Roxanne's Cafe in San Luis Obispo focuses on fresh, healthy fare
For a lunch break that will recharge, refresh and renew you in the new year, check out the serene surroundings and healthy menu at Roxanne’s Café.
Tucked just off of Archer Street in San Luis Obispo, the tiny café — which is closed for the holidays but reopens Monday — consists of several open-air tables collected in a garden-like area at Smiling Dog Yoga.
Though take-out is certainly an option if you’re in a hurry, this is really a place to slow down and take your time. Decide what you want from the chalkboard menu, place your order at the counter, then find a tranquil place to settle in while your food is prepared from scratch.
Roxanne Lapuyade took over the existing café in March 2011 when the owner of the yoga studio no longer wanted to operate both. It wasn’t a move she was planning, but “I didn’t think it was an opportunity I could pass up,” she said.
The leap marked her first foray into ownership, but Lapuyade’s resumé includes stints as the produce manager for SLO Natural Foods Coop, an assistant pastry chef at Honeymoon Café in Pismo Beach and sous chef at Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, where she worked with Chef Julie Simon (now at Foremost Wine Co. in San Luis Obispo).
“I rewrote the menu in my style,” Lapuyade said. “It’s all vegetarian and much of it is also vegan.”
Most of the ingredients are organic, and as much as possible comes from local farmers markets. That allows the Roxanne’s Café menu to always reflect a seasonal approach, even if it’s as subtle as switching out mangos for persimmons.
Because of the market-fresh style, Roxanne’s menu will change from week to week, but you can typically count on about six items that will usually include a sandwich, at least one soup, some type of salad and a wild rice bowl with your choice of either four or five toppings.
Despite the limited list, offerings are varied enough to appeal to a fairly wide range of vegetarian palates, especially given various add-ons and sides such as feta cheese, fried egg and even kimchi.
Recently, the sandwich offering was the popular Miso Tasty with avocado, pickled red onion and sunflower sprouts, while the soup options were a vegetable black-eyed pea and a vibrant Thai curry made with sweet potato and cauliflower in a delicate coconut-lime broth. Salads included a farmers market Kitchen Sink option or Ro Boats — a take on tacos with leaves of romaine lettuce serving as tortillas for fillings such as mango and avocado or mixed veggies with a cashew tamarind spread.
Roxanne’s also offers several freshly squeezed juices, as well as smoothies made with either almond milk or coconut milk. Those can range from a Chocolate Monkey with banana, cacao and peanut butter and the Date in Paradise with pineapple, dates and lime leaf to the Minty Kisses with banana, spinach and peppermint.
In addition to the garden-like atmosphere and the farm-fresh fare, Roxanne’s Café further nurtures its patrons by providing a venue for live acoustic music on most Friday afternoons.
“Part of all this really is the experience, to come and just relax,” Lapuyade said. “It’s a like a vacation for your lunch break. It’s an oasis.”
Roxanne's Café
1227 Archer St., San Luis Obispo (off Higuera, at Smiling Dog Yoga) | 549-0878 | smilingdogyoga.com/pages/café
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday (currently closed for the holidays, reopening Monday)
The scene: A tranquil, outdoor garden setting with several seating areas, some covered but most open-air; live acoustic music most Fridays.
The cuisine: From-scratch, farm-fresh, mostly organic, all vegetarian and/or vegan; the seasonal menu typically includes salads, sandwiches, rice bowls and smoothies.
Expect to spend: Entrées $9-12, soups $4.50 cup/$7 bowl, smoothies $6-7.50.
This story was originally published January 1, 2015 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Roxanne's Cafe in San Luis Obispo focuses on fresh, healthy fare."