• native foods in culver city opens today!

    29
    November 15th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, native foods

    today is a super exciting day, because it marks the grand opening of the new native foods location in culver city! the popular vegan restaurant already has 6 locations scattered around southern california, and we are thrilled that their 7th is going to be right here in los angeles. native foods culver city opens today at 5pm, but we attended a pre-opening party over the weekend and got a sneak peak at their beautiful new space and their delicious menu items.

    the new culver city location is absolutely lovely inside. it’s bright and spacious with colorful walls and lots of pretty decorations. you order at the counter, then take a number, choose a table, and wait for your food to be delivered. since the weather was nice, we grabbed a spot at a long communal table outside on the patio.

    we attended the pre-opening shindig with a group of friends, so i got a lot of food pictures, even though i didn’t try each dish. everything was free, so we ordered A TON. thanks to native foods for being so generous, it really was an awesome time! i’ve included what the meals would have cost in the photos below, to give you an idea of the prices at native foods.

    native chicken wings: crispy battered vegan chicken wings. ranch dressing on the side. $6.95

    we started with some appetizers, the native chicken wings. crispy battered soy chicken served with a side of ranch dressing. so good, these would definitely please an omnivore who loves fried chicken.

    nuevo native nachos: homemade organic tortilla chips covered in black beans, native taco meat, native chipotle crema, native cheese, salsa fresca, and guacamole. topped with organic corn, green onions, and cilantro. $7.95

    we also got an order of nuevo native nachos, the restaurant’s relatively new nacho dish. these came with homemade chips stacked with beans, taco meat, cheese, cream, salsa, vegetables and guacamole. i absolutely loved the taco meat and the serving size was massive for under 8 bucks. definitely big enough to share with a few friends.

    mini-greens salad: salad greens, beets, carrots, sprouts, sunflower seeds, croutons and balsamic vinaigrette. $4.95

    then there was the mini-greens salad, a simple starter of greens and mixed vegetables. light, tasty, and fresh—everything a salad should be.

    saigon wrap: braised lemongrass tofu, lightly pickled daikon and carrot twirls, brown and jasmine rice, cucumber strips, fresh cilantro and basil, tangy peanut sauce in an organic whole wheat wrap. $8.95

    i also tried the saigon wrap for the first time: chef tanya’s take on the banh mi sandwich, but in wrap form. it came with braised lemongrass tofu, pickled daikon, carrot, rice, and cucumber strips all mixed up with peanut sauce and rolled in a wheat wrap. i love banh mi sandwiches, and this was a great variation. i’d definitely order it again.

    hollywood bowl: ginger marinated and seared tofu spears over organic brown rice, steamed veggies, and organic greens in tangy roasted peanut sauce. $8.95

    being a HUGE fan of bowls, i also ordered the hollywood bowl: a dish of brown rice, steamed vegetables and ginger marinated tofu spears. i got it with pico de gallo instead of peanut sauce, and it was incredible. i really wish more restaurants in los angeles would serve bowls, because there’s nothing better than rice, sauce, vegetables and protein all mixed up in an easy-to-eat form.

    here are the dishes that our friends ordered, and while i didn’t try it all, i know that everyone was EXTREMELY pleased with the food!

    chicken run ranch burger: crispy battered native chicken, ranch dressing, lettuce, carrots, and onions. $9.95

    portobello and sausage burger: juicy grilled portobello, homemade seitan sausage, pomodoro, caramelized onions, sweet roasted garlic, creamy pumpkin seed pesto and mayo. $9.95 plus native fries. $1.95

    baja surf tacos: two soft grilled corn tortillas stuffed with crispy battered tempeh, homemade surfer sauce, salsa fresca, shredded cabbage and guacamole. $7.95

    classic deli reuben: thinly-sliced, deli-style russian native seitan piled high on grilled organic marble rye. topped with mom's original sauerkraut recipe, native horseradish cheese, and slather of russian dressing. $9.95 plust native fries. $1.95

    in addition to all that deliciousness, native foods also had some very appetizing desserts on hand including cupcakes and pies. we didn’t try any, because we were too busy eating some other great cupcakes, but they sure did look pretty!

    vegan cupcakes $2.95 each

    another great thing about this native foods location, is they have beer and wine for sale! enjoy some brews from stone or napa smith with your vegan chicken wings!

    overall we had a really lovely time at the native foods pre-opening party, and i think the new location is just fantastic! the food was excellent, the atmosphere was comfortable, and chef tanya was even there making the rounds and socializing with customers! thanks so much to native foods for such a fun and tasty event. go check out their new location TODAY!

    native foods in culver city opens today!

    native foods culver city
    opens today at 5pm!

    PS: there is one thing that REALLY BOTHERS ME about native foods, and i just gotta say it. they sprinkle bell peppers (which i HATE) on pretty much everything! and there is no warning on the menu! i try to remember to order all my food without the “garnish” (which is basically loads of tiny chopped bell peppers that are impossible to pick out once they are there), but sometimes i forget. 🙁 if you are reading this native foods, not everybody likes bell peppers! and they don’t add anything to burgers and chicken wings, i promise. bell peppers are ruining my life.

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25 responses to “native foods in culver city opens today!” RSS icon

  • I LOVE Native Foods, but the Westwood location is a terrible experience (no parking, weird food serving arrangements, cramped, hot, etc.)

    If I can take all that amazing food and eat it in the lovely space that M Cafe used to occupy I will be so happy.

    HINT: Parking is *free* over the street at the Trader Joe’s lot for 2 hours.

  • this is great news. i work really close and will be there several times a week.

    i agree about the bell peppers – i’m always picking them off, and so are my friends. what is their obsession with them?

