Raw Food Cafe Brings Life to the Neighborhood

Tucked away just west of Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia, The Greenery Raw Food Cafe is a unique find.

With its unassuming exterior, guests are sometimes surprised to discover the wealth of conscious and artistically crafted recipes found inside this humble establishment. For close to four years now, the cafe—owned and operated by a knowledgeable local husband and wife team—has been providing the local community with delicious and vital meals based on a foundation of fresh, organic, vegan living foods. 

For those unfamiliar with raw vegan foods, the basic concept is to nourish the body with high vibration food that contains the viable enzymes, or life force, found in all living things. Enzymes help our bodies to process and assimilate food, and eating raw living meals minimizes the expenditure of energy utilized in the digestive process, proponents say.

Enzymes are destroyed when exposed to temperatures above 108 degrees, and everything prepared at The Greenery is made to preserve this vital life force. In addition, the entire menu is free from any animal products, dairy, gluten, soy and refined sugars. Many patrons discover these meals provide delicious options that satisfy a number of strict dietary requirements. 

But don’t go in expecting only salad—the menu contains many traditional favorites, redesigned to provide familiarity with an empowering twist. Dinner selections include pizza, burgers, pad thai, veggie curry and spaghetti with meatballs, and during lunch hours the deli case is stocked with a number of appetizers ranging from seaweed salad to pesto pasta. Daily drink and dessert options are offered as well.

Proponents of a raw food diet claim to feel lighter, experience heightened states of awareness, and possess greater energy and vitality than what they used to experience when eating cooked foods. By nourishing our bodies with optimal fuel, we have the opportunity to thrive at our highest potential. 

The Greenery Raw Food Cafe is located at 133 Daphne St. in Encinitas and is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 760.479.0996 or visit greeneryrawcafe.com.