I had an unusual introduction to The Beet Box Cafe after attending an agricultural festival on the North Shore a few years ago.

A woman claimed association with the cafe, which initially occupied a small back space inside Celestial Natural Foods in Haleiwa. She said she had access to loads of mountain apples and that the cafe served pure mountain apple juice made with fruit she harvested.

Really? I’d never had mountain apple juice and tried to imagine just how many of the small fruit it would take to make a cup of juice. I could imagine a beautiful rose-scented elixir, the essence of mountain apple. I had to have some, so a friend and I rushed over to Beet Box, only to learn that it had never, ever served mountain apple juice.

Oh well, it was still a great place to stop for other smoothies and juices, and soon afterward the healthy-food cafe was able to expand into its own larger space nearby.

Inching closer to town, The Beet Box Cafe now has a second location in Kailua, making it only a half hour drive from downtown Honolulu instead of an hour to Haleiwa.

For years I have been trying to advocate for greener options on menus, only to be told by restaurateurs that it isn’t economically viable because in their experience, nobody orders the vegetarian options.

Maybe they have a point. I often eat with friends who claim to want to eat more healthfully. But once we read the menu those good intentions go out the window. Everything else on the menu looks so good that they start ordering fried chicken and french fries. So much for healthy.

It takes a dedicated health-oriented restaurant like Beet Box to eliminates those distractions and temptations. That’s not to say it is 100 percent vegan. An eggy quiche is sometimes offered, or a salad topped with feta cheese. But the greenies among us will always find many menu items in gluten-free and vegan options.

With a population of retirees, neo hippies and tourists, Kailua is the perfect place for food au naturel, and crowds arrive in a steady stream from lunchtime to near closing at 4 p.m. The cafe is in the space formerly home to Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop and has undergone a beachy, shabby-chic makeover with wood accents and greenery.

KAILUA’S RELAXED summery vibe calls for lighter bites, and many start by cooling off with a fresh fruit and veggie juice or smoothie. Smoothies range from the fruity Pipeline ($6), with banana, strawberry, papaya, blueberry and apple juice to the more savory, thick Himalayas ($7.75), incorporating banana, almonds, dates, mesquite, raw cacao nibs, sea salt and almond milk.

Customers line up at the counter to place their orders, and food is delivered to the table.

When it comes to salads, this is hard-core greenie stuff, no coddling of mainstreamers with soft baby greens or loads of dressing. Some people who refuse to eat vegetables claim they don’t like chewing them, but that is what you’re going to do here. Fibrous kale, raw broccoli and other crudites accompany a non-oily hummus ($8.50 for vegetables or pita, or $11 for both). Think of it this way: Working your jaws may help you thin chubby cheeks, and working those face muscles may prevent your jowls from sagging in old age.

I’m not big on carbs but some of my favorite dishes here are sandwiches. Chief among them is the 3 Little Birds ($12.75), with avocado, sunflower sprouts, tomato, chipotle aioli and Fakin’ Bacon, which are soft strips of smoke-flavored tempeh. They don’t have the crisp of real bacon, but the flavor is good, and the crisp, light-as-air sprouts give the sandwich the texture it needs. The sunflower sprouts are much better than the tangles of damp, stringy alfalfa sprouts more typical of vegetarian sandwiches.

I also love the crunch of the curry- spiced falafel that is the centerpiece of the Beirut Burger ($12.75). Instead of little 1-inch balls that could easily tumble out of the whole-wheat bun, this falafel arrives as a single patty topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded beet, red onions and sunflower sprouts. Sandwiches are served with a small salad of steamed kale.

FOR THOSE who want a meatier consistency, the Portabella Stache’wich is a juicy mix of sliced portobellos and zucchini with onions, raw red bell pepper slices, and more of those wonderful sprouts.

Thai tacos ($12.75) are among the cafe’s popular dishes, with sauteed tofu and so much shredded purple cabbage and other greens that it’s hard to get at the tortilla beneath it all. Save yourself some grief by eating it with a fork rather than trying to pick it up with your hands. The Thai peanut sauce is not nearly as strong as what you’d find in a Thai restaurant but the impression is there.

Elsewhere, a Healthy Plate of Food ($12.75) is just that, an array of greens with walnuts added for texture, plus servings of brown rice and black beans that, when eaten together, form a perfect protein. This was a little too healthy for me.

And what makes vegans elated is the array of desserts made without gluten, dairy or eggs, such as vegan apple cinnamon scones ($3.50 each), Very Berry muffins ($3 each), and gluten-free vegan coconut-cashew cookies ($3.50 each).

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.