say that this place is not worth your money. The food, though it sounds exotic on the menu, is mediocre at best and an utter disappointment at worst. Worse, the overcharge you for the honor.
The mushroom ravioli was served in a bland, wine-​based sauce that did not at all compliment the dish. As another reviewer noted, this is a pretty awful dish. They claim that it’s their most popular. For who? Those on the brink of starvation who have no standards? Avoid this dish.
My gripes with the vegan chirashi is that it’s supposed to be marinated veggies with «sushi rice». Instead of sushi rice, they gave us yellow rice. What the hell? Just… no. Their house made pickled ginger lacks flavor. Finally, they gave one measely piece of shiitake buried in a sea of other, cheaper veggies. Avoid this dish, too.
I could go on about the pathetic chocolate cake, but why bother? Instead I’ll bring your attention to the utterly disorganized service. I went on Mother’s Day, the place was full (all 7 tables), and no one got their food in a timely manner. Service is slooow. When your «restaurant» has only 7 tables, you have no excuse for slow service. Especially on a holiday.
Do yourself and your wallet a favor, and go to Ike’s Love and Sandwiches instead. Seriously! Their food is WAAAAY better and costs half the price.
PS – their live music is just awful.

Service was awesome, the server was nice and friendly. The brunch menu was good but had fewer options than their regular menu. I would definitely recommend their coconut curry, although not the porridge. The porridge was too bland and the pizza was burnt. However, they were nice and took the pizza off our bill.
Overall, welcoming restaurant with good service. I’d recommend for vegetarians and vegans.

Italian soup: 3 stars
A bit on the salty side but this was well spiced soup.
Tamale pie: 2 stars
Way too much going on here to discriminate what ingredients & what was in this dish. This dish is much spicier than medium level spikiness so be careful when ordering.
Mushroom ravioli: 3 stars
A little on the salty side but needed a much better sauce to go with this dish.
Service: D
Slow & understaffed. The waiters & waitresses didn’t seem to listen when I had asked 3x to move to another spot because it was freezing since the table which we were seated was right in front of the open front door of the restaurant. They even told me it would take 40 minutes to clean & clear out the table when the customers had already left 10 min earlier. Crazy & then I had ask for bowls to share 3x again.
Overall: 2.5 Stars
Not impressed with the food, this is vegetarian mediocre food at best & the service leaves much to be desired.

A real treasure! Hidden back off the road between Safeway & Trader Joe’s. We had a great meal on a Saturday night. Place is on the small side and is popular so go early or late to avoid a wait. Service was quick but not rushed.
Flat bread/​hummus was warm and tasty. Delicious Italian veggie soup w/​turmeric. I had the pizza w/​garlic & blue cheese — awesome flavor. Companion had tamale pie with fresh Serranos that was terrific. Short but nicely varied wine & beer selection. Chef came out & talked with us, very nice man who clearly takes pride in his work. The whole team works well together and was so nice.
Came back a second time and wasn’t as good. The mushroom ravioli was terrible, so avoid that. So be choosy about what you order. Overall a must-​try for vegans, vegetarians and all healthy eaters!

I had the special today, which is the tamale pie with refried beans and red poblano sauce. It was delicious. My husband had the garden burger, which was made in house. He said it was amazing! If you are vegan and gluten free, most of their items are vegan and gluten free. The service is pleasant and even the chef came to see if we liked the food. I highly recommend to anyone regardless of their diet. This restaurant has something for everyone’s palate.

Julia’s is a really special place! So glad to have found it (thank you Unilocal!) A really cozy spot with incredible food and great service. We had:
–flatbread and hummus — the flatbread was hot and fresh and reminded me of naan, and the hummus had a nice smokiness to it
–garden burger with house salad — delicious black bean burger with heirloom tomatoes and a really nice green salad. mmm the dressing was great.
–yellow curry — life changing! it was so delicious. The pears were a really nice addition as a garnish, as well as the crunchy pumpkin seeds on top. We decided we would soon make the nearly 2 hour trip back just for this dish!
–mango juice was yummy but I will probably skip the house white wine next time.
–amazing ginger cake! wow I was really impressed with this dish. It was light, moist, and flavorful, and had a delicious crème on top.
The service was excellent, and our server checked on us regularly, as did the chef. Vincent provided the music which was beautiful — he has a really nice voice! The impromptu sing-​along to Hey Jude was sweet.
Will definitely be recommending Julia’s to friends and hope to return soon!

I tried their «Main Course with soup and any salad» which is a bit over $ 20. I chose the spinach soup with potatoes. That was excellent. I picked the Mosaic salad which was also vey good. As main course I had the curry with brown rice, vegetables and fruit as a main course. That was also excellent. The service was a bit choppy. The place was very busy and it looked like they were a bit understaffed for that many customers. The food was definitely a five star. The service was close to where one would like it to be.

