I've passed Pura Vida almost on a daily basis for a year and never stopped in for a meal, mostly because if I was that far down Euclid and wanted a nice, light lunch or dinner, I normally was already on my way to Flaming Ice Cube.
But a work friend had her birthday earlier this week and chose Pura Vida for her celebratory lunch.
I was in love within minutes!
While not a full-time vegetarian (though married to one), I tend to opt for meatless whenever I can, and so I was delighted to see Pura Vida has an entire separate vegetarian/vegan menu. The only other place I've been that does this is Wild Mango in North Olmsted. This is such a generous practice: it really helps people like my husband not have to read through the entire menu and question every single foreign ingredient or phrase to determine what they are able to order.
I ended up ordering the vegetarian Big Mac - LOVED IT!! The housemade veggie patties reminded me of the "falafel" burger at Nano Brew, except Pura Vida's were more tasty and enjoyable.
I was seriously coveting my friend's simple salad and chickpea and kale entree the entire time, so that's what I'm going to get next time...
The service was absolutely wonderful as well! This restaurant is a class act all the way!
It was a little steep for lunch at $15 for just the burger and a small cup of soup (with a drink and tip, it was well over $20), so I probably won't be making this a normal lunch spot, but I definitely will be back for an occasional treat or special occasions!