A Few Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants You Must Try in Los Angeles

Last blog I started on about how we had an insane culinary adventure in Los Angeles, and I wanted to expand on it because I feel like some of these spots deserve more recognition than a few sentences in a California blog. First and foremost, we had a blast in Los Angeles. We had some friends and family show us around, take us out, let us see the sights in their own vehicle so we didn't have to lug around our small RV. It was glorious and we can't thank them enough.
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But the food...the food we ate while we were in Los Angeles was flavorful, fun, and varied wildly in the type of cuisine available. Since Los Angeles is such a melting pot, we expected nothing less. We ate like queens (yasssss queen) and wanted to share in our culinary delights. So, here we go....

Sqirl

YOU NEED TO GET THE BURNT BRIOCHE WITH RICOTTA. Okay, sorry, jumping way ahead of myself. This small spot in the East Hollywood area was conveniently by my brother's place. After his recommendation, we thought, sure why not? Turns out, we fell in love. 

It's a quaint restaurant, chairs and tables outside of mismatching fashion. You order inside, normally stepping in line which is already around the block. The menu boasts some really interesting combinations, things you wouldn't normally find on an average day—Green Eggs & Jam Tartine, Sorrel Pesto Rice, Vegan Brown Rice Porridge. It's different, it's unusual, but it's also damn tasty. By far, I've thought many a'times about the Burnt Brioche Toast w/House Ricotta and Seasonal Jam. It was such a weird flavor combination, paired with warm toast, then cool ricotta, then sweet house-made jam. IT WAS INSANE. I also can't forget about the drinks—unique coffee up the wazoo. I had the "Lait 'N' Egg" which was composed of Vietnamese-style Iced Cortado shaken with egg whites. One wasn't enough for me.

​I have thought long and hard about this meal and realized it was probably top 3 most enjoyable during our RV travels.

GrandCentralMarket.com

Grand Central Market

This marketplace brings together a whole slew of cuisines, all fused with more modern cooking techniques, but still boast solid flavors. It's a food emporium, if you will, and if you're the type to have difficulty making up your mind on what you'd like to eat, this might not be the place for you.

It doesn't matter if it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, or dessert—you'll find everything at Grand Central Market. Even an Oyster bar! We went for lunch and had to have our hands in at least a few different options. The vegan ramen from Ramen Hood was absolutely killer. The broth was delicious and creamy, with only a slight kick of heat. The noodles were thick, and textured and balanced so well with the chunks of Oyster mushrooms. I highly recommend this place if you're seeking out a delicious bowl of ramen.

My only problem with Grand Central Market was that I didn't have enough time to try everything. Plus, it also was a bit pricey. We bought a falafel wrap we weren't too keen on, that cost $14 and was quite small. So, there's that...

Cafe Gratitude

My third entry ( I did have three for this blog) was Cafe Gratitude. However...I'm having a bit of an issue writing praise after the recent news broke about the famed eatery. Apparently, founders of Cafe Gratitude Matthew and Terces Engelhart, who have been vegans since 2003 and vegetarians for 40 years, have been found to be raising and slaughtering animals for profit at their farm. Now, while I don't judge people for their decision to eat meat (heck, I did so for quite some time), I'm not sure I can get behind promoting this restaurant right now. Well, let's be honest, they don't need extra praise, Beyonce ate there. BUT, I can't condone or promote anything that contributes to animal suffering. So, alas...I won't be raving about my fantastic meal or wonderful experience. You can read about all the controversy here.

We're going to go back to dreaming about SQIRL and Ramen Hood.....byeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
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