Disembodied eyeballs sword-fighting each other to the death. Rainbow Brite reimagined as Hindu god Shiva, with one of her six arms pouring rainbow sprinkles onto a cupcake while another delicately holds a joint. Giant carnivorous plants opening their mouths to reveal human hands drenched in stomach acid, wielding bouquets of flowers.
These are the hilariously grotesque details hidden in the pale-pink, toile wallpaper that plasters the interior of Kindred, San Diego’s premier vegan bar and restaurant. The reputation of this edge-heavy, glamorous plant-based eatery usually precedes it—diners from around the country trek here to experience the nine-year-old Southern California spot known for its metal playlist and fearsome, onyx-black wolf’s head sculpture with four eyes, snakes for horns, and giant bared fangs. But remove some of these more eccentric features, and Kindred could be mistaken for any chic Beverly Hills hideaway.
Kindred
Kindred delivers style and substance
During the day, Kindred’s patrons enjoy an unexpectedly breezy atmosphere. Giant, flipped-up windows span the length of the restaurant, allowing natural light to pour in over pristine marble tables and illuminate gilded fixtures. A majority of the space’s coffered ceiling is checkered in mirrors, each featuring recessed lights backdropped in gold that cast a faint halo above diners. The center of the ceiling is decked out in a grid of coppery, Victorian tin plates, fixed above Kindred’s formidable 35-foot bar where a trio of tattooed bartenders buzz about, plucking hickory-brown, emerald, and crystal-clear bottles from the chandelier liquor shelves suspended behind them.
Kindred
It’s the kind of duality that owner Kory Stetina has woven into every nook and cranny of what he describes as an opulent, evil lair infused with childlike fantasy.
“You don’t have to be a metalhead to enjoy Kindred; everyone is embraced and taken care of here,” he says. “But punk, thrash, and hardcore are definitely undercurrents,” gesturing above the doorway to an almost imperceptible inscription made in elegant, golden block lettering: “Hardcore will never die, but you will.”
San Diego’s best vegan brunch
Kindred’s endlessly cool and slightly frightening aesthetic is just one of three prongs in its master plan toward total domination. The second is its food.
Kindred
The morning crowd—made up of families and brunch enthusiasts from Los Angeles and Orange County—pores over dishes that dazzle with creativity. The thick, dense buttermilk pancake—a perennial favorite—arrives drenched in a syrup and topped with shaved coconut, caramelized bananas and cashews, and finished with whipped coconut cream. For a departure from the standard American brunch menu, try the Congee. Kindred’s spin on the traditional Chinese rice porridge is topped with marinated shiitake mushrooms, ground chorizo, scallions, a shower of crispy garlic chips, and tender tamagoyaki (Japanese-style rolled omelet). It’s warm, comforting, and full of umami and spice that’ll satisfy any savory breakfast lover.
Looking for classic, gravy diner vibes? You have a duo of upgraded old-school options: the Start Today (a flaky biscuit with your choice of bacon, sausage, or crispy fried chicken) or the WFFL///HAU$ Potatoes (a bowl of impossibly crispy, cheesy fingerling potatoes)—both smothered in a hot country gravy.
Kindred
“Lighten” up with some veggies done the Kindred way—charred to hell. A mountain of crisp-on-the-outside, soft-and-tender-on-the-inside broccoli and other sundry greens get piled onto a thick smearing of “herbalized” ricotta before being topped with tangerine, crunchy almonds, and drizzled with Moroccan chermoula.
Kindred
Kindred comes alive at night
As the sunny San Diego day fades into balmy twilight, Kindred’s true nature begins to reveal itself. The morning’s bright white marble goes amber thanks to both the brassy glow of the lights overhead and the flickering light of vintage candelabras. The visiting out-of-towners are gone, replaced by regulars convening onto the late-night neighborhood hot spot. A night here is both romantic and revelrous—the din of the fast-paced music matched by the crowd’s conversation and laughter.
“This is what Kindred is all about,” Stetina says. “We’re basically throwing a vegan party every night.”
Kindred
Groups of friends huddle at the bar, noshing on bites like an assortment of battered-and-fried mushrooms (arranged Bloomin’ Onion-style around a saucer of lick-the-bowl-clean “Hidden Valley” dipping sauce infused with yuzu and shiso), or the Torched Carrots, served over cannellini bean paté, with preserved lemon, crunchy popped quinoa, and a fresh herbs. The Cosmo Knots—buttery, za’atar-brushed puff pastry with tomato confit, “a lot of garlic,” and parmesan—are another big fan favorite.
Kindred
Do yourself and your whole table a favor and don’t skip out on Kindred’s signature skewers (so beloved they have their own space on the menu). Even meat eaters lured into the party by herbivorous friends are smitten with these toothsome, perfectly chargrilled seitan kabobs, served chimichurri-, kofta-, or barbecue yuba-style.
Kindred
Elsewhere, diners indulge in grain bowls with lemongrass-scented Impossible meat, roasted sweet potatoes, fried greens, and spicy zhug; sourdough grilled cheese sandos with béchamel, kale, French onions, apples, and spicy honey; and the Swedish meatball-turned Abba Burger, skewered with a few Swedish Fish and layered with a confounding-but-mouthwatering mashed potato aioli, white gravy, and cranberry preserves. Paired with it all is Kindred’s hat trick that all but guarantees to convert the skeptical into lifelong fans: some of the finest cocktails in the country.
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Kindred
The Best Vegan Bar in America for a reason
Voted by VegNews readers as the Best Vegan Bar in America, Kindred is unmatched when it comes to artful aperitifs.
Flock to the “Kult Classics” section of the cocktail program—helmed by bar manager and San Diego legend David Kinsey—for some of Kindred’s most popular swills, like the Blackened Manhattan with citrusy-vanilla Carpano Antica vermouth, Ktulu plum tincture, and “sonically-enhanced” rye whiskey (aged with the vibrations of early thrash Metallica blasting at the barrel). Mezcal lovers looking for a hint of spice will find it in the ruby-red Pyroclasm, with tequila, strawberry-jalapeño-hibiscus shrub, green peppercorn, and lime.
Kindred
Trying Dry January on for a change? The Zero-Proof section is just as intentional and special as any other part of the menu, ranging from a Phony Negroni to the Kiss of Steel: cold brew coffee, oat milk, cinnamon, coconut, and orange twist.
“We put as much love and attention into our cocktail program as we do anything else,” Stetina says. “We’re extremely proud of it.” And the scores of loyal customers are, in turn, extremely proud of this restaurant that is redefining the city’s foodscape.
Kindred
A heavy metal-blaring, pink-walled vegan eatery revolving around a giant, demonic wolf’s head admittedly makes little sense on paper. But in San Diego, the wild clash of rebelliousness, top-notch hospitality, impressive food, and killer cocktails simply works. And the result? A neighborhood hub where everyone, regardless of music preference or plant-based leanings, is treated like kin.
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Richard Bowie (@wichiebowie) is VegNews' editorial director based in Oakland, CA.
