Peony and I like vegan food for the taste and because we strive to be socially responsible and healthy. Ergo this thread.
Localita - “The Brekkie” with avocado. A personal favorite, though it tastes affirmatively healthy. The whole grain tortilla, black beans, and sprouted scrambled tofu provide an earthy core. Vegan chipotle cream, melted vegan cheese, and avocado add richness and flavor. The salsa is too sweet for me and tastes like it comes from a jar.
As anyone who takes the time to read your playlist can attest…Meat is Murder (2011 Remaster)
I also like vegan food, though I’m not a vegan (anymore – that was a long time ago).
With that in mind, I’ll toss out The Grain Cafe. I only recently went there because I was craving a vegan burger but not an Impossible or Beyond Burger. I wanted a “house made” vegan burger and so Grain Cafe. It’s on Venice in a little strip mall that also has a Thai place, Juquila (Oaxacan) and Emily’s somethingorother … which might be Vietnamese? Not sure. (The mall used to have a really popular Italian/pasta spot, but it’s gone now.)
I haven’t had the burrito, but I have had the breakfast, in addition to the black bean burger, which was exactly what I wanted. The chorizo scramble was damn good. They also have great tacos. Lots of vegan desserts, too. We had a piece of chocolate cake.
10032 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Wow, good eyes. What a coincidence!
There is a Grain Cafe in Mid-City, probably related or otherwise a trademark violation. I’m sure I’ll formally review their vegan breakfast burrito one of these days, but from memory I would call it just “okay.” I don’t love their addition of roasted potatoes, and the burrito just doesn’t all come together for me.
Fair enough - I hadn’t eaten the burrito.
I’m pretty sure it’s mini-chain.
Grain Cafe - breakfast burrito. Better than I remembered. Hash browns, not roasted potatoes, inside. Also scrambled tofu, tempeh bacon, and what seems like seitan sausage. Spicy and flavorful. More immediately likable than Localita’s The Brekkie, which is more an acquired taste. I wish there was something to add a sense of creaminess. Decent quality.
Grain Cafe - wet burrito. Passable but not good enough. If I’m going to save the planet, I need a reason to be on it, and this doesn’t suffice.
Kitchen Mouse. Mostly vegan cafe in Highland Park. They do have some egg stuff on the menu, but no dairy. I would say it is the best restaurant in Highland Park after Hippo and Otoño.
A “make your own burrito” situation. I chose black beans, brown rice, tofu scramble, and homemade mushroom sausage with added avocado. Very good even though they forgot to include the chipotle cream sauce and salsa roja.
Cafe Gratitude. Good restaurant. Okay burritos.
I Am Nourished. The breakfast burrito. I could have done without the baby spinach salad. The potatoes were good.
I Am Original. This burrito with black beans, brown rice, avocado, and mushrooms would have been good except it wasn’t wrapped tightly enough and the tortilla was too soggy.
Lassen’s Silver Lake. Jackfruit burrito, soyrizo burrito, and an added bonus—mango collard wrap! All well done and would order again.
Does Cafe Gratitude cook things now? Rice, beans, and tortillas sound unappetizing if they still don’t go over 118 degrees F.
y’all are really invested in exploring vegan burritos!! much respect…
To the best of my knowledge, the rice and beans are regularly cooked rice and beans. I like raw food a lot, but I don’t think cafe gratitude has any focus on raw food. The raw food restaurant in DTLA is wild living foods. au lac in DTLA makes a great raw burrito that I’m sure we will review soon.
When I went to Au Lac, I had:
Kale Sea salad (GF LF) $16.00
My bad. Asked, answered, forgotten.
Here it is in all its glory: the Ito Burrito from Au Lac (pictured with suggested wine pairing: a 100% carignan-based Priorat with green, herbal flavors). Completely uncooked. Dehydrated green pea tortilla, cultured beans, macadamia nut cheese, and avocado with a spicy salsa verde on the side. Truly excellent, the best burrito in Los Angeles! The menu describes it as “living food,” which I think refers not to the bacteria that continue to process the beans but rather to a “qi”-like force, perhaps in a fifth dimension beyond spacetime (see Flatland by Edwin Abbott).
Localita — The Calito. Simply delicious. Seitan, tater tots, guacamole, vegan cheese, hot sauce. Lacks the profundity of The Brekkie but more than compensates with immediate pleasure.
Urth Caffé. Breakfast burrito and huevos rancheros burrito, both with plant-based egg replacement. Urth is more directed to normal people than foodies (though we once met the owners at Urasawa). The best I can say about Urth is that it is not unpleasant. These burritos are fine. I’m not a fan of the egg replacement stuff.
My Vegan Gold. Breakfast burrito. Good! Love the soy bacon (not tempeh-like…haven’t seen this before). Also black beans, avocado, Just Egg, and potatoes. Saving the planet one burrito at a time. I just wish the delivery driver had an EV.
Anyone tried the breakfast burrito at Burgerlords? Have heard good things from a vegan friend but haven’t made it there myself.
