Vegan
American
Macrobiotic
Juice bar
Take-out
Bakery
Catering
Est. May 2012, this is part of the Real Food Daily brand with locations in Southern California. All vegan food menu and vegan desserts. Spacious with tables as well as bar seating. Weekend brunch on Sat-Sun available. Closed indefinitely for renovations April 2024. Please update if they reopen.
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899 E Del Mar Blvd (at corner of Lake), Pasadena, California, USA, 91106
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 30 Oct 2024 by MarthaWestman
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93 Reviews
First Review by Ginita
axis777
Points +114
Really great food, a bit weak on ambience - Edit
This is an unassuming place from the outside, but the inside tries to be more upscale. Any doubts you may have go away once you see the menu. There are some creative standard options, plus daily/weekly specials that are above and beyond. I started with a watermelon gaspacho, which was a little too sweet for my tastes but well worth the adventure. Then I tried the Argentine BBQ - wonderfully seasoned seitan with a variety of spicy sauces - double yum! There's a case full of deserts to tempt you as well, but I was too full to appreciate them. The wine selection was simple but fulfilling. I would go here any time I'm in the area.
Read morePros: really delicious food, creative menu options
Cons: outdoor space is noisy
Guest
Sofafilms
Points +335
Valentine's Day dinner - Edit
I have been here several times and gave never had s bad meal. This evening my husband and I tried the set menu for Valentine's Day. The ingredients tasted very fresh and the flavor combinations were wonderful. Also, the service was excellent and they never kept us waiting.
Read moreGuest
Mav0n0
Points +16
Gourmet food at its best! - Edit
Real food daily is gourmet food at its best. The fact that it is also healthy is an added plus. My son who is vegan was visiting from out of town and he suggested we go to RFD for dinner. I love vegetables. I love all the meticulously vegan food he prepares at home and so trusted that his standards for good vegan food were very high! What a wonderful surprise for me! Deliciously good gourmet tasting food that was also healthy! We had the sea cake and maki sushi roll for starters. Then the tortilla soup. For entrees we had the lasagna and quesadillas. If no one had told me this was a vegan, vegetarian restaurant , I would have just said I was tasting very delicious food. I am not a vegan or vegetarian! This is just fabulously delicious food!!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Friday August 22, 2014
Updated from previous review on Friday August 22, 2014
Pros: Delicious, Easy parking, Excellent service
Cons: None
Guest
VeganVegasGirl
Points +657
Fit for Non-Vegans - Edit
I took a new (2-day) vegan and picky non-vegan here this week. Rave reviews from everyone! We tried and shared many different things. Amazing mashed potatoes and gravy, which I normally never order (too unhealthy!) Great veggies and sauces too! Desserts were a little too high-fat and not as great as the main meal, which was superb, as was the service. Wish this place was closer (I'd be a regular!)
Read morePros: Nice restaurant feel, excellent service, Lots of choices
Cons: Pricey, Unhealthy desserts
Guest
dpuetz
Points +38
Pasadena fabulous Vegan resturant - Edit
My wife and I had two meals at this resturant and we very impressed; another fantastic place to eat, with some of the best service we have recieved anywhere. We would eat there almost every day if we could. What more can we say.
Read morePros: Selection, Service, Location
Guest
adora08
Points +32
Super Brunch!!! - Edit
I died and went to heaven! For the first time in 18 years I had French toast! It was light, fluffy and very tasty. Syrup was great. The Ava B scramble was fantastic and fresh. It did take them a while to get our food to us, and they are a bit pricey, but I'm willing to pay for that kind of yumminess. They also deliver! No limit on price, only a $5 delivery charge. I'm probably going to go broke and gain about 5,000 lbs but I'll die happy!
Read morePros: New , Excellent food, Knowledgeable friendly staff
Cons: Pricey, Took a while to get food, Pricey
Guest
SonjaCPA
Points +5270
good solid choice - Edit
We finally made it to their newest location as we were in Pasadena for the day. Easy parking and the restaurant is definitely the nicest and most spacious of the 3 locations. Service was a bit slow and forgetful though and the menu looked shorter than the other locations. We started with a strawberry milkshake and ordered the reuben sandwich and a basic 4 bowl for entrees. Our bowl had the seitan cutlet, garlicy greens, soba noodles and Spanish rice. We also shared a lemon poppyseed cheesecake for dessert and it was good, but it had a slight tofu aftertaste which seems the case each time we've tried them. RFD is a good solid choice and is the granddaddy of vegan restaurants, but it seems a bit pricey considering the many excellent vegan restaurants in LA now.
Read moreGuest
larryabailey
Points +129
Vegan with the Best in Pasadena - Edit
Having eaten at their Santa Monica Restaurant and had great meals, when visiting Pasadena their newly opened branch was on our radar. We were not disappointed in our light evening dinner, quite the contrary; in fact we went back for lunch a couple of days later! If you want to impress your guests on the excellence that vegan food can achieve, take them to 'Fresh Food Daily' in Pasadena.
