Los Angeles has always been a safe and welcoming place for vegans and the vegetably inclined. With so many options and so little time, we uncovered the (dairy-free) créme de la créme of vegan, vegetarian, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the city to get your plant-based eating on. For the intel, we tapped vegan chef Nicole Derseweh from Youtube Channel I Vegan You, foodblogger
@VeganFatKid, Tal Ronnen of
Crossroads Kitchen and a few other veggie munchers and flexitarians from around town for their top picks.
Toca Madera
Beverly Grove, $$$
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri, 5 - 7 p.m.
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): If you like attractive people, hip interiors and vegan tacos, then Toca Madera might be your spot. For Happy Hour, get in right at 5 p.m., get a seat at the bar and be sure to tell them you're vegan—they'll pull out their separate super secret vegan menu. I suggest adding in their signature Churro Ice Cream Sandwich (because, Churro Ice Cream Sandwich).
Javista Organic Coffee Bar
Hollywood, $
Nicole Derseweh (Youtube Personality and Vegan Chef):I hang post hike with my girls here every week. We get hemp cappuccinos (my favorite vegan cap in the city to date) and the avocado split ... it's essentially a bruschetta stuffed avocado!
Silver Lake, $$
Laura O’Dell (Bucks & Does Boutique): This vegan restaurant is walking distance from our house and it’s so good. We are not 100% vegan but love incorporating a lot of vegan meals into our daily meals.Their house-made kombucha is also amazing and the key-lime cheesecake are my favorite things on earth.
Crossroads Kitchen
Beverly Grove, $$$
@VeganFatKid (FoodBlogger): Possibly my favorite dish in Los Angeles right now. And yes, we have bagels in LA. Can you say "Smoked Heirloom Carrot Lox?" Add Kite Hill cream cheese and a housemade Everything Bagel and you are a cup of coffee away from the perfect start to the day; no matter which coast you live on!
Image courtesy of Crossroads Kitchen
Ink
Beverly Grove, $$$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): Michael (Voltaggio) is one of the most talented chefs in town. The service is always spot on. My favorite dish is the Fresh Corn Dip with house-made ranch doritos — all vegan! I look forward to them every summer.
Corn with house-made ranch ‘foritos’. Image courtesy of @brittvalles
Follow Your Heart
Canoga Park, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): The breakfast special changes weekly, typically with a choice of Tofu Scramble, Vegan Sausage and Fruit, Toast or Pancakes. But it's really all about those pancakes! Fat and full of flavor, the fruit is cooked right into the batter so you may even find the maple syrup redundant!
Image courtesy of @veganfatkid
Brite Spot
Echo Park, $$
Amy and Tony Yanow (Mohawk Bend): This diner has an unmistakable aesthetic in the heart of Echo Park on Sunset. I knew the Brite Spot long before I moved to this side of town (Amy.) We love coming here on a Saturday morning with friends or our kids. They have vegan and non-vegan options and it’s a place to relax and take your time.
Mohawk Bend
Echo Park, $$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): Mohawk is a great place to catch a game and I love the wide selection of beers (that include vegan varieties) and the vegan pizzas. Also try the Buffalo Cauliflower, made to look like buffalo wings.
Banh Mi Vegan Pizza. Image courtesy of @mohawkla
Vromage
West Hollywood, $$
The Trails Cafe
Griffith Park, $
Nicole Derseweh: Another post-hike spot ... they always have vegan pie, and they make their own almond milk in house, which I order in my flat white. It's so good it rivals my hemp cap at Javista!
Ramen Hood
DTLA, $$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): I've really been enjoying the ramen at Grand Central Market from the vegan Ramen Hood.
SunCafe
Studio City, $$
Jenny Ross (Be Well Kitchen): The Kale Colossus Salad is both sweet and savory. There are a lot of ways to work with kale as a chef and this is a creative take on a simple kale salad, featuring a unique combo or raisins and bananas.
Powerplant Superfood Cafe
Mid-Wilshire, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): Forget that it's gluten-free, this French Toast is perfectly moist and gooey and that's before adding the Pumpkin Maple syrup! Topped with Poached Pears and Walnuts you have the perfect marriage of sweet, tart and crunch!
Image courtesy of @VeganFatKid
Gracias Madre
West Hollywood, $$$
Citizine Staff: Completely organic Mexican food that doesn't sacrifice flavor for function. One of us was mid-way through an entree before realizing that everything was vegan. Their menu covers a lot and their cocktail program is one of the best in the city. Perfect for tricking carnivores into a change of pace.
Âu Lạc LA
DTLA, $$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): Living downtown this is always a great spot to walk to. I love their spring rolls which are served with a piece of romaine to wrap around the spring roll that adds an extra crunch as well as the Vegan Pho. Burlesque shows on the weekends are a must.
Elf Cafe
Echo Park, $$
Nicole Derseweh (Youtube Personality and Vegan Chef): Elf is my favorite intimate date night spot. Sit with your lover or friend at the bar counter and watch the masterpiece unfold.
