• UPDATED 11/21: vegan thanksgiving in los angeles 2011

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    November 4th, 2011quarrygirlvegan events

    latest updates: m cafe updated!

    the luckiest turkey on earth

    it’s that time of year! thanksgiving is fast approaching, and while most of the country is planning epic meals of death, it’s time to start thinking about our cruelty-free celebrations. consider this a running list of vegan thanksgiving options in LA for 2011. as more restaurants release details, i’ll update the post. so keep checking this link. and if i’m missing anything, leave it in the comments!

    list after the jump –>

    madeleine bistro (open for thanksgiving, plus meals to go and a special bistro box)
    this is my personal go to vegan thanksgiving celebration. the holiday food they come up with is ridiculously tasty, and they pull out all the stops. the restaurant will be open from 11am-4pm with a holiday menu, and reservations are strongly recommended. TRUST ME, get the thanksgiving sandwich!

    thanksgiving sandwich: herbed seitan, cranberry mayo, caramelized onions, gravy.

    for information on the thanksgiving to go box, and the special bistro box for that week (delivered on monday) check out this link.

    UPDATED 11/11 doomie’s (thanksgiving take out and dine in)
    we have the doomie’s menu and it looks amazing. the restaurant will be open on thanksgiving day, and they also have an epic takeout menu for ONLY TWENTY BUCKS! i so wanna eat this.

    doomie's goodness

    UPDATED: m cafe (thanksgiving takeout and dinner special this week added!)
    yes! this week in honor of thanksgiving, m cafe will be offering a special holiday dinner at both of their locations on monday through wednesday. they invited me to their melrose restaurant over the weekend to give it a try and i was served a full on feast of savory sliced seitan, homemade pan gravy, signature stuffing, brocollini, mashed kabocha squash with cous cous and cranberry relish. it’s $17.50 per person, and it’s a great way to experience m cafe’s holiday food even if you aren’t ordering from them on thanksgiving day.

    if you do wanna order thanksgiving dinner this year from m cafe, you need to let them know by today 11/21 at 5pm! they’ve got pricing all customized too, so you can choose for the size of your feast! offerings include savory sliced seitan, herbed bread stuffing, pan gravy, cranberry reslish, butternut bisque soup, winter field greens salad, whipped potato with rutabaga, mashed pumpkin with cous cous, maple glazed vegetables, green beans, and more. i’m starving! check out the menu here and order now for your take out feast.

    m cafe seitan roast. hooray that m cafe is all vegan this year for the holiday!

    added: cafe gratitude (open on thanksgiving day, serving a FREE thanksgiving meal.)
    well this is gonna be pretty hard to beat! cafe gratitude will be serving a traditional vegan thanksgiving meal on thursday from 11am-3pm, and it’s all FREE. there will be no reservations, so it’s first come first serve. the entire thing will be volunteer run, so if you wanna help out, hit them up!

    added: babycakes bakery (thanksgiving desserts)
    babycakes vegan bakery in downtown LA has just posted their thanksgiving menu, and it looks fantastic. apple pie, plain biscuits, chocolate crumbcake, cupcakes, and cornbread are just some of their options. peep the full menu here!

    added: hugo’s restaurant (take home holiday feast)
    i went to hugo’s tonight and on the table they had ads for their upcoming all vegan and gluten-free take home thanksgiving feast. it feeds SIX for only 89 bucks and includes veggie patties, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, leafy greens, risoto cakes, yams with daiya and peso, and cranberry sauce. on top of that, they have a list of extras and desserts you can order. here’s the menu:

     sun cafe (raw and cooked take out meals!)
    sun cafe in studio city will be offering up two vegan thanksgiving feasts for take out—one raw and one cooked. i have been dying to check this place out since i haven’t been in ages and i hear the food has been insane lately. here’s the menu:

     the secret goldfish (bakery pre-order)
    i cannot wait to eat goods from the secret goldfish! they’re a 100% vegan/local/organic bakery in LA, and they’re doing tons of delicious breads and treats for thanksgiving—available for pickup or delivery. check out their thanksgiving page and also hit them up on wednesdays at the barnsdall arts park farmers market. i am dying to try their il filone bread and angels flight biscuits!

