as much as i love to travel, sometimes when i’m out exploring vegan options in other cities, i get homesick for all the good eats we have here in los angeles.

vegan tofu sausage with sauerkraut, grilled onions, and mustard. $6

this is how i felt when i visited san francisco over the holidays. two days into my trip, the xmas spirit had me all weepy and wishing i was back at home, seated comfortably in tony’s darts away with a beer and a vegan sausage. thankfully, my twitter buddy @ks turned me on to the next best thing: rosamunde sausage grill.

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oh gee, i’m just so chuffed about this! the 2010 discount on the best vegan reuben in town was so popular, that locali has decided to offer another deal to quarrygirl readers throughout this week (or until supplies run out)! this time it’s on their brand new mouthwatering vegan sausage special!

discount vegan sausage special at locali when you mention quarrygirl! (beret-wearing hotdog cartoon taken from the amazing nataliedee.com)

here’s the info…

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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.

hey everyone! time for another barcelona vegan field report by dadatamonkey. i gotta say, this is by far my favorite one yet…and it seems too good to be true. it’s about an ALL VEGAN CAT -THEMED BAR that serves fast food-style cuisine! go on, read all about cat bar!

Good British food and cold beer. What more could a man want?

Strolling around Barca, I came across a bar with a sign outside saying vegano. And its called.. The Cat Bar! Given I love beer, food and cats I kinda had to go in! It’s a normal bar that just happens to serve vegan food! Here’s what they say about the food: “All the food made in the kitchen is 100% vegan. Any food not made by us, ketchup, mustard etc., is served in the original package with the list of ingredients which can be read by most under 30 years olds but few older than that..” So add in a sense of humour and this place is well worth a visit!

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there’s no place quite like cyber dogs. the small and quirky seattle internet cafe has been around since 2002, and sells an entirely vegetarian menu of hot dogs—all of which can be made vegan! we stopped by recently and were huge fans of the funky atmosphere and delicious food.

Vegan Mama Tatianaon: Tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh basil & garlic with Vegan Cheese… Baked to perfection! $7.80

we split the vegan version of the “mama tatianaon” (the original comes with parmasean cheese), which was an italian sausage smothered in sauce, tomatoes, green onions, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, garlic, and vegan cheese. the picture isn’t much to look at, but i can promise you this thing was freaking amazing. cyber dog’s homemade vegan cheese is incredible, and the whole thing was just oozing with awesome flavor. it was pretty messy, as you can see, so we had to eat it with a knife and fork. good times!

inside, cyber dogs is pretty crazy. there are a few small tables, and even a pacman game that has been converted into a table! this is definitely the coolest place to sit…

there are movie posters and pictures of celebrities everywhere, and when we were there they were even playing dazed and confused on the television. haha, the perfect 90s movie to watch in an internet cafe.

cyber dogs is definitely worth checking out if you are in seattle. i know i’ll be back!

cyber dogs
909 Pike St.
Seattle , WA.
(on the corner of 9th and Pike).
11am – Midnight Every Day
(206) 405 – DOGS.

Since I heard about a new bar opening in Burbank with OVER 30 BEERS ON TAP, a complete vegan menu, and an environmentally sustainable mission statement, I’ve become like a thing obsessed, spending hours refreshing the “coming soon” page at Tony’s Darts Away in my web browser waiting for an announcement that they are open for business. As soon as the page changed and hours were posted, I drove like a mad thing from my work in Beverly Hills to Burbank, reviewing the beer and food menu on my iPhone while negotiating CA 170.

I can tell you that the rush hour commute was well worth it, and I’m destined to be a regular at Tony’s Darts Away. The original bar (it never really had a name, but the “Darts Away” sign outside kinda gave locals a handle by which to refer to it) was your typical neighborhood dive bar: bottled beer, Budweiser on tap, a greasy meat-based food menu and chewing gum encrusted floors and bar area.

