Vegan
American
Take-out
Mexican
Catering

Pop-up offering vegan Mexican street food for take-out and catering. Operates from a ghost kitchen but accepts walk-ups as well as online orders. No seating. Based here as of 2021 but check its webpage for changes. Makes a few kinds of flavored mock meats from wheat gluten and other plant-based ingredients which are also for sale via webpage. Relocated from
230 W Ave 26, Ste 239. Open Mon-Fri 12:00pm-10:00pm, Sat 12:00pm-8:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-7:00pm.


Venue map for Cena Vegan - Ghost Kitchen
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51 Reviews

First Review by AxlRosa

AaronE39

Points +46

Vegan
02 Feb 2022

Best Vegan 🌱 Torta

The Birria torta was amazing 🤤🤤

Brooklynbomb

Points +72

Vegan
16 Dec 2021

Another fave!

I feel so lucky to have great vegan Mexican food in my neighborhood- used to drive out to Van Nuys to get El Cocinero before I knew this place was open. I’ve been ordering the gluten-free tamales (dig both the green and red) and the Plato con birria and barbacoa (also both gf), which is DELISH with their handmade corn tortillas. Hubs gets the burrito w asada every time, and since I just found out the carnitas are gf too imma swoop on that next time! I didn’t see that listed on the menu as gf but I asked them tonight, and confirmed that the gf options are soy.😄

SeitanicVegan

Points +27

Vegan
01 Nov 2021

Best Street Tacos

From tacos to burritos to tortas. Cena Vegan is full of flavor. You won't be disappointed. My go to tacos.. Add a refreshing watermelon Agua fresca and let the smile reign from ear to ear

Pros: Trio Taco. Al Pastor, Carnitas, Birria, HUGE Tortas! You'll be full!, Watermelon Agua Fresca, Horchata, Jamaica 👌

Cons: I haven't seen them on York Blvd😒

TaoOfBalance

Points +380

Raw
25 Jul 2021

The Best Vegan Mexican

More than just comfort food and great employees, I’ve been coming to Cena Vegan for 5 years now and love it every time

Pros: All vegan, Authentic flavors

Cons: Not open 24 hours lol

Tiny714

Points +111

Vegan
19 Jun 2021

Not a fave

Cena Vega came highly recommended - maybe too highly. We ordered the carnitas burrito, the al pastor burrito, chips and guacamole, and a barbacoa taco. The carnitas burrito had no flavor or texture. I took a few bites and wrapped it back up. Coming from a gold star member of the clean-plate club, this is absolutely unprecedented! The guacamole had all the unappealing characteristics of the pre-made grocery store variety. Should we be upset that it was such a tiny portion for $5? I definitely didn’t want more of it. The one-note al pastor tasted only of strong cloves. The taco’s corn tortilla was tasty and had a great texture; the filling, however, was strange/mushy and didn’t come with the pickled onions pictured on the website. Unfortunately, the great salsa will not be enough to bring us back for a return visit.

Pros: Easy ordering, Prompt preparation, Good salsa & tortillas

Cons: Lack of flavor, Lack of texture, Bad aftertaste

KaceyCastaneda

Points +410

Vegan
14 Nov 2020

Delicious vegan mexican

We got take out from their kitchen location. Delicious food, large portions and good prices. We ate here last year on vacation and couldn't wait to come back!

Pros: All vegan

Cons: Only take out or street vendor

Shogun

Points +78

Vegan
12 Oct 2020

Great Mexican food!

I haven't eaten their food in person but often order their frozen "meats" online and have them shipped to my house. The pollo asado and carne asada are delicious! The taste and texture and very meat-like and have fooled a lot of my friends and family members. We always have a pouch or two in the freezer for those times when we don't want to make dinner or have some tortillas we need to eat up. Looking forward to trying their food in person!

Pros: Delicious good, Convenient to order online

Cons: None

MikeStevens

Points +55

Vegan
30 Jul 2020

Mind blowing

Everything was meaty and full of flavor. The taste was fresh and authentic. These brought back memories of eating tacos with my friends.

AmberK

Points +18

Vegan
12 Jun 2020

🗣Listen Linda !!!

🌮 💣 (I had to look twice to make sure it wasn’t real asada meat)

Salsa Hot 🥵 very hot (mouth still on 🔥)

🌯 🆗 (I might have to try it again when my mouth isn’t burning)

Pros: Taste like real asada , Food was still hot when I picked it up , Great 1st takeout vegan meal

Cons: I should have ordered more tacos!

Kbjamjam

Points +179

Vegan
03 Jun 2020

The best vegan Mexican food hands down

Everything about Cena Vegan is amazing and I don’t think you could honestly find anything bad about the food. I’ve taken a ton of people here including meat eaters and almost everyone I know says this is one of if not the best Mexican food they’ve ever had. If they are open do yourself a favor and go! I could eat here everyday.
Gf options!

ArianLobon

Points +23

Vegan
20 May 2020

Seitan- delicious and affordable!

I am obsessed with buying their frozen meat to use in breakfast burritos through the week!

Pros: Delicious, Convenient, Frozen + prepared plant based meat

Cons: No gluten free options, No sit down, Opens at 5 pm

Christal_Perez

Points +35

Vegan
07 May 2020

favorite place ever ❤️

Hands down best vegan meat substitute and best vegan tacos 😭 tastes like authentic Mexican tacos.

Pros: All vegan

josandkill

Points +765

Vegan
05 Apr 2020

Best Mexican food in LA !

