update 2/11: we’ve heard that millions of milkshakes no longer offers vegan shakes. 🙁 they now have some kind of milk alternative shake, but it isn’t vegan. sad, sad, sad.

mark your calenders! this friday april 9th at 3pm, pam anderson and PETA will be in weho at millions of milkshakes creating an all vegan milkshake using chicago soy dairy‘s temptation ice cream! this is great news, because millions of milkshakes already has a soy shake on their menu, which hasn’t been vegan for awhile due to supplier issues…but now that temptation is in the house, we know it will be legit and delicious.

pam anderson explained to millions of milkshakes,

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since chili addiction opened, they’ve been getting more and more vegan-friendly and have been experimenting with tons of new products. it started with the simple addition of daiya cheese and field roast sausage, then they went and created an entire vegan menu, and now they are testing out what i think is the most realistic fake meat ever, match.

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about a month ago, we wrote a post about the very awesome and vegan-friendly restaurant, chili addiction. well since then, they’ve expanded their animal-free offerings, and now even have a separate vegan menu!

Chili Mac: Choose ANY of our delicious chili varieties as a topping on a bowl of elbow macaroni...a Midwest favorite. $8

last week, i hit up chili addiction with brittany from sick of lettuce to check out the new menu, and the food did not disappoint! since i’d already tried the vegan chili cheese sausage (which is amazing), we went with all new stuff and ordered the chili mac and chili addiction nachos. we got the chili mac (pictured above) with soyrizo hominy chili and daiya cheese, and it was absolutely incredible. i’ve never had chili on top of noodles before, but i can promise you it’s a great combo. the homemade chili was super hearty and flavorful; by far the best vegan chili i’ve had in LA.

Chili Addiction Nachos: Try our fabulous homemade corn tortilla chips (or potato chips) smothered with chili, VEGAN cheese, diced jalapenos, and sauteed onions! $6

we ordered the nachos with the three bean vegan chili, and they were even better than the mac! if you are a fan of vegan nachos, chili addiction is your place, because they make both the chips and chili from scratch. these babies came smothered with tons of chili, daiya vegan cheese, jalapenos and onions. plus, the restaurant has a toppings bar where you can add more onions, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro.

we also ordered a side of the sauerkraut, which was mind-blowingly tasty. like everything at chili addiction, this stuff was completely homemade and perfectly spiced. my only complaint is that i wanted more!

Vegan Sauerkraut from scratch. $1

so head on over to chili addiction as soon as you can and check out their new vegan menu. they’ve got chili dogs, nachos, and a whole slew of side dishes that you are sure to love.

chili addiction
408 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 203-1793
lunch 12pm-3pm
dinner 5:30pm-9pm

i am always a sucker for a good brunch, and for ages i’ve been hearing that the sunday offering at real food daily is pretty damn awesome. so, after not eating at the restaurant for quite some time and having a great experience with their takeout food, we decided to give dining in at RFD another shot.

the LA benedict: Poached tofu, roasted tomatoes, sautéed spinach, buttery rustic toast, corn hollandaise, tempeh bacon, hash browns or fruit. $13.95

we hit up the weho location yesterday with a friend, and the food was tasty all around the table. i ordered the LA benedict, which came with tofu, tomatoes and spinach all atop buttery toast smothered in vegan hollandaise sauce. it was pretty expensive at just under 14 bucks, but at least the portion was large. personally, i prefer the benedict at m cafe, but this one was pretty good as well. my only complaint was that the tofu was pretty untreated—it tasted like the silken stuff just taken out of the box and sprinkled with pepper. the high points of the dish were the creamy hollandaise and the crispy bacon, i couldn’t get enough of that stuff.

breakfast burrito: Whole wheat flour tortilla, scrambled tofu, onions, peppers, guacamole, pico de gallo, Ranchero sauce, melted cashew cheese, tempeh bacon, hash browns or fruit. $13.75

my husband went with the breakfast burrito, which was a giant whole wheat tortilla stuffed with scrambled tofu, vegetables, and guacamole. it also came covered in RFD’s amazing cashew cheese (which can be subbed for jalapeno cheese upon request!). i didn’t try the burrito because it had bell peppers in it (which i HATE), but my husband said it was a bit soggy and mushy for his taste.

lastly, our friend ordered an appetizer as his main dish, the blt tartine (pictured below). this was basically a blt sandwich, but served bruschetta-style on little pieces of toast rather than in between slices of bread. this is another dish i didn’t try, but it got a great review from our friend, and i don’t think you can go wrong with RFD’s tempeh bacon.