    secret goldfish bakery

    vegin’ out home delivery
    vegin’ out, one of our favorite vegan home delivery services is offering a thanksgiving for two for $79.99 brought right to your door. the menu features seitan roast with gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, green beans and caramelized onions, quinoa stuffing and cookies. for ordering info, hit up the website!

     real food daily (thanksgiving take out)
    RFD will be offering their standard t-day takeout this year, and the menu is here. it’s $42 per person and includes faux turkey, soup, stuffing, yams and marshmallows, mashed potatoes, herbed vegetables, gravy, and dessert. one of our readers did a write up on it last year, check it out.

    seed bistro/seed kitchen (thanksgiving takeout)
    our favorite new restaurant in LA is offering up a thanksgiving takeout menu through their west LA and venice locations. the deal is: $45 per person, and it will include tofu turkey, wild rice stuffing, baked yam, green beans with almond and kale, gravy, cranberry sauce, sanae’s pickles, parnip and chestnut soup, plus pumpkin pie mousse. TRUST ME: seed’s food is exquisite and you don’t wanna miss this. pick up is by wednesday 11/23 at 8pm. contact them to order.

    vinh loi tofu (whole thanksgiving vegan turkey take out)
    holy shit, the thanksgiving turkey from vinh loi is insane. it looks like a real turkey, it’s all vegan, and it’s delicious. we served it to my parents for a traditional meal, and it was fantastic. vinh loi just confirmed that they’d be offering them again this year (ALONG WITH VEGAN SPAM!)…so contact the restaurant for pricing and pickup info. i vouch for this!

    stuff i eat (open thanksgiving day, full menu cooked AND raw!)
    stuff i eat is one of our favorite restaurants in LA, and they’ll be open on thanksgiving from noon to 6pm. it will be a strictly holiday menu that day for $40 per person. the cooked menu includes bbq tofu, mashed potatoes with gravy, mac n cheese, string beans or greens, yams, homemade stuffing, fresh cranberry sauce, salad, and sweet potato pie. raw dinner will be a spiced nut loaf, herbed stuffing, gravy, cranberry delight, greens, plantain wonder, corn salad, and raw pie. TRUST ME, the food at stuff i eat is amazing and this is worth a try. reserve a spot!

    shojin (thanksgiving day five course meal)
    on thanksgiving day, shojin japanese restaurant downtown will be doing a special 5 course meal from noon to 10pm for $35 AND WE HAVE THE MENU! you can make reservations through their website, and i’m sure it will be awesome because shojin rules. here is the menu as of now (GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS will be available!): a glass of champagne as an aperitif, course 1 is a sweet potato and tofu loaf, course 2 is kelp and noodle rolls, course 3 is french onion soup, course 4 is a choice of stuffed portobello w/ cranberry sauce or seitan and turnip or brown rice with fruits and nuts, course 5 is a dessert which is yet to be determined.

    native foods (thanksgiving day meals and take out)
    native foods has sent me their info! not only are they are going to be offering up their wellingtons for take out, which are AMAZING…but they’ll be doing a full on thanksgiving meal on thanksgiving day at all locations. here is a pdf with all the info. the menu looks insane: a native wellington, mushroom shallot gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, polenta squash terrine, waldorf salad, green salad, corn bread, chocolate pie, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake…my head is gonna explode!

    many more options to come. most restaurants don’t start announcing stuff until the holiday is two weeks (or less!) away…i just wanted to help you guys get a head start.

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39 responses to “UPDATED 11/21: vegan thanksgiving in los angeles 2011” RSS icon

  • Thanks! These posts are always super helpful!

  • I had Doomies last year and it was fantastic!!! The turkey was crazy realistic! It made for an awesome old school style turkey and “mayo” sandwich the next day.

