Favorite San Diego Cafe: Nectarine Grove

Where Healthy Meets Delicious

One thing you’ll see here at Billy Crafton San Diego, when it comes to finding the best of the best places to eat, healthy eating is always a big focus. I’m pretty much always in training for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu here in San Diego, and that means treating my body like a temple. You don’t win easily in Jiu Jitsu competitions, and the path to victory always starts with a good, clean eating.

That said, eating clean doesn’t mean eating without enjoyment, especially when you find a great healthy cafe like Nectarine Grove here. One of my favorite places in the entire San Diego area, it’s a must-visit if you’ve yet to make the trek. Here are the reasons why I love Nectarine Grove…

Beach and Surf Friendly Location

Before I dive into the food aspect, let’s talk location. Although Nectartine Grove has two locations (the other one is in Del Mar), we’re only covering the Leucadia cafe here. It’s located just a hop, skip and a jump away from Leucadia State Beach, a sweet beach area known locally as Beacon’s, or Beacon’s Surf Spot.

A pretty steep staircase leads down to the sandy shoreline, a short walk away from the Grove. If you’re eating light, or simply grabbing a drink, you can walk right down to the beach and enjoy the view. My favorite part, however, comes from one of my occasional hobbies – surfing.

As I’ve covered over at Billy Crafton Surfing, Beacon’s is a great surf spot, not just a great beach. I won’t speak to that here, but feel free to jump over to my surfing site to learn more about Beacon’s Surf Spot.

A Menu That Shines… For Vegans and Gluten-Sensitive Too

That’s the good stuff, but now let’s get into the great stuff – the food at Nectarine Grove. First and foremost, the Grove puts a very strong on emphasis on healthy. As they note prominently on their website even –

“Pesticides and Herbicides are Bad for You and Our Planet. That is why we opt for organic in all things we do. We are about 80% organic, with all produce being organic, all the time.”

They’re also well aware of the potential issues associated with gluten, addressing this issue completely by completely eliminating from their menu. Nectarine Grove is 100% gluten-free.

Another big win is their focus on “keeping it local.” Much of their produce and ingredients are sourced locally from organic farms and artisan suppliers in San Diego and Los Angeles.

It all culminates in a phenomenally inclusive menu that’s friendly to vegans, vegetarians, even paleo and keto diets too. As Nectarine Grove proudly proclaims –

“We support your diet while keeping it delicious and sustainable for our earth.”

Next Level Health Conscious

When it comes to heatlthy eating, the Grove also takes it another level, truly showing a commitment to the concept, not just throwing around buzzwords.

They only use healthy oils, and they avoid all GMOs, refined sugars, and processed ingredients. And speaking of ingredients, in a very, very rare occurrence, Nectarine Grove offers complete transparency here, actually sharing all of their ingredient in their Ingredient Book. It’s most impressive, and all these little things add up quickly to set this amazing cafe apart from the competition.

Oh So Delicious

Truth be told though, none of the above really matters if the food itself doesn’t taste great, and here Nectarine Grove delivers in spades. I can personally attest to it, as my wife and I love it as one of our favorite breakfast spots anywhere, but plenty of other have chimed in with the exact same refrain.

Lots of love for the baked goods, particularly the cinnamon rolls, which I highly recommend ordering warm. This time of year they’re also known for an outstanding pumpkin maple cake.

Some common threads for favorites from reviewers are the Boss Burger, the Falafel Taco Plate, and the Roasted Veggie Bowl.

Speaking of the Roasted Veggie Bowl, this gem includes bell peppers , sweet potatoes, zucchini, artichokes, spinach, mushrooms, and some ridiculously good vegan herbed cashew cheese.

Nectarine Grove is so good, even the coffee receives high praise. The cafe uses Libra Coffee as their supplier, a local roaster in Oceanside. Libra is well-known in the area for outstanding organic coffee.

Plus, Libra’s beans are not only ethically-sourced, the company gives back to coffee growers as well. They donate a portion of each sale to LifeStraw, a nonprofit organization that helps communities in coffee-growing regions access clean drinking water.

Making a Difference in the Community

Speaking of helping communities, Libra Coffee isn’t the only difference maker in this equation. One final notch in the Nectarine Grove cap – the cafe supports the Encinitas community it’s a part of by making a monthly donation to the Encinitas Community Resource Center.

This center helps feed, house, and provide support to north county residents every day, making it a great local cause and resource. The Grove also donates monthly to the World Food Program and Feeding San Diego as well.

All these little things add up to make Nectarine Grove one of the best restaurants in San Diego, and it was an easy call for us to cover it first here at Billy Crafton San Diego. I hope you’ll stop in and enjoy the great food and great vibe, whether you’re local or just in the San Diego area for a visit. You won’t be disappointed.

— Billy Crafton