First of all, I LOVE Gaia House Cafe, and used to go there multiple times a week back when it was…read moreon Diamond, and I still lived in GR. Now I can only go to the new Gaia when I visit.
The food is still terrific. The atmosphere of the new place is dramatically different, but that's clean, being newer construction, polished and bright, unlike the old place, which was ragged around the edges and bohemian. The new place feels more like a restaurant you go to for a meal, pay, then leave, whereas the old one was a place you could bring a book and hang out at. All of that doesn't really matter because the important detail is that Rick, the original owner, gave the new owners the recipes, so the food is just as good. It wasn't easy for him to pass them along, but in the end, he did.
If I'm remembering correctly, it seemed like today's Gaia has a couple of new dishes, like the Gaia Tempeh Reuben, plus their specials. But I could be wrong about that one. I love tempeh and had it at the old Gaia, but not in Reuben form. It's not a favorite. However, two of my favorite dishes are still the Mean Green Burrito and Veggie Stash. Rick used to offer a macrobiotic plate, but sadly, he got rid of that while I was still living there. I don't recall why. Maybe it wasn't popular enough. The new Gaia should try offering it again. See how people react to it now.
Gaia still offers endless buckets of coffee. I love their fresh juices, like their Green Goddess (my favorite), Funky Monkey (I'll eat almost anything with bananas and chocolate mixed together), and mango pineapple. You can't go wrong with the pressed juices, especially their Hot Shot, a mix of lemon, ginger, wheatgrass, and cayenne pepper. Wooo! That'll start your day off right. I just love the intense bite from the lemon, ginger, and cayenne. I know the Jalapen-Yo-Business is probably much spicier, but it's most likely way too hot for me.
However nostalgic I am for the old Gaia Cafe, the new Gaia House Cafe is an absolute winner and deserves your attention. Go for it and check them out. You might want to be a fixture there.