Grains — Restaurant in San Diego

The cashier was the beginning of this unfortunate experience and the food was the reason we left without finishing. From the start we asked the cashier about the food and he said “I don’t know I just eat it.” Okay, thanks bro. Two of the items ordered needed to be gluten free, the appetizer was a cauliflower buffalo wing, which he specified would be made in a separate pan as to not be contaminated by the oils that fry other breaded items. Okay fine. Never did he specify that it was frozen cauliflower heated up in a pan with buffalo sauce on it. He made it sound like it was similar to the menu item. Also when it came out it had one carrot and one stick of celery both cut in half to make 2 of each, but they were soaking wet and flavorless as if they had been sitting in water. The dressing was runny and didn’t taste anything like ranch. Probably one of the worst appetizers at a ridiculous price. Almost walked out then. Then the drunken Angel pasta sub gluten free, he didn’t specify it was with glass noodles. When the woman dropped it at the table she announced “here is the gluten free one” and left. Then she came back like “oh that’s not the gluten free one this is” completely dangerous and unprofessional to serve someone with a gluten allergy the wrong food. But what is worse was the two dishes looked completely different and not just because of the noodles. That was it, decided to leave right then. Honestly should have left at the behind because we ordered two glasses of wine to get 1/4 of a glass, tasted cheap. Should have known that in a place like this but why was the Pelligrino flat? We went here for the reviews but it was terrible. Got one meal comped and just left to go to a different restaurant. Really...

My boyfriend has been vegan for over 5 years and I’ve eaten at countless vegan restaurants all over the country with him. We went to grains because we were visiting San Diego and wanted to explore some good vegan food in the area and grains came up on multiple searches. When we got our food I don’t think I’ve ever had a more disappointing food experience in my life compared to what we experienced at grains. The food was made quickly I can’t deny the fast service but the quality of food was so embarrassing. We ordered the bahn mi sandwich and the Philly cheesesteak and both came on the same bread and had hardly any toppings on it. My boyfriend’s sandwich cost $14 and had 5 mushrooms inside, and some cheese and the sandwiches weighed no more than 2 punches it was literal air. My sandwich had simple vegetables and a vegan meat that was horribly seasoned and off putting. This was the first meal we ate when landing in San Diego after our 9 hour drive so we were very hungry and chose to finish the food but wow that was lighter than a snack it felt like it gave us no actual healthy nutrition or vegan protein source and I know for a fact the quality of ingredients put into making those sandwiches didn’t cost more than $2 to buy and it was so up charged for what little was given. This place was embarrassing to eat at and be seen as a vegan restaurant because they are not making sure to give their customers a good eating experience. It’s obvious to me the owner of this establishment is interested in hardly serving any food and trying to maximize profits. I am very confused how this is highly rated after eating here. Maybe the owner paid people to give high reviews because there was nothing high quality...

I am by no means a vegan or vegetarian. Hell, I rarely practice meatless Mondays. However, I don't think you have to be or do any of those things to thoroughly enjoy a meal at Grains—a vegan & vegetarian restaurant with a Thai twist.

Grains is currently in its soft opening phase (the owner said they were looking to fully open in April/May). The decor is rustic, bright, and welcoming, as are the owner and the chef. They currently have about 20 beers on tap and are looking to swap out a few of the beers for local San Diego brews. Anyway, on to the food!

We had the salt & pepper calamari mushroom with house spicy sauce (I honestly couldn't tell the difference. It tasted JUST like calamari and had a nice, spicy kick!), the garlic potato wedges (simple, tasty, and not greasy), the house salad (I'm not a kale girl, but this salad was my absolute favorite! Kale, spring lettuce, roasted almonds, sun-dried cranberries, and a caper vinaigrette—yuuuum), pan-seared quinoa fettuccine (this isn't a Fettuccini Alfredo. The noodles are covered in a tofu-mushroom gravy. Really interesting and flavorful!), and finally, the Drunken Angel (very much a spicy Thai dish, and super tasty!).

I definitely haven't been converted to the vegan/vegetarian side, but eating at Grains has opened my eyes to how flavorful, interesting, and filling vegan & vegetarian meals can be! I will definitely be back. That house salad is...