Breakfast Goes Vegan at Pomegranate Cafe

In an effort to make Mom proud, Chow Bella’s taking a good, hard look at the most important meal of the day in the form of Scrambled, a weekly review of local breakfast spots

Oh, Ahwatukee. Land of SUV’s and soccer moms — not exactly a mecca for the granola culture, which is why we were surprised to find the charming Pomegranate Cafe hidden amidst the suburbanites. If we could pluck Pomegranate Cafe from Ahwatukee and drop it in the middle of downtown Phoenix we would, and all the world would make sense again. Instead, we ventured to suburbia.
Did we make it out alive? Find out after the jump.

The Sunny Side:  The Pomegranate Café is appropriately nestled next to a Trader Joe’s and a yoga studio. The staff is pleasant. The décor is bright and fun. We were instantly enamored by the adorable jar of fresh flowers — flaunting oranges and purples — placed on our table. It was a welcoming touch. The moment of glee occurred somewhere between ordering Cartel coffee (score!) and gazing over the unique menu.

Open for breakfast all day, this healthy spot lets you choose your level of veganism. Although the menu is primarily healthy and vegetarian, customers can choose between eggs or tofu, and vegan cheese or real cheese. A vegan spot that doesn’t look down upon cheese consumption? How exciting.

We were torn among three intriguing options: The griddle French toast topped with vegan whipped cream, fresh berries, and house seed mix; the breakfast burrito with egg or tofu, seasonal veggies, harvest hash, anasazi beans, vegan or cheddar cheese wrapped in a spinach tortilla; or the Lumberjack.  
After a great deal of pondering and eyebrow furrowing, we decided on the Lumberjack which comes with egg (option to substitute tofu), tempeh bacon, tomato, avocado, and cheddar cheese (option for vegan cheese). The ingredients were shockingly fresh and tasty, and we were very excited to try the tempeh bacon. It was savory and perfectly prepared, and the produce was just as good. When a restaurant claims to have fresh ingredients, this is what they should strive for. The Cartel coffee really topped off the experience.

Save Your Bacon: Sadly, the wonderful breakfast sandwich came sans sides. Apparently a small sliver of an orange slice qualifies as a side dish. For $9.35, we were really expecting more food. What we got was good, but for that kind of price we expected a feast.

The Check: Overall the experience was very pleasant. The ambiance was peaceful, the food was delicious, the staff was friendly. We just wish they offered more bang for your buck.

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