you probably haven’t heard about it, because it’s been on the super down low…but we are throwing an EPIC VEGAN BEER FEST on saturday with tony’s darts away at the roxy! and you should come!

one of the huge perks of the beer fest is that ALL of our top 5 food trucks will be there, and each one of them will be serving an ENTIRELY VEGAN MENU. this is especially exciting news when it comes to fresh fries.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP ——> Read the rest of this entry »

another one bites the dust. we are sad to report that this weekend, LA’s last remaining vegan soul food joint, vegan village cafe will be closing its doors. we went there a couple times and thought it was awesome, so this is very bad news indeed.

i called vegan village earlier today, and the person on the phone told me that they are slated to close this weekend, with their last opening hours to be sunday fron 11am to 6pm. she hinted that they may open again in the future, but no promises. she also said that the owner was sad to have to close the place down, so they were hoping for lots of folks to come out on sunday.

soul plate: your choice of fried fish or chicken with candied yams, greens and buttered corn. $13.95

my advice: CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WITH SOME VEGAN SOUL FOOD! this may be your last chance to ever eat at vegan village cafe, and from what i hear, they are ready to PARTY this weekend. lemme suggest the mac and cheese OR anything containing soy fried chicken. lemme re-iterate, this is THE LAST VEGAN SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT IN LA. we have been sleeping on the job by letting places like this go under.

don’t let this chance pass you by. it’s just so sad to see another vegan restaurant closing. 🙁

vegan village cafe
4061 w pico blvd
los angeles ca 90019
323-766-9773

heads up: mooi in echo park isn’t open during normal hours anymore. here is a quick message from the owner, stephen hauptfuhr:

currently we have been operating under non-regular hours, meaning we are not open for regular dinner service on a daily basis as before, we are open every Friday for a set prix fixe 5-7 course menu that changes each week from stephen hauptfuhr and occasional collaborations with guest chefs… if you would like to be made aware of these dinners and any other times we will be open, please email stephen@mooifood.com with the subject heading ’email list request’ and you will be added to his private list to receive these messages.. or you can join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to be notified.. we will continue to operate on these hours through the holidays as we are doing a lot of catering.. you may also email us with any special orders for cakes, ice creams or any regular menu items you would like and we will get back to you the same day..

below the menu for the dinner this friday! while we are definitely sad to see mooi scale back its hours, these new dinners look incredible. take advantage!

know someone who hasn’t tried veggie grill yet?! (what, are they CRAZY?) well if you do, bring them to any of the 4 locations on thursday october 28th, and they’ll eat for free.

everyone should get a chance to eat this burger in life.

full details after the jump —>
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i don’t know what you guys are doing this weekend, but from the looks of this photo, you should cancel your plans and take the spork foods brunch o’clock class.

tempeh bacon stuffed tater tots can be yours

when i saw this photo on the spork foods facebook, it was love at first sight. the spork foods sisters have been holding cooking classes in LA for years, and they have the endorsement of some of our favorite vegan blogs, as well as LAist. i’ve had their food before, and checked out their new weho cooking space, and both are nothing short of incredible.

the menu for the class this sunday is “Harvest Quiche with an Herb Crust, Tempeh Bacon Stuffed Tater Tots, Grilled Asparagus with a Hollandaise Sauce, and Lemon Ginger Scones with a Whipped Maple Cinnamon Butter” aka “I DIE”! it all sounds so freaking good.

check out the spork foods website for info on how to sign up!

according to yo venice, j’s kitchen has shut down.

can’t say i’m that sad about it.

…down the street!

nite moon cafe is moving to de longpre and highland!

i was out and about in hollywood yesterday, and i noticed this banner on a building near the corner of de longpre and highland. apparently the vegetarian restaurant nite moon cafe, and the yoga studio that comes along with it, are moving down the street from their de longpre/vine location to highland avenue.

bummer that they won’t be so close to the arclight anymore, but at least they won’t be too far away. if you haven’t eaten at nite moon yet, get over there! it’s really good. check out our past review!

UPDATE: please check out the official response that mani’s left in the comment section!

Back in the 90s, Elton used to invite me to his Academy Awards after-party at Maple Drive, one of LA’s trendiest restaurants. Situated on the lower floor of then-Hollywood hot studio Castle Rock Pictures, Maple Drive was a stunning exemplification of the excesses of Hollywood at that time. Over the years, though, Maple Drive fell into decline, and perhaps the final nail in the coffin was the death of its owner, actor Dudley Moore. The restaurant closed not long after he passed away.

