Casa de Luz

These bad reviews are a joke. Just read some. It’s too expensive, there are other vegetarian restaurants that are better, poor service. So… Where else can you get an entrée for under $ 10 that has this much thought or creativity put into it. Next, you people are ridiculous, this is not a vegetarian restaurant, it’s vegan and macrobiotic. You can’t compare it to sipz, it’s wayyyyyy healthier and different. I love sipz too but it’s apple to oranges. Last it’s community dining and there are no waiters, you order, they bring it, they are all very friendly and well informed. There is an epidemic on Unilocal where people either feel less than and not as «cool» as the staff or don’t understand a place and immediately refer to the staff as «elitist» and unfriendly. I read a review where a girl gave 3 stars and she didn’t even EAT THE FOOD! Really??? Who are these people, oh they are the people who have no voice until they get behind a keyboard. The girl who didn’t like to toss her own salad surprised me because her head is lodged firmly up her ass! It’s frustrating that people who have no clue what they are talking about can affect a business so much, not to mention a business that really does have its customers best interests at heart.
This place is great! A different entrée every night, some are incredible and some are good, they are never bad. Give it a couple try’s and take comfort in the fact you are doing your body a favor.
PS I’m not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do enjoy both types of cuisine and I am a huge fan of this place. I don’t work here and neither do any of my friends.
People on Unilocal need to get real!

;(
I fucking miss you

Wonderful and healthy. So sad when I drove by and saw that it is now closed. This place made your insides feel clean it was so healthy.

Casa de Luz is the future of dining. When America wakes up and realizes it has to slash salt, fat and sugar from its diet, then it will go to Casa de Luz. The food is vegan, organic, local, in season and good for you. No sugar desserts are delish. Try the banana kanten. You won’t miss sugar. I’m a fan of the architecture. Not a big fan of cafeteria style, but the communal nature of the system appeals to me. If you’re health conscious, or just conscious, visit Casa.

I’m Heart-​broken that Casa De Luz closed.
It’s a great loss for the community.

This evening Sunday Dec 9^th, CDL serves it’s last meal and is closing. A great loss to vegan, GF and nicely done meals that always pleasantly surprised.
With SIPZ and Rancho around the corner and Spread catty-​corner across University and several others nearby there are still great vegan and veg places.
Sorry to see CDL go maybe they overreached a bit for the market here but their always changing menu and wellness community integration is a noble and well done approach and for that we thank the owner and staff,

This place is in a cool neighborhood and is super cool inside. The wooden tables and chalkboard signs are a nice touch. They have an upstairs section where I think classes and events can be held.
The menu is fairly short so don’t be surprised. The upside is that the menu items are thoughtful and seasonal. This is a great place to enjoy a plant-​based meal… not an easy find nowadays.
They have a small variety of pastries and sweets to enjoy after your meal. On a night out, it’s perfect to grab one along with a cup of coffee to go. Try the coconut sugar in your coffee. It’s deelish!
I liked this place right off the bat but I can see how it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those who aren’t plant-​based fans yet, give it a try and enjoy!

I applaud Casa de Luz for offering vegan options and providing a community space. Bravo.
Here’s the BUT: the food was not worth what I paid for it. I ordered the pumpkin curry. It was curry with vegetables over brown rice, served cold. I was charged $ 12 for this entrée. I could have cooked this at home and it would have been a hot meal. There was nothing particularly good or bad about this entrée.
My friend ordered the chow mein, which was stir-​fried sweet potato strips topped with vegetables. It was served warm and tasted decent.
I will not return.

I love Casa de Luz! I am mostly vegetarian and there are not many places I like to go that don’t make me feel over full and kinda sick after eating a meal. The soup is always great and I love the main dishes as well. I am very sensitive to salt and there does not seem to be much added compared to most places. I recomend this place to everyone I know. It is comfortable and kid friendly. We bring our son all the time and order just a side of rice or beans and he’s happy. Also I love the vegan desserts!
I always feel great after I eat here and you can actually share the meal and feel satisfied

This joint is a place for vegan/​veggie lovers only. And I do mean lovers, If you’re not head over heels for arugula and screamin «Oh Kale Ya!» this ain’t the place for you.
I love me some veggies (I’ll eat a bunch of animals too, but yeah, fruits and their friends are gods goodness so getcho servings per day peeps!) so I enjoyed my visit.
The ambiance should get stars of its own. A large vaulted ceiling place with community dining, an open air kitchen and a room in the back for cooking classes (schedule on the board near the front) The wood and sustainable items fit the theme naturally (get it, natural? Bazinga! It’s Friday, give me a break). The menu changes daily, you can order a la cart or in «bowls» and have a bite of everything.
Check the menu on their website for the days offerings:
and note that they prefer the term community center rather than restaurant. All the meals are made with love by the staff-​Your 12 $ meal includes a soup of the day, a medley of entrees, tea and super purified water.
Why not 5 stars? Nothing I tried really jumped out at me. Healthy goodness fo sho, but overall? Other than a picked radish concoction that was interesting it was more about feeling good about my meal choice and knowing that I was putting a quality meal in my body then the actual selections.
It’s a perfect place to frequent if you’re eating clean or have dietary restrictions.

