• chili addiction: a great place for vegans

    20
    June 2nd, 2010quarrygirlchili addiction, LA restaurants

    chili addiction in west hollywood doesn’t get nearly as much ink on this blog as it should. the place is seriously a godsend for vegans and has some of the the best animal-free chili, burgers, and sausages you will ever eat.

    vegan chili cheese fries: Try our fabulous Belgian fries covered with any of our daily chilis and heaped with VEGAN cheddar cheese! $6

    i went to chili addiction with some pals last night, and we had a whole table full of feastage…

    i’d like to mention that both of my dining companions were omnivores, and couldn’t believe how good the meat-free food was. one of my friends ordered the vegan chili fries, complete with homemade match vegan chili and shreds of daiya cheddar cheese. the match was just phenomenal, with its texture that’s so damn close to real meat, and chili addiction’s custom blend of spices.

    match has been around for quite a while, but is a relatively new to the LA restaurant scene. i’m seriously hoping that this stuff catches on in a big way, because i think it’s the only fake meat that has a huge chance of being popular with omnivores. it’s so damn “meaty” and convincing, but without all the gristly weirdness that comes with actual meat. you’ve gotta try it.

    vegan bean chili. $6

    chili addiction always has two vegan chili varieties in stock, one with fake meat and one that’s bean-based. i usually go for the fake meat option, but after reading the healthy vegans rave about the bean one, i decided to give a try. WOW!!!! this stuff was amazing!! it was so well-seasoned and tasted like it had been cooked for days. i am continually impressed by every chili flavor i try, and it would be impossible to pick a favorite. i think next time i go, i may ask for half bean, half match. that would be crazy!

    vegan hamburger: this is hands down the best vegan hamburger you'll every have (includes 1 of our “from scratch” toppings). $10

    my other dining partner went with the vegan hamburger, also made with match meat. i’ve said it before, and i will say it again…this is the heartiest most convincing veggie burger you will ever eat. i think one quarrygirl commenter put it best when he said, “We’re at a turning point, here. I don’t know what dark magicks the people at Match have sworn their eternal souls to, but this flavor goes well beyond ‘good enough’. If food science can get to the point where this stuff is as cheap and nutritional (or more) as the real thing, there is no reason to HAVE the real thing — not even from a business perspective. It’s products like this that make even a jaded cynic like me envision a vegetarian world as a possibility.” he is so right! i couldn’t believe i was sitting there at the table with two omnivores, who were chowing down on vegan food and loving it just as much as real meat. and even as a hardcore, long-time vegan, i love the realistic taste of match as well. it’s seriously an amazing product, and chili addiction has mastered it. if you haven’t tried these burgers yet, get over there and eat them ASAP.

    homemade german fried potato chips. $3

    we also got a basket of german fried potato chips for the table to share, and they were incredible. chili addiction makes everything from scratch, and it really shows in the taste.

    vegan sauerkraut. $1

    i also ordered a side of their special homemade sauerkraut, and i am not lying when i say it’s the best sauerkraut i’ve ever eaten. it’s rich and mustardy and made with top notch ingredients. my only complaint is that one serving was not enough—i wanted 4 or 5.

    "bread and butter" pickles by chili addiction

    lastly, one of the owners brought some complimentary pickles to the table…and while i’m usually not a pickle fan, i thought these were insanely yummy. they were marinated in some kind of awesome sauce and tasted sweet and sour at the same time.

    high voltage hot sauce by chili addiction

    oh, and i NEVER leave chili addiction without buying a bottle of their homemade high voltage hot sauce. just be sure when buying sauces, you check the label to confirm they are vegan (some contain honey).

    if you haven’t been to chili addiction yet, i honestly don’t know what you are waiting for. although they are an omnivorous restaurant, they are definitely one of the best places in town to get vegan food. not just that, but the owners really take pride in their food, and are always excitedly handing out samples. they even told me that they were experimenting with new homemade vegan chicken burgers, but stopped selling them because the demand didn’t seem very high. WHAT? we can’t have them thinking that! we should be showing this meat-selling restaurant that the vegan demand is enormous!

    so get yourselves over to chili addiction and gorge on some good old school vegan comfort food! you won’t be sorry.

    chili addiction
    408 N La Cienega Blvd
    (323) 203-1793
    Hours of Operation
    Sat-Sun Noon – 9PM
    CLOSED MONDAY
    Tue through Fri Noon-2:30 5:30-9PM
    PARKING IN REAR (turn off of Oakwood onto back alley behind building)
    PARKING ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE BEVERLY CENTER (one block to our South)

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18 responses to “chili addiction: a great place for vegans” RSS icon

  • Am I the only one not impressed with the vegan burger? I got to the middle of it and was convinced I was eating a thick boca burger. Same taste and texture. It was charred on the outside so it reminded me of when I used to get a burder that was over-cooked, but that was about it. Am I missing something?

