Kayak Kafé

After a hard workout at the gym with my friend Crystal and my husband, the three of us were starving and decided to go downtown for a quick bite. We wanted something healthy and affordable so we got on Unilocal and tried to figure something out. My husband remembered his friend always raving about Kayak Kafé and we both been meaning to go.
We ordered a Spicy Jerk Chicken Panini for Crystal, Georgia Shrimp Panini for the husband, and Roasted Turkey & Applewood Bacon for myself. I traded half my Roasted Turkey for Crystal’s Spicy Jerk Chicken (We both were split between those two and decided to go halfies!) Oh my god! The Spicy Jerk Chicken is WONDERFUL!!! It’s so flavorful! The menu said it packed a punch and they weren’t lying! The Georgia Shrimp panini was great! Snuck a bite of it and I was impressed. My husband just sat there in eating his panini in blissful silence. I enjoyed the Roasted Turkey & Applewood Bacon too.
Absolutely love this place and will definitely make it one of my post workout spots from now on!

Would give this place 4.5 stars if possible. The irony is that it would earn a higher rating if it weren’t so crowded. There was quite a wait for anyone wishing to sit inside. Lots of organic offerings! Sat at a table outside. Service was fast and excellent even tho the inside was packed. The Spinach Shrimp salad was one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten. The local wild shrimp were plump and very tasty. The cherry tomatoes were fresh, ripe, and delicious. The fetta and spinach were fresh, and the salad was large. The only downside was the two canned, pickled artichoke hearts. My lunch date loved his shrimp tacos, both flour and corn. And the homemade gaucomole and pita chip appetizer was delicious. The chicken /​rice/​bean soup was very thick and flavorful. Our experience was very good. We would highly recommend this establishment.

Had the tofu tacos on corn and they were delicious. The sauce was on point, good amount of heat and the tofu was prepared well. Didn’t love the house dressing that came standard with the greens. The habanero sauce was a good compliment to the meal as well. A lot of food for the price. I do wish you could mix/​match the taco choices since you get three with your order.

We have always seen this place packed, so finally decided to venture in. It has a small café atmosphere. We grabbed a table outside since it is ideally located on Broughton street, great location to spend a Sunday afternoon people watching :)
We had the tilapia tacos, the pork burrito and the homemade hummus with pita. Everything was delicious. The customer service is incredible. Great food + great customer service = great spot !!!

I love this place, we actually got lost waking around Savannah and I still insisted on coming here. Food comes out quickly and they’re happy to accommodate any special requests. I had the lime chicken enchiladas and they were perfect. It has great portions and comes with a delicious side salad. If you’re in Savannah and want REAL good food go to kayaks kafe.

A very chill atmosphere, wonderful for lunch! If you can snag a seat outside to eat and people/​dog watch, your meal will be even better! I got the tilapia tacos and they were delicious! I definitely recommend trying their homemade habanero sauce to give your dish an extra pic. Great savannah eat!

WOW! What a meal! We got the lime chicken enchiladas and they were incredible (strongly recommend). My friends got the tilapia tacos which were also fantastic. My partner got the West Indian Trader salad –the curry chicken was to die for.
Sit outside if you can!
YUM!

Stopped by this gem after taking a walking tour — so glad we did!
Atmosphere is a bit weird when first walking in — it’s bolted into a fitness center so the restrooms are shared. However there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating — we sat outside.
Service was great from start to finish — server was knowledgable, helped us navigate some GF options, and was easy to speak with.
We ordered the taco special that day — slow cooked bbq with jackfruit salsa. Stellar combo, especially with the housemade hot sauce! We also tried the curried chicken salad plate which was excellent, full of fresh vegetables, spiced well and generous portions.
Overall we really enjoyed this meal and will be back!

The black eyed pea burger rocks! It has a great, spicy kick. Yummy! Great lunchtime vibe. I recommend this place to anyone — especially if you’re vegan or vegetarian. Tons of options.

Lime Chicken and Goats Cheese Enchiladas. So very very good. Recommend you add some of their delicious homemade habanero sauce to the mix. I added a few drops to my main above and felt it went particularly well with their Mac n Cheese so added a lot more to that!
Washed down with a delicious Southbound Hoplin IPA. Such an awesome beer to go with easily the best enchiladas I have ever had.

