Cafe Gratitude

As someone who lives in St. Louis and visits Kansas City several times per year, I always make it my mission to stop by Cafe Gratitude for a meal while I'm in town! I tried Cafe Gratitude for the first time a few years ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about this place since. They provide more than just food... it's a whole EXPERIENCE.I've always been very warmly greeted at the front entrance. Sometimes while visiting, I've had a short wait. Other times are more empty, such as when there's a Chiefs game. All of the employees are extremely kind, personable, and welcoming. Service has truly never lacked for me here. You will notice right away that every menu item is an affirmation. At the top of the menu, it says, "I Am..." and each drink, appetizer, and entree is a positive word. As your food is delivered, they tell you your affirmation. For example, if I ordered the Warm Hearted bowl, they would say, "You are Warm Hearted." Even the water pitchers at each table have affirmative words on them. It's the little things like this that make Cafe Gratitude so special! Also, as you're placing your order, your server will leave your table with a "question of the day" that you can reflect upon and discuss with others. My partner and I love these prompts while we're waiting on our food. There's also a deck of special cards at each table that have additional questions for reflection!I try to order a different menu item every time I visit, so I've enjoyed a little bit of everything at this point. For appetizers, you have to try the Plentiful (chili). While I've never had anything here that I didn't love, my top favorite entrees would have to be Terrific (raw pad thai bowl), Warm Hearted (Italian polenta and squash noodles), and Whole (macrobiotic bowl). I also love Grateful, also known as their community bowl. If you need financial assistance with this bowl, you may pay a sliding scale of $3-11. If you want to contribute to someone else, you can pick an amount and set it aside for someone in need. I wish more businesses did this!During my most recent visit, I decided to try Transformed (tacos), which include sweet potatoes, black beans, guacamole-style hummus, pico de gallo, and cashew nacho cheese on organic corn tacos. They were delicious, but I'll probably stick to my bowls next time! It came with a side salad that wasn't anything super special but still full of flavor. The walls of the restaurant are covered in local art that rotates regularly and is available for purchase. The space itself is very cute and cozy. I read more about Cafe Gratitude's story on their website, and much of the interior is upcycled. For example, many of the light fixtures are made of old wine and vodka bottles. At the host stand, they have Cafe Gratitude postcards that you can write a message on, and they'll mail them out for you. The flavors of everything here is unmatched. Such unique combinations that my heart so happy. I always leave here feeling so fulfilled.

Full disclosure: one of us, many moons ago, worked at the original location of Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco. We've also been to one of the outposts in LA, so let's just say we're extremely familiar with this business and how it operates.As was the usual back in the day, they were out of several dishes, and we appreciated being told about that when we were sat. We started with a beer, wine, and an effervescent, which is served quite differently than it used to be (no ice, small glass), but is still good.For dinner, our daughter got the winner--kids mac-n-cheese--and we ordered the kale salad and Indian bowls (forgot the affirmation titles!). The pasta was what it was all things considered and she (and we) did like it. Oddly, the salad came out first with mixed greens, but then we got another one a few minutes later with the kale it was supposed to have, so...yay?! It was really good. We loved the zippy dressing and extra fresh accoutrements in it. The Indian bowl was also very nice, especially warming on a cold night, but was also something you felt could easily be recreated at a Whole Foods hot bar. Still, a tasty and healthy nice meal.For dessert, we got the bliss (?), the chocolate silk pie which tasted just like it did over fifteen years ago! The I am grace shake, however, was a huge disappointment. Are salt and vanilla not being put in? Or is there not as much of the dates? That drink used to be the BEST thing on the menu and this was a sad shadow of it.We would have gone on our merry way and happily given this place four stars and that would have been that, but then we ordered a grateful bowl to go. We know that it's a sliding scale bowl, and the menu said between $3-$11. You're supposed to be asked what you want to pay, but we were never granted that question, and then we saw that we were charged $13 on the bill for it. Listen, it's not about the money--we would have happily given even more if we had been ASKED, but we were not--it's about treating people presumptively. And then, to add insult to injury, when we opened it later back at our hotel, we saw that there was only a tiny amount in the huge box, and that there were only a few pieces of kale (that were in super large chunks). What a huge bummer on all fronts. While we did get nice service at the restaurant, this one part of the experience really left a bad taste in our mouths and soured the evening. Cafe Gratitude should treat *all* members in the community with respect. Three stars.

