Plant Power Fast Food

Where Herb & Sea is doing tablecloths and bone marrow and Raul's Shack is doing street-level Mexican, Plant Power is doing something neither of them touches: the drive-through ritual, fully plant-based, with a menu that reads like a dare to anyone who still thinks vegan food is sad salads and rice cakes. That's the move here — not a quiet neighborhood café doing cauliflower bowls, but an actual fast-food operation with a Big Zac, a Nashville Hot, a California burrito, and a Buffalo chicken sandwich that regulars apparently treat as non-negotiable.

This is San Diego's own homegrown chain, and the Encinitas location on Santa Fe pulls a crowd that skews local and loyal. The 4.5 stars across over a thousand reviews isn't happening because people are being polite — it's happening because the food holds up. The Holy Guacamole burger gets ordered by people who eat meat. The crispy "chicken" wrap surprised at least one visitor from the East Coast who clearly didn't know this kind of thing existed. That crossover appeal is real and worth noting: this isn't a spot you go to *despite* being vegan, it's a spot you go to because the food is actually good.

The S'mores Snow Day and Oreo Cookie Snow Day are dessert items that will make you question every drive-through decision you've made in your life. Order one without overthinking it.

Practical notes: online ordering is the move, especially if you're grabbing lunch on the way to or from the coast. Outdoor seating means it works for kids, dogs, and the general chaos of a group that can't agree on anything except that they're hungry. Service gets called out in reviews specifically — friendly, fast to fix problems, the kind of crew that makes a casual stop feel like they actually want you there.

If you've been sleeping on plant-based fast food because the category hasn't earned your trust yet, Santa Fe Drive is where that changes.