BLT tartine: mini open-faced sandwich Tempeh bacon, tomato, spicy vegenaise, whole wheat baguette, baby mix lettuces, balsamic vinaigrette. $9.95

unlike some other times we’ve been to RFD, the service on sunday was great. the place was super busy, but we still got a really comfortable table and were constantly checked on by our waitress. the one huge drawback to dining at real food daily though, is that while the food is good, it is PHENOMENALLY overpriced. what would cost $8-9 at a normal vegan restaurant ends up costing $14-15. their prices are on par with madeleine bistro, but the food just isn’t quite as special. oh, and be really careful ordering alcohol. they were serving tiny little glasses of champagne at brunch that wound up costing 9 bucks a piece. let’s just say less than half of our bill went to cover food. oops.

that being said, we really did have a great brunch at RFD and i’m looking forward to going back. it’s just not something i would splurge on every weekend.

real food daily
414 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-9910

and

514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-7544

brunch served sundays from 10am-3pm

it took them a little while to get their license, but as of yesterday, the veggie grill on sunset is finally serving up bottled beer as well as red and white wine.

beer at veggie grill

they currently have 2 beers from new belgium brewing (fat tire and mothership wit) as well as both red and white wine from mas. i dropped by this afternoon and grabbed a bottle of the mothership to accompany my lunch, and while it wasn’t my favorite beer on earth, it was definitely pleasant.

so as if the terrific chili and burgers weren’t enough to get you out of your house and over to veggie grill in this horrific weather, you now have the added temptation of alcohol. 🙂 veggie grill is one of the VERY few all vegan places in LA to serve beer, so let’s show them some support. maybe if we buy enough of it, they will put some beer on tap. (i can dream.)

veggie grill weho
8000 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 822-7575

ladies and gentlemen, i think we have a winner…

for the past two months, we’ve been on a search to find the best vegan club sandwich in los angeles and i think our search has finally ended. i thought to myself that the contest was over when i tried the incredible club at m cafe….but surprisingly the real food daily club has it beat!

the club triple decker: seitan tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise, sour dough bread. served with tossed house or caesar salad. $13.75

the club sandwich at real food daily is beyond awesome. first off, it’s huge…and it comes with this thick breaded seitan that’s moist in the middle and crispy on the outside, along with large strips of salty tempeh bacon. what really makes this thing though, is the bread. it’s soft and fluffy with just the perfect amount of chew. agh, so good! add to that fresh produce and creamy vegenaise, and this sandwich is a mixture of purely delicious flavors and textures.

i’m not gonna lie, there is a down side. the club at RFD is expensive as hell. i mean almost $14 for a sandwich and a small side salad?! that’s practically highway robbery. the thing is just so damn good though, i’d be lying if i said it didn’t deserve to win. it’s also worth noting that i got my sandwich to go, as eating in at real food daily can be an extremely unpleasant experience.

Real Food Daily
414 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-9910

and

514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-7544

so what do you think? did we miss any amazing club sandwiches? do you agree with the winner?

vegans, there has never been a better day than this to head over to weho and try out chili addiction. the brand new restaurant opened up last week and when i dropped by last night, they not only had their standard vegan chili offerings, but were also testing out soy hot dogs, vegan sausages, and daiya cheese.

