Goodonya Organic Eatery
Eating Up And Down 101 In Encinitas, #16
With most of my dental trauma behind me, I’m ready to get back out there and start eating! Today we are visiting Goodonya Organic Eatery. We’ve been intrigued by this place for years, since we noticed their orange building! And that name is just marinated in Australian cool (though the Australian connection is a bit mystifying).
Goodonya opened in 2001. The stated mission of this restaurant, retail market, and wine club is, “food and drinks that help make you feel good.” (Spoiler alert: they do!) They offer organic non-GMO dishes, wild-caught sea food, and instead of normal table salt, they use pink sea salt.
Almost every time we pass by Goodonya, the tables have always been full, even though parking is hard to find on this part of 101. However, it is within walking distance of Swamis beach, and is a perfect place to fill up after a day in the sand and surf.
Good On Us
Our first encounter with Goodonya was at last summer’s “Taste Of Encinitas” event. They offered jackfruit tacos made with a cauliflower taco shell, topped with a blistered jalapeno sauce. Impressive… and muey bueno!
They’re open for breakfast and lunch Sunday though Wednesday, and Thursday through Saturday have extended hours for dinner. Their menu was a bit hard to find online for our usual pre-visit game plan. Mostly what shows up is their market and wine club. But if you poke a bit, you can find it.
Makin’ It Good
It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon for our lunch date, and while they have plenty of seating inside, we are happy to eat al fresco. The sun feels so good after months of unusually heavy rains! They seat us quickly and server Jasmine is ready to answer any questions and get us started on drinks.
After changing our minds a few times (choices, choices!), we finally make our decisions. I’ll start with the Iced Naughty! That’s an iced coffee drink with half-n-half, 2% milk, and caramel. Very refreshing! Andy opts for the Black Chai iced with vanilla and cinnamon. I sneak a sip, but chai is not really my thing. But Andy loves it!
We begin with a plate of hand-cut fries with a dusting of curry and an order of the chipotle dipping sauce made with coconut yogurt and chipotle. The fries were crispy, thin-cut, and a little oily, but tasty! The sauce suited them perfectly, and we didn’t leave a single fry behind.
Everything on the menu looks great, which doesn’t make it easy. I finally decide on the Turkey California sandwich on whole wheat bread. Though they have several options, I’m fully committed to the healthy vibe! They source their breads from Prager Brothers Artisan Breads, also on 101 in Encinitas. The whole wheat is nice and hearty, so it holds up well to this highly-stacked sandwich: avocado, cheddar cheese, sprouts, tomato, and Diestel turkey. (Diestel is a favorite of mine! Their motto is “leaner cleaner” turkeys. If you ever have a chance to experience one of their fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving, you will not be disappointed. Delicate flavor, tender, and juicy.) OK, back to my sandwich. It’s not only tasty, it’s beautifully stacked and comes with a side of ranch for dipping.
Andy goes for the chicken chipotle burrito, but after some hint-dropping by Jasmine, changes it up with beef chorizo. It’s loaded with chicken, black beans, quinoa, heirloom rice, jack cheese, salsa, and comes with a mango-habanero dipping sauce. You can substitute beef chorizo or go whole hog like Andy and have both chorizo and chicken.
Now We Waddle
We polish off our plates, leaving us pleasantly full and basking in the sunshine. We wander over to check out the Goodonya Organic Market and wine lounge. They have gourmet treats, collagen powders, coffee, gifts and a wide selection of wine.
The lounge looks like a fine place to hang out and sip on a warm summer evening.
Since we are only two blocks from Swamis Beach we walk down to soak up some more sun and ocean breezes. Then naturally we cap our lunch date with our customary JoJo’s ice cream.
