Freesoulcaffe

Never coming here again. There were like 25 open tables and because I got dessert and a latte they wanted me to sit at a different table. Horrible customer service. My latte wasn’t that hot and the key lime tarte tasted a bit stale. Yikes. This place has really gone down hill.

So far, I have not had any problems with management and the food is delicious! The portobello panini is a must! Also, their Matcha Granita is amazing!

I have to say: the food here is decent but the portions are insanely small and very overpriced. I had a $ 15 brunch dish that would have been ideal in size for a small child. I then got a salad — for another $ 15 — and was still hungry so I bought a dessert for something like $ 8. This ended up being more than $ 40 for a brunch at a fast causal place. You’re much better off going to chipotle.

I wanted to take my BF vegan parents to a nice dinner. Since I’m challenged in the area of veganism, my daughter suggested this little gem. We all picked something different, and ended up taking bites off each other’s plates. All of us were «you have to try this» I think no matter what you order you won’t be disappointed. I suggest: pizza A-​mazing!, portobello panini, gnocchi, mushroom soup, Caesar salad and oh yes, leave room for dessert. Key lime tart, peanut butter tart, oh boy. If your to full from all the delish food, be sure to take it home for later!

I come to this place whenever I can. The people that work here are always kind. This is a perfect place to eat for people that enjoy eating gluten free food and etc. I got a mocha granita and a cookie when I came here the last time. Their pastries are delicious. The place is beautiful and located in old town tustin. The restroom are always clean and nice. Would definitely recommend this place!

I’ve been coming here since it opened and have never been disappointed. Sadly, the last two visits were less than satisfactory. I had the key lime pie and it was less than fresh not the light, tangy dessert I’m used to. Last night I had the pumpkin pecan ganache cake and something was seriously wrong. The cake consistency was rubbery and the outside was hard.
I took the desserts home so didn’t have a chance to mention to the server. Hope it was just two off nights.

Hatch burger rocks. This place is awesome and if you are veg or vegan, you will think you are in heaven here.

Totally a fan. First time here and it didn’t disappoint. A bit on the pricey side, but the taste made up for it. I got the truffle burger and brussel sprouts. It was cooked just right and it was amazing. The truffle burger! Seriously, if you’re debating on what to order, get started with this. Really chill and relaxed spot. It’s a bit small, but still makes it cozy. Cute setting/​ambiance. Good for groups to socialize and chill out.

This place is AMAZING whether you are a vegan or not! We just moved to the area and this is by far the best restaurant I have been to. The food is all homemade and so delicious-​the truffle burger and blt are phenomenal. Staff are so friendly and sweet! Plus –THEY HAVE A VEGAN BAKERY EEEEE!!! Try the chocolate mousse pie:)

Great service! (From my experience)
Food pricey but well made and worth it for a vegan who is used to paying for overpriced «vegan» food
7 bucks for a peanut butter tarte. This is what sold us. SOOOO RICH AND SO AMAZING. If you love peanut butter (vegan or not) and chocolatw this is for you
14 for a Belgium waffle with fresh fruit (bananas, blueberries and strawberries)
Didn’t have to deal with seating issue because of waffle but that is not cool…
Vegans are dope people… treat them and anyone as such. Would maybe think about coming back but that seating policy could lead me astray…

You hear good and bad about this place. Most bitch about the prices. You are in Old Town Tustin, where it’s a bit trendy.
Now I was in the mood for a dessert so I got a chocolate cream pie, and an Earl Gray tea. You should see all the lovely desserts on display. Tea is my favorite beverage as long there’s no sweet taste. My dessert was so good I wanted more.
Athena had a smoked ham sandwich which came with a mixed green salad. I tasted the sandwich. It was delicious. I know what I’m getting next time.
All the food coming out of the kitchen looked so good. The portions were huge. The thing about this place is that its vegan. Vegan food sure has come a long way.
I love Old Town Tustin, it hasn’t changed much in my 52 years. It is more beautiful after dark when the lights are on. Come here and take a walk. Enjoy seeing the old houses. Work up an appetite and stop here for a good meal.