Wife and I had a good lunch here today. The humus had a spice to it that was good and gave it a new twist to the flavor.
Wife got some tofu thing taco and she enjoyed it, and as any man would, I have no clue what it is or what it was supposed to taste like so I have to depend on her opinion that it was good!
I had the shrimp tacos and it was great! My one complaint would only be that they were laid out with toppings on the center of each tortilla and I have to assume that my middle taco must have gotten some of the toppings from one of my side tacos because my last taco had just one shrimp and no avocado.
Had all 3 been the same I would easily give this place 5 stars. Even though I still have no clue what tofu is or why anyone would eat it instead of just meat!

My family ate here during our trip to Savannah. We loved everything we tasted! I had the tilapia fish tacos, my husband had the Kayak Club which consisted of chicken, mayo, and lettuce. We loved their homemade lemonade! It was casual, but the quality of the food was outstanding! We definitely recommend it to anyone who is vegan, health conscious, or just someone who appreciates good food.

Finding good vegan or vegetarian food while on vacation is nearly impossible. Kayak Kafe was such a great find while wondering around Savannah.
I had the black eyed pea burger, which was wonderful, and my husband had the veggie/​tofu quesadilla. It was all delicious!
Service was a little slow, but it was peak lunch time so the place was packed.
If you’re looking for a healthier lunch option or are just tired of gross fried southern food, check this place out.

Service was good, food was mediocre. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place to a friend. I got the half sandwich and half soup. The tomato basil soup was the texture of pasta sauce and had way too much basil in it to be enjoyable. It was edible when paired with the tasteless Mediterranean panini half as a dip. I would not consider coming back to this Kafe.

They charge extra for gluten free bun and can’t substitute anything for the slaw. BBQ and pineapple was 6 on scale of 10. Had better. Slaw had no flavor. Floor and restroom not swept up in quite a while. Service friendly and food was out in reasonable time.

I love Unilocal for leading us to the Kayak Kafe! Everything about this experience was wonderful. The place was packed and the servers were so busy but were still so attentive. I ordered a jalapeño margarita and it was perfectly spicy and super refreshing. My husband ordered a Bloody Mary and it was fantastic too. You can tell that they use fresh ingredients for their cocktails, like homemade sour mix for the margarita and fresh horseradish in their house made Bloody Mary mix. I had the lime chicken enchiladas and my husband had the pork tacos with pineapple salsa. Both entrees were delicious, but the pork and pineapple tacos were definitely the star of our meal. I’m lucky that he will share with me :) Both entrees came with a fresh green salad with a light and delicious vinaigrette.
Kayak Kafe is such a great find and I can’t wait to come back on my next visit to Savannah!

This place was a waste of time and money. I really wanted to enjoy the food and scene of Savannah but all I got was over priced crap and rude service. I get that being waitress is a tough job but when you’re just a rude B$&ch you shouldn’t be a waitress.

I went here twice while I was in Savannah for a week. I loved it so much the first time, I had to go back. I love finding healthy, vegetarian friendly and gluten-​free friendly places. I’m not 100% vegetarian, but do a plant based lifestyle. I got the west indian trader salad and it was superb! The curried chicken salad was amazing and everything else in the salad complemented each other. I got the cilantro lime dressing but didn’t use much. The salad doesn’t really need it. The second time I went, I thought about trying something else, but the west Indian trader salad was so awesome, I had to get it again.
The service was good. One time I sat at a table and once the bar. They were attentive and helpful. Wifi is free too.
I was there in December when most places are pretty dead, but this place was packed at lunch time. It looks like a fair amount of locals go here, the guy next to me at the bar was on a first name basis with the servers. You can order ahead or order take out.
Overall great experience! I highly recommend it.

