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elderberries: new vegan food in hollywood!
21December 3rd, 2009elderberries, LA restaurantsheyo, friends! there is a new almost entirely vegan restaurant that just opened up on sunset in hollywood, and it’s called elderberries!
the brand spankin’ new eatery is run by some women who are friends, and is currently serving up a small menu of sandwiches, salads, soups and smoothies. they are hoping to have an official launch this weekend, when they will expand to a much larger four page menu. i checked elderberries out this week, and while they are still working out a few of the kinks, i think this place has great potential.
when i walked in the door, i was greeted by a lovely woman who asked my name and immediately offered me a free sample of homemade almond mylk. she poured some smooth white liquid into a shot glass and handed it over, explaining that they were very proud of this creation.
one sip of this milk stuff, and i was sold—it was incredible. amazingly sweet with a slightly thick texture. i am usually not one to get excited about almond milk at all, but i could totally chug a carton of this.
as i was perusing the daiya cheese-filled menu and deciding what to order, the samples kept on coming out. and let me make it clear, they had no idea i was a vegan blogger….this is just the normal kind of friendly treatment they dish out to all their customers. the next thing i tried was the israeli salad, chopped vegetables in a sort of vinegary dressing. fresh and tasty all the way.
next i tried a bit of elderberries’ chiamore mixture, which is a sugary concoction of seeds, syrup, golden raisins and bananas. normally, this is not something that would sound good to me at all, but i absolutely loved it! they use this mixture in one of their menu items called a chiamore crepe, where they grill it up inside a tortilla. that’s definitely what i’m gonna order next time.
the last sample they brought out before i ordered was just a simple combination of coconut milk and strawberries, but it completely blew me away. i’m not sure if this was one of their homemade milks, but it was absolutely delicious nonetheless.
as a main dish, i decided on the reuben: tempeh, sauerkraut, and daiya cheese on sprouted bread. it came with a side of homemade raw and vegan borscht soup, all for 8 bucks. the sandwich was decent, but with all the other amazing vegan reubens in town i don’t think it’s quite ready to enter the reuben wars contest. overall it was a little dry and the tempeh burger patty was super thin. it could have done with a bit more filling and dressing, but the daiya definitely stepped it up a notch. the borscht was really thick with strong flavor, made with beets, cucumbers, and cashews. everything that elderberries serves is on the healthy side, mostly raw, and soy-free. so while the cuisine is a bit more simple than the decadent fare other restaurants serve, it leaves you feeling totally energized and refreshed. i’m really looking forward to trying out more of their raw soups as the menu expands.
lastly, after trying so many of the amazing sweet creations that elderberries has to offer, i had to get a smoothie to go. i went with the mary jane, a blend of raw carob, banana, dates, and homemade almond mylk. gah, this thing was so freaking tasty, i can’t describe it! it didn’t come with ice (i don’t know if they were out of it, or if they just serve smoothies without it), but that’s okay because that just meant more room for amazing mylk and carob in my cup. i slurped this sucker down in just seconds i tell you, seconds!
while elderberries is off to a pretty good start, they definitely have a bit of room to grow. when i was there, they were missing ingredients needed to make a few things on their menu, but hopefully they will have everything worked out over the next couple weeks. as of now, the restaurant is completely vegan except for honey available to mix into the drinks. oh and also, i heard from a friend that once when the proprietress was away, the restaurant had mistakenly ordered non-vegan bagels from trader joes. i think they learned their lesson, but just be sure to let them know you are vegan and ask to see labels of stuff if you are unsure.
have a look at the snaps i took of the current limited menu. i can’t wait until more stuff gets added:
menu pic 1
menu pic 2
menu pic 3
menu pic 4so go check out elderberries as soon as you have a chance. they are a great little restaurant with the sweetest, friendliest owners in town, and are a very welcome addition to the hollywood vegan scene. i know i will be back next week, for sure!
elderberries
Tags: hollywood, raw, reuben, salad, smoothies
7564 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90046-3413
(i don’t think they have official hours yet, but when i was there they said they are usually open from 7am – evening, 7 days a week)
20 responses to “elderberries: new vegan food in hollywood!”
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looks promising. if i wasnt already at work i’d run over and get a smoothie. they need some breakfast items if they are opening at 7!
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Yeah, I really want to try this place.
I heard they even have an open mic night there on Fridays
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jennifer December 3rd, 2009 at 10:26
yum!!!!! that almond mylk sounds so delicious!! can’t wait to try this place and so rad that they’re super friendly ๐
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Jonathan does a show right around the corner from this place on Tuesdays. I may have to stray from my weekly veggie grill and try this shizz!
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I think we should all be headed to elderberries because they are so new and the people there are so so very nice and welcome suggestions. It is a real opportunity to give input and have a wonderful, charming, cheery vegan cafe on sunset. When I went they too were out of many things, but were happy to let me sample everything. I personally love that borscht. They make great fresh-pressed juice that is a bit cheaper then the rest of the game and town, and because they want to keep customers happy they will let you play with proportions (I need a lot of ginger personally). Lets help elderberries get on its feet it is gonna be great~
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Done! We will go over & show ’em some love & support. Thanks for the heads up. I want the mary jane smoothie right now!
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Meredith December 3rd, 2009 at 20:29
I can walk there from my house! Finally, a vegan non-thai restaurant that is really close to me.
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I have to try this place out simply because they came up with the greatest name ever for a quesadilla – “Quesadaiya” – that’s effing awesome!
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I like how they use the terms mylk and daiya in the menu instead of vegan this or that.
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way to a balanced life style and healthy nutrition. I loved the ideas and looked so Yummy. Thanks Dorit and all the best to your mission guys.
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I can’t wait to try this restaurant! I love Dorit’s food, and the menu seems awesome.. I’m hungry just writing about this.! Yum ๐
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Yvonne March 4th, 2010 at 21:08
My boyfriend and I decided to try Elderberries out on Valentines Day. All the food we had that evening was spectacular – and with all the samples the owner gave us it certainly wasn’t very expensive. I don’t know how long she can go on giving away so much food. We came all the way out from the hinterlands of the west valley to try the place out and support it and will love to go back.
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We came all the way from Philly and a friend took us to this place. If I could upload the picture from the restroom door you would see a hand painted picture of an angel in a wheelchair indicating the restroom is wheelchair friendly.
This place is a not just almost Vegan it is community building as well.
Check it out!
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Gauri Radha March 31st, 2010 at 14:04
I was near Sunset and Highland for dance stuff so I finally stopped by Elderberries. I had a lovely experience!! Smoothies and samples of several things they are making. I can’t wait to go back and try more things. They now have a huge sign that says “vegan” outside too.
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fairlykitty October 20th, 2010 at 20:00
great desserts – brownie – with cherry ice cream and chocolate sauce….mmmmh, wonderful service – particularly rochelle. ๐ love the shakes the most – especially the one with spirulina forget what it is called, mary jane is good as well. Wish I knew the time they open tonight, their phone number on yelp is belongs to a guy – not the place. :O
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