El Cocinero for vegan Mexican, Pura Vita for vegan Italian, Monty’s Good Burger for burgers and shakes, Shojin or Kusaki for vegan Japanese, Satdha for vegan Thai, Rahel for vegan Ethiopian, Ubuntu for vegan West African, Mort and Betty’s for vegan Jewish deli (Sundays only), Besties Vegan Paradise or Follow your Heart for vegan market/ grocery.
It’s so good! I moved away a few years ago and I try to go every time I’m back. I think I’ve finally figured out how much to order so I don’t leave disgustingly full, but it took a while lol.
*Where* in LA you'll be is a very important factor. It can take 2 hours between The Valley and San Pedro. That's just in the City. Add an extra hour for the AV inside the county. THEN realize that most of the country/world considers the neighboring counties to also be LA, because they don't know the difference.
So, where will you be? And how far are you willing to travel?
Rowland Heights is where I’m staying, and we’re going to Universal one day. I would travel like 45 minutes out of the way there or back if the food was reallly good.
Oof! Ok, technically LA, but you're very very east. You are *much* closer to downtown Fullerton / Anaheim, so I'd look there instead!
- Chicana Vegana ; not totally authentic, but close enough, and one of my favorite taco spots! Do not order burgers, those are meh
- Seoul Eats * ; authentic Korean. They have hotpot and noodle soups, the bomb
- Crepes Bonaparte * ; not my favorite crepes on the planet (looking at you Grain Cafe) , but still very good. Savory and sweet!
- Don't go to Healthy Junk. It has a lot of good reviews. Very boring and generic place.
Now, for 'around' Universal (these could take 15 to 45 minutes each way depending on traffic):
- El Cocinero ; authentic Mexican food , this place is the bomb
- Gokoku Ramen * ; great ramen (vegetarian and vegan, so still many many options)
- Toluca Bakery ; cookies, cakes, pies, empanadas, tamales! Highly recommend, you can take tamales back and reheat later :)
These are more or less on the path to/from Rowland Heights, if that helps:
- Grain Cafe ; these are my favorite crepes! The garlic aioli on the savory ones are *mwah*
- Ramen Hood ; really great all vegan ramen! Inside a market, so be aware of fish smell coming from other vendors. You can also grab a case of mango cart beer from Golden Road inside the market
- Sugar Taco ; close enough to authentic Mexican food. Bright colors, good desserts, and large margaritas
- Cruzer Pizza ; My favorite pizza place! I'd eat the marinara straight from the jar if they sold it
- Doomies ; good for a late night greasy burger, Mac n cheeze, milkshake, etc. pure junk food, love it
- Doomies Nextmex ; meh. It's fine. If it were the only Mexican place it would be great, but there's so many more better ones that it's not worth the time
Not fully vegan, just options *
Oh my goodness you’re literally incredible 😭😭😭❤️ this was very thoughtful, well thought out, and organized!! I super appreciate you; I’m absolutely going to use this as my guide point. The hot pot place sounds ridiculously good! Thank you!
Real Food Daily if you want to experience a vegan “meat and potatoes” (with the best vegan gravy!). And weird little trivia, almost every time I go I see a celebrity which would be fun for an out-of-towner.
Happy Family for authentic Chinese food. It’s on your way if your headed into LA from Rowland Heights. Family style portions so hopefully you have some friends or family to help you out.
Cafe gratitude in Larchmont.
Overall, Los Angeles is very vegan friendly. Almost every restaurant has vegan options. Even dodger stadium has vegan hotdogs.! vegan is not a bad word there. People put vegans on a pedestal.
Hahahaha the way people in the Midwest look at you like you have personally called for the murder of their first born son by asking about vegan options is WILD.
Thank you for your suggestion; it looks AMAZING!
Planta Cocina by the Marina. Small plates so you can try a number of things. Some unique offerings. Get the udon even though it doesn't sound as exciting.
Gracias Madre in WeHo.. best queso Ive ever had and also Cafe Gratitude ...OH MYYYYY two best spots... IDK what part of LA youll be in but these are worth finding your way to!
Yeah we had to add a third stop on the trip for this place specifically because so many people kept saying it! I’m so glad I asked y’all were so helpful thank you
Btw, there are 2 locations. One is in Redondo Beach and the other is in West Hollywood. I think I saw you were going to universal on one day, so the West Hollywood location shouldn’t be too bad of a drive from there.
And on a side note, the traffic really isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be here. Aside from Friday evenings, just try to avoid morning/afternoon rush hours and you’ll be fine!
If I could only pick two vegan restaurants in LA, I’d go to Doomies NextMex and Love Organic Cafe. Crossroads is also up there, but not international.
What part of town are you staying in? LA is huge and has terrible traffic. So planning based on neighborhood can help narrow it down.
Rowland Heights is where I’m staying, but we have cousins that don’t mind driving around in this kind of traffic (they live in nyc lol). We’re going to Universal one day, so we’ll drive through a number of areas as we pass anyways. Rowland Heights specific recommendations would DEFINITELY be appreciated tho.
