San Francisco’s Chestnut Street is home to a wide array of top-notch restaurants, boutiques, and coffee shops. Snuggled between San Francisco’s Optics and La PanotiQ lies Seed and Salt, a completely plant-based and gluten-free cafe that guarantees the highest quality food for their customers.

After stumbling upon a few blog posts promoting Seed and Salt (featured and praised by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Guides as well as by lifestyle blogger Cassandra Pisone’s article on vegan eats), I decided to give it a try.

seed and salt

Photo by Sydney Emerson

It made a good first impression. The shop is irresistibly charming, complete with long, open windows and community-style seating.

I was immediately overwhelmed by the abundance of flavorful and guilt-free menu items. To name a few, the quinoa falafel, beet burger, and zucchini spaghetti were the first few to catch my eye. The menu was creative and health-conscious down to the last detail, incorporating nutritious food hacks such as cashew cream cheese and eggplant bacon.

seed and salt

Photo courtesy of seedandsalt.com

When it was time to order, I was overwhelmed by all the mouthwatering options. The waitress assured me that I wasn’t the first to get lost amidst the juices, grain-free breads, seasonal salads, and rice bowls. When I asked for another minute to decide, and proceeded to take ten, I didn’t feel so bad.

seed and salt

Photo by Sydney Emerson

I decided to go for the NorCal Collard Wrap with cashew dill cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, carrot, radish and sprouts. It was delicious and surprisingly filling. I bought a bag of yam chips that I planned on taking back to school, but they looked too good and I ended up polishing them off before I reached campus. If you’re feeling inspired by my train-ride snack, try these alternative potato chip recipes.

seed and salt

Photo by Sydney Emerson

Now for dessert, I ordered an almond chocolate chip cookie. Free of refined sugars, dairy, and gluten (as all of Seed and Salt’s desserts are) this sweet was super satisfying, light, and most importantly not lacking in chocolate chips.

seed and salt

Photo by Sydney Emerson

Seed and Salt uses natural sweeteners like coconut sugar, maple, sorghum molasses, and lucuma powder. These swaps didn’t come at the cost of taste for their almond flour cookie, and by the looks of the rest of their dessert case, the same goes for them.

seed and salt

Photo courtesy of seedandsalt.com

The next time I return to this heavenly eatery, I hope to bring as many people along as possible so that I can steal a little taste of everything. The Beet Burger and Buffalo Cauliflower S+S Spicy Bites seem to be a favorite among Yelp users as well as the S+S toasts, which have seven different topping options including almond butter & chia jam, avocado & chimichurri, and house-made Nutella.

While Seed and Salt can be a little pricy, it makes sense seeing that it strives to use only the highest quality ingredients.

#Spoontip: If your college budget is tight, try out this recipe for yummy and easy DIY yam chips.

And we can’t forget dessert. If you’re interested in recreating any of Seed and Salt’s infamous sweets, this gluten-free baking guide is a good place to start.