Read moreThe first evening, after driving all day from Sacramento, a large bowl of fresh Curried Carrot Soup (special of the day) was fantastic, relaxing and filling. I think ALL of the curry ingredients had to be fresh including the curry - what great flavors! For the lunch a couple of days later I had a vegetable wrap (Collard Greens wrapping freshly grilled vegetables with seasonings). Wow was it good!
If gluten free is a requirement, be sure to mention it to your waiter/waitress and you will be surprised at their knowledge of the menu ingredients. FDR's menu is extensive and exciting for vegan and GF patrons.
Pros: Excellent Food, Fresh, Great Menu
Guest
VegEm
Points +35
So many yummy choices! - Edit
I visited my brother in LA and he took me to this location. It had just opened so we were a bit disappointed they didn't have their liquor license yet, but the food was amazing and the service very friendly. I highly recommend the nachos.
Read morePros: Wide selection, friendly staff, good environment
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2369
los angeles vegan staple - Edit
This new location is different compared to the santa monica and west hollywood ones. I would not recommend making the treck out here if those are closer. The interior is a littlelittle cave like in the back try to sit towards the door, with sound bouncing off the concrete floors making conversation and peace difficult. The vibe is hurried, but lively in a good way. The menu has hemp milk shakes, four kinds of lemonade and other subtle additions from the other RFDs. There is an outdoor seating area for those who wannt to bring their dogs. While not destination worthy as the other RFDs, the food is top notch and the service seems well trained. I'd still be a regular if I lived nearby. Suggestion: add carpets and lower music volume add artwork. Fabulous addition to Pasadena, combine with a trip to Huntington Garden for a fantastic Sunday
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Sunday May 27, 2012
Pros: excellent food, lemonade / beer & wine, free parking (2hr) in back
Cons: noisey
Guest
Chia
Points +3635
Good Atmosphere and Food - Edit
Had heard about this RFD location opening on HappyCow and drove here over the weekend for lunch. It's a nice space, larger than their locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood. Casual nice. Parking is just behind the restaurant.
Read moreThe menu is the same as their other locations -- a mix of American, fusion, and some California-Mexican using fresh veggies, grains, tofu, tempeh, and seitan.
My friend and I shared:
- BLT tartine, that was yummy. Savory cripsy tempeh strip, slice of tomato, slice of avocado over veganaise and toasted bread.
- Caesar salad topped with BBQ tempeh cubes, salad was tasty, tempeh cubes ok.
- El Bandito Rojo, that was delicious. Tempeh filled enchilada with side of beans and Spanish style rice.
We didn't realize everything we tried had some tempeh involved until all the food had arrived!
For dessert we got the oatmeal raisin cookie and the cheesecake (vegan); the cake was delicious with a really interesting whipped cream top.
Overall a very pleasant dining experience. A great place to eat healthy, tasty food when in Pasadena.
Pros: nice space, good food selection, friendly service
Guest
Ginita
Points +80
Mmmmm - Edit
Went to the opening for this last night and absolutely loved it! You can sit either inside or outside. The ambiance is very earthy, and the counter displays various desserts which all looked so tempting. Ann Gentry's cookbooks are for sale and include many recipes of the items they serve in the restaurant. At our table we shared the BLT Tartine appetizer which has perfect tempeh bacon and a little salad in the middle, and the Nori Maki with delicious ginger and wasabi. We also had the corn grain bread which was mixed with tempeh and had spreads that came with it, which was good and very filling. The RFD burger is not your typical veggie burger. The patty was soft and was more like a pulled-pork type of mock meat on a sourdough bun. The Fettuccine Alfredo was a spinach fettuccine with broccoli, red bell peppers and just a touch of pine nuts and the sauce was flawless! The other person at our table had the TV Dinner which was a meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy with vegetables. The meatloaf was ok, but then again I wasn't really a meatloaf fan back when I ate meat. The gravy and mashed potatoes were very good though. The Very Berry Cheesecake was the best vegan cheesecake I have tasted. My table absolutely loved it and they also served a chocolate cupcake which was a little dry for the others at my table, but I thought it was delicious. Staff was friendly and accommodating and atmosphere was relaxed despite the amount of people they were hosting. Appetizers average around $10, salads and entrees are about $13-$15, Burgers/Wraps are $11-15, Desserts range from $3-7. They have a large beverage selection, but its $4 for either iced or hot tea, which are the cheapest drinks on the menu and it just seems a little much for me. Overall it may seem pricey, but the portions are huge and we ended up taking a lot of food home. Parking is right around the corner on Shopper's Lane, just east of the restaurant. I hate going to Pasadena because of the parking, but this lot allows you to park free for two hours. There are so many options on the menu and everything we tried was made with such detail. They also have a catering menu and serve breakfast! Not too many places around here are open for breakfast, so that's unique. I will definitely come back here again.
Read morePros: excellent food, large portions, friendly staff
Cons: drinks expensive
Guest
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