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i’ve heard people refer to portland, oregon as the “vegan paradise”, “vegan heaven”, or “vegan mecca”. being a los angeles native, i was expecting my first trip to pdx not to live up to all the hype—after all, down here it seems like there’s a new vegan restaurant popping up everyday. boy oh boy was i wrong. at the risk of pissing off some angelenos, i’m gonna say that portland was every bit as vegan-rad as people said it was. there were more vegan restaurants than i could ever eat at, vegan options at all the omnivorous restaurants, and most uniquely, vegan-friendly food carts littered throughout the city. i understand that it’s kind of a “thing” to eat at food carts in portland, they are everywhere and a huge part of the culture. unfortunately, i only had one food cart experience. fortunately, it was at flavour spot.

vegan sausage and maple waffle

flavour spot wasn’t my first choice for dining when i was in portland, as it was quite a trek from my downtown hotel and has been known to have long lines. however when some parking restriction bullshit required that we move our car before 8am on a weekday, flavourspot, which opens bright and early at 6:30, appeared to be the only breakfast option available to us. it also came highly recommended from trusted bloggers foodeater and melisser, so we decided to give it a try.

i ordered what every vegan is supposed to order on their first visit to flavourspot: the vegan maple sausage waffle. let’s just say like my expectations for vegan portland were exceeded, my expectations for this sausage waffle were fucking owned. i loved it. the big, pillow-y, soft waffle was filled up with juicy vegan sausage, all slathered in an insanely sticky and creamy maple sauce. vegan-insanity. oh, and this thing was only like 4 bucks.

the flavor flavour combo on the maple/sausage/waffle was unreal. i have never had such a divine savory-sweet experience. i am so glad that flavourspot broke my portland food cart cherry…and i hope to be back again someday.

all that being said, we showed up when there was no line, and our wait was still kind of long. plus, we had to drive about 15-20 minutes to get there. keep that in mind. as far as i’m concerned though, it was worth it.

you can find the flavourspot i went to on north lombard, in a video rental store parking lot…but there is a second location as well that’s open less hours.

original flavourspot:
2310 N Lombard St
Portland, OR 97217
(503) 289-9866
Mon-Fri. 6:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

2nd flavourspot:
NE Fremont St & N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97255
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

flavourspot in portland, oregon

one more thing: pdx fucking rules.

i wish i lived here

yo yo yo los angeles vegans, if you are in town tonight, be sure to hit up the frankenstand! the all-vegan hot dog cart is one of our favorite places to eat, and they will be out in full force this evening from 5:30pm for vegan drinks at the little bar!

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just a quick update, y’all. purgatory pizza, our favorite vegan-friendly pizza joint in downtown los angeles that we’ve raved about several times is now officially offering field roast sausage as a topping…as of tomorrow. we tested the field roast out, and i can tell ya it was the best meat-esque topping i’ve ever tasted, full stop.

field roast sausage makes for the best vegan topping EVER.

the field roast italian sausage toppings will be available starting tomorrow, and i say go and get your fill before they run out and have to order more. rumors suggest that even local whole foods will have to stop carrying this flavor of field roast due to a supplier issue. so don’t waste time or fuck around, order this on a pizza. i’m not kidding…it’s really damn good.

the vegan sausage topping is gonna cost you $1.50 extra for a medium pizza, and 2 bucks extra for a large…a very fair price if you ask me, considering field roast at whole foods is way fucking pricey and purgatory does NOT SKIMP on the amount. i mean seriously, 18 bucks for a large pizza with vegan cheese plus vegan meat toppings?!?!?! nobody in town can beat that…not damiano’s, not tomato joe’s, not that’s amore…nobody.

large purgatory vegan pizza with teese cheese and field roast sausage: $18

so get your ass over to purgatory pizza and order some fine, fine, fine field roast artisan toppings. the seattle company is known to have the best fake meat ever, and i feel so lucky that i can finally find their products in a los angeles restaurant. oh, and let’s not forget the awesome teese cheese, that sets purgatory apart from all the follow your heart peddlers. a big hand all around: purgatory, awesome crust! teese, your cheese tastes great and MELTS! field roast, your sausage is incredible!

purgatory pizza
1326 east 1st street
los angeles, ca 90033
323 262 5310
open everyday 6pm – 11pm

when i first posted on franken’s, the one and only all-vegan hot dog stand in los angeles, i vowed that i would follow them around, show up at their gigs, and get food from them every time they set up shop. since then, the frankenstand has made two appearances in la, and we were there for both of them.

the food was delicious on both occasions…but before i get into all that, i wanna remind you that the frankenstand will be serving it up in echo park this friday, march 13th at pehrspace. don’t miss it!

for more updates on franken’s, definitely stalk them on myspace and twitter.

