Pulp + Sprout Juice Bar and Vegan Cafe — Restaurant in Asheville

This place claims to have gluten free (GF) options, but they are not acceptable for those very sensitive (Celiacs and those who are highly sensitive/allergic). I placed my order and explained that I needed GF. I was told that the sandwiches would be GF. I got my food to go and asked if they made their own bread because everything seemed homemade. They said they used Sami's. After I left with my food, I checked out the website to see where I could purchase some bread because it looked delicious. When I got to the website I was horrified to read that the bread specifically says it is NOT GF and contains gluten. I called the place and spoke to a manager to make sure there was not a mistake and one of the owners got on the phone and proceeded to lecture me on Celiac disease (which I have) and how rare it is. She never apologized, but instead told me that I was the problem because I didn't ask the right questions. She didn't care that her GF bread wasn't actually GF and said that other Celiacs eat it and have been ok. I explained that Celiac is a serious disease and that customers should be informed that their GF options aren't truly GF. I also reminded her that there was not a note anywhere in the restaurant that indicated this and the person I ordered from did not mention this. The owner also explained that they knowingly contaminate their "gluten free" products by sharing the panini press with gluten and no barrier for protection, which I also was not informed about when ordering. I was not offered my money back and the female owner seemed quite upset that I had interrupted her day.

I emailed the owners and explained my concerns and asked for my money back for the two sandwiches ($18 for a panini and a open faced sandwich!) I ordered. What I got back was a defensive and rude email from the male owner saying that I had taken the GF issue too far (contacting the owners is taking it too far?!?! They jeopardized my health, but an email is too much??). They also asked me not to buy their products again, which I didn't plan on doing because of their carelessness.

Through all of this there was no apology that they carry knowingly do not have GF options, but say that they do. They also had no concern that I could have gotten sick if I would have eaten the food. I approached them in a calm and honest manner and hey put their egos...

This is one of the few healthy food restaurants in the Asheville area that isn’t closed on a Wednesday.

Positives: All of the savory food that I ordered and saw was beautiful! The roasted beet sandwich and chickpea salad are really delicious. The GF bread they offer (if you need it) is also super good.

I really liked that their baked goods were GF and not overly sweet. This is a big win!

Opportunities for Improvement: They premake and bottle all of their juice combos in the morning. By 1 pm, they were sold out of everything I was interested in. They close at 4 pm. So I wasn't able to try their juice, which was the primary reason I visited. I’ve seen other reviewers comment on this so it seems like something they should address. Honestly having one or two left at the end of the day that goes to the staff isn't the worst thing to ensure customers get what they want + higher sales.

Both of the baked goods we tried were a touch dry. I would eat them both again, but with minor tweaking, they could be amazing.

All of the savory food needed a pinch of sea salt to really wake it up. They have sea salt available, but it would be better if they just produced it with a wee bit more.

This place is really good, and I’d definitely return…but it could be superb by just having...

Pulp + Sprout - Asheville, NC

Been saving some of my photos to give this place a well deserved FIVE star review.

Pulp + Sprout has become one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in Asheville.

I was doing a 2 week detox diet which led me to explore new vegan/veg restaurants. I dropped in to grab a sippable broth, and their nut mylk.

I repeatedly came back to try their sippable broths in all flavors, cold pressed juices, and their nut mylks in all flavors as well. My 2 favorite being the mushroom sippable broth, and the medicine mylk.

After church on Sunday, I brought the whole fam, and the kids had the almond butter toast, and shared a chocolate avocado pie slice. My husband had the ALT. He said the flavor was spot on, but the serving size was too small (he is used to huge portions, so don't let that stop you).

Over the past few weeks to month, I have been slowly working my way through the menu, and frankly have not had a bad juice, meal, or experience. I love their online order ahead option, and simply want to spread the joy!

Hooray Pulp + Sprout! Please think of opening a south location,...