if you want hearty vegan comfort food, there’s absolutely no better place in LA to get it than doomie’s home cookin‘ in hollywood. the all vegetarian (and mostly vegan) restaurant recently reopened, and i swung by last week with the team from clara’s cakes to check them out. good god, it was all fantastic—after a plate of nachos, 2 burgers, a pulled pork sandwich, a ham & cheese croissant, and a massive brownie, we could barely walk.

doomie himself was in the kitchen and was delighted to tell us that he was working on a new vegan cheese—one that stretches, melts, and tastes like the real thing. he’s already using it in the croissants, and offered to let us test it out on our burgers. hell yes.

let me work backwards though, and start off by telling you about the croissant…

vegan ham and cheese croissant $4

the vegan croissants at doomie’s are gigantic—definitely big enough to be an entire meal—and they’re stuffed full of homemade vegan cheese and sliced soy ham. i used to love real ham and cheese croissants when i was a kid (gross, i know), and these really took me back to my childhood donut shop days. absolutely amazing. the flaky pastry shell was so “buttery” and realistic. and the cheese inside is eerily close to the real thing.

vegan croissant the size of your head

even if you eat yourself silly at doomie’s like i did, grab a croissant to go. they heat right up in the oven and taste as good as new.

the new vegan cheese was just as insane on doomie’s already delicious burgers. check out how real this stuff looks…

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i love pubbin’, i love grubbin’, and blue palms in hollywood is the perfect place for both.

we’ve been fans of the craft beer bar since it opened 3 years ago (the draught selection is bonkers!!!), and back in 2008 we sang the praises of their blackened tofu platter. i’m happy to report that since then, their cruelty-free options have expanded to include several field roast sausages and a veganizable homemade veggie burger. of course when i heard about all this, i rushed over to check it out.

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hell yeah! shojin, the all vegan japanese restaurant (and one of our favorite places to eat in LA) is starting a whole new sushi, ramen, and cocktail menu on monday september 19th.

they’ve sent us a sneak peek and we can’t wait to go try it. you may remember how much i’ve raved about their insane dynamite roll (it’s even on our vegan bucket list!), and these new creations look just as tasty. check ’em out:

pirates of the crunchy: fried tempeh, crunchy tempura batter and green onion mixed with spicy mayo in a green vegetable roll served with spicy dynamite sauce. $10.95

mother's soul: green vegetables inside, grilled shiitake mushrooms and fried tofu on toop. $10.95

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all you people who were stressin’ about the lack of vegan options in long beach when we wrote that less than flattering post about steamed can chill out—a new vegan restaurant is opening next month in the LBC!

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hey everyone! time for a quick bite from our resident field reporter trishells! for more of her shenanigans, follow her on twitter and check out her yoga website! xo -QG

home restaurant is a very veg friendly joint serving american home style meals. they have two locations: los feliz on the corner of hillhurst and kingswell and the second in the silverlake area on the corner of riverside and fletcher. both locations serve the same menu but the silverlake location is much larger and imo has a cozier atmosphere.

Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito (with tofu and no cheese!): Spinach tortilla filled with grilled veggies and a touch of garlic, black beans, scrambled tofu and salsa served on the side. Served with your choice of Home fries or fresh fruit. $9.95

i have become a regular at home in silverlake and the breakfast burrito (substitute tofu for egg and minus cheese) has become one of my favorite meals. the veganized version serves up a spinach tortilla filled with tofu, grilled veggies, garlic, black beans, and salsa served on the side. it’s served with a choice of home fries or fresh fruit. when i awake in the morning my typical first thought is “breakfast burrito” and (when i have the time) the craving leads me directly to home.

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ah, vegan chain dining! we don’t like it…but sometimes we just gotta do it. it may not be the best meal in the world, but it’s worth noting that the cheesecake factory has at least one decent vegan option.

thai lettuce wraps (no chicken!): carrots, bean sprouts, coconut curry noodles and lettuce leaves. served with peanut, red chili, and tamarind cashew sauce. $12.95

you’d think that a restaurant with a menu the size of a college text book would have more to offer us, but sadly their best vegan option is the thai lettuce wraps, minus the chicken. the dish comes stacked with fresh vegetables, noodles, and an assortment of sauces for you to assemble yourself. fun!