the frankenstand

their latest appearance was a smashing success, and we were there at the front lines as they sold like a million hot dogs to hungry hipsters at the east hollywood art cycle event on february 28th. they set up shop outside la city college at heliotrope and melrose, right across from pure luck…it was a vegan’s dream come true!

the wolf and the franken

we ordered the wolf and the franken, both 100% vegan tofurky sausages steamed to perfection. i don’t know how the frankenstand makes tofurky taste so good, but it’s seriously something i can’t replicate at home. of course we took advantage of the eat-all-you-want condiment tray and sauce selection.

the wolf: this is a zesty frank you'll love to wolf down. packed with a fangtastic, chipotle pepper flavor! $3

this was my first time trying the wolf, the cheapest and definitely the spiciest of the sausages available at franken’s. for only 3 bucks it’s a really good deal, but it is considerably smaller than the other franks…so keep that in mind if you are very hungry. the chipotle pepper flavor was delicious, but i made it even tastier with tons of onions and even spicier with loads of hot sauce. i can’t tell you enough how much i love all the condiments and vegetables at the frankenstand.

the franken: this classic sausage will make you feel alive! with a monster blend of sun dried tomatoes and basil giving it a slightly sweet taste. $5

my husband got the same thing he always orders, the franken. the hearty italian-style frank is absolutely mouth-watering, with little bits of sun dried tomato chopped up inside. this sausage seems to be most people’s favorite, although mine is the witch…a tofu beer-flavored frank that costs 4 bucks.

the artists and bikers seemed to love the frankenstand—there was a pretty healthy line when we got our franks, and we were there relatively early. for more coverage on franken’s at the east hollywood art cycle, check out sick of lettuce.

we also caught up with the frankenstand at the threat fest in canoga park on february 21st. the valley crust punk crowd couldn’t have been more different from the heliotrope hipsters…but they sure loved the hot dogs just as much. i saw people going back for second, and even third servings of franken’s! you can see some pix from that event in the franken’s photo gallery and on vegan-la.com.

so those are all the franken’s adventures i have for now. stay tuned, and be sure to check out the frankenstand this friday!

the frankenstand
friday march 13th at 9pm
at pehrspace
325 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90026

if you are a vegan in los angeles, i sure hope you’ve hit up purgatory pizza by now. the already-popular new york-style pizzeria started selling awesome vegan pizzas using teese cheese from chicago soy dairy in february, and now just one month later, they are known throughout town for having the best vegan pizza around. the quality of the crust, sauce and now vegan cheese is above and beyond all competition. as far as i know, they are the only pizza joint in los angeles using teese, which is fairly hard to come by, but by far the best brand in the united states.

imagine my excitement when i learned that in just a few weeks purgatory pizza has been so successful with the vegan cheese that they have also decided to start offering fake meat toppings as well. i was even lucky enough to attend a limited tasting-party to try out the new stuff…oh what a treat! the result: tons of new fake meats atop delicious teese pizzas, ending in a food coma of epic proportions.

vegan toppings of the night included field roast sausage, lightlife pepperoni, lightlife bacon, lightlife ham, and tofurky sausage.

all the pizzas we tried are pictured below. results were varied, but my favorite was by far the field roast sausage. it had a really meaty texture and tasted surprisingly like real pizza sausage that i remember from when i was a little kid…right down to the crispy edges and embedded fennel seeds, this stuff was unreal.

vegan purgatory pizza: field roast sausage and teese cheese.

the pepperoni was decent, but in my opinion it didn’t have the wow factor of the field roast sausage. lightlife products tend to be great for what i want to make at home, but just don’t do it for me when they are offered at restaurants.

vegan purgatory pizza: lightlife pepperoni and teese cheese.

same again with the lightlife bacon…it was tasty, but not something i would splurge on for a pizza topping.

vegan purgatory pizza: lightlife bacon and teese cheese.

purgatory also tried out the tofurky sausage as a pizza topping, which was definitely a worthy field roast opponent. this stuff was really good…but it sliced up into little disks, not globby clumps like the field roast sausage. something about this wasn’t as authentic to me, although i would definitely order it if i saw it on a menu.

vegan purgatory pizza: tofurky sausage and teese cheese.

