La Vida Vegan! Gluten-Free, Vegan, Mexican Food Cart!
I finally had a chance to get up to Parksville and check out La Vida Vegan on Friday. I was not disappointed!
I knew beforehand that the whole menu was vegan, but was happily surprised to learn that everything is also gluten-free! They also have quite a selection of raw goodies, too. From tacos to tamales, juices to smoothies, grawnola bars to truffles, everything sounded delicious. I wanted to try it all! The staff were also super friendly and helpful, which is always a plus.
I decided on two tacos, one with the black bean filling and the other with the red lentil filling. Both came with drizzles of non-dairy sour cream and guacamole! mmmmm so good. I can’t decide for sure which is my favourite. I love that they come in such a small snack size, though, so you can choose to have a snack or a meal. I felt satisfied after eating these, and not too full. I have to say that the best part of these gluten-free tacos are that they HOLD TOGETHER! Anyone who has ever experimented with gluten-free tortillas knows exactly what I’m talking about. These did not crumble, break, or fall apart. Perfect!
Time for dessert! {‘scuse the iPhone photo, my DSLR decided to have a hissy fit & not take anymore pictures that day}. This is a chocolate chili truffle, made raw with dates. The sweet & spicy balanced perfectly with each other- I love chili chocolate! I got a big chunk of date in the middle, which reminded me a little of caramel. This was amazing!
Overall, great prices, perfect portion sizes, excellent taste, and friendly staff. I WILL be back to try more of the menu, and I highly recommend La Vida Vegan if you’re in the area!
peace, love, food <3
Char, xo
Categories: Miscellaneous | 22 Comments
I had a nice meal there last week. They were sold out of tamales which was disappointing but I had the taco with lentils instead. Yummy. I tried one of their grawnola treats too. Nice non sweet treat which I like. I also really liked the texture of the taco shell … I don’t eat gluten free but I really enjoy a lot of these types of products. Overall yum and agreed, great staff
I want to try the tamales & the grawnola next time I’m there! Thankfully I don’t have to eat gluten-free, but I do enjoy eating it and finding it for others who can’t eat gluten. I can’t wait to make another trip up there!
Thank you for sharing this!! Looks amazing, and can’t wait to try it next time I’m in the area!!
You’re welcome, Jillian! It’s definitely worth a visit
Wow, everything sounds (and looks) delicious! I love that their juices are named after different places on the island!
me too!! I want to go back and try the Nanaimo next time
how fun! I’d love to see one of those near where I live! Looks tasty!
Hopefully they’ll expand! I’d love to have one of these food carts in Nanaimo some day
Goodness that looks amazing!
mmmmm it was!!
Hey Char – thanks for sharing your great experience! It sure is nice to have a vegan food blogger in the area. Thanks for coming by, and we’ll see ya next time!
Tracy – if you come around lunchtime chances are much higher we’ll have tamales! We tend to sell out later in the day…
Sheila @ La Vida Vegan
Thanks Sheila! I will definately do just that. I tend to eat lunch a little later, I think I was there around 1:30pm
Thank you, Sheila! It’s nice to have a 100% vegan Mexican food cart nearby. Looking forward to my next visit!
Char
Oh wow – that looks amazing!! I want to find a vegan food cart, I think these always look fantastic.
this one is brand new to our area, so I’m pretty excited! It’s nice to go somewhere where you know you can eat EVERYTHING
Mexican food is the best! I could live on Guac
mmmm I agree! I love putting guac in everything!
That looks heavenly! So many awesome vegan places near you! I have to check more out in Van
you MUST check out Bandidas Taqiera!! Most amazing vegan ‘eggs’ benny!!
http://bandidastaqueria.com/
I went to eat there last Sunday and I was so disappointed they were sold out of everything
hopefully next time!!
oh bummer! they must be quite popular if they keep running out of everything. hope you get a chance to visit again soon!
Hey Shannon – I think I remember you coming, since that’s actually only happened once! I apologize and I hope next time you catch us fully stocked.
Definitely check our Facebook to see where we’re at, because we’ve been hitting up some local markets recently.
Sheila