The tremendous location on tree-lined Maple Drive in Beverly Hills remained boarded up for a while until one of our favorite vegan-friendly restaurants, Mani’s Bakery, took over the space recently and relocated their operations lock stock and barrel from the Fairfax district, naming the new location, fittingly, “Mani’s on Maple”.

We’ve raved about the old Mani’s location a number of times before and even mounted a campaign to get them more customers when the owner put a message on the website saying that they were in danger of closing. We dined there nearly every weekend, I’d drive across town for lunches with colleagues and we blogged and tweeted about it until we were blue in the face. The rest of the vegan community clearly did the same, and we were pleasantly surprised to find familiar vegan faces at Mani’s just about every time we visited.

Well, I’m sad to report that just like the former, storied Maple Drive Restaurant that plummeted out of fashion and into decline, Mani’s has done the exact same thing – at least as far as vegans are concerned. After all, our recent experience exposed non-vegan food served to us that wasn’t the usual kitchen mistake or hidden ingredient, but a complete breakdown of organization from the proprieter through to the serving staff. Read on to find out just how crappy Manis is for vegans.

You’d think me nuts for saying this just by looking at the menu. It’s full of vegan offerings: burgers, sandwiches and even a Banh Mi-style sandwich. There are seitan and tofu options for most things, and a reassuring “V” sign next to all the items that are allegedly vegan. Indeed, the menu even goes so far as to have a whole call-out about how vegan the vegan offerings are:

the legend as it appears on Mani's menu

So, it was with a double dose of nostalgia that we hit up Mani’s on Maple for lunch this week. The space certainly reminded me of the old days, and I can still hear the echo of Elton’s distinctive laugh as he mingled through the crowd. Further familiarities included the friendly Mani’s staff, the beaming and bespectacled Mr. Larry Maiman (co-founder) buzzing around, the distinctive colorful menu sorted into tabs and large plates of delicious-looking food everywhere.

We settled into a comfortable booth on the back wall and ordered the Vegan Sliders and Vegan Banh Mi asking the server to check with the kitchen to ensure that the bread and all ingredients were vegan, and she promised she would.

"Vegan Sliders" as seen on Mani's menu

"Vegan Banh Mi" as seen on Mani's menu

A few minutes later, two wonderful-looking plates of food arrived. Again, we asked the server if everything was vegan and she said: “Yes, I asked the chef and everything here is 100% vegan”.

Well, we snapped some pictures and began to eat our lunch. Very quickly, we noticed that the bread had a very “buttery” texture and taste. Again, we asked if everything was vegan: “Yes, I checked with the chef. Everything is vegan.”.

We looked up the menu online, and noted that Mani’s serves by default “Brioche” bread (Wikipedia describes it thus: “Brioche is a highly enriched French bread, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust from an egg wash applied after proofing.”). Hardly vegan. I got up to find our server, and asked her to check again with the kitchen, while we stopped eating.

A few minutes later, Christopher Hopgood, the restaurant’s GM, came to our table to apologize in a highly funereal tone that the bread we’d eaten wasn’t in fact vegan but contained egg and butter as we had suspected. Not only that, he said that none of the buns are vegan and therefore neither of the dishes that say “vegan” which we ordered actually are. Indeed, he wasn’t sure if any of the breads are vegan, stating that they used honey in many of them and “well, the bakery isn’t really ready yet”. When we asked him how they could have made such a mistake, and he responded “We all proof-read the menu, and these vegan dishes are a mistake. We will take steps right away to correct this.”.

Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Hopgood was very polite and genuinely apologetic (especially as he had no idea that we had a vegan blog). He comped our lunch (no shit, considering we ate very little), and gave us a gift certificate which we’ll use one evening to go for a few drinks, as there’s no way I can trust the food at Mani’s ever again.

We asked FOUR times if the food was vegan, and only on the final pushy request did somebody actually bother to find out for sure. I believe that Mani’s is one of the sad breed of restaurants in LA that are cashing in on the “Vegan” word, slapping some ostensibly vegan ingredients into non-vegan items they already have on the menu, as well as not training their servers and kitchen staff apropriately.

Manis: if you can’t do vegan food properly then don’t do it at all.
Vegans: You might want to AVOID MANI’S.