Okay, i love this place and don’t like it. I’m conflicted. I only tried desserts. Loved it. I love the clean, organized atmosphere. I’m glad there’s another vegan eatery. While the organization and clean is attractive, it’s a bit inflexible when it comes to hanging out for coffee and dessert. I bought over $ 20 worth of desserts to make sure I tried a variety of their creations and also, I didn’t just want to simply take up space in the coveted seats outdoors or by the windows and just buy coffee. Yet stilll, they only allow you a certain section for coffee and dessert even though there was plenty of space in other places since it was past the lunch rush. It was 1:30 pm. Again, i like the concept of trying to keep the atmosphere conducive to people who want to eat and not just study all day when you need to turn the tables.
Perhaps an easy change to accommodate would be to keep entrée tables available during meal times but allow flexibility for open seating when there are available tables or when the meal crowd is done. 1:30−5pm or after 9pm (if it’s opened that late). Or call it: Free Soul Eatery. Expectations are a bit off when it is called a Café. I know a café serves light meals and drinks but it seems in our culture a synonym is a coffee shop. And the real desire of SoulCaffe is for customers who want the meals. And eat quick!
So bottom line. I love the style, concept and food. But a bit underwhelming when it comes to the relational ethos. Service a bit mechanical. Also overall atmosphere is a bit stoic and cold. So as a take out it would be a 4 star. If you want to eat some food it seems like a ⁴⁄₅ star.
If you want to relax and have coffee, yes… IF you don’t mind sitting in assigned locations for second tier patrons. For me it felt a bit awkward even though with tip, my ticket out the door was more or equal to the entrée paying customer (around $ 30).
So go, if you don’t mind assigned seating. Go, if you do take out. Go if you want to eat a meal but then don’t sit there long. If you want desserts, take it home.

Experience with take out. I had this place bookmarked for a long time and am glad to finally get this checked off.
PANINI FRITTATA: It was an egg sandwich on sliced wheat bread (including veggies such as tomatoes, etc.). I was expecting a more straightforward frittata filling, but it was tasty. It came with a small side of green salad. Portion was average.
RED VELVET CAKE: The cake wasn’t too cloying. I didn’t like the frosting, although it was light, something akin to whipped cream, but it tasted different than just straightforward whipped cream. I’ve had better red velvet cakes, but this one had less of a guilt factor.
INTERIOR: The dining area is the strength of this place. I love the brick and wood interior, with lots of windows providing natural light — reminds me of establishments in New York. It’s a warm, casual place you’d want to hang out in. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. There were signs about who can sit where. I was ordering take out so it didn’t matter to me.
SERVICE: Even though the place was nearly empty (only two tables were occupied), I felt rushed. Maybe it does get crazy during the lunch hour, but it was very quiet when I was there.
VERDICT: The price of my takeout was a shock — around $ 22 for a cake and sandwich (no drink). It turned out the sandwich was $ 12.50. Had I dined in, I would’ve paid even more with tip. Although I liked my sandwich, and the cake was ok, the price alone would make me think twice about returning. Furthermore, since they have limited seating for those only getting drinks and/​or dessert, it reduces the incentive to return.

This is one of my favorite vegan restaurants ever. Everything I’ve ever tried here, I have loved. I am a very picky eater, yet I find I can eat anything at Free Soul. I am shocked to see the horrible reviews for Free Soul; the food is phenomenal, the drinks are very tasty (especially the matcha granita), and the servers have always been very kind to me.
I would absolutely recommend Free Soul to anyone. I have gone to this restaurant with vegans and meat eaters, and they’ve all loved the food.

