…Dandelion Communitea in all its green glory. Cute tiki.

I’ve loved the Dandelion since it first opened sometime in 2006. It has grown to be quite popular, progressively evolving into the “communitea”. My husband and I stopped in yesterday for a bite, and the first thing we noticed is that they added more tables since the last time we’d been - a very good sign, cause this place is cool AND the food rocks.

Welcome.

Behind that door is an encompassment of “vegan and celeriac-friendly”, “Co-op America approved”, locally grown, organic, tea sippin’, green drink chuggin’, chillin’ with your BFF’s, live music performin’, poetry readin’, and bohemian-hippie chic buzz with a mellow vibe.

The great little wall of teas.

When you first step through the door into the petite foyer, you’re met with this impressive selection of organic teas (Teavana, eat your heart out!), elixirs, and all-natural vegan toiletries. Look to the right and see the shabby-chic armoire filled with hand-made jewelry from local artists. Lovely.

Something for everyone.

Then you come to a counter where there sits the cash register and all sorts of pretty vegan pastries. It is at this counter where orders were once placed before finding your table or sofa and then waiting for your vittles to arrive. No more. The Dandelion has transistioned to 100% table service. Splendid!

From my seat in the main social room.

So on you go into the cozy main dining room, which was once a kind of living/dining area because of the big sofa and coffee table that used to sit in the middle of the room. I like to think of it, as well as the other separate smaller gathering areas in the rear of the house, as social rooms. You can eat, meet, chill, chat, surf (note the dude on right of the pic above), whatever, until they kick you out. I dig the circus big top-like fabric on the ceiling in the main room cinched by the center light fixture.

Weeeeee!

Now lets get on to the food, which is mostly vegan, mostly raw, and scrumptiously fresh. The menu is a/k/a “The Dandylicious Menu”, and is modest in quantity but abundant in wholesomeness and yumminess! The salad selections have two formats: “roll it or bowl it” - fantastic in either although I do prefer bowled. On this day I had a taco craving, and was already set to have “The Giddyup” ($8.50), topped with their signature chili and finished with shredded vegan cheddar, which completely satisfied my addiction. Hubs got it rolled.

“The Giddyup”, bowled. . .

. . .and rolled.

We also munched on some “Summer of Love Rolls” ($6), a bunch of veggies and herbs wrapped in delicate rice paper with this peanut-coconut sauce that is so good you can eat it with a spoon.

“Summer of Love Rolls”

And with (nearly) every plate of something you get, they serve a small dollop of their “Happy Hempy Hummus”, which is to DIE for. YUM YUM YUM! Of course, you can just order a bowl of it and be very happy.

Once your stomach is full, nourished, and happy, take some time to check out the paintings for sale among the walls, peek into the other two social rooms of the house, or browse the big-ass bulletin board pinned with everything from yoga instruction to green cleaning services. There’s all kinds of funky trinkets about that’ll have you feeling the love.

Big-ass bulletin board.

I don’t know who Jennifer Wood is.

Dandelion Communitea Cafe is located at 618 N. Thornton Avenue very near downtown Orlando, and edging the Viet-town district. Check them out at http://dandelioncommunitea.com. If I didn’t live so far on another side of town, I’d make this place my second home!

<3, JMK

Filed under: Fab Restaurants, Orlando