lastly, was the ham and pineapple which, i won’t lie, i didn’t even taste. pineapple on pizza has never gone down well with me…but the other folks tonight seemed to enjoy it. the ham was the lightlife brand of meat, so i assume it was similar to the pepperoni and bacon.

vegan purgatory pizza: lightlife ham, pineapple and teese cheese.

again, in my mind, the clear winner was the field roast sausage. i honestly usually don’t like fake meat on pizza, but this stuff was so good, i think i’d order it every time.

vegan pizza with teese and field roast sausage! YUM.

sorry, readers. i don’t mean to get your hopes up too early or anything…because for right now the vegan meats aren’t available at purgatory pizza just yet. whatever scored best at tonight’s tasting test will hopefully be available soon though, and i will let you know as soon as it is. i’m hoping they at least go with the field roast sausage because that was my absolute favorite!

until then, you will have to suffer through with just vegetable toppings on the best vegan pizza in los angeles. speaking of which…i brought home some teese pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes and chopped garlic for my husband, who missed out on tonight’s festivities, and the stuff warmed up and melted like a charm. turns out vegan pizza is just as good leftover as normal pizza.

vegan pizza to go! teese, mushrooms, tomato and chopped garlic. YUM.

so whether you eat in or takeaway, purgatory pizza is the place to go for vegan pizza in la. they have the meltiest cheese and a load of vegetable toppings. once they get the fake meats come, they will be UNSTOPPABLE. vegans, if you haven’t been to purgatory pizza yet, you are fucking CRAZY. put it at the top of your list.

purgatory pizza
1326 east 1st street
los angeles, ca 90033
323 262 5310

open everyday 6pm – 11pm

UPDATE: this is probably not a great place for vegans. when i ate there, i was told the buns were vegan, but a commenter wrote in today and said they weren’t…also, he said the hotdogs were cooked on the SAME GRILL as the meat, which i forgot to check on when i was there. eat here at your own fucking risk. i will be back, but only for the beer. the dogs are vegan for sure though, so if you can count on those at least. fend for yourself. beware.

yesterday marked my second day of jury duty at the metropolitan courthouse in downtown los angeles, so naturally i had to check out a new vegan-friendly lunch spot. my carnivorous coworkers have been raving about the newish sausage and beer kitchen, wurstkuche since it very first opened. after hearing their descriptions of monstrosities such as rattlesnake & rabbit, alligator & pork along with duck & bacon sausages, i assumed wurstkuche was a restaurant i would never visit. too bad, i thought, because i had a butchers at the beer list and it was pretty impressive.

my mind was instantly changed though when jona bechtolt, a vegan musician who i’m a great fan of and follow on twitter, tweeted: “Downtown Los Angeles lunch at Wurstküche (***** of 5)” what?! but jona’s a vegan, i thought, so there must be some stuff i can eat at wurstkuche! i prodded jona for more info, and he messaged me back to say there were three animal-free sausages to choose from, not to mention amazing fries with curry ketchup. as you can imagine, i had to haul ass to wurstkuche asap…and my downtown la jury service provided the perfect excuse.

vegetarian beer bratwurst - soy based, traditional flavor. $6. plus belgian fries with curry ketchup. $3.50

i ordered the vegetarian beer bratwurst, which turned out to be a tofurky beerbrat, also the same sausage the frankenstand uses and calls “the witch”. (in fact, all 3 vegan options were familiar tofurky brand links: the beerbrat, the kielbasa, and sweet italian sausage.)

wurstkuche tofurky beerbrat fo sho!

for 6 bucks you get a piping hot sausage on a fresh roll with two toppings— i chose caramelized onions and sauerkraut. i also got an order of thick, fat belgian fries that came perfectly cooked with big chunks of salt and a side of curry ketchup…YUM. everything was delicious, but the fries were definitely the highlight.

and you can’t really talk about wurstkuche without mentioning the beer. although it’s a bit pricey, they have a lineup of 24 impressive draughts including belgian, german and north american selections. i myself went with a spaten pils, and they even served it to me in the proper glass! bonus points for that, most def.

aside from having a whole ton of great tap beer, awesome fries and vegan sausages, wurstkuche is just a really cool place to hang out. it’s spacious and open with tons of seating and has an industrial vibe, with its concrete floors and brick walls, offset by brightly colored orange chairs. there’s a long bar and tons of huge wooden communal tables. this is the kind of place i could spend all afternoon drinking in…if i didn’t have to get back to jury duty.