We were referred to the Kayak Kafe by the bartender at the Revelry Brewery in Charleston. Mr F and me are both so, so happy that he made the recommendation. I went with the Roasted Lime Chicken Burrito. It was full of chicken, black beans, pico de gallo, sliced avocado and melted pepperjack cheese. The mister had the Lime Chicken & Goat Cheese Enchiladas, and though I didn’t try his, and can’t rate based on his, he told our waitress that they were the best enchiladas he’d ever had. High marks! My burrito was really nice, also… and we had a couple of beers that rounded off our meal nicely.
The concept is quite unique. A sort of mash up between a granola-​ey healthy restaurant and Mexican food place. You walk through the venue to get to a gym. Very odd, but it all works.
A highly, highly recommended restaurant in Savannah! Yum!

Great eclectic place, especially if you have a food allergy you need to work around. The menu is packed with interesting tacos and salads that aren’t what you expect to see, but make you intrigued to try it and see if it’s as good as it sounds. Fortunately for us we both ended up pleased with our choices, though the heat/​spice level was a bit higher than anticipated.
The café is in the front of a gym entrance so it’s not the nicest spot in the world, but the waitresses are very friendly and they have a nice selection of beers and drinks. Definitely a nice change of place from the typical southern cuisine you expect in Savannah.

I am torn about reviewing this place because it is clearly a fun and great atmosphere… However, I am a foodie. When I am hungry, if a place is voted as one of the best — in a city, then I expect it to be good. So, despite the enthusiastic and energetic environment, I was left disappointed by the food choices. Voted the best vegetarian restaurant should mean something important and more importantly, something delicious. I did not find that translated onto the plate or into my stomach for my particular palate and predilections. Instead, I was left wanting something more substantial and tastier because I just wanted more options. Don’t get me wrong, this joint offers about a dozen veg options, but… I am picky… when I think «best vegetarian,» I ignore the genre of food and presume there is just what I am looking for on the menu. I guess I am pickier than most!
Your choices here for vegetarian food are plentiful in the form of salad, tofu, tacos and sandwiches. However, I expected a greater selection of style preparation. The Iron Booster salad was only so so, as it was mostly just roasted/​cooked veggies (red and yellow peppers, mushrooms). If I wanted a cooked vegetable dish, I wouldn’t order a green salad known as the Iron Booster. There were a few other salads, but they all had cheese except for one other. Now for the cooked dishes, your choices include a tofu veggie burrito, quesadilla or tacos, a roasted veggie panini, guacamole, hummus, and a black-​eyed pea burger.
The seared tiger tofu tacos sounded so good, but they were just mediocre. There was hardly any flavor to the seared tofu, though it was clearly fresh as can be. The fixings in the corn tortilla left much to be desired if you crave serious doses of veggie varieties. Thank goodness for the burning hot habanero sauce to make me forget there was little flavor to the simple mix of ingredients in the tacos. Nothing else on the menu really interested me as being unique or stand-​out must-​try choices. They seemed like what I could order up on my own anywhere and just have veg*nized by asking the staff to so do.
The menu is not clearly marked for vegan/​vegan-​friendly or gluten-​free/​gluten-​free-​friendly, so it leaves one to believe that there really isn’t anything vegan other than the items that don’t have cheese, or a few other standards (guac). If you grill the staff, they will let you know what is/​is not vegan and/​or gluten free, and they can help your meal meet your dietary needs, but, it just becomes so tiring as a diner to always have to ask the panoply of 10 million questions. The staff is super nice, but they are also super busy, so it makes one feel sheepish to ask so many questions and take up so much time. But… don’t be shy like me, if you want it your way: just demand it for whatever entrée is on the menu exactly how you want it, and they will happily follow through.
Overall, I was just not of the right palate for this café’s offerings. Moreover, to be voted best vegetarian restaurant implies a sympathetic approach, in the least, to veg*n eating… which did not seem to be the case here when the labels are not clear of what is vegan vs. vegetarian and what can be vegetarian-​ized or vegan-​ized. If you are not a picky veg*n, then this place will suit your palate just fine.
Still, this place is hopping and a definite go-​to place for social gatherings!

Goat cheese enchiladas were amazing and the grapefruit beer is highly recommended! Amazing place with fresh fast and friendly vegetarian options with amazing service! Better Mexican food than the Mexican restaurants!

If you have to eat Gluten Free this is a great choice! They can make most any item on the menu gluten free! It’s awesome & worth a try!