That’s it I’m addicted! but for the price sometimes I think the main course is a little too small. but I know im buying organic and that comes with a price. Casa del luz is fantastico! and I go there on Wednesday nights for a meet up called kale university that teaches you all of the most wonderful things plant based.
Casa de luz’s menu changes daily so you will never get bored. The décor is so inviting and relaxing. A great place to share a beer or fresh juice with friends. It even has a little are where you can buy books and learn more about Macrobiotics which is their style of cooking.
They also have a great dessert selection. So if you ask me grab some of your girl friends or your book club get a pot of tea and dessert and enjoy your surrounding.
peace love and casa de luz…

Based on my first experience, I would’ve rated this 2 stars but after the tasty juice I got on my second visit, I will give it 3 stars.
I don’t recommend coming here if you are not vegan/​vegetarian and you like flavorful food. The food here is totally bland and too «healthy» for me. As one of my friends coined it, the food tasted like twigs and dirt. I really tried to like it, but I couldn’t. And for a dish that cost almost $ 20, I expected a lot better.
The décor is nice, the place is spacious and the people are friendly, but geez, the food is really expensive for what you get. I’ve eaten raw vegan food that tasted way better than this (i.e., food that I could actually justify spending $$ on and would convert becoming a vegan/​vegetarian for).
The only reason why I had to bump it up a star is because the blended juice I got was amazing. Who knew that mixing greens and fruits could produce a cup of awesomeness? However, it’s in a smallish glass that will cost you $ 6.50.
This is the problem I have with a lot of vegetarian/​vegan places. A lot of vegetarians/​vegans harp on us omnivores/​carnivores to avoid meat products and adapt to a greener, cruelty-​free diet. Unfortunately, most vegetarian places are very expensive, and more often than not, the food is not always appetizing. Thankfully I’ve been exposed to other restaurants and places to know that vegetarian/​vegan food can be good and with the right essentials affordable, but this place is neither.
There are cooking classes and workshops offered here periodically, but no macrobiotic vegan food for me. I’m going to stick with what I know. I may come here to get a juice, but I won’t be a die-​hard, repeat customer.

I love trying new places. Especially Vegan friendly restaurants because then my best friend can eat anything on the menu.
I was excited but I felt like the food was just Average.
Concept: $ 16 you get a three course meal. You serve yourself for the salad, soup, and waters. Main course is served to you and had Kale, Lentils, rice, and Portobello mushroom. Main course was good but not great because it’s something that I can make at home easily. Soup was very good. Salad was just ok.
I did order a green juice for $ 7 and that was tasty.
Between my husband and I we spent $ 55 for dinner and a drink.
The dinner was very uninspiring. We went with another couple who went here once before and said this meal that they had was actually better than the last time they came here.
Service: You serve yourself.
Interesting: They have cooking classes.
Great thing is that it is all very healthy and good for you :)

If you are Vegan, you want to try this place out.
Pluses:
* Alkaline water– all you can drink; with or without cucumber
* $ 10 dishes
* Variety, every day changes
* Free health classes on site
* Organic wine by the glass
Minuses:
Sometimes the dish they serve for the day isn’t as amazing as the last.

I’d go here more often, but I’ve found the revised pricing to be cost prohibitive. For example, lunch used to include the entrée, soup, and salad. Now, all three come to $ 19 (they throw in iced tea and take off $ 1). I know that their quality of food is high, and it’s delicious/​nutritious, but $ 19 for lunch is too much. You can get the entrée for $ 10, salad for $ 5, and soup for $ 5 — so the next time I go for lunch, I’d probably end up just getting the entrée. To me, the biggest issue with this place is the pricing. If the pricing was more reasonable, I would definitely eat here much more often.
For example, what about $ 7 for the entrée, $ 2.50 for the salad, and $ 2.50 for the soup? $ 12 total — I’d totally be there.

Delicious and healthy vegan food; what’s not to love?! Was looking for a healthy lunch, and Spread across the street was closed, so happened in here. It feels very zen and spa-​like from the ambiance, to the music, to the teas and cucumber water. All vegan, organic and gluten-​free.
You can get either a soup or salad for $ 5 each, or entrée for $ 10. I opted for the entrée which today was baked balsamic Brussel sprouts, kale w/​almond sauce, and ginger kidney beans. Very flavorful, and filling. I will definitely be back!