The name should be changed into «SOUL-​FREE CAFFE» from Freesoul Caffe.
1. One star for food and price: vastly overpriced for below-​average food in disguise as a healthy vegan option. I ordered breakfast hash brown, coconut pecan pie and coffee. Coffee was ok, but the hash brown was extremely salty and greasy, not worth the price at all. The coconut pecan pie tasted like something they had made a week ago.
2. Zero star for service: Our server took my individual tray (a small glass jar of coffee and a mug came on a wooden tray) even when I said I didn’t finish my coffee. She gestured to me that I needed to lift my mug, and took the tray away even without saying anything or apologetic smile. She later tried to clear up the table although I was still working on my hash brown. After the food is served, all they seem to care about is «when are they going to leave?»
3. Negative points (not deserving a star) for spirit: They are not in the food service industry. They seem to confuse themselves as in public education sector (!) or military cafeteria by telling customers where they sit, how long they stay (It is not an AYCE restaurant!), and what they should not do in their café. You should not open a laptop or a magazine while waiting for food to come out. They consider it as study/​work, which is forbidden there. Yes, they can set their rules in their restaurant, but I can just as well protest that the rules and the way they enforce it are entirely bizarre.
*** They treat you like a second-​class citizen if you order ONLY DESSERT AND COFFEE like my friend and I did on another visit last year. We were only allowed to sit at a communal table or a bar stool next to the window, although the place was nearly empty. Also, their way of informing customers of «the seating policy» is very unprofessional and CONDESCENDING. In their defense, they keep saying that their intent is to serve better, their beloved customers who order real food, but in reality, they only care about customer flow and making more money by imposing ridiculous policy of their own which many restaurant goers find illogical (as evidenced by other reviewers’ remarks).

Let me be honest! This place looks lovely… Somewhere you would want to bring a book to read over a cup of coffee! But what’s the use if you are not allow to seat there! Why don’t they just make it a take out place and waste a beautiful spot in Tustin Old Town!!!
They always put a reserved sign on the table even though there is no one coming over for hours! And kicking ppl out even though there is no time limit on the table.
There are many beautiful places to enjoy a good cup of coffee! NEVER GOING BACK! Service is Beyond HORRIFIC!
AND I just noticed that on their Business info… THEY DON’T TAKE RESERVATIONS! What were those RESERVED sign for!!!

I went to this place trying to accommodate my wife’s craving for veggies when I stand on the opposite side of the spectrum, being a carnivore. I stopped at Claro’s grabbed myself a sub, took my wife to this place sat outside as she ordered her meal and shortly after was kicked out for bring my own Sammy to the outside seating area.
Did I taste the food yeah but like I said I’m not into a toasted salad panini’s.
Wasn’t too fond of being kicked out of an outside seating area when purchasing food from their establishment.
–FOOD FOR THOUGHT–
I can’t imagine a family getting the boot from a restaraunt for being associated with a vegetarian.

I really liked the atmosphere in this place.
Old town tustin has many quite lovely cafes and restaurants. And im sure this place is one of them.
I ordered vegan pasta and it was creamy and
Chicken tasted really really good.
Must returning.

A great vegan place!
Yummy sandwiches, delicious drinks. Such a cute place too, and the staffs were so nice and friendly.
It’s a great place if you are a vegeterian

Highlights
+ Good Coffe/​Offering
+ Nice Ambiance
+ Outdoor Seating
— Staff
I went there on a Friday evening to get some coffee with the family. While some of us were looking at the menu one of us tried to use the restroom at which point the barista adamantly asked us if we were going to buy anything because if not he cannot use the restroom. This was kind of silly. Like eight of us (11yo-60’s) are going to walk in, not order anything and walk out. Other than that, the interior was really nice and people were enjoying their dinners outside. The barista mentioned that the coffee/​beverage could only be drank inside and outside was for food only which was also awkward. All in all it was a great shop and we may have gone at an off time for the barista as she did not seem in an inviting mood. Definitely would return.