Hom-onious Chorizo: First you take some Soy Chorizo, then you add some Hominy, cook it with Johnny's secret blend of spices and...Presto..a perfectly harmonized, savory, and full textured 100% VEGAN CHILI!

i started with an order of what i came for, the vegan “hom-onious chorizo chili”. i read about it on chili addiction’s website and immediately knew i had to get it. i am a huge fan of hominy, so the thought of adding it to soy meat and chili addiction’s secret spices sounded absolutely delicious.

hominy and soyrizo chili with daiya cheese

the result was a hearty and full-bodied homemade chili mix that was incredibly flavorful and incredibly filling. they even gave me a side of daiya cheddar which complimented it perfectly. this is the second time i’ve eaten the vegan chili from chili addiction, and i must say i am smitten. it’s so much better than the stuff you find sold in a can, or than anything i could make at home. hominy mixed in with soy chorizo really is as good as it sounds.

vegan field roast sausage with soyrizo hominy chili and daiya cheese

i also got a vegan chili cheese sausage to go, which was super awesome. it came with a field roast sausage (my favorite kind) smothered in the same incredible hominy soyrizo chili and topped with daiya cheddar.

they should still have the sausages, cheese, and dogs in stock today…so get over there and order some. i’m pretty sure this is the first time in my life i’ve ever had a vegan chili cheese dog, and it was sooooo good. let’s go buy these today and encourage chili addiction to offer these options regularly.

and if they run out of sausages or cheese before you get there, there are plenty more drool-worthy items on the menu. they usually have two vegan chilis in stock (one soy and one non-soy), which you can add to all kinds of delicious things. you can have chili mac, chili fries, chili sweet potato fries, or chili potato chip nachos. not to mention their homemade sauerkraut which i tasted and LOVED.

and everything at chili addiction is high quality and made completely from scratch—from the chili itself right down to the condiments and potato chips.

so head on over to chili addiction today and try out some of their new vegan items. vegan chili cheese fries sound like a lunch plan to me….

Chili Addiction
408 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 203-1793
lunch 12pm-3pm
dinner 5:30pm-9pm

we are on a mission to find the best vegan club sandwich in los angeles, and the offering at hugo’s restaurant is nothing to scoff at.

like most of the items on their menu, their standard club option is vegan-friendly as long as you order it with grilled tofu and vegetarian bacon (yeah, the vegetarian bacon is vegan as well….i checked with the staff!).

vegan club: grilled organic tofu, vegetarian bacon, guacamole, tomato, lettuce, and black pepper vegenaise. served with a choice of crispy fries or organic mixed greens. $12.85

hugo’s vegan club comes on a wheat ciabatta roll, with a healthy portion of organic tofu, fakin’ bacon, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, and vegenaise. it’s not a double decker sandwich, like many of the other clubs we’ve reviewed…but what it lacks in layers, it makes up for in taste and guacamole. the tofu is firm and chewy, the bread is soft, and the guac is ridiculously creamy.

at $12.85, hugo’s club is on the more expensive end of the spectrum, but it comes with a side of greens or fries PLUS the guacamole is no extra charge. i really can’t complain. in this instance i opted for the healthy salad which was fresh and tasty….but if you are in a careless mood, i highly suggest you go for the newly vegan french fries!

at this point, i am thinking the winner of the club club would still be m cafe—but hugo’s offers a damn worthy sandwich that you should try.

so which other vegan clubs in los angeles am i missing?

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993
and
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

great news, vegans! the long-awaited and vegan-friendly chili addiction is finally opening to the public at noon this friday. not just that, but one of their newsletter subscribers told me they are also set to have a soft opening sometime this evening (call them for more info).

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soup and salad combo: large soup or chili with a side serving of an entree salad. $8.50

lately, i just can’t get enough of the soup and salad combo at veggie grill. for only $8.50, it comes with a huge bowl of chili or soup of the day, along with a healthy portion of the salad of your choice. i order this all the time, and i rarely finish it—it’s so much food!

chop-chop chef: chopped romain, tempeh, veggie steak, chillin' chickin, green onion, roasted corn salsa with a chipotle ranch dressing.

i have tried a bunch of the salads at veggie grill, and my favorite one by far is the chop-chop chef. it comes fully loaded with two kinds of gardein meat, fluffy quinoa, tempeh and vegetables all in a creamy ranch dressing. seriously, it’s soooooo good. even just the side salad that is served with the combo is pretty big and filling on its own…and i haven’t even gotten to the chili yet!

bean me up chili: red and white beans, touch of soy cream, chopped green and red onion.

i am a huge fan of the chili at veggie grill, so that’s almost always what i get with my combo. it doesn’t have any fake meat in it; instead it’s just a rich flavorful mixture of red and white beans garnished with soy sour cream. the serving with the combo is generous, and it even comes with a side of delicious herb toasted crisps (not pictured).

i could seriously eat this soup/salad combination every single day. it’s so tasty and so filling, and it’s under 10 dollars. what more do i require?!