Clearly, they’re not up-front about what’s in the food and the fact that we had to go through so much to get to the truth speaks volumes about the attitude they have not only about vegan customers but their clientele in general. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. And if you want to know why I don’t eat eggs? This report will give you some of the reasons.

did y’all know that it’s international day of the nacho (look it up)?! and to celebrate, we’re bring you a quickie list of our 5 favorite places to get vegan nachos in los angeles! you should eat some today…you know, to honor the holiday. here we go:

1.) veggie grill: uptown nachos

Uptown Nachos Tortilla chips, chili, VG-cheese, corn salsa, avocado, soy cream, jalapenos … $4.95

i think these nachos are the best, because they come with everything i love: daiya cheese, bean chili, salsa, avocado, soy sour cream, and jalapenos all on top of crispy chips. super good and SUPER cheap at under 5 bucks!

2.) real food daily: not-chos

better with cheddar nachos: Tortilla chips, melted cashew cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, tofu sour cream. $11.75

the not-chos at real food daily are BY FAR the best thing on the menu, and i have to order them every time i go. tortilla chips topped with the best homemade cashew cheese i’ve ever tasted, along with black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and tofu sour cream. you can add taco mix for an extra $2.75…but with an $11.75 base price, i think these nachos are expensive enough. pro tip: if you like spicy food, be sure to ask for the jalapeno cashew cheese!

3.) hugo’s tacos: vegan nacho grande

nacho grande (vegan): Freshly made tortilla chips topped with your choice of filling, choice of salsa, daiya cheese, topped with a dollop of guacamole. $5.92

hugo’s tacos sells “normal” nachos, but if you request them with a vegetable filling and daiya cheese, they are instantly vegan. they use the italian blend daiya rather than cheddar, which may sound a little bit odd, but it’s surprisingly good! i get mine with the soyrizo, potato, and zucchini filling; along with the jalapeno hot sauce! the serving size is absolutely massive (enough for 2 people to share), yet only costs $5.92.

4.) chili addiction: chili vegan addiction nachos

Chili Addiction Nachos: Try our fabulous homemade corn tortilla chips (or potato chips) smothered with chili, VEGAN cheese, and diced jalapenos! $8

what makes these nachos stand out are chili addiction’s phenomenal homemade chips and chili. the chips just taste incredibly fresh, and the chili is by far the best in town. you get a huge portion of those, plus a layer of daiya cheese, diced jalapenos, and onions for $8. if they would just melt the daiya a little, these things would be PERFECT.

5.) mandoline grill: vegan vietnamese nachos

vegan vietnamese nachos: tofu served over crispy corn tortilla chips topped with scallions, jalapeno, mint, cilantro, and sriracha aioli. $4.50

a fresh take on vegan nachos, these don’t have any kind of fake cheese on them, but instead are covered with a creamy sriacha aioli. they also come with a healthy amount of mandoline’s amazing lemongrass fried tofu, scallions, mint, cilantro, and jalapeno. and at just $4.50, they’re an excellent value!

those are our picks for the best vegan nachos we’ve actually tried in LA, but native foods has some brand new nachos as well that look amazing:

Nuevo Native Nachos: Homemade corn tortilla chips covered in black beans, Native Taco Meat, Native Chipotle Crema, Native Cheese, salsa fresca, and guacamole. Topped with corn, green onions, and cilantro. $7.95

these are definitely at the top of my list of foods i need to try. with both homemade chips and cheese, i bet they are spectacular!

so let’s all go eat some vegan nachos tonight, and show everyone that the international day of the nacho doesn’t need to include meat or dairy. weeee!

m cafe in culver city has shut down, but native foods will be taking over the lease

so i guess you can file this under “bad news” and “good news.” as of today, m cafe’s culver city location has shut down and a trusted source tells me that native foods will be taking over the space. I CANNOT WAIT. while i am sad to see m cafe go, at least an awesome vegan restaurant will be replacing it. FINALLY, a native foods in LA with proper parking and seating. you gotta admit, the westwood location is a bit awkward.

m cafe lovers can still enjoy their awesome vegan food at the melrose and beverly hills locations. our heart goes out to m cafe, and we wish them the best…but this cloud appears to have quite a silver lining. let’s all cross our fingers.

special thanks to my anonymous informant!

just got word on a new special menu item over at mandoline grill: fresh spring rolls!

these babies basically have the same ingredients as the noodle bowl: vermicelli noodles, lemongrass tofu, and fresh mint wrapped up in rice paper. right now they’re served with the same vegan sauce that comes with the bowl (a soy sauce-based sauce), but mando is working on a vegan peanut sauce! which means i am going to have to start working out.

the rolls are going to be a “special” so they may not be on the menu all of the time, but if you have the chance, TRY THEM! perhaps at vegan beer fest?!

oh, and a mando sando update – ask for grilled jalapenos with your banh mi, if you specify vegan they’ll put a piece of foil down on the grill. it really kicks up the heat!!

we’ve sampled the goods at seabirds truck before, and while we were impressed the first time around, recently we WERE BLOWN AWAY by their delicious food. before, we’d opted for burger, hummus plate, and vegetable bowl…but this time, we were all about the mexican dishes: tacos, taquitos, and burritos! yeow!

