There’s a new spot for healthy, plant-based food in town. Soluna Cafe opened their doors on Cache Street in February with a variety of plant-based meals, live music and best of all: long hours during the off season.
“Honestly it wasn’t my intention to get into the restaurant business,” says Brendan Ryan, who co-owns Soluna with his business partner Mark Rector. “But I appreciate and love good plant-based food, and couldn’t find it here, so we were inspired to do it ourselves.”
Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day (including all off season), Soluna serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long, along with creative house made juices and smoothies.
Gluten-free blueberry pancakes with chia, hemp, and flax as well as huevos rancheros with a garbanzo scramble and plenty of fresh veggies are highlights among the breakfast menu, along with tacos and burritos filled with Soluna’s signature tofu scramble.
For lunch and dinner, falafel and hummus, quinoa rice bowls, veggie burgers and cauliflower tacos make for great hearty meals or light bites, all made with wholesome, fresh ingredients.
“The single most powerful act I can make as an individual (for my personal wellness and the environment) is by eating a plant-based diet,” says Ryan. “But we don’t have access to that all the time. Usually there’s one vegan dish on a menu and it may or may not sound good.”
Ryan says many customers have walked into Soluna this winter and spring not expecting plant-based food, but have been surprised at how tasty and satisfying it can be. “We’re trying to create expanded access to plant-based nutrition in a more mainstream format,” Ryan adds. “We’re not trying to put out fake meat or any imitations, we just want to share good food that’s been popular around the world for a long time.”
Aside from dine in all day, Soluna offers take-out and recently partnered with Avant Delivery to offer to-go meals in reusable packaging.
In the summer, Ryan hopes to expand hours until 11 p.m. to give hikers, climbers and sightseers coming back from the national park somewhere to go, but in the meantime it’s important for them to stay open for the off season to cater to locals.