  • Ditto on Doomie’s 2010…it was RIDICULOUS. I don’t care what anyone else is doing…I’m goin’ back to Doomie’s.

  • fantastic!! thanks for the info!! happy holidays everyone! 😀

  • I’m pretty sure Native is doing their full blown buffet on Thanksgiving at all the locations… the Wellington, mashed potatoes, the works. They also have the take home Wellington and you can order whole pies. And Chef Tanya is doing some free Thanksgiving cooking demos!! I will try and get a picture of the flyer they have on the door 🙂

  • I always go to the Potluck held at Rancho Park. This has been a tradition for me well over 20 years. It’s a great way to celebrate thanksgiving, with a couple hundred vegans (or wanna be vegans) sharing gourmet vegan cuisine. If you have not ever been, give it a try…

  • Cool, thanks very much for the info!!:-)

  • I’ve got some mournful deflated starfish icon going on here…where’s my gravatar image hehe

  • Ohh sorry, never mind, it’s showing up now…(please feel free to delete these stupid posts by the way.)

  • Don’t forget Stuff I Eat, I haven’t looked, but they usually do a great carryout as well as dine in ThanksLiving!

  • Happy Veggie in redondo was ridiculously good last yr- hoping they will do it again this yr.

  • Page 2 of the Native Foods Newsletter has details on their Thanksgiving Dinner event:

    http://nativefoods.com/in-the-news/newsletter.aspx?id=d22dc1a7-afc0-4668-a0ab-468f5688c720

    Thanksgiving Dinner is Served!

    All you have to do is make reservations.

    Served Thursday, November 24th from 1 – 7 pm.

    $24.95 per person.

    Culver City, Costa Mesa, Tustin and Wicker Park

  • I also saw this info when I went to Native Foods:

    The Wellington Special Meal

    $9.95

    Available November 11th – 13th only!

    A nice slice of the Native Wellington with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom shallot gravy and a green salad.

    Try the Welly at any location, then buy a whole Welly for your holiday celebration!

  • You mean all of them?

  • QG: Thanks 1,000,000! Wow! As always, vegan life in LA is great, but you make it that much better!

  • We bought the wellington and gravy tonight from Native. Hoping it stays in the freezer until the 24th.

    Cafe Gratitude is serving a free Thanksliving meal and are asking for volunteers for the day.

  • This post is so helpful, thank you! I’ll probably do the Doomie’s box and order a JAM Vegan Bakery pumpkin pie to seal the deal.

  • FYH always has a vegan Thanksgiving special! I’ll send you the deets when I hear about it. It’s sooooo good.

  • We always do the RFD to go menu- 9 years now- take it home the night before, heat it all up the next day and have an amazing meal!
    http://www.realfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RFD_TGTG11_final_Green-crop-dragged.pdf

  • Stuff I Eat is also offering oil-free thanksgiving dinners for takeout for $45!

  • I dined at shojin last year and it was absolutely delightful! I plan to do the same this year, but because I’m such a piggy, I plan to order takeout from doomies too. And I dont even celebrate the holidays! LOL But I do celebrate good food 😉

  • Hi Ricki,

    The Thanksgiving Potluck is my favorite vegan celebration of the year. I’m so looking forward to it.

    -Rachel

    WHAT: Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck (West LA)

    WHEN: Thu, November 24, 11am – 4pm

    WHERE: Rancho Park (near Motor Ave and Pico Blvd)

    WEB: http://www.veganday.info/thanksgiving.html

    Imagine how wonderful it will be to truly have THANKS GIVING at a gathering filled with hundreds and hundreds of people all who have chosen to have our tables filled with foods for which our bodies, the planet, and the animals can give thanks too!

    This is the longest running single day a year vegan event in LA – we regularly have hundreds and hundreds of attendees – it is in a beautiful, relaxed park setting – a wonderful day it will be indeed – and you should join us – and spread the word to others to join us too!

