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new at native foods: best vegan bacon cheeseburger ever
18December 10th, 2009LA restaurants, native foodsnative foods in westwood has had a complete makeover, and i’m a fan of their new style. not only does the place have a fresh paint job with brighter colors, but they’ve implemented a new rewards program, added some pretty amazing dishes to their menu and are now offering daiya cheese.
oklahoma bacon cheeseburger: thinly sliced seitan, melted daiya cheddar, caramelized onions, crispy tempeh bacon on a bun slathered with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, lettuce, carrots, onions, and tomato and topped with crunchy battered dill pickles chips. $9.95
we checked out the new native foods the other day, and while loads of stuff on the menu looked delicious, i couldn’t resist the oklahoma bacon cheeseburger, a seasonal special (pictured above). we ended up eating our food out of takeaway boxes—more on that later—so the photo really doesn’t do the burger justice AT ALL. let me tell you, this baby was massive, juicy, and probably one of the best things i’ve ever eaten in a bun. the seitan inside wasn’t a patty, but more like thick juicy strips of wheat meat topped with the tastiest tempeh bacon ever. there was a generous helping of melty daiya cheddar in there as well, which mixed in with the two types of creamy sauces to make a hot delicious mess. it was drippy, huge, meaty, cheesy and wonderful. seriously, where else can you get a vegan bacon cheeseburger in los angeles? this is on the “specials” menu, and it’s seasonal, so everyone needs to try this thing before it goes away!
twister wrap: organic greens, fresh avocado and cucumber salsa, creamy chipotle sauce and your choice of crispy or grilled chicken. $9.95
for our other entree, my husband and i split the much lighter twister wrap. it came filled with leafy greens, avocado, creamy sauce and crispy soy chicken. the faux meat in this thing was excellent, slightly greasy and crunchy on the outside yet moist and soft in the middle. we got this with a side of nicely seasoned native fries which were spicy and garlicky. yumz.
while we were there, we also learned that native foods has introduced a new frequent eater program where you sign up for a card and earn points that go towards free food every time you dine there. just by signing up we received a complimentary drink with our order, a refreshing cup of lavender lemonade. they also have this promotional gift thing going on through the holidays where if you buy someone (or yourself) a $100 gift card, you get extra $20 card for free. that’s a good investment, if you ask me.
now let’s talk about how the interior of native foods has changed. at the westwood location, you used to order at a counter in the front of the restaurant, then take a seat upstairs and wait for your food. now native foods has expanded and the counter where you place your order has moved next door. there’s also a new seating area there, but it’s not where you sit and eat your food…for some reason the new area is for take-out only. so you order at the new counter, then go outside and back into the original restaurant and sit upstairs, where they will bring your your meal. whew. sounds complicated, right? it is! when we were at native foods, there was no seating upstairs, so we had to eat in the take-out part of the restaurant. and unfortunately, if you dine in that area, you have to eat your food from a to-go container and not off real dishes. oh well, the food tasted great nonetheless!
while the dine-in experience was a little awkward due to the logistics of the westwood location, i was completely blown away by my meal at native foods and i can’t wait to order even more stuff off the new menu. they’ve got daiya quesadillas, pizzas, chili cheese fries, and more. but seriously dudes, get to native foods NOW and eat the bacon cheeseburger. it’s fucking amazing.
native foods
Tags: cheeseburger, daiya, fake meat, west side, westwood, wrap
1110 1/2 Gayley Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 209-1055
Monday-Sunday
11AM – 10PM
18 responses to “new at native foods: best vegan bacon cheeseburger ever” 
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I can attest to how amazing that burger is. I was lucky enough to try it this summer via their twitter promotion. Chef Tanya at the Costa Mesa location brought it out for us personally and explained all the yummy goodness it was comprised of. I literally ate about half of it and was full for the rest of the day. So big, so juicy, so incredibly satisfying. They need to make this a permanent fixture on their menu, freal!
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i had this in costa mesa too. it was good but the daiya was too much. if they used their native cheese it would’ve been a 1000 times better. and when the manager dude asked me what i thought i told him and he seemed sincerely shocked. native cheese > daiya, hands down.
also now they are using gardein for their save the chicken wings? i enjoyed the old wings much better. i’m all for change and adapting and adding new products, but Native Foods was pretty fucking awesome before all of these other companies started popping up.
native needs to bring back the philly cheese steak (maybe the daiya would be ok on this) & keep the baja surf tacos always on the menu. those things are the fucking shit!
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miss anthrope December 10th, 2009 at 10:12
@scott, i agree with you about the philly cheese steak. that SO needs to be on the menu. BTW, i think they still use the native cheese on the nachos and chili cheese fries, so maybe they could make the burger with it if you ask….
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xscottx December 10th, 2009 at 10:29
that burger looks awesome.
wish they would also bring back the Moby Dick sandwhich. that was the shizzz
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My mother is not vegan but a tentative vegetarian. She cries if there are vegetable products in her butter so I was really surprised when she took to this burger and the fake cheese. The mention of fake cheese usually makes her face shrivel up most unattractively.
Scott- ‘The fucking shit’ is a term of endearment right? Cause the Baja surf tacos are on my to-do list 🙂
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The Moby Dick is INDEED epic. I’m gonna request a repeat of that too.
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I am so disappointed to hear that they’re using products like gardein and daiya. Gross!
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birdgherl December 10th, 2009 at 16:49
Sweet jesus that burger looks good. I am planning my entire upcoming LA trip based on this blog. Thank you!
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i am going to get that bacon cheeseburger this weekend! i also agree about the native cheese – i want to swim in a vat of it and it would probably be awesome on the burger.
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Burger was AMAZING. I love the changes.
My only complaint is they ditched the chicken fried steak special that was running on Saturdays. That meal, which came with garlic mashed potatoes and kale, is no longer available 🙁
But I’m digging everything else about the menu and the new look of the store.
Great review!
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Michelle December 10th, 2009 at 22:43
Sweet review! I just tried the new Tustin location tonight and it was cool. Been using my frequent rewards card aplenty in Costa Mesa these days- very cool concept! And I’m asking Santa for Native Foods gift cards this year. 😉 Chef Tanya’s the BEST…that burger looks amazing! Gonna have to swing by Westwood soon to taste. I agree w/Eric…miss the chicken fried steak special.
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CourtStar December 11th, 2009 at 08:05
The Oklahoma burger is delicious I ate one yesterday at the Costa Mesa location and enjoyed every last bit of the daiya cheese 🙂
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This looks absolutely incredible. I wish I was in L.A. so I could try it. Wow.
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Yes they should put on the menu:
Moby Dick
Philly Stek
Roast Beef sandwichThe Tustin location is very nice. I’m so happy for all the vegetarian/vegan restaurants available in OC!
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Jessica February 3rd, 2010 at 20:14
I’ve tried BOTH of these menu items since you posted this (I’m fortunate enough to live 5 minutes away). I loved the cheeseburger but I ADORED the twisted wrap. Both are amazing. God I’m lucky to live where I do.
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Gauri Radha February 10th, 2010 at 13:30
I ordered this when I stopped by Native Foods after a meeting in Westwood and it was so good! I can’t wait to go back and try other items on their menu. Very cool folks behind the counter too.
sketchfest December 10th, 2009 at 10:02