Mozy Cafe
698 N Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 944-916
After hitting up Ong Rare Fruit Nursery the wife and I went up to Carlsbad to pick up a wagon (like the Radio Flyer type) she found on craigslist. We came back down the Pacific Coast Highway as we usually do when we have time to kill on the weekend and we're up in North County. Along the way, we decided we had to find a place in Leucadia to eat. We had been through Leucadia plenty of times but never had time to find a place to eat since it seems we blow through it so quickly (it feels like you're holding up traffic if you try to take your time down the PCH). This time we really lucked out in our searching. On the corner of Daphne St. and the 101, we found a tiny, tiny place called Mozy Cafe touting a "healthy, vegetarian food" sign. Generally, that's a pretty good sign so long as the prices aren't too much.
Walking in the front door, there was reggae playing on this Sunday morning (big surprise) and the day's special written on a plate. In a corner there was a salsa bar with some amazing looking homemade salsa. I ordered the special (a burrito with tempeh, black beans, rice and plantains). The wife ordered the falafel burger with fries. Though there was a bit of miscommunication between the cashier and the cook (apparently there's a regular breakfast special and the cook made that for me instead of the special written on the plate). The menu is burrito-centric and definitely has a lot of influence from Cuban and Middle Eastern cuisine.
The falafel burger was nothing short of amazing. The wife and I are very particular about our falafel. Most falafel is dry, gritty and a bit beanier than it should be (in my opinion). This falafel was moist, a bit crumbly (which is standard) and not beany. The burger had hummus, lettuce, avacado and tomato on it. The falafel also had something in it that made it green (and smoother). The wife and I suspect avacado. The tempeh burrito was also very good. There were a ton of flavors going on between the black beans (which were cooked very well), the sweet plantains, the lemon and garlic on the tempeh marinade and the avacado. It didn't need any salsa...but I can't help myself when there's a salsa bar nearby. Their pica de gallo was delicious: a smoother, finer paste than the usually coarse salsa found in many Mexican restaurants. There's also a bright orange salsa...I think this one's a red pepper paste. Not a lot of flavor but a good spice factor. They also have Bragg aminos on the table as a condiment. For those not familiar with Bragg, it's like soy sauce but it contains the essential amino acids that are sometimes tricky for vegetarians (and especially vegans) to obtain through their normal diet.
The service (apart from the miscommunication) was very good and the staff seemed friendly (though several people on yelp seem to have had different staff or caught the staff on a grumpier day than I). The food was outstanding and it definitely warrants a second and third visit as there are so many vegetarian options on the menu. Other options included a mock chicken burrito and a vegetable tamale burrito. For those craving meat, we did see a tuna salad come out that was HUGE and looked very good and very fresh. As always, we can't really comment on the meat options but they definitely exist. If our food was any indication of quality and creativity, I should think the meat options are equally satisfying.
698 N Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 944-916
After hitting up Ong Rare Fruit Nursery the wife and I went up to Carlsbad to pick up a wagon (like the Radio Flyer type) she found on craigslist. We came back down the Pacific Coast Highway as we usually do when we have time to kill on the weekend and we're up in North County. Along the way, we decided we had to find a place in Leucadia to eat. We had been through Leucadia plenty of times but never had time to find a place to eat since it seems we blow through it so quickly (it feels like you're holding up traffic if you try to take your time down the PCH). This time we really lucked out in our searching. On the corner of Daphne St. and the 101, we found a tiny, tiny place called Mozy Cafe touting a "healthy, vegetarian food" sign. Generally, that's a pretty good sign so long as the prices aren't too much.
Walking in the front door, there was reggae playing on this Sunday morning (big surprise) and the day's special written on a plate. In a corner there was a salsa bar with some amazing looking homemade salsa. I ordered the special (a burrito with tempeh, black beans, rice and plantains). The wife ordered the falafel burger with fries. Though there was a bit of miscommunication between the cashier and the cook (apparently there's a regular breakfast special and the cook made that for me instead of the special written on the plate). The menu is burrito-centric and definitely has a lot of influence from Cuban and Middle Eastern cuisine.
The falafel burger was nothing short of amazing. The wife and I are very particular about our falafel. Most falafel is dry, gritty and a bit beanier than it should be (in my opinion). This falafel was moist, a bit crumbly (which is standard) and not beany. The burger had hummus, lettuce, avacado and tomato on it. The falafel also had something in it that made it green (and smoother). The wife and I suspect avacado. The tempeh burrito was also very good. There were a ton of flavors going on between the black beans (which were cooked very well), the sweet plantains, the lemon and garlic on the tempeh marinade and the avacado. It didn't need any salsa...but I can't help myself when there's a salsa bar nearby. Their pica de gallo was delicious: a smoother, finer paste than the usually coarse salsa found in many Mexican restaurants. There's also a bright orange salsa...I think this one's a red pepper paste. Not a lot of flavor but a good spice factor. They also have Bragg aminos on the table as a condiment. For those not familiar with Bragg, it's like soy sauce but it contains the essential amino acids that are sometimes tricky for vegetarians (and especially vegans) to obtain through their normal diet.
The service (apart from the miscommunication) was very good and the staff seemed friendly (though several people on yelp seem to have had different staff or caught the staff on a grumpier day than I). The food was outstanding and it definitely warrants a second and third visit as there are so many vegetarian options on the menu. Other options included a mock chicken burrito and a vegetable tamale burrito. For those craving meat, we did see a tuna salad come out that was HUGE and looked very good and very fresh. As always, we can't really comment on the meat options but they definitely exist. If our food was any indication of quality and creativity, I should think the meat options are equally satisfying.
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