Checked this place out for lunch while we were visiting for the weekend. It was packed and there was a little bit of a wait, but definitely worth it for a solid lunch. We got the hummus for the table and everyone got a different sandwich — and everyone really enjoyed it. Good quick, sits own lunch spot!

A couple friends of mine and I stopped into this establishment this past weekend for brunch. Let me say, this was one of the best experiences of the trip. The wait staff was excellent, personable, and all around well knowledgable about the menu.
I ordered the Italian Panini. Great brunch sandwich. Excellent atmosphere. ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Would recommend. Will be back again on my next trip!

Great food all around. Has a unique flavor and style. Very modern. My only complaint is the service is always a bit slow and we’ve dined here a few times.

Good enough, but not great.
First, odd interior. 5 steps in you are in the ‘Kafe’…10 steps and you are in a fitness center.
They were accommodating as we had a large party (8). But after we ordered, I asked how long it would be… reply was 20 to 30 minutes. For a few tacos???
I wanted to order the taco plate… you get 3. I began choosing my 3… nuh uh uh…3 of the same… well i don’t want 3 of the same…‘luckily’ there was 3 of us ordering the taco plates, so we each choose 1. One happened to be vegetarian, so I was stuck with a Tofu one. Just in… i don’t like Tofu. I used to, not anymore. Was kinda gross. The black bean and veggie taco was kinda weird… but the tilapia was pretty good.

We had the shrimp quesadillas and they were great. Fresh ingredients that brought the heat. Service was a bit abrupt thus not 5 stars. Great lunch place. Decent prices.

Great food. I had cockspur sandwich and it was amazing. They also made me a kick ass mojito! Everything had fresh ingredients. Service was outstanding as well! I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Savannah!

As a person who works in the restaurant industry, I believe that I am more understanding of the great acts that occur behind the scenes. First, I enjoyed the wait staff’s laid back attitudes as they were only serious about the business of running the restaurant. My waitress/​bartender was personable and accommodating, able to read my body language and facial expressions. Often times, this is the downfall for beginners in the industry.
I had the spicy Bloody Mary during the lunch hour and enjoyed the various garnishes, jalapeño stuffed olives in particular with a generous pour of vodka. The wild shrimp spinach salad made my day. I made connections with the wait staff and that was the most important factor in my book. If you want to have a great meal with a chilled atmosphere try this establishment.

I love that this place has options. They carry gluten free bread which always thrills me because I miss sandwiches so much!
I ordered a lemonade, a mozzarella, cheddar, avocado, tomato sandwich and chips. My boyfriend got a side of Mac and cheese.
Our food was good. I should have got some kind of sauce/​spread on my sandwich because gf bread is a little more bland than normal bread, but again, just being able to order and eat a sandwich thrills me. The cheese was all melted and yummy. The lemonade was not my favorite, but I like mine bursting with flavor. This one was more subtle.
My ever descriptive boyfriend described his Mac and cheese as «good. I like it. Not as good as the last place I got Mac and cheese from, but better than the box stuff.»

Slow
Service
But the food
Is fresh and a
Nice change from fried. Convenient location.

Such good food. They have lots of healthy options, tacos, burritos, salads, paninis, sandwiches, and a great selection of beverages. I had the Lime Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas — caramelized onions, topped with avocado salsa crema and melted monterey jack cheese, and served with organic greens tossed in cilantro-​lime vinaigrette. No complaints whatsoever. It hit the spot; it was more food than I was expecting and the salad was a great complement. The cilantro dressing was the bomb (if you like cilantro). The enchiladas had the right amount of every ingredient and the flavors came together so nicely. I devoured mine — it’s a delicious but short memory. :)
My husband had no complaints about his shrimp panini — he would go back in a heartbeat. The only weird thing: It’s connected to a gym. The back half of the restaurant is literally the lobby to a gym (which you can’t see or hear) but people who were done with their workouts would pass by. And I mean, should I feel like the bunghole tempting them with my pretty bites of food or should I feel like the bunghole stuffing enchiladas in her face faster than the speed of light when I should reeeally be in the gym working out with them?
I’ll ponder this the next time I’m in Savannah and I stop in here again.

Real good food. Had a special Caesar salad, a little bit spicy. Really good & fresh.
Service was good.