Zi Spice Review: The Farm-to-Table Gem of Ashland, Oregon

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Written By Amy Suto
Amy Suto on the sunny back patio at Zi Spice in Ashland, Oregon, holding an A2 milk chai

On the Zi Spice patio with the A2 chai. Ashland in June, showing off.

While we were eating on the patio at Zi Spice in Ashland, someone walked past our table carrying armfuls of fresh greens and herbs, straight into the kitchen.

That’s not a marketing story. That’s just what farm-to-table looks like when it’s literal — and Zi Spice is the best meal we had in Ashland, Oregon: farm-to-table cooking where everything, and I mean everything, is incredible. We went back the next day. The receipts confirm both visits, and the second one was bigger.

Brunch spread at Zi Spice in Ashland, Oregon: poached eggs with gluten-free sourdough and strawberry-topped French toast

The receipts say we ordered this. The photos say we inhaled it.

The Gluten-Free Sourdough That Fooled Me

Let’s start with the headline: their gluten-free sourdough bread is absolutely insane. I had no idea it was gluten-free. None. I’ve been gluten-averse for years (the remission essay explains why), which means I have eaten a great many brave, sad gluten-free breads. This one has a real crust, real chew, real sour tang. It shows up under the avocado toast, beside the poached eggs, everywhere — and it carries every job.

Avocado toast on gluten-free sourdough with poached egg and heirloom tomatoes at Zi Spice, Ashland

Avocado toast on THE gluten-free sourdough. Still thinking about it.

The A2 Milk Situation (Chai and Ice Cream)

Zi Spice does its dairy with A2 milk — milk with a different casein protein that a lot of people (me included) find easier on the system. Their chai latte with A2 milk is really, really good: warming, properly spiced, zero regret an hour later. And yes, there’s homemade A2 ice cream, because this restaurant apparently decided every category deserved its best self.

A chai latte made with A2 milk in a textured ceramic cup at Zi Spice in Ashland, Oregon

The A2 chai. My body filed zero complaints.

The Verdict on Zi Spice

  • Best for: Gluten-free travelers who miss bread; farm-to-table believers; chai people
  • Order: Anything with the GF sourdough, the A2 chai latte, and whatever the French toast is doing that day
  • Damage: ~$70 for a very full brunch for two
  • Where: 376 East Main St, Ashland, OR (Google Maps)

Zi Spice is the anchor of the eating section in my Ashland, Oregon travel guide — and it holds its own against everything on my San Francisco list, which is not a compliment I hand out to a town of 21,000 lightly.

This is part of my travel series — I spent five years reviewing places around the world as a digital nomad (all the guides live here), and now I road-trip out from San Francisco with the same notebook. Subscribe to my newsletter for new guides and reviews — and if you’re a writer who wants a career that travels this well, that’s what Make Writing Your Job is for.