Hi friends! I wanted to start a new series showing off some really great restaurants that I’ve gone to that either have a completely vegan menu or are really vegan-friendly. I think it’s so incredibly cool that more and more people are becoming interested in eating a more plant-based diet (either for health reasons or whatever makes you do it). It’s not only awesome for decreasing the amount of animals being consumed, but it’s an effective way to protect our environment!

For those of you who are transitioning to eating more plant-based food, you’ll be happy to see more restaurants accommodating your lifestyle change. First up, let’s talk about a place I visited with my roomie last summer in Belmar, NJ!

Kaya’s Kitchen – Belmar, New Jersey

Kaya’s Kitchen is located at 1000 Main Street (on the corner of 10th & Main) in the cute beach town of Belmar. It’s an entirely vegan restaurant that serves up fresh, made to order dishes. They offer such an amazing variety of food – including: soups, salads, appetizers, entrées inspired by both American and international cuisine, sandwiches and desserts.

I went to Kaya’s Kitchen with one of my roommates and we split two appetizers, ordered two entrées and then we shared a small dessert. Kaya’s Kitchen is BYOB – so we brought a bottle of Rosé with us to drink.

Appetizer

∇ Shiitake Corn Cake 

∇ Kaya’s Combo 

Entrée

∇ Soul Seitan 

Side Note: Seitan is a popular meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans because it becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat once it’s cooked. It’s made from wheat gluten and it’s very high in protein!

∇ Peanut Tofu Sandwich 

Dessert

∇ Cupcake! 

If you’re in Belmar, I highly recommend visiting Kaya’s Kitchen!