CONSCIOUS COMFORTS

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★

Vegan, gluten-free dishes

Perfect For: Casual Dining; Takeout; Vegan Options

Standout Dishes: No Shrimp Po Boy; Bak’n Breakfast Burrito; GF Tuscan Chicken Pasta

As dietary preferences and food sensitivities have grown over the past decade, most restaurants have accommodated by putting at least a few vegan and/or gluten-free items on their menu. But cooking and baking without meat, dairy, and eggs requires a whole new skillset and know how than most learned growing up in kitchens. These chefs lack both the knowledge and, more importantly, the passion to produce great vegan food.

That’s what makes Conscious Comforts different. Food was a major part of owner Lauren Wright’s family growing up, but when she changed her diet to combat a medical condition, she couldn’t enjoy the foods she not only loved eating, but that carried such important nostalgia.

So she taught herself how to make them, but in a new way.

Best friend Alexis Jensen joined her in 2019 to create an entirely new concept. Yes, these are 100% vegan dishes, but they’re not salads. This is hearty, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that will not only fill you up, but won’t have you missing meat or dairy.

Honestly, most of the time, you won’t even notice its absence.

Conscious Comforts isn’t a restaurant (and doesn’t want to be), and you won’t find its products in grocery stores. But you can get your hands on Conscious Comforts products in 3 ways:

Ordering meals or baked goods on its website
Picking up wholesale items at Her Company, Stir Coffee Bar, Edge of the Universe, and other spots around Omaha
Attending a pop-up with short order cooking (follow Conscious Comforts on Instagram to see where they’ll be next)

The latter is the best way to experience Conscious Comforts. The food is hot and fresh, and you get to meet Alexis and Lauren, both of whom are exceedingly friendly and can talk you through the menu.

One pop-up menu featured a No-Shrimp Po Boy, with marinated, battered lion’s man mushrooms replacing breaded shrimp. The crispy fungi not only looked like shrimp but tasted like them too, as the mushrooms achieved the springy feel of tender shrimp. The creamy remoulade and acidic pickled onions were the perfect complementary pieces. Whether you were a lifelong vegan or a full-fledged carnivore, you’d love this dish.

The same could be said of the Bac’n Breakfast Burrito, which contains neither meat nor eggs… but tastes like it does. The tofu eggs are soft and rich, the potatoes are cooked brilliantly, and the grilled tortilla locks in all the flavors.

What makes Conscious Comforts different is this isn’t great vegan and gluten-free food—it’s great food in general. Diners of all dietary needs and wants can enjoy these dishes.

That includes the pasta dishes. Generally speaking, the words “pasta” and “gluten-free” don’t belong in the same sentence. Gluten gives noodles their chewy texture, but Conscious Comforts has created a gluten-free version that’s both tender and toothsome, very reminiscent of the original product. The dishes achieve a wonderful creaminess without using dairy, and they employ lions mane mushrooms and tofu to mimic meat. It’s not a perfect substitution, but it comes really close.

Conscious Comforts isn’t all savory cooking, though. It also excels in baking sweet confections, including cakes, cupcakes, donuts, and pies. They might be known best for their pop-tarts, which are a bit more crumbly than the product they mimic, but the flavor is spot on. The Oreo Pop Tart has the familiar taste of a homemade, and the filling is reminiscent of cookies and cream.

While I recommend enjoying Conscious Comforts’ food fresh at a pop-up, it must be noted how well these items reheat. Whether you’re baking the GF Enchiladas in the oven, popping the breakfast burrito into the air fryer, or using the famous Seeded Rye Bread for a sandwich, these products can be heartily enjoyed well after they’re made.

Perhaps the best way to sum up Conscious Comforts is by describing its Potato Salad. This is a dish that Lauren’s father frequently made as she grew up, but her dietary needs wouldn’t allow her to eat this creamy, egg-based side.

So she modified. Conscious Comforts’ version employs mustard and vegan mayo to replace the creaminess of the eggs and traditional mayo, while dill pickles add a tart contrast.

This excellent side dish perfectly sums up Conscious Comforts ethos. Everyone craves filling comfort food and deserves to have it, and those with dietary restrictions have a way to enjoy their homey favorites.

But even if you’re not vegan or have no dietary restrictions (hand raised), you’ll love this food. Because delicious food is delicious, regardless of ingredients, and that’s what Conscious Comforts proves.