[LOCAL REVIEW] BJ's Bites in Cape Coral, Florida

Last October we received the great news that a new vegan restaurant was opening near where we live! The place is called BJ's Bites here in Cape Coral, Florida. We don't really have many restaurants that are all vegan, so we were really excited to see that little by little there are more entrepreneurs and brave souls out there creating new spaces with vegan food options.

For anyone living in Southwest Florida or is nearby visiting, this is a fantastic dining option. The owners and chefs of the restaurant are Brittney Trevisan and Josh Schreiner and the establishment offers customers an exclusive gluten-free and vegan menu.

The place is lovely and it gives a family vibe, especially because the staff was so friendly and welcoming. They responded to any questions we had about the food. It felt very personal and amicable which is very nice. It is the type of place where you can take family and friends to have a great meal but you could also just bring your laptop and do some work while enjoying good vegan food and coffee. The restaurant offers breakfast, brunch, sandwiches, bites, and desserts. Just in case you don't feel like driving, they also have the takeout option!

NOW...it's time for the moment of truth! The following is our honest review of the dishes we ate at BJ's Bites. We hope you enjoy it!

Food review

1. Buffalo n Cheeze Bowl

First, let's go with what I ate (aka. Natalie). I ordered the Buffalo N Cheeze Bowl and it was one of the most delicious Mac & Cheese I've ever had and you know that I am a Mac & Cheese sommelier, so trust me when I tell you I was not expecting this to be that good. I am also not trying to throw shade on any other vegan Mac & Cheese out there. If you follow this blog you know that I am not vegan yet and that I am on a journey towards eating healthier food, so I was nervous that this had buffalo cauliflower but now I am forever in love. The cauliflower was crunchy and cooked to perfection complementing the Mac and Cheese in a way broccoli could never do. As you can see in the picture, it had a bit of rice paper bacon, ranch drizzle, tomatoes and scallions.

I really hope that I can learn how to cook it that way in my own kitchen. BJ's...you have made me love cauliflower...nobody had ever managed to do that, so I appreciate it. Rachel is not even that into Mac and Cheese and she just kept taking bites of my food! This dish blew my brains out!

Overall, it was genius the way the buffalo and the ranch complement each other and on top of that, you add a perfectly cooked cauliflower and it resulted in a fantastic creation. It seems the people here at BJ's Bites are experts making sauces because it was perfectly made and balanced. I tried other sauces as well and they were incredible, so you can understand why they have a sauces section in their menu and I'm low-key happy they sell their Mac & Cheez sauce separately. I'm going to throw it in nachos and everything!

As soon as I saw shakes as an option on their menu I knew I had to order one as well. I ordered a vanilla shake - I really really love shakes and I thought vanilla would go better with Mac & Cheese for some reason. It was good but to be honest, just that small amount is enough to satisfy you because it's very very sweet, so I think next time I would try the coffee shake or try to mix flavors. My advice would be to not have a shake with the Mac and Cheese and that way you can save some space to try the options they have for desserts. That's certainly on my to-do list the next time I visit them!

2. Mashed Potato Bowl

I (Rachel) ordered the Mashed Potato Bowl. This dish usually comes with mushrooms, but at the time we went, they were out. However, the owner offered to make the dish with a roasted cauliflower steak instead. It was DELISH! I honestly think this dish should come with the cauliflower steak instead of mushrooms because the crunchy roasted cauliflower complemented the soft and comforting textures of the mash and gravy, I think serving it with mushrooms like make it too .. mushy? Something I really liked about this bowl were the brussel sprouts and how comforting the food felt. This reminded me of being a child and my Mom making us Southern Fried Steaks, just without the animals and fried aspect.

BUT, if I'm being completely honest, I preferred the Buffalo and Cheeze bowl to this one. It had more flavor and was definitely more appealing. About a week or two later Rob, Brandon and I all ordered the Buffalo and Cheeze bowl to go, it was that good.

(P.S: For the record! When we were ordering I was under the impression Nat and I were sharing both dishes, so when she said I kept taking bites of her food that's why (plus it was better than mine)! I'm not a food thief, I swear! LOL. I was really confused why she didn't take more than one bite of what I ordered .. now we know 🤣)

Location & Price

They are located at 1806 Del Prado Blvd S Cape Coral, FL 33990.

Let's talk about prices! To be completely honest with you, I was surprised - in a good way - that the restaurant is so affordable. The most expensive item on their menu is only $13 - which is what the dishes we tried cost. For $40 we ended up having a delicious and satisfying high-quality feast just for the two of us.

Ambiance

Now, the ambiance. When you walk in, you are taken aback. This restaurant just opened so it is still pretty bare. You can tell they have a fabulous vision though, there are booths, bars and the option for take-out too. There is fabulous natural light and we envisioned it filled with gorgeous plants! The kitchen/prep area has an open concept where you can watch them prepare some of the food.

When you're ready, you order at the register and then have a seat. They bring you the food and take your dishes when you're done. This was great because a lot of plant-based restaurants are more "order-wait-grab-and-go-sit", they typically don't have servers and the real restaurant feel. This definitely gave us more of that normal "going out to eat" feel!

Rating

Now you know that if you live in Southwest Florida or are just visiting, this is a great option to eat delicious and affordable vegan food. Trust us, here at The Eco Green Co. we like to be honest and spread the secrets of where the good vegan spots are, and your mission now is to support this new business, so let's show them some love by supporting their new restaurant and spreading the word.

We give this restaurant 4 eco-leaves!

In conclusion, this restaurant is Eco-Green approved!

Would you recommend us another vegan restaurant in the area? Let us know in the comments!