Beer Battered Avocado Taco - Topped w/shredded cabbage, red onion and creamy tequila-jalapeno sauce. $2

we hit up seabirds with a group of friends during one of their brewery stints at the bruery in orange county. the place was packed, but we were lucky enough to find a table to crowd around, and we ordered a bunch of stuff to share. i started with the beer-battered avocado taco, which was phenomenal. right after i ordered it, i could see them slicing up the whole avocado and hand battering each slice. the result was freshly fried perfection, all topped off with cabbage and a creamy jalapeno sauce.

Jerk Jackfruit Taco - Jerk seasoned jackfruit topped w/onion, cilantro and green salsa. $2

i also ordered a jerk jackfruit taco, which consisted of seasoned and marinated jackfruit topped with onion, cilantro, and green salsa. AMAZING! look out pure luck, because this really gives your jackfruit carnitas a run for their money. i need to learn how to make jackfruit myself, because it really is the best meat substitute ever…without actually being fake meat. i dunno how they do it. magic.

Fried potato and jackfruit taquitos. $4

next up, the table got an order of fried potato jackfruit taquitos to share. i only tried a bite of these babies, but boy were they deadly! soft warm potato chunks and flavorful jackfruit strips all wrapped up in a crunchy fried shell. pure genius! they went down quite nicely dipped in seabirds’ incredible guacamole.

Locals Burrito- Potatoes, organic beans, organic brown rice, caramelized onions, guacamole and vegan sour cream. $6

lastly, my husband ordered the locals burrito, which i was sure to steal several bites from. this burrito came packed with all the good stuff—grilled potatoes, beans, brown rice, caramelized onions, guacamole, and vegan sour cream. the 6 ingredients i just listed are probably some of my favorite foods on this planet, so of course i was a huge fan of this burrito. plus it was massive for just $6…and very delicious. i’d highly recommend it.

i really wish seabirds would move to los angeles, because they’ve gotta be my favorite food truck ever. now i’ve tried almost everything on the menu, and it’s all been amazing….not to mention entirely vegan and made with quality ingredients. seriously guys, seabirds rocks. track them down and make the trek to orange county. the food is so good, it’ll be worth it.

seabirds truck on twitter
seabirds website

PS: GOOD NEWS, LA! seabirds is going to be serving food at the LA VEGAN BEER FEST. and tickets are on sale NOW at a discounted price!

it should come as no surprise that the best vegan restaurant in los angeles, madeleine bistro, also has the best home delivery service: the bistro box. we have raved about the box before (trust me, it’s THAT good) but since then, madeleine bistro has made several changes to the service, and this week’s menu looks so amazing that i just had to share it with you guys.

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they are always thinking of great new offers over at native foods, and now they are introducing “native days”: a monthly celebration of the environment, animals, and good food.

on october 12th and 13th (that’s today and tomorrow, people!) they will be giving away tons of freebies including FREE DESSERT and an exclusive DVD to customers. details after the jump!!

MORE DETAILS—->

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Okay, so we’ve already posted about the best vegan and best vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, but sometimes we vegans HAVE to eat in omnivorous restaurants. That’s a part of life. What’s interesting, though, is when we find meat-serving restaurants that we WANT to eat in. That’s a whole different story, and LA has a few outstanding omnivorous establishments that go out of their way to cater to vegans. Here are our favorites, updated from last year’s list.

Tony’s Darts Away

The first time I heard about Tony’s Darts Away, I thought somebody was messing with me. I mean, a craft beer bar with an over 50% vegan menu? C’mon, people, who are you kidding? When I stepped into Tony’s on the night it opened I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I was awake and not dreaming. First off there was a HUGE selection of California craft beers, including many of my favorites and some that I’m very glad to have discovered. Next up, there’s a menu with a ton of awesome vegan offerings including a build-your-own vegan dog with three different sausage flavors.

Vegan Italian Sausage with slow-grilled onions, sauerkraut, Vegenaise, and aoili at Tony's Darts Away

Seriously, what better way to wash down some awesome vegan food than with an equally awesome craft beer? Tony’s Darts Away is one of the best places to open in Los Angeles in years. Vegans, omnivores and everything in between should not hesitate to check it out.

Cheers!