    – No need to RSVP in advance. Just show up. No charge. Totally free.
    – bring a vegan dish to share, with a notecard labeling the ingredients, and also with the serving utensil it needs
    – also bring your own washable, reusable, plate, cup, utensils, napkin, etc.
    – optional: chairs/blankets to sit on
    – bring musical instruments if you might like to play
    – bring frisbees, balls, and other park play items
    – you may bring well behaved dogs on leashes

    DIRECTIONS:
    – from the 405, take Pico Boulevard east to Motor Avenue
    – go south on Motor to then make a right into the very first entrance
    – drive all the way back and park
    – walk to the picnic tables, on the left, across the grass. (NOT the gathering close to the parking area turn-around.)

  • I’ve tried it and didn’t like it (especially for the crazy price). I know that RFD is all about natural whole foods and stuff, but I feel like they can make a better entree than what is obviously just mashed tofu that you’re spooning into your mouth like pudding.

  • Native Foods page all about the Wellington:

    http://www.nativefoods.com/wellington/

  • I served the turkey and ham from Vinh Loi to a bunch of mostly non-vegans, and the LOVED it. I’ll be doing it again. Kevin Tran is a tofu genius.

  • has any tried the wellington?

  • I went to Native Foods last year in Culver City with my mom and 101 year old Grandma and we had the most delicious meal. It was buffet style and Chef Tanya was there serving us her yummy wellington. There was more food than we could ever eat and we had a great time. I’m proud to say that my Grandmother was probably the oldest women to ever eat there and she loves vegan food!

  • Green Earth Vegan Cuisine in Pasadena is also doing a Thanksgiving dinner for $19.95. Looks pretty good too!

  • Oh cool QG, hadn’t checked this post in a few days, thanks so much for all the added updates and options!!

  • Juliano is having a special for $45 at Planet Raw. I think he has a menu on FB:

    https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=273092809393294&set=pu.207891325913443&type=1&theater

  • I hesitate to post this fearing they’ll disappear. For those on a smaller budget, Trader Joe’s has Tofurkey Roast & Gravy for $9.99. The vegan roast is stuffed and feeds 5 (according to box). We had leftovers for days. It was saltier than we’re accustomed to since we cook without salt, but we heated leftovers with tons of veggies and it worked. Happy Holidays!

    Now, we may feel like splurging and are considering the Native Foods feast. We don’t eat onions or bell peppers. Are the onions in the Wellington chunky or are we able to pick them out easily? Thanks!

  • Soooo much good stuff in this post. We ordered some sides from Street (I counted, and at least 11 sides they are offering can be made vegan – we got 5! – and they’re offering tandoori-cooked jackfruit as a protein.) For our main course we picked up a field roast en croute, which I love!

  • I tried to find the ordering info for the vinh loi turkey but I couldn’t and the haven’t emailed me back!

  • Just placed an order with Madeline Bistro – you can do it online, through their website. You can also order their famous red beet tarter with your order – yipeee

  • With rain in the forecast for Thursday, I wonder what the status is of the Rancho Park Vegan Potluck Picnic?

  • Govinda’s restaurant in Los Angeles is having a vegan/vegetarian Thanksgiving buffet for $15 (or $12 if you pay at least one day in advance) from 12pm to 7pm on Thursday, November 24. Tel: 310-836-1269

    Website:
    http://lalive.info/govindas/

    My friend who is vegan has gone there several times for Thanksgiving. (FYI, he’s not a Hare Krishna.)

  • Hi Tony,
    It is my understanding that the potluck is on rain or shine.
    -Rachel

  • Govinda’s Natural Food Buffet facebook page:

    http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/GovindasBuffet

    “Make your paid reservations for our Thanksgiving Feast and get 20% off the price at the door!”

    “‎$12 pre-pay, $15 at the door.”

  • Thanks. I just read Andy’s comments about it on the facebook page for this event:

    http://www.facebook.com/groups/veganfoodies/

    Andy Mars wrote:
    “We’ve been doing this event for many, many years and never been adversely effected by the weather, but, yes, there is a chance of rain this year. If it rains, then some may still meet there in the rain and others may make other plans.”


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