We are rounding up the best restaurants to get your vegan fix in Los Angeles. We’ve enlisted Taste Savant to help us. If you haven’t heard of them – Taste Savant is THE place to start any search before dining out. They compile all the best critic, chef, and now fitness experts for reviews of only the very best restaurants. They’re based in New York and have added Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles to their restaurant discovery repertoire. Taste Savant makes everything easier for us providing menus, reservations through Open Table, delivery by GrubHub Seamless. You name it. Keep your eyes peeled for more food-centric cities from Taste Savant this year and an iOS app on the way.
Café Gratitude is the royal throne of the LA vegan food scene. Part of the Eater 38, it’s a local favorite for organic raw & vegan cuisine. While not a new addition to any vegan list in LA, Café Gratitude deserves to be on the list over and over again. Check out both their Larchmont and Venice locations.
Vegan highlights: The LA Times loves their Polenta, Potatoes, Pizza, Chocolate Mint Cheesecake, and Key Lime Pie
2. Crossroads
Vegan food can be fancy too! Tal Ronnen is chef to the stars and as of last year, all of us can now enjoy his delicious plant-based food. Crossroads has solid reviews from many of the critics including industry vet and carnivore, Jason Berkowitz. Be sure to check out their very popular pre-fixe Sunday Supper.
Vegan highlights: LA Weekly likes the Tortelloni. Time Out and LA Mag touts the “Meaty” Lasagna and Crab Cakes.
With 2 locations in Echo Park and Culver City, Sage Vegan Bistro is one delicious destination for vegans without sacrificing flavor. One of the best parts of Sage Vegan is they have live music every Thursday and Sunday. Don’t miss it! The folks at Sage describe themselves as all things to all people, satisfying all walks of life while being decadently healthy. Sage Vegan’s fans include Flywheel’s Jesse Brune.
LA doesn’t lack in salad hot spots, but Greenleaf is taking the formula to another level by revolutionizing salads with their clean principles. And they don’t stop there. Come into Greenleaf for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And even stick around for their daily happy hour with half-off small plates. Barry’s Bootcamp instructors, Joey Gonzalez and Astrid McGuire, can’t stop raving about Greenleaf.
Vegan highlights: Grilled Vegetable Salad and tons of vegan friendly sides.
5. M Cafe
Both Flywheel’s Jesse Brune & Barry’s Joey Gonzalez recommend M Café. There are tons of vegan options at this contemporary macrobiotic staple. M Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a great outdoor space at all locations. With a fresh deli bar as well, M Café also caters to healthy eats on the go!
Vegan highlights: Jesse’s favorite is the Spicy Peanut Kale Salad.
6. Suncafe
Flywheel’s Jesse Brune loves Suncafe which isn’t just vegan but it’s also raw and all organic. Many dishes are gluten free or can be made gluten free. This restaurant accommodates everyone. For anyone coming down from an exhausting hike at Runyan Canyon or Griffith Park, this is a great spot to relax and recharge.
Vegan Highlights: Jesse’s favorite is the cream of mushroom soup.