Chili Addiction

Although firmly omnivorous with its menu items, Chili Addiction is a vegan’s delight in every way. At any given time there will be at least two vegan chili dishes available, and the selection of vegan dogs, burgers, sorbets, fries and plain ol’ chili is to die for. This is one of those places where everything on the menu is so good that you have real trouble deciding what to order. I usually go for an order of Chili Mac, and a dog or burger sometimes with a side of chili fries to share, and everything I’ve ever had has been top notch.

Chili Mac at Chili Addiction

In fact, I think Chef Johnny, co-owner and genius behind the award-winning dishes at Chili Addiction, could be one of the most talented and under-rated chefs working in LA right now. If he’s in the counter-service restaurant when you visit, he’ll happily give you a taste of anything on the menu as well as run you through the ingredients and even explain the concept behind the dish. On a recent visit I enjoyed some amazing hominy chili while Chef Johnny explained how he had come up with the recipe and how he was challenged to get the hominy texture “just right”. On another occasion, I enjoyed the best vegan sorbet of my life, and Chef Johnny took delight in telling me about a special machine he had obtained to make it!

Chili Addiction has parking out back, and is only steps from the Beverly Center in West Hollywood so there’s really no excuse to go there and eat. Just do it, you won’t be sorry.

Pizza Cookery

it’s no secret that we love pizza here on this blog. I mean, who doesn’t? There would have to be something wrong with anybody that didn’t love a perfect crust, tangy sauce, fresh toppings and a yummy vegan cheese, right? Well, assuming that you’re on the same page as the above, you need to get over to Pizza Cookery in Woodland Hills ASAP. Unceremoniously accessed through a side entrance of a somewhat decrepit 70s-era shopping mall awaits some of the best vegan pizza you can get, as well as an environment and ambiance that feels more like Old Chicago or New York than deep in the 818. A combination of funky retro styling (old cast iron soda vending machines) and sawdust on the floor along with faux-gas lamps everywhere really evoke an intimate atmosphere that’s as suitable for a first date as it is an office party.

Vegan Pizza with Daiya at Pizza Cookery

The menu is hugely vegan-friendly with a selection of salads and breads most of which can be made vegan. Everything is stunningly fresh and very well prepared, from the vegan caesar salad to the amazingly tasty and filling cheesy rolls. The pizza crust is soft and chewy, while the brick oven takes care of nicely charring the bottom. All the toppings were bright and colorful and the sauce and Daiya cheese mixed perfectly together.

Pizza cookery is the best pizza place in LA that serves vegan pizza and is dine-in. You’ll feel like you’re in a real pizza parlor of yesteryear, and leave very full and very satisfied.

M Cafe

With a totally vegan menu except for fish, M Cafe has a chic urban appeal, backed up with an A-list of ingredients (and clientele) all layered over an efficient kitchen and fair pricing, considering how great the food is. While the last year or two M Cafe’s items have been prepared by kitchen staff rather than chefs, their menu items are still some of the best in town.

Vegan Benedict at M Cafe

The Big Macro is arguably LA’s best vegan burger. The broccolini pepporochini is without a doubt LA’s premier broccolini, and the Vegan Benedict is constantly voted one of the “best” breakfast items on any local menu. There are plenty of vegan options at all times of the day, and the rotating menu constantly keeps one coming back for more. The deserts are out of this world, along with some of the best vegan tiramisu known to humanity. Check it out!!

Hugo’s Restaurant

With two locations (West Hollywood and Studio City), and a full-on meat-oriented menu, one might be surprised to find that the Hugo’s chefs have created some seriously innovative vegan cuisine. Not only do they have loads of options, but the menu has several clearly marked animal-free alternatives, as well as dishes that can be optionally veganized. If you can get past the trendy atmosphere, long waits and constant celebrity sightings you’re in for a vegan treat.

Although I’ve long been a fan of the tofu scramble, I also love the Very Green Casserole (one of the best vegan burgers I’ve ever tasted atop stewed vegetables and sauce in a pot) as well as the salads, tikka masala veggie patties, stir-frys and wraps. Make sure you specify “VEGAN” clearly when you order, while the restaurant is extremely vegan-friendly, there may be butter hiding in unsuspecting dishes.

Vegan Pasta Carbonara Special at Hugo's Restaurant

Since the last time we voted Hugo’s onto this list, they’ve introduced some astounding vegan specials that rotate in and out, and usually stay on the menu for a week or two before being replaced with something new. This is a very welcome addition, and the specials have been some of the best vegan dishes we’ve eaten anywhere.