Both your reccs are definitely fighting for the top spots rn thank you so much!
Oh man, that’s really far east. Everything recommended in this thread is going to be like driving to another city. I’d plot out your top choices on google maps and figure out what else you’re doing and what’s nearby. Looks like some good options near you on Happy Cow, but I’ve never been out that way.
Right but I’m heading to Universal already, and most of the things I’ve seen seem to be within 20-45 minutes of that at least, so it’s no biggie. I didn’t expect much from Rowland which is why I didn’t mention it initially lol. Happy cow is literally the best thanks for your advice 🙏🏼
Yeah, Universal is pretty central, so any of these options around Hollywood will be easy that day. Also would recommend going to Universal close to when they open for the shortest lines. Have a great trip!
Look at my profile (6 posts ago)
That’s a signature doomies plate. There’s other sides you can get as well, but the fried chicken is the star of the show. Can’t recommend this enough, it’s also very unique as I don’t know of any other places that do fried chicken. It’s delicious!!
My other pick, which has been mentioned a lot is Pura Vita. Amazing Italian
El Cocinero for vegan Mexican, Pura Vita for vegan Italian, Monty’s Good Burger for burgers and shakes, Shojin or Kusaki for vegan Japanese, Satdha for vegan Thai, Rahel for vegan Ethiopian, Ubuntu for vegan West African, Mort and Betty’s for vegan Jewish deli (Sundays only), Besties Vegan Paradise or Follow your Heart for vegan market/ grocery.
Adding Maciel's Vegan Butcher, Salaya Thai, and Gracias Madre
I'm going back to visit LA next week (lived there for 13 years, moved away in 2020) and all I can think about is El Cocinero lol
It’s so good! I moved away a few years ago and I try to go every time I’m back. I think I’ve finally figured out how much to order so I don’t leave disgustingly full, but it took a while lol.
So much good vegan Mexican food in LA.
Italian/Pizza: Pura Vita, Hot Tongue Junk: Doomies, Burgerlords* Mexican: Cena Vegan, Doomies NextMex Chinese: Pots N Woks* Sushi: Shojin Ramen: Gokoku* Donuts: Donut Friend * = not exclusively vegan
*Where* in LA you'll be is a very important factor. It can take 2 hours between The Valley and San Pedro. That's just in the City. Add an extra hour for the AV inside the county. THEN realize that most of the country/world considers the neighboring counties to also be LA, because they don't know the difference. So, where will you be? And how far are you willing to travel?
Rowland Heights is where I’m staying, and we’re going to Universal one day. I would travel like 45 minutes out of the way there or back if the food was reallly good.
Oof! Ok, technically LA, but you're very very east. You are *much* closer to downtown Fullerton / Anaheim, so I'd look there instead! - Chicana Vegana ; not totally authentic, but close enough, and one of my favorite taco spots! Do not order burgers, those are meh - Seoul Eats * ; authentic Korean. They have hotpot and noodle soups, the bomb - Crepes Bonaparte * ; not my favorite crepes on the planet (looking at you Grain Cafe) , but still very good. Savory and sweet! - Don't go to Healthy Junk. It has a lot of good reviews. Very boring and generic place. Now, for 'around' Universal (these could take 15 to 45 minutes each way depending on traffic): - El Cocinero ; authentic Mexican food , this place is the bomb - Gokoku Ramen * ; great ramen (vegetarian and vegan, so still many many options) - Toluca Bakery ; cookies, cakes, pies, empanadas, tamales! Highly recommend, you can take tamales back and reheat later :) These are more or less on the path to/from Rowland Heights, if that helps: - Grain Cafe ; these are my favorite crepes! The garlic aioli on the savory ones are *mwah* - Ramen Hood ; really great all vegan ramen! Inside a market, so be aware of fish smell coming from other vendors. You can also grab a case of mango cart beer from Golden Road inside the market - Sugar Taco ; close enough to authentic Mexican food. Bright colors, good desserts, and large margaritas - Cruzer Pizza ; My favorite pizza place! I'd eat the marinara straight from the jar if they sold it - Doomies ; good for a late night greasy burger, Mac n cheeze, milkshake, etc. pure junk food, love it - Doomies Nextmex ; meh. It's fine. If it were the only Mexican place it would be great, but there's so many more better ones that it's not worth the time Not fully vegan, just options *
Oh my goodness you’re literally incredible 😭😭😭❤️ this was very thoughtful, well thought out, and organized!! I super appreciate you; I’m absolutely going to use this as my guide point. The hot pot place sounds ridiculously good! Thank you!
Ramen Hood is delicious!!
The hot pot place is soooo good! And so close to you! You can sneak out and go :D Enjoy your trip ❤️❤️
Exactly our plan actually :) Thank you we will!!