On our anniversary we went to Julia’s.
Wonderful food! Allison was our waitress and she is fabulous! There was a gentleman playing acoustic guitar tunes while we enjoyed our lunch. There was a fellow diner who joined in with his sax! Very awesome for all of us. The food, by the way, fresh and fantastic!
Perfectly prepared with all natural fresh homemade ingredients, so very good!
The restaurant is so cute and comfortable with a very nature, back to earth feel. I really love this place and always come by when I am in town.
My hubby (meat eater) had a double veggie burger
And I had the mushroom ravioli with some delish veggie soup.

Ok ate here for a birthday party based on the ratings I had the margarita pizza which was totally soggy food was WAY overpriced for what you get never again would not recommend this place to anyone

Great place! Very warm atmosphere with live music when I went (Thursday night). Food was fresh and flavorful with plentiful servings. I ordered the burger over rice and it was the best veg burger I’ve ever had.

Comfort food? Oh yeah! Vegan style. French toast, biscuits and gravy, coffee, tea, spice cake and chocolate cake. Delicious and so satisfying. We had such a delightful dining experience. Highly recommend for the discerning vegan in your life.

My boyfriend and I were visiting from San Diego and came across this place on Unilocal.It is the cutest little place with the ambience that felt like we were sitting in our granny’s kitchen.
The staff are amazing and friendly, there was live music and delicious food. For food we started with the Iris salad– the grilled veggies added a nice touch to an otherwise simple salad. For entrees I had the yellow curry-​YUM! And my boyfriend had the special, which was a ravioli with mushroom and spinach in a cashew sauce. He loved his food ! The portions are very generous, I left with a full belly and a take away box. And for desert we had the gluten free chocolate cake with a cashew icing and soy ice cream. I was skeptical about a cashew based icing and got it on the side but it was sooooo good ! All in all this is a must visit. A really lovely place :)

Comment ils font pour faire un gâteau végétalien si moelleux ?! Il parait que tout est bon ici, et les propriétaires sont hyper sympas. J’ai beaucoup apprécié l’art avec les pieuvres cachés aussi. Bonne ambiance. A tester !
Everything I’ve tried here is good, but my absolute favorite was the cake. How do they make such amazing vegan cake?! I don’t even know. Plus, the owners are really lovely and they made us feel at home. They also have art with hidden sea creatures, so that’s pretty awesome. Yum yum yum.

What a find! As vegans traveling can be tricky but WOW, were we in for a treat at this place! Everything is vegan except for the pizza (which can also be made vegan by eliminating the cheese).
The homemade veggie burger was magnificent, seasoned to perfection with lovely vegan aioli and served with delicious heirloom tomatoes (and I don’t know what went into the preparation of the bun, but it was so tasty I could have eaten like 4 of them on their own!). The lentil soup that came with the burger was a culinary feast in and of itself, chock full of yummy veggies (including, but not limited to carrots, fennel, onions, etc.) and seasoned beautifully. The chocolate cake was insanely good, and the emphasis was all on the clearly high-​quality chocolate.
But it’s not just the food that’s amazing at Julia’s, the staff are also very kind and extremely attentive! They really made us feel at home.
If you’re on the hunt for for vegan or vegetarian food in Monterey, look no further, Julia’s is a TRUE gem!

Firstly, it’s hard to find restaurants that serve vegan meals in Monterey. That being said, Julia’s is a little gem for the vegan heat.
Food — I had the vegan pastry Loraine on the weekend brunch and my friend had the vegetarian scramble. Both of us had to stop everything just to enjoy our meals in reverence. The Lorene is flaky and delicious. I could have eaten a dozen more though and I’m glad I ordered the day soup on the side. The soup is much lighter than the name curry would lead you to believe. The scramble was apparently very good as well.
Presentation — simple and modest.
Atmosphere — natural lighting and hand carved tables make the atmosphere very warm and inviting. Every corner seems to have a piece of local life. A mix between workshop creations and modern design sense.
Service — no formalities given, Julia’s will treat you like family. The chef came out to greet us and was interested in what we had to say.
I can’t wait to come back and try the rest of the vegan menu.

The food was amazing as always never a disappointment. Every time were in Monterey area we stop by this gem of a place. Tonight had an extra surprise with beautiful Live music. Our dish was amazing with flavorful Dahl, Cesar salad with lemon and avocado capers dressing, organic locally made ravioli with mushrooms in sun-​dried tomato and lemon sauce. Yummy!