Would drive 45 minutes every Friday for this ! love Cena vegan first vegan tacos I ever had. Took my non vegan family here and they loved it.

Pros: Good prices , Great food , Large portions

Cons: Its LA so parking

Setman85

Points +126

Vegan
23 Feb 2020

Amazing food! Must go!

I went to this restaurant at Smorgasburg (which is a lot of fun!)

The quality of the food is excellent, they have really good beans and rice as well, and they also have many gluten-free options. Their sauces are incredible and the tortillas are homemade

Passittowill

Points +3460

Vegan
16 Feb 2020

Nacho Boat

Don’t need to say much else haha. Incredible nachos, I could eat those all day!

Pros: All vegan, Friendly, Taste

mymagicjourney

Points +737

Vegan
18 Jan 2020

The BEST burritos EVER

Cena is one of my favorite spots. The food is INCREDIBLE. I’ve never been disappointed by anything. It’s so delicious that I’m willing to drive in Friday night LA traffic (If you know you know). My mom doesn’t like fake meats but she LOVES the al pastor tacos and burrito. There’s usually a line but it moves relatively quickly (trust me it’s worth the wait).

dancingvegan

Points +854

Vegan
25 Oct 2019

Absurdly Awesome!

I went to VegFest in the O.C. held in Costa Mesa recently representing HappyCow at our 20th birthday celebration!

As I was walking to the entrance, I saw lots of food trucks, and knowing they were all vegan, I almost started drooling!! hahaha.

I picked Cena Vegan and am I glad I did (although I am sure all the food there was fabulous)! I got fully loaded nachos that not only made my taste buds dance, but they were pleasing to the eye! It took me two days to finish all of it, so the serving was very large. I have never had vegan carne asada and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted.

I SO want to follow them wherever their truck goes... I mean literally drive behind them, but for now I will follow them on their social media sites!! Haha! The food is THAT good!!

Pros: Friendly, Quick, Delectably tasty!

vegancow13

Points +15

Vegetarian
07 Jun 2019

CENA IS THE BEST

Cena is delicious. I’m traveling this summer and where I’m going there will be no access to Cena. I’m very sad, I’m not sure what to do without it. :(

Pros: Amazing fresh tortillas , Fake meat tastes so real, Great side selection of add-ons

Cons: There are no bad things about cena

hakajawawa

Points +44

Vegan
01 May 2019

Awesome vegan tacos!

I had a trio of tacos: pollo asada, carne asada, and al pastor. I enjoyed all three, the corn tortillas, guac and salsa made them perfect. They were a little salty for my liking (but I eat a primarily no added salt diet so most fast food is salty to me).

Pros: Amazing flavor, Quality ingredients

TinaCheong

Points +485

Vegan
10 Jul 2018

All my friends love this

Whether it’s at an event or it’s a stand alone food truck of the night, the line for this place is always long but for a good reason. I’ve come here several times with my omnivore friends and they all love this place. Every dish is packed with flavor and as most would tell me “you can’t even tell it’s vegan”.

Pros: Delicious flavoring , Good pricing

Cons: Line can be very long so be prepared to wait

sdriscoll

Points +55

Vegan
12 Apr 2018

Worth the Wait

I had to wait in line forever at a vegan food event to get this but it was definitely worth it. Best vegan nachos and burritos I've ever had. My meat-eating friend thought they had accidentally given us meat until I told them they only serve vegan food. We got the nachos and whatever they said the two most popular burritos were. We ended up having a ton of leftover food. The nachos were the best so if you're only getting one thing get that, it's big enough for a meal.

xmrfigx

Points +933

Vegan
25 Nov 2017

The BEST!

I have tried many different Vegan Mexican food vendors and restaurants and by FAR, Cena Vegan has the best flavor and texture! Now, jackfruit tacos are amazing and I’ve also had carnitas flavored vegan meat made from yuba, but if you want authentic taste and texture of carne asada or pollo asado, Cena Vegan is it. I find them at Smorgasburg LA every Sunday from 11am-4pm. Their burritos are my favorite. My wife loves their nachos and for $15/lb you can take home some of their “meats” to make your own culinary creations at home!

Pros: GREAT Flavor, Fast service, You can buy in bulk to take home

Cons: You have to find them (no restaurant)

Chia

Points +3635

Vegetarian
10 Oct 2017

Vegan Nachos

I've seen Cena Vegan stalls at different veg-related events in the Southern California area. A few weeks ago I bought an order of their loaded vegan nachos. Comes with your choice of flavored faux meat on top and some kind of vegan cheese (appears to be their own made). Added 2 scoops guacamole on top. Tasted yummy. Cost 12 bucks.

Pros: tasty

Cons: not cheap

AxlRosa

Points +18

Vegan
07 Oct 2017

Legit Vegan Tacos

There aren't many places I feel are worth waiting in line for but this place is like an amusement ride for your tastebuds, so it's worth the wait. Plus the line moves fast so it's not like you'll wait until you're starving.

You can order from the menu plus you can buy the plant based meat substitute by the pound, if you want to add to your own recipes at home!

They make the taco tortillas fresh when you order and they're almost as good as the ones my abuelita makes! Almost. ;)

The employees are always pleasant and make great recommendations on what to try if you're not sure. It's a small but delicious menu and I'll go out of my way to get food from them.

I have to say, Cena Vegan is the most legit Mexican food I've had since going vegan in '99.

Pros: authentic flavor, super friendly employees, great value

Cons: lines, limited venues , crowded salsa bar & pick up




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