this is all kinds of exciting! mendocino farms, my favorite LA sandwich shop, is launching a new location in my hood on november 3rd and they’re letting me send FIVE readers (with their +1’s) as guests to their private complimentary pre-opening event this tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm.

one of the many insane vegan sandwiches on mendocino farms' rotating menu

while the restaurant isn’t exclusively vegan, at the party they’ll be serving up tempeh club sandwiches, wheatberry fingerling and fingerling potato salad, israeli cous cous, and possibly a vegan potato salad as well…all cocktail style! the latest mendocino farms shop (they’ve already got locations in downtown LA and marina del rey) will be at 7100 santa monica blvd, right next to target. i am super stoked that they’re opening this week, and look forward to consuming many many many vegan sandwiches in the future.

so who wants to go to the pre-opening party with a guest and eat free food?! we’re picking 5 winners, so the odds are better than ever. the rules are simple…

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dudes, TDA has been rockin’ the vegan specials lately…and it’s our mission to try them ALL! they seem to have a new one every few days (sometimes even more often than that)—way to keep us vegans on our toes. my all time favorite tony’s special remains the seitan french dip, but here are the latest two offerings…

this week tony’s has been offering a vegan buffalo po boy made with a field roast country style sunflower cutlet and frank’s red hot sauce. our correspondent brittany ate it the other day, and sent us this photo along with a thumbs up.

last week was the vegan philly cheesesteak, a bun stacked with celebration roast, daiya mozzarella, peppers, and grilled onions…

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sandwiches!! we love them, i mean, who doesn’t?! today we’re bringing you our top ten list of vegan sandwiches from around town, in no particular order. enjoy. oh and just to be clear, these are only sandwiches that are actually available right now or regularly at restaurants or food trucks.

the vegan reuben at locali. our favorite reuben in town, and something you need to try before you die…

the vegan reuben: marinated tofu deli slices topped with melted vegan cheese and sauerkraut & smothered with delicious homemade vegan russian dressing! $10.50 full/$5.50 half

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we just got back from a long weekend in portland, and naturally we made an effort to eat as much awesome vegan food as possible. we only had 4 days, so i knew we couldn’t get to everything…but i think we did a pretty respectable job. shortly after we arrived in pdx, we ran into janessa from epicurious vegan, and she implored us to check out the city’s newest vegan-friendly sandwich shop: brass tacks.

photo credit: the brass tacks facebook page

located in northeast portland, brass tacks is owned by 3 lovely ladies who strive to create an environment where omnivores, vegans, and gluten-free folks all feel comfortable. although the restaurant does offer real meat, over half of the sandwich menu is vegan and all condiments, salads, and soups are completely animal-free. what makes brass tacks extremely special though, is that the vegan meats and sauces are all made in house from scratch—inventive stuff like agave smoked “ham”, cashew-based gouda, and white bean meatballs. there are four vegan sandwiches to choose from, as well as a “build your own” option where you can go crazy piling on the faux meats and vegetables.

salame: french roll, spicy sundried tomato "salami", tomato jam, aioli, yellow mustard, pepperoncinis, lettuce, tomato, red onion. served with chips! $7.99

my husband and i split the vegan “salame!”, a sandwich packed with spicy seitan, tomato jam, aioli, yellow mustard, pepperoncinis, lettuce, tomato and red onion. fantastic! everything about this sandwich was top notch—the french roll from local bakery fleur de lis was fresh and crunchy, the tomato jam was tangy and flavorful, and all the vegetables were cool and crisp. though the best component, by far, was the homemade salami.

seitan salami made from scratch

thinly sliced and perfectly seasoned, it was so reminiscent of real deli meat, and better than any store-bought brand.

