Mr. Natural

First, Mr. Natural serves only vegetarian cuisine. That makes it immediately attractive for several reasons. First, you know there will be a wide selection of vegetarian dishes, and second, you can bet that the staff pays more attention to the contents that may happen when ordering veggie at a mainstream place.

Mr. Natural is open for late breakfast, lunch and early dinner, open at 9AM and from closing at 6PM six days a week. Sunday is their day of rest. The interior is classic cafeteria. You go up front, grab a tray, and go through their line. The standard $6 lunch special gives you a salad, an entree, and two sides. On my visit I has a soya guisada that reminded me of beef stew, without all that annoying beef. It came with a nice cucumber salad, black beans, spanish rice, and a fresh whole wheat tortilla. My friend had two tamales, one cheese, the other tofu, and she though they were great. For drinks, they had a wide selection of juices, including a spinach pineapple drink I wasn't brave enough to try.

I really enjoyed my meal, but it did seem a little expensive. They had a bit of a crowd by the time I left at 11:45, so it looks like they get a good bit of lunch business. They also have a health food annex where you can get vitamins and items from their bakery. I shall return soon to try something else. ($7)