UPDATE! scroll to the bottom for more pix!

this is some pretty exciting news that i have been dying to post for a while….and now it’s finally time! hugo’s restaurant will be running a vegan mac and cheese special this month that is absolutely amazing. the new specials menu rolls out today in studio city and tomorrow in west hollywood, so make sure you get over and eat it asap.

vegan mac and cheese: fusilli pasta with diced onions, garlic, sliced mushrooms and sweet peas in a creamy cashew cheese. cooked crispy with a potato crumb crust. $7.50

i tried an earlier version of this mac and cheese (mine didn’t have all the amazing sounding vegetables in it), and i was absolutely floored. hugo’s makes their very own cashew cheese sauce in house, and it’s unbelievably flavorful and creamy. the best part of this mac though, is the crispy potato crumb crust, that adds a bit of crunch to every bite. although it had a wet texture, this is nothing like the old school kraft mac and cheese you remember from when you were a kid. this was way better with deeper more full-bodied flavor and a much thicker and richer sauce. absolutely incredible.

i’m actually really sad that hugo’s only decided to run this as a special, rather than put it on their regular menu. los angeles doesn’t have nearly enough vegan mac and cheese; and this is seriously some of the best around. you gotta get over there and order tons of this stuff; let’s make them re-think their decision.

so remember, this mac and cheese is available today in studio city and tomorrow in west hollywood tomorrow. go eat it up, and lemme know what you think!

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993
and
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

UPDATE: so my friend brittany went to hugo’s today and tried out the vegan mac and cheese as well! she was kind enough to snap some pix which i will attach below. she loved it just as much as i did, and confirmed that the vegetables mixed in are awesome. she also did a great post on another hugo’s special…the po boy! check it out!

one of our favorite vegan-friendly places in town, hugo’s restaurant is adding some really interesting stuff to their menu this week…including vegan french fries! YAY! finally! they will roll out the new changes tomorrow in studio city, followed by west hollywood on thursday, and i couldn’t be more excited. i went for a tasting of some of the new items that hugo’s has in store, and let me tell you, it was all AMAZING.

vegan chili cheese fries

one of the new vegan dishes you’ll be able to order is a massive whopping plate of animal-free chili cheese fries. on the menu it’s called “black bean chili: your way,” and you basically get a delicious homemade mixture bean and vegetable chili along with the option of vegan cheese atop your choice of carb or vegetable. put it on top of hugo’s new separately-cooked vegan french fries, and you have a match made in heaven!

also being added to the menu are several items that have been specials in the past, but will now be available year round. green tamales, portobello stew, and sandwiches just to name a few…not to mention a whole new slew of items that will be added to the “create-a-plate” section of the menu. they are also introducing a new line of vegan and oil-free salad dressings, vegan kids’ menu items, and a whole new menu section called “lentils, leafy greens and rice”. basically, it all kicks ass.

i got a chance to sit down with chef nabor and try some upcoming vegan items that aren’t on the menu yet….and WOW, we are all in for a treat. hugo’s is working on some stuff that is seriously gonna knock everyone’s socks off. so stay tuned.

for now, hit up hugo’s ASAP. and remember, the new stuff and vegan fries are not available until wednesday in studio city and thursday in west hollywood. oh, and seriously…if you like the stuff hugo’s is doing for vegans, be vocal about it. write them an email or tell them when you visit! we were vocal about the non-vegan mashed potatoes and they changed those, and now they are veganizing the fries as well. so keep speaking up!

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993
and
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

last week i raved about the corn cake napoleon special at hugo’s restaurant, and this week i’m back to rave about another one: the vegan tofu rancheros!

