Evolution — Restaurant in San Diego

Date of visit: 10/6/2016

I've had a couple of close friends go veggie (coughMonicacoughIssac), which is a good thing for the environment, so I'm definitely trying to support when I can (but sometimes you just can beat chicken adobo and rice). Since I never get to see Monica, I wanted to make sure that we were able to eat somewhere unique with a lot of vegetarian options. Thanks to Yelp, I was able to find evolution fast food. Everything offered here is vegetarian, if not vegan, which is awesome.

Lemonade. I believe the lemonade is made in house, which really shows. It wasn't too sweet and definitely went well with washing down our meal. If you're thinking about getting the lemonade, I'd definitely recommend it.

Fries. The fries here taste like fries, which is all I want from fries. They were nice and fresh when we got them, which was nice. They're also thicker cut, which I enjoy because I like the middle to be softer. These went well with my burger.

South of the Border Burger with Black Bean Patty. This burger was really good. I enjoyed the guacamole and amount of veggies provided with this burger. There are too many burger joints that think meat and cheese is the only way to a good burger, but Evolution definitely gets the balance between their patty right. I'm starting to become a bigger fan of beans, so I actually did enjoy the burger, but the one I made at home will still be my favorite (you can't beat homemade most of the time, sorry).

Special of the Day - Pesto Mozzarella Burger with Black Bean Patty. Cam's not really into vegetables, much less a vegetarian, but he really enjoyed his burger. It helped that there was a lot of cheese included with this burger and the pesto was quite tasty. Again, like my burger, there was a good portion of vegetables, which he also enjoyed. Veggies really help round out a burger and prevent the heaviness of the grilled patty and melted cheese take over the dish.

Overall, I will definitely be back to Evolution if I'm in the area. It's a little far to drive for a veggie burger, but a great place. We haven't experienced the drive thru, but I think it's worth it to come in the evening and relax in the patio - it's super...

I knew I was out of my element when I overheard a customer discussing "big corp soy" and the life of Krishna with his friend.

I'm not a vegetarian, nor a vegan. But I wanted to try a new place and ached for something healthy. I walked in a little scared, knowing I didn't belong. The looks. The rasta hair. The beards. It was all new to me.

I was sure someone would talk me into a yoga session at any moment. No one did. I went ahead and browsed the menu and ordered the South of the Border burger with a black bean patty. As for a drink, I picked the Magic Elixir. Perhaps not the best choice for my first juice ever.

The front of the restaurant looks extremely small, and there is no AC. However, the back patio is huge with plenty of natural breeze. You wonder how you'll ever know your food is ready for pick-up since the place seems to be somewhat disconnected. The answer? A PA system. They call your name when your food is ready.

The burger was huge and extremely delicious. I love spicy food, and this definitely had a kick thanks to the jalapeños and chipotle sauce. Throughly enjoyed the patty and the guacamole. I don't know what kind of bun they use, but it was really good.

As for the Magic Elixir, I wanted to do some magic of my own and make it disappear. No, the restaurant didn't do anything wrong. It was me, and an erroneous decision. I wanted to try one of those natural juices, but this was too strong for a beginner. It contained apple, beet, carrot, cayenne, ginger and lemon. It also comes with garlic, but my cashier must have sensed I was a newbie and asked if I wanted the garlic too. Obviously I said no.

I did my best at drinking it, and I somewhat got used to the flavor after a while. It's supposed to help improve your immune system, so I have that organic juice to thank for staying healthy so far.

Like most of the reviews mention, Evolution Fast Food can be a bit expensive. I didn't know about the combos, so I ended up paying about $16 for my lunch. You get what you pay for, and what I got was...

Good food, bad service. Some time ago I called in an order so I would not have to wait. Got there told them I was here to pick up my food. 20 minute later I asked where my food was. They said it was in back waiting for me to show up. I asked to speak to the manager about this because I wasted 20 minutes and the food was now cold. He couldn't have cared less. I did not go back until today. Sunday 9/9/2018 No one was at the drive up. I pulled up and waited 5-7 minutes while being ignored by the girl that was to take my order. I asked her if I can place an order. She indicated to wait a bit. Meanwhile other people walking ordered and left. Another girl came to the window and asked if I had placed an order. "No I've been here burning hydrocarbons waiting to place one." She took my order and spoke to other girl, which seemed to be a trainee, and told her she needed to take the drive up window orders. The trainee stated, "He seemed to be angry." Well ya.

Ok, the order came and the trainee brought the burgers but no drinks. I mentioned we had to 2 drinks coming. She proceeded to tell me how things work there instead of stating they are on there way. We got the drinks from the other women and I asked if we could get some napkins. There were non in the bag with burgers. I waited a minute or so, no napkins yet, I went in and got my own. The women I asked to get them was nowhere to be found.

With all the vegan options in San Diego one would think they want to try a little bit harder so customers can have a good experience and come back.

This kind of stuff starts at the top and works it's way down to the employees and then to the customers. The owner is not paying attention. Makes me wonder what else he/she is not paying...