so when the frankenstand isn’t available, fill your vegan hot dog needs at wurstkuche. sure, they charge more for the exact same tofurky dog that you would get at franken’s, but they are always open and have great fries! oh, and be sure not to leave without getting a beer. thanks, jona!!

wurstkuche
800 e 3rd street
los angeles ca 90013

213-687-4444

sunday 12pm-10pm
monday thru wednesday 11am-10pm
thursday thru saturday 11am-midnight

native foods in westwood has been one of my regular haunts since becoming a vegan. i mean why not? they’ve got great food and have used to have a huge menu with reasonable prices. that’s right, it’s all changed. imagine how bummed i was to walk up to the native foods counter over the weekend only to find the enormous novel of a menu replaced with a one page paper hand-out. it was tiny! and there wasn’t even enough food to carry on to the back side of the menu, so it was just covered with creeds and missions about saving the earth. really? a disposable paper menu, that you are handing to each customer who is dining in, just because you haven’t had time to get the real menus printed. that’s not saving the environment, now is it, tanya?

so let’s get to the food. upon opening the menu, my heart sank because most of my favorite items had gone. latino lover pizza, malibu veggie burger, farrah’s fatoush…all history. drats. so i went with something that sounded exciting, the portobello & sausage burger.

portobello & sausage burger: big grilled beauties with seitan sausage, pommodoro, caramelized onions, vegan mayo, pesto and sweet roasted garlic. $10.35

while the portobello & sausage burger is by no means a new item, it did used to cost only $9.50, and now it’s $10.35. don’t think i didn’t notice, native foods! while this burger was pretty tasty, it had waaaaaay too much oil. a more appropriate name would the grease & grease burger. seriously, the drippy pesto, globby cheese, and runny olive oil totally overpowered any protein. in fact, the burger got so covered in grease that the bun fell apart and i had to eat it with a fork. ick. a little too slippery for me.

grease and oil on top of fat

also, i just wanna add that the sausage patty tasted EXACTLY like a celebration roast. it even had the same little ridges on the side.

not a bad thing, just makes me wonder if native foods has started buying in bulk.

while navigating the new menu was a little bit intimidating for me, it was especially daunting for my husband, because he’d never ordered anything at native foods EXCEPT the malibu veggie burger. he decided to go with the new burger option that looked kind of similar. unfortunately, it wasn’t.

veggie-mighty-vita burger: 100% angus friendly veggie patty, lettuce, carrots, sprouts, beets, onions, pickles, and 1000 island. $8.75

the veggie-mighty-vita burger isn’t much to write home about, especially since it comes in at a buck more than the malibu veggie burger. the patty is smaller and thinner, and doesn’t have the same combination of grains and quinoa that made the malibu so luscious. the vita is kind of limp and bland. don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t BAD, and it did come stacked with a ton of lovely vegetables, as you can see…it just wasn’t great, either. ooh ooh ooh!–and another thing to note: all burgers used to come with a side of coleslaw, rice or black beans. now the default side is 8 pieces of slightly brown edamame that taste fresh out the microwave. hmmmm.

one cool thing though, as the kind lady at the counter pointed out, is if the new menu is missing one of your old favorites, they can probably still make it for you with the ingredients that are still around…for now. oh really? let’s just see about that. i decided to return to native foods and give this offer a shot with the poltz burrito, a wildly popular item from the previous menu.

poltz burrito: black beans, brown rice, original seitan, flamed banana salsa in a whole wheat tortilla, topped with salsa fresca, chips and guacamole. $8.95

i guess this emasculated version of a poltz burrito counts as making something off the old menu. but seriously, who would want this? i mean, does that look “topped with salsa fresca, chips and guacamole” to you? no! and the inside of it was even more depressing.

pitiful

this burrito used to be massive, overflowing with guacamole, beans and colorful salsas. why did they have to go and ruin a good thing?

oh well, i’m sure i will keep going back to native foods anyways. after all, they do still have the awesome greek gyro on the menu, although it costs more now as well. it’s always a bit sad when menus shrink or prices rise…and it’s especially sad when these two things happen at once.

R.I.P. all my old favorite dishes from native foods.

here is the new menu for you to check out.

and here is the old menu, if you wanna reminisce.