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UPDATE: ike’s place has RE-OPENED in san francisco at a club called lime. from what i understand, they are kinda squatting there until they get a better location. follow their twitter, and check out their constantly updated website for more info!

we have been watching the ike’s place eviction drama unfold on vegansaurus for quite awhile, and sadly it looks like the amazing san francisco sandwich shop is finally closing down for good as of monday at midnight.

we were in SF last weekend, and i’m soooo glad we got a chance to eat at ike’s one last time. naturally, our meal was epic, as ike’s place really does make the best sandwiches known to man. thank god they have another location in the bay area.

vegan tom brady: vegan breaded chicken, zesty garlic and herb sauce, mushrooms, avocado, soy cheese. $12.21

we ordered the vegan tom brady and the vegan pilgrim to share, both of which were fan-bloody-tastic. the tom brady came stuffed with breaded chicken, zesty garlic sauce, mushrooms, avocado and teese. at $12.21, it’s the most expensive vegan sandwich on the menu, but it’s worth every penny. by far the most delicious, heartiest sandwich i’ve had in a long time. NOBODY DOES IT LIKE IKE’S!

vegan pilgrim: vegan turkey, cranberry, sriracha, soy cheese. $9.99

the vegan pilgrim was equally as impressive, stacked with slices of faux turkey, teese cheese, and covered in sriracha and cranberry sauce. the spicy sriracha was the perfect compliment to the sweet cranberry…and all mixed in with ike’s famous dirty sauce, it was incredible.

we arrived at ike’s as soon as they opened at 10am, and even though that’s pretty early to be eating a sandwich, there was already a line of people at the door. you know why people line up for ike’s? because the food is THAT FUCKING GOOD.

ike’s last day in business is gonna be monday september 13th, and they’ll be open from 10am – midnight. so go show some support and order like ten sandwiches!

ike’s place
3506 16th street
san francisco CA 94114
(415) 553-6888

it’s no secret that we like to head up to santa barbara every now and then just to grab some vegan pizza. we’ve taken a few trips up north for that reason—we have pizza for dinner, spend the night in a hotel, and before returning home, grab a couple sandwiches from lazy acres and head out for a winery picnic.

our favorite winery in the area to set up for lunch would have to be fess parker, just north of santa barbara in the san ynez valley. it’s a beautiful place with tasty wine and lots of outdoor space to sit and chill. in fact, we aren’t the only vegan bloggers who who like to picnic there—check out c’est la vegan’s post from last summer!

anyways, let’s talk about the food…

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vegan curried vegetable fish. $2

no fish! go fish! is a vegan-friendly restaurant in portland serving cute little pockets of fish-shaped food that they refer to as “sandwiches.” while the place does serve meat, they have have plenty of vegan “sandwich,” soup and appetizer options that are pretty damn delicious. we hit up no fish! go fish! recently on our trip to portland and shared two of the premium vegan sandwiches: curried vegetable and mushroom pate.

i can’t even tell you how cute and tiny these fishes were! they come out lightly fried in the shape of a sweet little fish, with complete definition of gills and tail. they are quite small, so expect to eat a couple of them at least before you are filled up. check out how little they are next to an iphone.

curry vegetable fish and mushroom pate fish. $2 each

of the two, the curried vegetable was definitely the favorite. stuffed with peas, spices, and tons of flavor…that’s the one we found ourselves fighting over. the mushroom pate one was excellent as well, just a bit more bland than the curry awesomeness.

we also split a vegan spring roll appetizer, which was your typical chopped up vegetable bits fried up in rice paper. these were delicious and a great deal at $4. what made all this food even better though, was the selection of hot sauces. they had several different types of sauces, even ones i’d never even heard of before. i gotta say, portland sure does beat the hell out of LA when it comes to hot sauce.

spring rolls $4

inside, the restaurant was roomy and pleasant with a few small tables and lots of sunlight. they also have tap beer, which is rad…and excellent service.

when it portland, i recommend you give this place a try. and don’t miss the curried vegetable fish!

they also have a food cart location downtown. check their website for locations and hours. no fish! go fish!

love n haight is a tiny little sandwich joint in the lower haight area of san francisco, and is a great place to grab a quick and cheap vegan bite. i found it by accident when stumbling around after too many pints at the magnolia brewery, and was pretty damn impressed with the food.

what appeared to be just a crappy hole in the wall sandwich shop turned out to be a place offering huge vegan sandwiches piled high with fake meats, hummus and avocado. my husband and i split the “veggie chicken” and “veggie peppersteak” sandwiches (both without mayo), and they really hit the spot.

vegan peppersteak sandwich, no mayo plus avocado. $6.48

for sandwiches well under $10, the things were huge and all the ingredients were fresh and tasty. the 2 flavors of mock meat tasted pretty similar…but for the price and size i really can’t complain. plus, all the vegetables were top notch and the bread was perfectly soft. definitely a delicious and unexpected treat when wandering around an unfamiliar part of town.

