The Best Vegan Food Spots in Los Angeles

It’s great to see that vegan food is no longer a taboo subject around the world and there is no better place for vegans to indulge than in Los Angeles. In recent years, LA has become a hotbed of plant-based cuisine, offering a heady mix of fine-dining establishments, laid-back hipster joints and everything else in between. Whether you live in Los Angeles or you are planning on visiting the city on vacation, get a load of LA’s essential vegan hotspots. On this page I’m sharing the best vegan food spots in Los Angeles.

Café Gratitude

There are five Café Gratitude’s dotted across Los Angeles. This small, boutique chain of restaurants serves organic, vegan food. They carefully hand-pick only the best organic ingredients to “honor the earth and ourselves”. The chain proudly supports local farmers and sustainable agriculture; both of which help to create Café Gratitude’s “nutrient-dense” dishes. One of the most popular dishes is their food bowls, which are themed around Indonesian, Mexican, Indian, Acai Superfood and Macrobiotic dishes and offer a wholesome meal for a reasonable price.

Crossroads

If your budget allows, take a trip to the Crossroads Kitchen and its upscale eatery. With super-refined, vegan dishes paired with recommended wines and cocktails, this is as elegant as vegan dining gets in LA. Situated on the corner of Melrose and Sweetzer. Crossroads was established in 2013 with a remit of serving mouth-watering Mediterranean fare in a relaxed yet opulent environment. They are of the opinion that great food is great food, whether it’s vegan or not. Crossroads aims to reach out to a wide variety of demographics, whether it’s vegans, omnivores, flexitarians, even meat-eaters. The meat-free Impossible Burger has proven to be a big hit.

Native Foods

Native Foods is situated on the fringes of the UCLA’s Westwood Village campus. This place is a favorite vegan haunt for many LA locals as well as students but elsewhere, vegan options on-campus are few and far between. Although thousands visit UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion to watch the UCLA Bruins in competitive NCAA basketball action, it doesn’t offer any vegan options for fans. Therefore, Native Foods is often a good pit-stop before or after a Bruins game. Although the Bruins are the most successful NCAA team of all time, with 11 NCAA titles to their name, they are considered big outsiders for the 2019 NCAA championship. It’s been 24 years since the Bruins were last NCAA Tournament champions, with their glory years coming way back in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Plant Food + Wine

Located in the heart of Venice is Los Angeles’ Plant Food + Wine outpost. Led by Matthew Kenney, and head chef, Scott Winegard, this place delivers a healthy sensibility and vegan menu. Kenney has been connected with many other successful raw food outlets in the past and this latest venture has been a huge success to date in its charming Abbot Kinney setting. If you want to get a feel for the flavors coming from the Plant Food + Wine kitchen, you can do far worse than trying their well-rounded $75 taster menus.

Real Food Daily

Real Food Daily considers itself as Southern California’s “premier organic plant-based restaurant”. Real Food Daily has been in and around LA for more than two decades now and has become a staple of Pasadena’s local community, creating delicious food that’s wholesome and real. Burger-lovers will adore RFD’s “build a burger” menu, with its house-made lentil, mushroom, beet, sunflower, date and flax seed patty jam-packed with flavour. All-day breakfasts are also very popular here, with the Breakfast Sandwich based around a tofu patty topped with tempeh bacon, spicy mayo, gouda and cooling avocado – bliss!

Sage Vegan Bistro

Last but by no means least, Sage Vegan Bistro is another vegan eatery dedicated to pesticide-free produce and growing their very own organic foods on their farm. With locations in Culver City, Echo Park and, most recently, Pasadena, Sage is also a very popular addition to the region’s music festivals. Its street food truck rocks up to some of the biggest festivals along the west coast. Sage even has its own brewery, selling a host of craft beers alongside its bistro menu which is designed with sharing firmly in mind. Try the Cauliflower ‘Wings’ – you won’t regret it!

Dining out in LA as a vegan doesn’t feel as restrictive and frustrating as it once did. In fact, LA’s best vegan food spots make eating delicious plant-based food more liberating than ever before.

Click here for my favorite food spots in New York City.