Being vegan can be difficult, especially due to the lack of good vegan options when eating out. Fortunately, I have taken the time to compile a list of the best, at least in my opinion, vegan restaurants in Los Angeles.
Lemon Zest Cafe
Lemon Zest Cafe is a Mediterranean restaurant located at 109 N Chevy Chase Dr. A, Glendale, CA 91206. The restaurant has a charming and refreshing vibe that’ll make any picture stand out. The cozy cafe has beautiful outdoor seating surrounded by gorgeous flowers and an adorable little brick path leading to the entrance. Even though they serve meat and other animal products, Lemon Zest Cafe still has plenty of vegan options that are yummy and easy to find on their menu.
Cocina Cilantro
The Cocina Cilantro on 247 N Brand Blvd, Glendale is a quaint Mexican restaurant that serves non-vegan, vegan, and vegetarian food that can easily be vegan with a few modifications. The restaurant itself has a beautifully natural and modern aesthetic with indoor and outdoor seating. Though they are a smaller business, the service is amazing and the food is fantastic. I would recommend the Vegetarian Burrito with their non-dairy Mexican Almond Milk Horchata but whatever you order make sure you get a side of the Cilantro Lime Rice.
The Plant Lab
The Plant Lab on York Boulevard is a 100% vegan and organic Japanese food truck with healthy and incredible food. They sell everything from crispy teriyaki bowls, spicy tuna rolls, wasabi fries, and much more. One of my favorite things is how real and great their soy chicken is; everything from the texture to the taste is on point. Even looking at pictures of their food makes your mouth water.
Sage Plant-Based Bistro
Sage Plant-Based Bistro is an entirely plant-based restaurant with many locations but my favorite being the one in Old Town Pasadena. It has a really pretty outdoor seating area with strung fairy lights and indoor seating with comfortable booths. But enough about the decoration; the food is amazing with a very wide range of options. I think the only thing that can make this restaurant better is if they included impossible meat or beyond meat in their recipes; as of right now they are using jackfruit as a meat substitute. Personally I am not such a big fan of jackfruit but if you are then this place has absolutely no flaws.
The Highland Cafe
Finally, we have the best vegan restaurant I have ever been to. The Highland Cafe on York Boulevard serves both vegan and non-vegan meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The vegan food is so delicious that I get scared every time I eat it thinking I accidentally ordered a real burger. They also have plant-based milk options for every drink. Even the service at The Highland Cafe is great. To everyone, I recommend getting their Moroccan mint iced tea. It is ridiculously refreshing and needs no sugar; it’s even more thirst-quenching than water itself.
Bonus
Following these incredible vegan restaurants here are a couple of vegan dessert places that you can visit as well:
Scoops
Scoops is an ice cream shop on York Boulevard that has both vegan and non-vegan ice cream. They have a new assortment of flavors every time, and all the flavors are insanely good. The non-dairy options are made with oat milk and they always have interesting flavors such as Thai tea or burnt sugar apple cinnamon ice cream. Though the flavors might be experimental, they are still always a pleasant treat.
Cinnaholic
Cinnaholic is an all-vegan dessert shop that sells all kinds of cinnamon buns, cookies, and brownies with the closest location being Sunset Blvd. Even though that might be quite the drive, their desserts are totally worth it, especially on an important occasion. Every bite is always bursting with flavor. Their treats can be a tad on the sweeter side so you might want to make sure you have water nearby. Either way, I highly recommend Cinnaholic to every vegan; even if you aren’t vegan but enjoy cinnamon buns you should give this place a go.
Even though a few of these places are 100% vegan, anyone would definitely enjoy eating at one of these lovely restaurants. Lemon Zest Cafe, Cocina Cilantro, The Highland Cafe, and Scoops all include non-vegan options in their menu as well which make them great for all your friends and family that aren’t plant-based eaters.
This is very cool! I'd never heard of a lot of these places, and now I want to explore more! It's so cool how many vegan and vegetarian restaurants there are now!
This is great! I'm always looking for more vegetarian and vegan places; you opened my eyes!!!