vegan chicken sandwich, no mayo plus hummus. $5.84

another great thing about love n haight, is that everything right down to the bread selections are labeled indicating whether or not they are vegan. just be sure to order all your sandwiches without mayo, because this place doesn’t have vegenaise. love n haight also offers a wide array of vegan chips and cookies…definitely a great place to get your grub on after a day of drinking.

while this wasn’t a like life-altering sandwich experience or anything, it was pretty damn cheap and convenient at the time. if you are ever in the area, i’d recommend checking love n haight out.

love n haight deli and cafe
553 Haight St
(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 252-8190

Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

so the economy sucks and lots of people are out of work. that’s a fact. businesses are closing, personal savings are being depleted, and the unemployment rate is skyrocketing. we all know and love people who have been laid off…maybe we even are those people in some cases. but wtf mate, the tragedy has officially now come home for all los angeles herbivores and started to affect local vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants. within 2 short months we saw the shutting of the vegan spot and of doomie’s home cookin’, arguably the best 2 places to get a meat-free sandwich in la. both closures were untimely and undeserved…so vegans, please, let’s go throw our moneys at some of the local restaurants that need our help, starting with mani’s bakery on fairfax.

the long-standing los angeles institution is nearly as old as i am, and is still being threatened by the crappy economic climate. in a recent plea on their blog (which i saw via eater la), mani’s tells its customers,“Unfortunately, we face the very real possibility of not making it through 2009, unless we can modify our business to function more efficiently in today’s environment.” they go on to add, “December was the weakest sales Mäni’s has ever had. At this level we will not be able to continue.” ummm…i dunno what you make of that, but to me that sounds like some fatal-apocalyptic-scary shit meaning, buy our food if you want us to be here in the morning. well, it worked on me. i hit up mani’s as soon as i read this, and i gotta say, i will feel pretty bad and dead inside if they do go out of business. their vegan food is really, really, really good. i’ve posted before about mani’s ENORMOUS VEGAN SELECTION…and let’s just say on this return visit, i was even more impressed.

chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie. $3.50

i’m gonna work in reverse on this post because the dessert is the best thing that mani’s offers. the menu is absolutely huge, and all the vegan/veganizable items are clearly marked. almost everything can be made animal-free, and this is extremely handy when it comes to the desserts. vegan truffles, breakfast bars, almond rocas, cakes and pies are just some of the decadent treats that mani’s has in store. my husband and i split a chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie on our last visit, and we could barely finish it. it was so rich and tasty, i think any vegetarian would be fooled by it.

but not just the dessert items at mani’s are awesome…there are also tons of vegan-friendly appetizers and entrees. on our recent visit and attempt to save mani’s from bankruptcy and decline, i ordered the pesto sandwich.

the pesto: vegan pesto spread on rosemary bread with fresh mixed greens, avocado, tomato and marinated tofu. with a vegan caesar salad. $11

of course i got the vegan version (with tofu instead of meat) and everything was divine. the pesto was thick, oily, and slightly greasy in a really good way. the tofu was grilled but still soft in the middle, and it was all stacked with fresh vegetables on really soft and spongy bread.

my husband got the california club, which was also excellent. the sandwich came in neatly chopped pieces, all stacked high with vegan cheese, vegetables, crispy tempeh bacon and crunchy breaded seitan. there was nothing to complain about. i mean seriously, with the vegan spot and doomie’s both totally gone, i don’t know where else to obtain such a hearty and satisfying vegan sandwich in this town.

the california club: layered bread, breaded seitan with tempeh bacon, vegan cheddar, lettuce and tomato. $12

yeah, yeah, yeah, mani’s is a bit expensive. but so fucking what?!?! where isn’t at this point? it’s as good a deal as pure luck or m cafe, plus the menu is like 90x bigger. they also have the best vegan bakery and pastry selection in town. if they do shut, i know i will feel the same way as if a beloved relative has died—totally wracked with guilt, torturing myself over every lunchtime or coffee break i could have spent in mani’s company.

in my opinion, the vegan scene will suck a lot more hardcore if mani’s goes away. let’s ensure that doesn’t happen. please go eat there as soon as possible…um, it may be your last chance. 🙁

mani’s bakery
519 S. fairfax avenue
los angeles, ca 90036
(323) 938-8800