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Sojourner Restaurant & Cafe

134 East Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara, CA 93101; Tel: 805.965.7922
Hours: M-Sa 11am-11pm, Su 11am-10pm

Walk just two blocks from State Street and walk into a vegetarian wonderland — well, almost vegetarian. Sojourner does serve a few select meat items but they serve organic free-range chickens to help carnivores clear their conscience. Sojourner feels warm and homey with about 40 intimate tables in a small space this is a great choice for a date but less so for a large group. Going strong since 1978, locals know that Sojourner offers the best at midrange prices so free tables are scarce any night of the week and reservations are recommended.

The menu is fresh and delicious from immense salads (try the Tofu Buddha or the Tempeh Taco) to daily soup specials. The 'Sojourner Classics' include Cornbread Supreme which is a Mexican version served with pinto beans, fresh vegetables, cheese, and garlic butter. Polenta cakes, dhal, vegan jumbo pasta shells, and gingered tofu wonton pillows are all as good as they sound. To top it all off, service is generally speedy and attentive. Main dishes range from about $9-12 but visitors should not hope to wash it down with an ice-cold Coca Cola as sodas are not available. Continuing the healthy trend, Sojourner offers delicious ice tea or an Arnold Palmer in place of soda's empty calories. If after all of this guilt-free fun, you still have room for a tempting dessert or coffee, this reviewer recommends a Café Bengali (a regular latte with a scoop of coffee ice cream) but there are many other choices.

This is a wonderful place to have a nutritious meal before heading across the street to take in a show at the Ensemble Theater or enjoy a downtown stroll of State Street by moonlight. One thing is certain at Sojourner: After an evening of consumption, your nutritionist will be as pleased as your stomach.

Price Range: $$
Personal Star Rating: ***
Credit Cards: Yes
Reservations: Yes
Handicap Access: Yes
Delivery: No
Takeout: Yes
Smoking: No
WiFi: No

— Sojourner Restaurant & Cafe review by Clare Nisbet