Lots of photos to share. These people are really nice, they care and are reasonably attentive. I always worry about my reviews, and they are really aimed toward genuine foodies – by that I mean folks who have worked hard to develop a discerning palette and don’t dine out to be part of a scene, or say «I’ve eaten there.» The truth of the matter is, that means that my comments won’t be particularly informative for most; as long as we both get that, there is some utility in my writing.
This is currently the only vegetarian/​vegan place on the peninsula – so if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or are friendly with those who are, support this place. Please. The only way to improve vegan dining overall is providing the financial resources for those who ply this part of the market. The more we support them, the greater the competition, and the more this type of food will advance.
That said, our party of 8 ate most of our way through the menu. I can’t honestly recommend this place to anyone who understands food. I get how that may sound arrogant. It isn’t meant to be. Nothing is inline, honed or focused. It just isn’t. Seasoning is off. Balance is off.
We had the veggie burger. Bland. The red pepper aioli tastes of citric acid. The DSL soup was bland, watery and insipid. The spinach curry was also watery. Their subcontinent food tastes acrid with poorly handled turmeric. Dusty.
I could go on, but why? In any case, I’d still return. Because I meant what I wrote. We need to create a market so that talent and competition can vie.

Julia’s far exceeded my expectations!
My daughter is extremely allergic to all dairy and she goes in to anaphylactic shock just by eating food that touches a milk derivative (cross contamination). It is very scary to travel with her due to the need to stray from our local trusted and «safe» restaurants. I found Julia’s here on Unilocal and figured with all of the vegan options, we would be able to find her some yummies that had no hidden milk, butter, cheese, etc.
Upon entering, we were greeted with a bright-​homey atmosphere and a very warm chef! He was so personable and very enthusiastic about his menu, answering all of our questions. Food was received as soon as one could expect to get homemade and very fresh eats. We were all so amazed by the flavors that we ended up passing plates and various bites around the table the entire time. It was an experience!
My daughter was in love with everything and was so happy to eat without fear of getting sick. She couldn’t eat the pizza because of the cheese, but was able to enjoy anything else on the menu! Food was so outrageous that we decided to go back the next day for lunch… we couldn’t bear to leave back home without trying more off the menu and devouring more of Julia’s chocolate and apple spice cakes.
This is the only restaurant that tastes so outstanding that a person may not even notice there is no meat on the table. My dad, who loves meat more than I’ve ever known a person to love anything, couldn’t wait to come back with us. We were all so impressed with the freshness, flavors, and creative dishes that the mastermind chef has achieved! Thank you Julia’s for giving my daughter (and her family) another destination spot in the Monterey area. We will be back… wish it was sooner!!!

For such a cozy, charming, and quaint location and design, the service here was just truly awful. And that’s the reason for my 3 star instead of 4 star rating.
My family LOVES vegan/​vegetarian food, and we’re willing to drive to get it. We drove almost 80 miles this morning to spend the day in Monterrey and had our sights set on Julia’s for lunch. The Unilocal reviews looked AWESOME and the pictures totally sold us on the fresh and awe-​inspiring menu.
We were super impressed by the vibe of the place. Earthy, green walls with flowers everywhere (hanging from the ceiling, at the tables, near the windows) and a fresh aroma of garlic and other seasonings floating through the air. Baskets of fresh tomatoes and basil plants lined the sides of the restaurant, and beautiful bohemian artwork framed the walls. I knew it would be a dining experience to remember.
However, upon entering no one greeted us. When we mentioned jokingly that we had driven 80 miles just for this restaurant, we got no warm or genuine conversation in response. Our waiter hardly looked us in the eye and spoke to us as he walked around the restaurant. He didn’t explain the specials thoroughly at all, and when we asked for recommendations to engage him in a conversation, he replied brusquely. This attitude was the complete opposite of what we had expected from such a cozy and friendly looking place.
For my parents and I, we chose the following:
–HALF order of flatbread and hummus
–Yellow Coconut Curry entrée
–Julia’s pizza
The flatbread and hummus dish was aaaaamazing. Super warm bread dotted with seeds and garlic and seasoning paired with the red pepper hummus = amazing mouthfeel. Could have eaten this as my entrée and been super satisfied. It comes with 2 pieces of white and 2 pieces of whole wheat, so you get to try both.
I absolutely loved the yellow coconut curry as well. It lacked in salt and was kind of on the blander side (according to my parents, who are used to SUPER flavorful foods) but it really suited my palette. It came with a huge serving of rice and amazingly steamed fresh market vegetables, including purple broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, etc. Super creamy and warm, this totally hit the spot. However– definitely not for people who cannot deal with blander food.
Julia’s pizza looked IMPECCABLE as it came to our table. It was completely loaded with roasted vegetables, and the cheese was ooey and gooey topped with all kinds of Italian seasonings. The flavors were also on point. Again, tasted better with a dash of salt and pepper added to the top but overall this dish was fantastic. Bonus points for acorn squash on this pizza.
Service was also extremely weird as we were finishing our meal. Waiter didn’t bother to ask us if we wanted any dessert, and didn’t take the time to ask us how we felt about our meal or if he could get us anything else (even though we mentioned it was our first time upon arriving).
Overall, spend about $ 40 for the three dishes. No drinks and no dessert. Portion sizes were very satisfying, and taste was great. Don’t know if I’d want to drive 80 miles again just for this restaurant, but if I were in the area, I’d probably stop in to see the newness on the menu.