If you want excellent healthy, fresh and delicious vegan food then this is the spot for you! Everything is made from scratch in house. I love how they name the menu items a positive affirmation. Check it out even if you're not vegan. You won't be disappointed!! It's a little pricy but worth it for all the love that goes into making each dish!

Adorable, inspiring and yummy.That really could be the review. My friend needed a raw menu and found this place. We found parking on the next block but I can see this being challenging on a busy day. Also, we were seated pretty quickly and easily. The server was kind and patient and took our order soon after. We had time to settle in and enjoy the surroundings. It's quite inviting and relaxing with cards and questions and good vibes all around. My friend thoroughly enjoyed everything they ordered. I just had lemonade and a bit of food but they were delicious. Wouldn't hesitate to return for a bite in the future.

We celebrated our anniversary here on a weekend getaway and couldn't have chosen a better destination for a tasty, healthy meal. Service was attentive, we were seated promptly and the server helped us navigate the many options in their menu. There were too many nice touches to even mention here ... reasonable prices and great food. You will not be disappointed no matter your dietary preferences.

Really wanted to like this place after all of the good reviews and two referrals. We went on First Fridays so expected a little wait, no big deal. It ended up being longer than we were quoted, but when we went in there were quite a few open tables.They left us water and a pitcher which helped, but only checked on us once. We spied two cinnamon rolls and wanted to put them on hold since they were BOGO, but they came out before our actual entrees?We got the Buddha bowl and their burger and both were meh. There was too much sauce in mine, but the only redeeming thing was the bacon tofu. The burger immediately fell apart and the flavor was lacking.The cinnamon roll was awful. It was later in the day, but was so chalky and felt stale. Like it was a day old and somehow too sweet at the same time.We had to go to the register for our check and no one came by to check in on us at all. Also putting a person in a foot brace on top of steps was a little tricky to navigate. Would not come here again and sadly the last meal we had in KC.

Service was great. We had good timing and beat the rush. Very accommodating however our 3 appetizers were served lukewarm. We didn't complain. The chili had phenomenal flavor and a good spicy heat to it. It was my favorite. The Mac & Cheese was our other favorite and that was served hot. The atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming.

I absolutely loved my lunch at Café gratitude today! I ordered a pumpkin spice latte and shared the seasonal spinach artichoke dip with ciabatta, "I am abundant" (mung bean wrap), and "I am dazzling" (Caesar salad). We loved everything but the spinach artichoke dip was by far my favorite dish! So flavorful, creamy, and with large chunks of artichoke which I loved! There was only one waitress but we didn't have to wait all that long and she was wonderful at answering our questions and helping us out! It is also such a cute restaurant. I love the artwork and design!

The first time I came here I didn't leave a review afterwards, which I should have because I did enjoy the "I am Flourishing" mushroom tacos, which were pretty good. I also had the "I am rejuvenated," which is the green cocktail juice, and I highly recommend this. A good earthy balance that makes you feel good after drinking it. I had this juice again during the most recent visit, but I order something else. Upon my most recent visit, I had ordered the "I am Aligned" zucchini alfredo noodles, and I was not very impressed. You can try some things and hope they will taste as good as others. I may come back again for the tacos, or try something different next time. Honestly, I am not that big into vegan food, so only if I am in the mood.

This place is the absolute BEST!! The fact that everything is plant based--from apps to desserts, I love that I can eat care free and leave feeling so nourished knowing I'm not eating junk is just an amazing feeling!!Jenna was our server and she was just simply delightful! Food is always incredible but when you also have incredible service it makes you want to keep coming back even more!You won't regret coming here! ( black bean burger and Zesty is 100%