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brand new mid-wilshire vegan food: cafe flourish
13May 5th, 2009cafe flourish (closed), LA restaurantsi know that only yesterday we broke the news of a brand new vegan restaurant in los angeles. well, today we have one more recently-opened, cruelty-free eatery to report: cafe flourish located on wilshire at cloverdale. hell yeah, miracle mile finally has it’s own 100% vegan establishment, and it has officially come out of the gates swingin. i got a tip about cafe flourish from a reader called “mc”, and naturally i dragged one of my co-workers there to check it out immediately. although the cafe has just been in business a couple of weeks old and only offers a ‘limited opening menu,’ there was a buzzing lunch crowd when we visited, and the food was pretty impressive.
flourish plate: southern macro plate. pinto beans, long-grain brown rice & sauteed kale with a delicious creamy sauce & a gluten-free corn muffin. $9.95
for just a soft opening menu, cafe flourish sure offers a ton of mouth-watering selections, and i had a tough time deciding what to order. from a rueben, to a quesadilla, to a french dip, to a burrito, to jackfruit tacos, and assorted pizzas, there was more than enough food to choose from. i settled on the “flourish plate” because it sound soul foodish, yet light at the same time. boy, was i spot on!—i’m very happy with my decision, because the flourish plate had that traditional home-cookin’ feel, yet without all the oil or heaviness. the only thing decadent about it was the creamy-cheese-style-sauce. the plate consisted of a huge guilt-free portion of greens, some light but well-seasoned rice, and whole beans covered in the most amazing white sauce mixture. the gluten-free cornbread was also quite tasty: light, moist, and squishy…and not nearly as greasy as the cornbread i am used to eating. this is definitely a way to get a southern fix without feeling like you are about to give birth to a food baby.
my omnivorous friend ordered the BLT&A (which i took a large portion of), and both of us were quite pleased with it.
although it may look a bit simple, the sandwich was quite exceptional with delicately toasted bread, creamy vegenaise, fresh vegetables, soft avocado, and moist flavorful tempeh. the fact that both a meat eater and herbivore were in love with this sandwich speaks volumes. oh, and it came with a choice of side salad. she got the quinoa, which turned out to be the best thing at the table! she even went back in and got her own side order to take home. m cafe and its deli case have got nothin on this, baby.
BLT&A: smoky tempeh bacon, red-leaf lettuce, ripe roma tomatoes, avocado & spicy mayo on half-toasted white bread. with a side of quinoa. $8.50
of course, we couldn’t leave this new found vegan paradise without ordering dessert. although the glass case of cakes was pretty appetizing, we decided to splurge in a small way and split a minty-chocolate-chip cookie. damn, fucking incredible! fluffy and soft with huge, melty chunks of minty chocolate…i defy you to find me a vegetarian cookie as good (and healthy) as this.
vegan chocolate chip mint cookie. $2.25
even though the place has been around just a couple weeks, cafe flourish truly has its shit together. the tiny take-out stlye eatery was crowded when we were there, the service was friendly, the wait was minimal, and the food was excellent. what more do i require? plus, mid-wilshire has been begging for a vegan restaurant for quite a while. this would be the perfect place to grab dinner before a show at the el rey, or to pick up take-out to eat at the little bar.
from cafe flourish’s menu: “we are committed to sustainable food practices; we use organic whenever possible, we don’t use animal products, we compost for low waste, and our food is lovingly prepared, embedded with positive intentions. your choice to eat here today is a contribution toward the planet, your community and your health. we thank you, and may your flourish!” …..in other words…..“nom!!!!!”
hope you all enjoy this place as much as i did. thanks again to my reader mc for sending this in.
cafe flourish
Tags: blt, cafe, cookie, kale, miracle mile, sandwich, soul food, tempeh, wilshire
5406 wilshire blvd.
los angeles ca 90036
323-939-3932
monday-saturday 11am-10pm
12 responses to “brand new mid-wilshire vegan food: cafe flourish” 
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This place looks awesome!!! I am going to check it out stat!
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mr meaner May 5th, 2009 at 22:05
indeed, I will be taking one of my colleagues here on friday. can’t wait!
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How wonderful is it that a new vegan restaurant opens up in this city every five minutes? We are so spoiled in Los Angeles. I can tell just by the looks of it that I will love the Flourish Plate.
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Looks great! I should not come here when I’m hungry and dieting…
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I just found your blog (I think through a Facebook link by Erik Marcus) and I love it! The last time I was in LA, I was a dumb ass because I was not vegan. You make me want to go back and eat everything!
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Stoked! May 8th, 2009 at 10:02
I live in Miracle Mile and I am beyond stoked on Café Flourish! The Smac and Cheese and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie are so good they make my teeth want to cry. They also have smoothies which seem a bit pricey at $9 but after trying The Pearl (fresh young coconut milk, almond butter, vanilla bean, and medjool dates) I’m pretty sure I’d pay anything for that creamy goodness!
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Went there today based on your review and loved it!
Got the BTLA. It had flavorful tempeh bacon and the avocado was so creamy and full of flavor. They put the toasted side of the bread on the inside of the sandwich…never seen that before but maybe that’s their style.
Everyone in there was super friendly…it’s so close to my house and so good I’ll definitely be going back.
And I told them I came because of your great review.
Thanks for helping me stay informed!
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Tracy Lee May 14th, 2009 at 20:34
The neighborhood is more specifically called Miracle Mile. Wouldn’t walk folks to get confused about the location and end up in the wrong neighborhood looking for this gem. Mid-Wilshire is a large, general police subdivision that runs from La Cienega on the west to Hoover on the east. The Miracle Mile between La Brea and Hauser is where you can find Cafe Flourish. Eat up!!
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I love your site. But I didn’t see a posting about a new place called LA Vegan. Even my meat eater husband loves it. It’s on Centinela just north of Culver Blvd. We love everything but the “drunken noodle” is awesome.
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I’d heard about Cafe Flourish from a friend of mine, who is friends with the owner, ans so I recently I went for the first time (my boyfriend works a few blocks away, so he’d been before). I got the BLTA. Oh. My. G-d. So much love for it. And the owner is a sweetheart.
I’m trying the reuben next time.
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mac n cheese, french dip, and pigs in a blanket at cafe flourish on wilshire | vegan food and living in Los Angeles June 10th, 2009 at 07:19
[…] different dishes at the small mid-wilshire eatery, and never once have i been disappointed. since my first review, i have been back to cafe flourish and i think it’s safe to say the food keeps getting better […]
Kirby! May 5th, 2009 at 22:02