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this is such great news! fatty’s, one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants in LA, is officially re-opening thursday evening after a 9 month hiatus. we are so freaking stoked. the restaurant sent us sneak peek of their new menu, which we’ve posted below, and it includes many of our old favorite dishes as well as loads of new vegan options. in fact, fatty’s has shifted its focus from being a vegetarian restaurant with vegan options to having a mostly vegan menu with a few dairy options. how rad is that?!

if you haven’t been to fatty’s yet, trust me: get over to eagle rock and treat yourself. it’s one of the very few nice/fancy/gourmet/classy joints to get a vegan meal in los angeles, and the food is positively stunning.

paella: Trumpet, oyster and shitaki mushrooms, wild rice, corn, hearts of palm, heirloom tomatoes, olives and sweet peas with saffron. $18

official word from fatty’s and a peek at the menu after the jump…

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oh hell yes! next week m cafe is rolling out two new vegan dinner specials: a chicken pot pie and a philly cheesesteak sandwich!

seitan pot pie $12.95

i’ll take one of each, please! the specials will run at both m cafe locations from 9/12 to 9/26 after 4pm. the dishes are actually the result of a facebook and twitter contest where m cafe fans were invited to submit ideas for “macrotized” (aka veganized!) comfort foods. i’d like to personally thank who ever came up with these two winning suggestions.

we have the recipe for both dishes after the jump, in case you wanna make them at home. me? i’ll be at m cafe on monday for dinner. pot pie, here i come! (PS: i don’t have a picture of the sandwich, but it’s gonna be stacked with thinly-sliced seitan, peppers, mushrooms, and onions then smothered melted “cheese sauce” for $9.95.)

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it’s my life’s mission to make it through all the rotating vegan specials at tony’s darts away, and i’m doing a damn good job. i was among the first angelenos to feast on the wheatloaf sliders when they came out in 2010, i’ve sampled the fleeting pickle chips, and i’m no stranger to the marinara “meatball” sub. after all that though, i can say with confidence that the “not so french dip” is my favorite special yet, and surely one of the most delicious vegan sandwiches in all of LA.

not so french dip: thinly sliced seitan on a bun with creamy sauce and vegan au jus.

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AWESOME NEWS. doomie’s home cookin’ (ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS EVER) recently had to shutter do to an electrical fire, but they’re set to re-open this weekend! get over there and eat your face off. i highly recommend the chili cheeseburger, country fried steak, or pot roast. order your meal with onion rings, and get some vegan creme brûlée for dessert.

welcome back, doomie’s!

check out their entire menu here. and like them on facebook.

2 native foods blog posts in one day?! you bet. not only is their regular menu stellar, but the restaurant never misses a chance to offer new and inventive specials. the newest one will be available this labor day weekend, friday through monday. let me introduce you to the “chimichurri burger”.

labor day chimichurri burger: homemade thinly sliced seitan, topped with warm grilled zucchini slices, sweet roasted peppers, caramelized onions and freshly blended chimichurri sauce. served with garlic fries and a veggie credit skewer with extra chimi sauce. $9.95

good god, the thinly sliced seitan is amazing. if this is even half as good as their epic oklahoma bacon burger, you’re in for a treat.

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every time i eat a new special at tony’s darts away, i feel compelled to tell you immediately…because they never stick around for very long! today tony’s is serving up vegan meatball sandwiches filled with marinara sauce and topped with daiya cheese.

vegan meatball sandwich: vegan meatballs simmered in marinara sauce, served on a warm bun and topped with daiya mozzarella. $8

i ordered one without the cheese, and it was damn delicious. go eat one of these for dinner, who knows how long it will be on the menu.

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the more i eat at native foods, the more i love it. ever since they opened up their new spacious location in culver city, i can’t stay away. they even have a rewards card program, and just last week i got an email saying i’d earned ten bucks worth of free food!

i recently took my omnivorous sister and niece to native foods and they were impressed. seriously, they were shocked that it was vegan. have a look at what we ordered:

chili cheese fries: seasoned potato fries smothered in homemade native chili. topped with native cheese and diced red onions. $5.95

topped with meaty vegan chili and homemade “cheese,” these fries are not to be messed with.

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

we couldn’t decide between the chili fries and the nachos, so we got both. best decision ever.

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i hate writing lukewarm reviews about meatless establishments…but after my first visit to steamed, long beach’s newest vegetarian restaurant, i wasn’t very impressed. the place is obviously making an effort, and i’m hoping they’ll improve over time, but at the moment their vegan cuisine is a bit uninspired. the menu is pretty basic—a modest selection of salads, burritos, and quesadillas—most of which are loaded with dairy cheese and/or sour cream.

we hit up steamed over the weekend and kept it simple with a salad and a burrito bowl. before the food arrived, the restaurant had already lived up to it’s name—we felt as though we were being steamed in the tiny un-airconditioned dining room!

green salad. $6.50

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best news ever! next week LA proper is finally getting it’s very own upscale vegan restaurant: seed bistro. the brainchild of chef eric lechasseur, seed will focus on gourmet and macrobiotic cuisine, with many gluten-free, raw, and sugar-free items. healthy fancy food that tastes delicious? yes, please!

photo via seed bistro's facebook page

seed bistro is set to open on monday at 5:30pm, here’s a peek at the menu and how to make a reservation…

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