Tofu Rancheros: Tofu atop corn tortillas, roasted tomato Chipotle sauce, sliced avocado, vegan mozzarella cheese and fresh cilantro. Served with smashed pinto beans and Spanish rice. $11.75

hugo’s restaurant has two locations (one in weho and one in studio city), it is seriously one of the best vegan-friendly eateries in town. every month they have a whole menu full of amazing specials, most of which can be prepared animal-free. today i ordered one of the breakfast specials, the tofu rancheros, which came with thick slabs of tofu, savory chipotle sauce, sliced avocado, tortillas, rice and beans. i love mexican-inspired breakfasts, and seriously this is one of the best ones i’ve ever had. i am going to have to get over to hugo’s again and order this before the month is over. so damn good. if you like big messy plates of food full of delicious sauce and protein, you will love this thing. i mean, LOOK—they even got the follow your heart cheese to melt!

Vegan Soy Chorizo and Vegetable Quesadilla: vegan mozzarella cheese with a blend of vegetables, soy chorizo, sauteed peppers, onions and potato grilled in a flour tortilla. Served with Pico de Gallo and guacamole. $6.75

in other hugo’s restaurant/mexican food news, they also offer an amazing quesadilla on the starters menu that isn’t a special, so you can get it year round. my dad orders this every time he goes to hugo’s, without fail, so it has to be pretty good. at under 7 bucks, it’s a really great deal and definitely big enough to eat as a meal. as always, when ordering at hugo’s be sure to specify that you want your food made vegan, because a lot of these dishes are not by default.

what’s better than warm mexican food on a cold rainy day? not much!

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

and

12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

i am all about dine-out specials this week so today at hugo’s restaurant i tried one of their january menu items, the corn cake napoleon. the folks at hugo’s really know how to make mexican food (they do operate a taco stand too, after all), and this napoleon was no exception.

Layers of tamale cakes filled with layers of mashed pinto beans and roasted vegetables in Chef Nabor’s Guajillo sauce. Topped with finely shredded cabbage, Pico de Gallo, and more Guajillo sauce. $7.50

it’s basically like a tamale, except way more awesome because it comes stuffed with mashed beans, loads of vegetables and some of the most incredible red sauce i have ever tasted. chef nabor is a genius—i seriously wanted to drink the guajillo sauce straight! the pics don’t do the napoleon justice, i swear underneath all those colorful vegetables, are are some soft fluffy corn cakes that are perfectly crispy around the edges. as you can see, the portion is pretty hefty as well…a damn good deal at under 8 bucks.

seriously, so good. i would suggest you hit up hugo’s while this special is still around and give it a whirl. oh, and be sure to SPECIFY YOU WANT IT VEGAN. i think the original version comes with cheese.

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

and

12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

the v-burger: marinated and grilled veggie-steak burger, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, chipotle ranch. comes with a side/ $8.95

there is no excuse not to dine at veggie grill tonight, because they are offering an insane deal that is way too good to pass up.

from the veggie grill facebook page:

“Do you know a Veggie Grill Virgin (a friend who hasn’t been to The Veggie Grill yet)? Help them see what they’re missing out on, our treat. Bring in a VG Virgin for dinner (after 4pm) this Tuesday, Jan 12th to any of our locations, whisper to the cashier that you’ve brought in a Veggie Grill Virgin, and we’ll comp their entrée. Tell your friend it’s on you! … note: one Veggie Grill Virgin per experienced Veggie Griller please, no solo VG Virgins.”

vegan nachos at veggie grill el segundo

can you believe that?! all you need to do is bring someone who has never been to veggie grill before (preferably an omnivore, muahahahaha) and they eat for FREE. this is one of the greatest deals i’ve ever heard, and a great way to expose non-vegans to the insane meaty animal-free goodness that is veggie grill.

but that’s not all! if you do dine at veggie grill tonight, i highly encourage you to go to the west hollywood location at 6:30pm. because at that time, kcal news is going to be there filming, and they have been real doubters regarding the commercial viability of a vegan restaurant. let’s show them that early on a tuesday evening, a vegan establishment can be PACKED.

so there you have it, free food at veggie grill tonight and a chance to spread the veganism. do it!