115 S San Francisco Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
*Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
Morning Glory Cafe is a quaint family-run vegetarian restaurant in Flagstaff's historic downtown neighborhood. The cafe has been serving area vegans and other health conscious diners for over 30 years. Hours are a bit limited (Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 4pm), however, if you find yourself visiting the city one afternoon, you will find that Morning Glory offers a nice selection of vegetarian and gluten-free meals. Everything on the menu is plant based and organic, so this is an excellent choice for health conscious diners.
As a brief overview, the menu consists of numerous Mexican dishes using blue corn as an ingredient (Blue Corn tamales, blue corn pancakes on Saturday), sandwiches, salads, soups, and light appetizers. Items that can be made gluten-free are marked as so on the menu. The soup of the day varies. On this particular occasion, it was a wonderfully satisfying creamy potato (both vegan and GF).
As far as entrees go, if you are a fan of slightly spicy Mexican food, be sure to order the Blue Corn tamale (organic veggies topped with vegan cheddar, avocado, red chili sauce, cilantro, and beans). This vegan/GF dish was fantastic, although a bit overpriced due to the tiny serving size and no accompanying sides. I expect to leave full after spending $15 for lunch! The green salad with grilled tempeh was piled high with fresh organic veggies like red onions, sprouts, cucumbers, carrots, and avocado. In terms of value, this was a much better deal than the tamale dish. Other menu options include a Hempburger, Tempeh Club, and a Pesto Tofu sandwich.
A new weekend brunch special includes your choice of entree and 2 sides for $10. A few of the specialty items include blue corn pancakes, tofu breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy, and berries and cream french toast. Update: As of 2025, breakfast entrees range from $15-17, which isn't bad considering the use of healthier ingredients.
Staff was a bit snooty and not at all welcoming. On the plus side, food was served really quick.
The dining room is very small and resembles a transformed yoga studio/holistic health office. While the decor is quiet and clean, it feels as if they did not put much effort into designing the space and transforming it into a nice dining space. In my opinion, it feels too "healthy" and serious. This sometimes can lead to a stiff, rather than enjoyable restaurant experience.
As far as vegan restaurants go, Morning Glory is nothing to write home about. It's one of those restaurants that you visit just because it exists as a gluten-free/vegan option, not because it goes above and beyond in any other department. Service as well as food presentation and decor could be spruced up a bit in my opinion. Nonetheless it is an acceptable choice if you find yourself in the area seeking something new. I do appreciate the fact that they offer so many options for all dietary preference and I really love any type of entree featuring blue corn (which is rare to find in restaurants). I would love to try the Blue Corn pancakes on my next visit!
