Nature's Express

"Meat is murder!" Even as a proud carnivore, the vegan movement is consistently on the rise and awareness of animal cruelty for food purposes is increasing with every day. More and more alternative options are being made available for those who still enjoy eating out and wish to maintain an animal-free lifestyle. Nature's Express is an all vegan and organic DRIVE THRU for vegans on the go! With 2 locations, on in Yuma, AZ and San Diego, CA, this is the first vegan drive thru that I have personally seen/heard of. Formerly Kung Food, the San Diego location boasts an in-house buffet option where you pay by the ounce, and also a drive thru with an indoor and outdoor seating area. The menu is extensive and completely animal free, with catering also available.

On the recommendation of several vegan and non-vegan friends alike, we made the short trek just next to Balboa Park, and I was surprised at the variety of options. I settled on the "Chick'n" Chipotle Sandwich and sweet potato fries, while Ashton opted for the Pesto Burger and our vegetarian friend Joe got the pre-made Tofu Pesto wrap. Unfortunately for Joe, the wrap was a little bit TOO fresh, and some tufts of mold were apparent inside the wrap. He replaced it with his own Pesto Burger, and was extremely satisfied with the switch. I thought the Chipotle chicken sandwich was just great. The chipotle sauce that they used tasted fantastic, a far cry from many of the vegan sauces I've tried, and the fake chicken was cooked firmly and was as close to real chicken as fake chicken can get! I was expecting to get some soggy patty quickly thrown together like "fast" food, but with a 10-15 minute wait it appeared as though they were cooked to order, and cooked RIGHT!

The sweet potato fries were equally delicious. Not greasy at all, cooked crisply but not burned, and an ample amount to share. Even their water was tasty- inside the tank floated fresh cucumber slices to add just a hint of flavor and hydrate to the maximum! All in all, it's definitely worth the try and repeat visits, especially from hungry vegans craving deliciousness!




Nature's Express
2949 5th Avenue (at Quince)
San Diego, CA 92103
619.550.1818
F: 928.317.8304
Dining room open: 11am—8pm Daily
Drive-thru open: 11am—10pm Daily