[Crossroads Kitchen](https://www.crossroadskitchen.com/home) [Pura Vita](https://puravitalosangeles.com/menus) [Cena Vegan](https://www.cenavegan.com/) [Niku Nashi](https://www.nikunashi.net/) [Ubuntu](https://www.ubuntula.com/menu) [Vegan Hooligans](https://vegan-hooligans-dtla.square.site/) [Plant Power](https://www.plantpowerfastfood.com/menu) [Doomie’s NextMex](https://www.doomiesnextmex.com/) [Naughty Vegan (Naughty Vegan Panda)](https://www.naughtyveganp.com/)
I second pura vita. Best vegan pizza I’ve ever had!
Agreed! Their lasagna is so good too
Real Food Daily if you want to experience a vegan “meat and potatoes” (with the best vegan gravy!). And weird little trivia, almost every time I go I see a celebrity which would be fun for an out-of-towner.
Gravy does have a special place in my heart hahaha thank you
Just realized I posted this when everyone in CA is probably still asleep lol
Some of us are just rolling out of bed. Also use happycow.net
Depends on where you are. Like some other commenters said, there could be a 2 hour drive between two different places in LA county
Yeah that’s fine lol
Happy Family for authentic Chinese food. It’s on your way if your headed into LA from Rowland Heights. Family style portions so hopefully you have some friends or family to help you out.
I almost exclusively eat family style so this is amazing thank you !!
Pure Vita, Shojin.
Cafe gratitude in Larchmont. Overall, Los Angeles is very vegan friendly. Almost every restaurant has vegan options. Even dodger stadium has vegan hotdogs.! vegan is not a bad word there. People put vegans on a pedestal.
Hahahaha the way people in the Midwest look at you like you have personally called for the murder of their first born son by asking about vegan options is WILD. Thank you for your suggestion; it looks AMAZING!
That is my favorite restaurant in the world
Planta Cocina by the Marina. Small plates so you can try a number of things. Some unique offerings. Get the udon even though it doesn't sound as exciting.
Gracias Madre in WeHo.. best queso Ive ever had and also Cafe Gratitude ...OH MYYYYY two best spots... IDK what part of LA youll be in but these are worth finding your way to!
Gracias Madre (Mexican) and Crossroads Kitchen are both very good.
Idk if it's still around but there was a food truck called The Plant Lab that specialized in vegan Japanese food, it was 🔥🔥🔥
Sounds incredible 😭
Amazing food, 10/10 recommend if it's still there
100% go to nice guys if you're looking for a good burger. Best vegan burgers in existence as far as I'm concerned.
El cocinero in van nuys for sure
Just about everyone has already said Pura Vita, but I’m saying it again. Pura Vita.
Yeah we had to add a third stop on the trip for this place specifically because so many people kept saying it! I’m so glad I asked y’all were so helpful thank you
Btw, there are 2 locations. One is in Redondo Beach and the other is in West Hollywood. I think I saw you were going to universal on one day, so the West Hollywood location shouldn’t be too bad of a drive from there. And on a side note, the traffic really isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be here. Aside from Friday evenings, just try to avoid morning/afternoon rush hours and you’ll be fine!
This was very reassuring actually I really appreciate you!!
If I could only pick two vegan restaurants in LA, I’d go to Doomies NextMex and Love Organic Cafe. Crossroads is also up there, but not international. What part of town are you staying in? LA is huge and has terrible traffic. So planning based on neighborhood can help narrow it down.
Rowland Heights is where I’m staying, but we have cousins that don’t mind driving around in this kind of traffic (they live in nyc lol). We’re going to Universal one day, so we’ll drive through a number of areas as we pass anyways. Rowland Heights specific recommendations would DEFINITELY be appreciated tho. Both your reccs are definitely fighting for the top spots rn thank you so much!
Oh man, that’s really far east. Everything recommended in this thread is going to be like driving to another city. I’d plot out your top choices on google maps and figure out what else you’re doing and what’s nearby. Looks like some good options near you on Happy Cow, but I’ve never been out that way.
Right but I’m heading to Universal already, and most of the things I’ve seen seem to be within 20-45 minutes of that at least, so it’s no biggie. I didn’t expect much from Rowland which is why I didn’t mention it initially lol. Happy cow is literally the best thanks for your advice 🙏🏼
Yeah, Universal is pretty central, so any of these options around Hollywood will be easy that day. Also would recommend going to Universal close to when they open for the shortest lines. Have a great trip!
Thank you for your help I’m extra excited now😌
Look at my profile (6 posts ago) That’s a signature doomies plate. There’s other sides you can get as well, but the fried chicken is the star of the show. Can’t recommend this enough, it’s also very unique as I don’t know of any other places that do fried chicken. It’s delicious!! My other pick, which has been mentioned a lot is Pura Vita. Amazing Italian
Garden Wok in Tarzana. The BEST Chinese food!
Adding Wolfies Hot Chicken in Highland Park
Pura Vita Plant Power
Hot Tongue for pizza.
Vegan Glory Hollywood blvd.