  • yum! we attended the pre-opening (sat at that same outdoor communal table) and were so impressed with the atmosphere, the great attitude of all the staff, and our very excellent meals.

    much easier to access than westwood – can’t wait to go back!

    thanks chef tanya for the opportunity to enjoy your tasty food on the house.

  • I’m so excited for this new and convenient location! I love Native Foods, there is so much to choose from and it is so affordable!

  • I had a wonderful time at the pre opening party as well! We didn’t notice the bell peppers though! lol I did notice the deep fried pickles on the sandwiches though… so tasty! We took advantage of the 2 hour free parking across the street, ate a LOT & really had a fantastic time! The food was amazing! I’ve been to 6 of their locations, and I think this is my favorite one =) I posted pictures on my blog: http://myveganjournal.com/?p=629
    YUM!

  • Gauri Radha गौरी राधा November 15th, 2010 at 10:43

    Thanks for the photos, everything looks spectacular and fantastic!! 😀

  • Gauri Radha गौरी राधा November 15th, 2010 at 10:48

    Especially those vegan cupcakes!!!

  • Cool…another location! I’ve been going to Native Foods since the Westwood location opened. I beg them each time I visit to skip the bell pepper garnish, but I think it’s such a conditioned behavior, they still include it about 20% of the time. I recall reading in one of Tanya’s books that a mentor suggested the colorful garnish and she’s been doing it ever since. This influence carried over to Veggie Grill as well, but they’re more responsive to my requests to not include the garnish.

  • I lost my NF virginity this weekend at the Tustin location. Perfect post-counter-protest meal. I’m so excited for the Culver City location…I think I know where this week’s Toasty Tuesday is going to take place!

  • I don’t like the bell peppers either!

  • We had the Chili Cheese Fries, Oklahoma Bacon Burger, and Surf Tacos. Everything was awesome. I’d had the burger before at the Westwood location, but really didn’t dig it that much. This time though it was really awesome. I can thoroughly recommend that.

    I just wish they’d open closer to me (I’m way out in Simi and it’s a long drive).

    There I am in your pic, checking-in on Facebook on my iPhone :p

  • I’m in a pic on QG’s blog! I feel so special. 🙂

    Tanya rocks….this location really steps things up for Native Foods in L.A. Love the new location, love the amount of space – and dunno if it was just my imagination, but the food seemed even better. Granted, the boss was there watching over everything…hehe.

    I usually get the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger so I decided to try something different…I got pizza, which I haven’t ordered from NF in a long time. There’s something MAGIC about what NF does w/ portobello mushrooms and how they sausagify seitan….and while I like the Native Cheese for nachos and sandwiches – I’m glad they’re using Daiya on the pizzas…excellent! I also had a cardamom cupcake, which was really interesting and tasty…has a bit of a bite to it. My pigging out also included a peanut butter parfait…WOW. Again – something I’ve liked at NF in the past, but they did something to improve it, I swear…it was amazing!!!

    The Culver location is a bit more out of my way than the Westwood one…but I think I’m going to make a point of going to the Culver location! 🙂

  • We were there and we’re in your pic! I’m in the 2nd photo, foreground, red top.

    We all tried different things, the chili cheese fries as always were AWESOME! I love those. Oklahoma Burger was great, surf taco’s were very nice. Tried friends pizza which was soo good with the Daiya cheese! He also had the chicken wings which we shared and those were tasty too! Best of all though – vegan chocolate cupcake! Damn that was SOOOOOO GOOOD! Not a huge desert lover but those cupcakes were VERY tasty! Delish!

    Great event, thanks Chef Tanya and all the staff at the Culver City NF location!!!

  • Longtime reader, first time poster… I just had to leave a comment about the new Culver City location of Native Foods. I work at Sony Pictures across the street and when I found out a Native Foods was opening in the old M Cafe space, I nearly jumped for joy, in fact I think I may have actually did a little happy dance. As some of the other posters have noted, this location is so much better than the one in Westwood. Large dining room, great patio, plenty o’ parking and the food just rocks. Great portion sizes, great prices and the cupcakes, Jeez Louise, delicious! I am such a happy camper!

  • Will NF have any crazy deals for opening week? I think that would be a good idea.

  • The crazy deal is that they EXIST! A good idea would be to get your cheap ass over there and buy some food! 🙂 🙂 🙂

  • Went there last night after Margarita Monday at Kay and Dave’s. Purposely did not eat just so I could hop next store to get a Native Reuben (and a Stone IPA, of course!). Soooo good.

    I really couldn’t be happier. The Westwood Native was the first vegan restaurant I’d ever been to, and as a lost freshman with little to no dining hall options, I was so stoked to have a vegan place within walking distance! Even though that location has its issues, I’ve got a soft spot for it. Now that I live in Palms, I’ve got a new Native within walking distance. 🙂

  • You guys went for lunch? We should of done that so we could of taken a nap after!

  • when are they opening in Hollywood??

  • headed there tonight with queerveganrunner. i think there needs to be a blog comparing the country’s best vegan reubens…I’d say the one I had at Native Foods this past weekend ranks up there with the one from Chicago Diner.

  • Haha, if only you knew how much of a cheap ass I really am. I visit a site with “cheap ass” in the frickin’ title numerous times a day.

  • I like the bell peppers! I’d be sad if they took them away.

  • Those wings looks similar to the ones at Veggie Grill. Not that I’m complaining, because their wings are great.

  • Msmerymac – One of Veggiegrill’s co-founders used to be a Native Foods co-owner….it’s no surprise that VG’s food is very similar to Native in some ways.

  • Please stop complaining about bell peppers and such. We’re lucky to have Native Foods at all. All my vegan friends have a shit-list of stuff they freak out about, like tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, Daiya, olives, mock meats or any place that serves mock meat. I can’t take it anymore. Just suck it up, the world does not revolve around you!


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