    Plus, for a burger, fries and drink, it was $18. Holy moly.

  • Been craving salty snacks lately, I have my eye on those potato chips.

  • I love that burger so much. Expensive, but well worth it.

  • I have always been such a sucker for chili fries and those look soooo amazing. Next time I’m in the area I’ll definitely have to check this place out.

  • We had a weird experience when we went there, but I’d give it another try.

    We sort of had to guess what was available to order, and the guy at the counter wasn’t so great with communication. We all went with vegan chili dogs since that’s all we were sure they had. They were tiny and I have no idea what they cost because no prices were posted for anything at the time. I did get the sense that they were expensive, because my friend who was paying seemed to be in shock.

    The food was good, though, and since the place was new we figured there were kinks still to be worked out. I hope the prices aren’t outrageous, though. The prices above don’t seem bad, though a $10 burger…better be really good.

  • here are the prices. not bad, if everything is made from scratch like you say. http://media.lab305.com/menu_vegan_07.pdf

  • The people there are AWESOME! Secret free parking around back, too! Do NOT MISS OUT ON THE CHILI MAC!!! I could eat two so I’m going to see if they can super size mine for a few bucks more next time. Also, don’t miss out on the condiment bar with all sorts of freshness to add on top of your chili!

  • oh and btw QG! thanks for The Health Vegans shout out!

  • I had a really shitty meal at RFD a few weeks back, and thought to myself: Why didn’t I just go to Chili Addiction!? Their fries are REALLY good…they have that perfect poppy/crispness on the outside. I’m starting a weight loss kick – so, no more fries for me (waaahhh) – but for those of you w/ metabolisms, go get ’em!

    I really like their homemade watermelon sorbet, too.

  • I’m confused on two things..bean based chili is better than faux meat? I guess u don’t get the nutrients from the whole bean but I think eating soy rather animal protein is healthy. And 10 is a lot for a hamburger..maybe I’m jus the only one suffering right now. Other than that..it seems yummy.

  • I want to point out that if anyone is missing McDonald’s french fries, these guys have them replicated PRECISELY. Yum.

    As for the chicken burger, it was a bit on the dry side and the flavor wasn’t as good as Gardein or even Health is Wealth. You can’t win ’em all, and you’ll never know what products work if you don’t try.

    re: awkwardness when ordering… After a handful of visits, we’ve pretty much decided that it’s not just a matter of getting used to running a restaurant; it’s here to stay, so we might as well roll with it. There’s a method to it that you sort of need to know. It’s like the Soup Nazi, but for chili.
    The first thing you need to say is whether it’s For Here or To Go. I know, typically that’s the last thing you say, but if you launch into your order, you WILL be interrupted. Also, you can’t rattle things off too fast. Go slow, an item at a time, or you WILL have to go over it a couple of times.
    Once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal.

    Pricey, yes, but as an omni friend assured me after taking him and his girlfriend there: “They could easily charge twice what they’re charging for this stuff.” Both of them couldn’t stop raving about what a good deal it was. Not being frequent visitors to places like this, I think vegans quickly get out of touch with what certain things cost.

  • no value at all. high cost for tiny portions in a restaurant with zero ambiance. not a fan.

  • I went here last night and it was incredible. I don’t understand how people are bitching about the price for such good food. Plus the owners are so freindly!

  • Went there yesterday with my non-veg brother and his wife, and as always, it was great. Their chili is fantastic and so far, I’ve been able to try a different variety on each visit. My sister in law originally wanted to go elsewhere, but was quickly convinced that my decision to visit Chili Addiction was the right one. Yes, the prices are a bit up there, but the food is high-quality, all natural and expertly prepared.

  • So, it’s not just me! I dread ordering my food as they always seem confused and I have to repeat it 3 or 4 times. I ordered Addiction Fries and was asked if I wanted anything on my fries. That’s the point of ordering Addiction Fries as it comes with a lot of delicious toppings.

    The carmelized onions are good but they aren’t really carmelized, they are sauteed.

    Other than that, I love the place and eat there several times a month. I hope their business increases and they stay open all day long instead of closing in the late afternoon. The food is great and the owners are very nice and often give out samples of new food they are trying out.

  • Bread ‘n’ butters?! I didn’t get any bread and butter pickles! Next time, I’m asking for them outright. My mother makes bread ‘n’ butters to die for, and I KNOW my pickles. I must try these!

  • i came to this review because we’re hitting this place up tonight and wanted to get an idea of what the best menu choices are. but i am happy to see that someone else, kimberly, is as stoked about the pickles as i am. hee hee!

  • Soup Nazi!!! ROFL It does feel like that when we order too. Hilarious. “no chili for you!”


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