January’s nearing an end – with all of the indulgent food over the holidays and into the New Year, you may be seeking some lighter fare. Luckily, the HappyCow app is here to help! Haven’t tried it before? Let’s have a mini-tutorial with one of the world’s most vegan-friendly cities: Los Angeles. Keep reading for a run-down of the top healthy vegan restaurants in LA. Firstly, if you’re a regular…
Besides serving amazing vegan food, Au Lac Restaurant boldly goes beyond to create food that is actually good for you. Au Lac Restaurant is an interesting East-West fusion that serves beautiful and delicious vegan food. Each dish is wonderfully prepared with complex and unique flavor combination. What makes Au Lac stands out is the exciting and diverse offering of vegan living foods that also taste good. When food is cooked…
From the menu to the art to the market offerings, the things you find at Lifefood are curated with the utmost health in mind. The café style dining offers many to-go options, along with smoothies and Chinese herbal tonics. The market section offers high-vibe supplements, personal care products, and ingredients to make your own healthy vegan food at home. Life Food Organic Santa Monica is the 2nd location of one…
eLOVate Kitchen is the newest vegan creation in Santa Monica, California, just one block south of the Santa Monica Pier serving lunch, brunch, and dinner, as well as some of the tastiest juice and juice concoctions on the West Side. The evening menu offers appetizers, entrees, desserts, cocktails, smoothies, cold-pressed juices and elixirs prepared from seasonally fresh ingredients by Chef Roberto Martin. The décor has a fresh farm-to-table vibe with…
Nestled inside the bustling Grand Central Market of Downtown L.A. you’ll find Ramen Hood serving 100% vegan food. Created by Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall, the new hottest food in town is vegan ramen. This plant-based, meat-free noodle soup is super rich in flavor. I was told the creamy broth is made with sunflower seeds, which explains the pleasant nutty flavor. The al dente ramen noodles have perfect…
Southern California’s new fast casual plant-based cafe of renowned Chef Matthew Kenney is turning heads with its cold-pressed juices, salads, wraps, and raw vegan cuisine. The vegan cuisine at MAKE OUT is a welcome addition to the culinary diverse downtown Culver City. And it aims to open more locations in the region over the next five years. MAKE OUT provides accessible, crafted juices and nutritious food to the health-conscious consumer…
Auc Lac is a legend amongst the vegan scene. The owner Mai Nguyen pioneered the concept in 1997 in Fountain Valley after getting news from her doctor that she had a life threatening brain tumor. She completely healed herself by switching to a raw vegan diet. In 2001, she met chef Ito. They shared a dream to serve and nourish people through a raw and cooked vegan diet. Together they…
Matthew Kenney has been a pioneer in raw plant-based cuisine for over a decade. Kenney’s newest creation, Plant Food + Wine, takes a leap into that of the cooked variety. The appointed Venice location brings the farm-to-table concept to life with a youthful energy that encapsulates Kenney’s warm, creative spirit. The 70-seat restaurant has a serene outdoor garden with fresh vegetables and herbs grown on site. The upper floor of…
Nestled between hip art galleries and coffee shops is a 13,500 square foot vegan paradise in downtown Los Angeles called The Springs. This vegan café and juice bar* meets yoga studio and state-of-the-art spa would make any West-sider brave the 10. The holistically assembled desert oasis theme reminds one a bit of the oh-so-cool Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Every dish is so elegantly prepared and served, boasting the freshest…
You’re in a hurry. You’re hungry. You’re veg*. You know you will need food to bring on the plane. You’ve just arrived, starving. You wish there was just a veg* restaurant close by, but you know better. Well, now there is healthy veg* food at the AIRPORT! I’ve never been so teeth-grinningly happy to enter airport security. I knew once I was past security, after putting my shoes back on, I would have arrived at…
“Wow this is a really good falafel!” Crispy herb rich flavorful falafel slathered in tahini sauce with arugula wrapped in a collard green leaf. This is how I discovered Ihsan’s Falafel and Amin Musa at Worldfest (now Vegfest), Los Angeles’s largest vegan Earth Day (he was a vendor and I was a speaker). Ihsan’s Falafel is significantly amazing, and a very green, healthy falafel too. Ihsan’s Falafel is a mobile vegan…
Although I’ve lived in Los Angeles for over two years, SunCafe is a recent discovery for me. The first time I visited the restaurant was to meet a friend for a quick lunch, so I was expecting a small vegan fast food joint. Upon arrival, however, I realized that I had been way off the mark. From the decor to the service to the food…the entire experience was first rate! …
Thanks to you and all HappyCow visitors during Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a family feasting holiday celebrated in the United States, centered historically (and unfortunately) around a large roasted turkey, is happening soon. Vegans and vegetarians work hard to introduce their loved ones to compassionate veg* options, and are often challenged to survive a carnivore-centric holiday socially with family and friends. You can use HappyCow to find a restaurant with like minded people,…