Came back once again for my birthday dinner !!!
OOOOO EMMMMM GEEEEEEEE !!!
A much better improvement on the dishes this time around.
I tried deconstructing the ingredients of my entrée but it was tricky ! I was unsure what the ingredients were and the taste/​textures were intriguing to say the least.
You can really tell a lot of preparation, time, and care went to each dish. Just look at the drool-​worthy pics !
Anywhoo…for a Saturday night there weren’t many people, but hey more room for our group ! hehe
Simple way of ordering; salads are set up cafeteria style along with soup. Your entrée is served to you while you grab a seat with your order number.
Don’t forget the dessert display up front too and my oh my do they look scrumptious. ‘Casa de Luz’ were kind enough to offer me a complimentary birthday cake (Thank you!) so I chose the ‘Blackberry Cheesecake.‘
I love berries so this was a HIT ! Both my omnivore and vegan friends enjoyed their dishes as well. Such wonderful bursts of flavors in your mouth ! FOODGASMIC !!!
The staff was courteous and kind and the wait was reasonable since entrees are made to order. They gotta take some time to put some TLC in your food you know ??? Hehe and it really shows.
They also have special events like seminars, guest speakers, and lice cooking classes you can partake in on the second floor. Only wish they were closer to home. I’d be a regular.
Thanks ‘Casa de Luz’ for making my birthday dinner a wonderful experience.

Casa de Luz
SD: North Park
3pm Friday 3^rd August 2012
Two Stars
I have high expectations for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-​free options in North Park Area. There is Spread, Veg-​in-​out, Loving Hut, Sipz, Ranchos, Bahia, and sure plenty others that do this style of food well. However, Casa de Luz is definitely a low priority place. The space looks great; the concept of all organic/​vegan/​gluten free daily menu is superb; but the execution was just mediocre. The soup was a Beet and carrot soup — it had a good consistency but it was lukewarm and relatively no flavor. The Salad of Mixed Greens, Zucchini, and Daikon was drenched in their Dijon-​dill dressing. The Entrée had a lot of components: Brown Rice, Purée Black Beans, Cauliflower and Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Green Beans, Almonds, Mandarin Oranges, and probably some other stuff. Everything was bland, lifeless, and unsatisfying.

Casa de Luz was a stop on my Appeteasers tour. While I love the concept of the vegan restaurant, being a rather picky eater, I wouldn’t have chosen this spot on my own.
I loved the décor and openness of the restaurant but the vegan food isn’t my thing. The mushroom stuffed with macadamia cheese sample was also quite tiny compared to other samples on tour.
I didn’t try any of the other food but from the looks of the menu, I don’t think it was up my alley. But if you’re into the healthy, organic, vegan food, this may be a good option for you.

This is by far the only true organic vegan joint I’ve found in SD that can really meet the needs of you hardcore folks! Everything here is virtually 100% plant-​based and organic. They use straight up pure ingredients and all the flavoring comes from whole foods, unlike a ton of other vegan joints in town that put a ton of MSG or other refined/​processed junk into their dishes to make up for the bland tastes. You definitely won’t be leaving this place feeling sluggish and in a food coma!
Being a «carnivore» myself, I enjoy an occasional «herbivore» meal from time to time. But most of the other vegan joints use faux meat and bad oils to cook up their stuff, which pretty much defeats the purpose of making an attempt to have a healthy meal. Casa de Luz uses full on whole goods for their dishes and this is what sets them apart from all the other spots.
For those of you who haven’t acquired the taste for a strict vegan plate with no meat whatsoever, you might find it bland at first but the taste comes after having a few bites and allowing yourself to pick up on nature’s flavors. All the dishes I’ve tried so far have been quite tasty and filling as well. They add brown rice and black beans to all the dishes, as this is a macrobiotic type of place and whole grains make up a majority of the staple of this diet.
The menu does change on a daily basis, though there is only one selection to choose from, but this makes it less complicated for those indecisive diners and less time-​consuming as well! The last entrée I had was the veggie taco. This definitely hit the spot and was a perfect portion. Reminded me of a tex-​mex type of dish. The brown rice resembled «Spanish rice» but red beet was used to color it, which made it taste quite refreshing and very moist! For dinner, we tried their Portobello-​Sweet Potato Tamales, which was quite delicious as well! From what I recall, kale was used as the filling. Though it was kind of small, the rest of the dish helped full up our bellies (rice & beans). =P
As for the desserts, we only tried the raspberry cheesecake. It definitely tastes very «natural» and didn’t seem to have any added sugar, dairy, soy, etc. I’m not too big of a fan on vegan style desserts as I love the richness of a high-​calorie «full of health-​deteriorating ingredients» type of cakes, but this cake wasn’t too bad. It was a bit bland but I guess you would need to acquire this taste as well (which I’m working on =P).
The service here is quite good, though some of the staff needs to learn how to use the iPad POS a little more efficiently. Other than that, everybody seems very welcoming!
Overall, I’d recommend this place to any health-​conscious person looking for a good place to grub at! It’s definitely a new place that I’ll be visiting often since it’s right in the neighborhood!
P. S. — There is an area in the back where you can drop off the plates and napkins or whatever leftover trash you got, instead of leaving it on the table.