Cafe Gratitude
Larchmont, Venice & DTLA, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): There's no shame in going raw for breakfast. Your homemade breakfast probably doesn't come from a dehydrator so I won't blame you for not ordering the "Fantastic" (raw crêpe), but you'd be missing out. Dehydrated cashew wrap filled with house made coconut yoghurt and fruit, drizzled with maple syrup. My tip—double check what seasonal fruit they have available as it's definitely best with an apple, banana, berry combination!
Image courtesy of @VeganFatKid
Shojin
Little Tokyo DTLA, $$$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): I've been living downtown for 8 years and have been going to Shojin since it opened. It's tucked away in a little Tokyo mall. The (vegan) crunchy dynamite roll is my favorite and they have a great sake menu.
Crunchy Dynamite Roll. Image courtesy of @shojinlove
Veggie Grill
Various locations, $$
Citizine Staff: Veggie Grill may be a chain, but their mashed potatoes and cauliflower make you feel like it’s Thanksgiving. And you can't even tell their dessert is vegan. When your plant food achieves that kind of richness, you’ve found food gold.
Euphoria Loves Rawvolution
Santa Monica, $$
Jenny Ross (Be Well Kitchen): LA's longest standing raw food restaurant. Anything with the onion bread is to live for! The Big Matt with Cheese has to be an all time favorite featuring seed cheese and savory onion bread with a mushroom patty. It's salty and savory and totally satisfying!
Highland Park, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): Holy Avocado! For all my Avocado Toast lovers—this is the best in town! Artisan millet bread from the East coast, Maple Tempeh "bacon" and boulders of avocado. No spreads here! What makes this Avocado Tempeh Lettuce Tomato sandwich so special is the housemade dijon aioli giving the dish added dimension and a fantastic contrast to the sweeter Tempeh. If you haven't had breakfast at Kitchen Mouse yet then I'm not sure we can be friends. But if you see me there, definitely say hi!
Image courtesy of @VeganFatKid
Flore Vegan
Silver Lake, $$
Citizine Staff: We love going here for breakfast for the Blueberry Buckwheat Bliss pancakes or the banana-infused waffles, and always with a side of tempeh bacon. Oh, and definitely a cinnamon roll too!
Inn of the Seventh Ray
Topanga, $$$
Jenny Ross (Be Well Kitchen):
Sunday Brunch at this unique locale features an all-you-can-eat Raw Salad Bar with the best papaya salad ever! It's simple, but also bright and flavorful. The salad bar is a must try for raw foodies because you can combine foods at your own whim. Who doesn't love that?!
Image courtesy of Inn of the Seventh Ray
The Springs
DTLA, $$
Image courtesy of The Springs
eLOVate Vegan Kitchen & Juicery
Santa Monica, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): When Ellen Degeneres' personal Chef opens a restaurant, you know it’s going to be good. Breathe in the ocean air and relax with a signature cocktail or two and some "Sesame Ginger Hush Puppies" at Chef Roberto's all vegan bar/restaurant near the beach.
Image courtesy of eLOVate Vegan Kitchen & Juicery
Araya's Vegetarian Place
Beverly Grove, $$
Nicole Derseweh (YouTube Personality and Vegan Chef): Araya’s is the best vegan Thai food in the city! Sheri the owner works her butt off and some of the dishes she dreamed up as a child! You must try the avocado curry and also the drunken mushrooms.
Atwater Village, $$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): The vegan banh mi and a Mexican coke always hit the spot at this understated Atwater village restaurant. I could really recommend all of the vegan dishes here.
Vegan tofu Basil Banh Mi. Image courtesy of @deeandlala
Hugo's
Agoura Hills, WeHo & Studio City, $$
Citizine Staff: Your basic mom and pop diner with a twist—high quality healthy but tasty eats. We may or may not have spotted Kevin Bacon here and thought it was hilarious to find bacon in a vegan restaurant.
Image courtesy of Hugo's Restaurant
Real Food Daily
West Hollywood & Pasadena, $$
VeganFatKid (Food Blogger): This all-vegan, all organic spot serves up some of my absolute favorite vegan eats in Los Angeles. During Happy Hour, Executive Chef Tara Punzone has carefully paired bite-sized versions of her tasty classics with a series of high-quality vegan beers and wines. This comes in extra handy when you're trying to decide which drink pairs with the best vegan nachos in town!
Image courtesy of Real Food Daily
Bar Amá
DTLA, $$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): I love the Vegan Queso at Bar Ama. It’s a great spot to stop on my way home and has a great selection of vegan dishes.
Vegan Queso. Image courtesy of @bar_ama
LA Vegan
Marina del Rey, $$
Citizine Staff: The “Hot Wings” are perhaps the most ridiculously tasty meat alternative dish I’ve ever had, and I often crave them more than real chicken wings. The seaweed rolls are a fun spin on traditional egg rolls, and the menu offers Thai as well as American fare such as burgers, burritos and pancakes.
Plant Food and Wine
Venice, $$$
Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen): A must stop for any foodie — vegan or not. Veteran chef Matthew Kenney creates beautifully plated seasonal fair. The Black Pepper Kelp Noodles are a must.
Header image courtesy of Little Pine