Last month I traveled to LA to visit one of my best friends–it was a chill trip, mostly hanging out, catching up, and of course, eating lots of vegan food! Since I was focused on being present in the moment, I didn’t take many photos with my nicer camera, but I did snap some quick phone photos so I could write a post about what I tried, what I liked, and what I didn’t like as much.
Let’s do this KonMarie style: I’ll make it simple by telling you which places/dishes brought me joy, and which didn’t. Please remember that just because a place didn’t spark joy for me doesn’t mean it sucks or that it won’t for you. When I say something sparked joy I mean I really enjoyed it/would order it again.
*Note: I am gluten sensitive but don’t have Celiac–please double check that everything is gluten free enough for your needs.
Mead’s Green Door Cafe (Vegetarian with vegan & gluten free options)
Overall did it spark joy? Yes. (We ate there twice.)
What sparked joy: The fries special, Green Power salad, The Tastie Veggie sandwich on gluten free bread (it could use more cream cheese though), vegan/gluten free cookie, Ely’s Portobello Sandwich.
What didn’t spark joy: Chili Eggs made vegan with chickpea “eggs” (it wasn’t bad, just not amazing), Buffalo Cauliflower (I prefer buffalo cauliflower breaded and a little greasy, these were kind of plain/healthy), the vegan cheeses from the counter (we got them to go and were disappointed by them.)
Kensho Vegan Sushi (Vegan with gluten free options)
Overall did it spark joy? Yes!
What sparked joy: The Don roll (it had vegan cream cheese and was my favorite) and the Caterpillar roll (these were the only two gluten free specialty rolls.) That they have a gluten free Tamari option. Ely said both of the rolls she ordered (not gluten free) were bomb as well and tasted amazingly like “real” sushi.
What didn’t spark joy: the Miso soup.
Del Taco
Overall did it spark joy? Yes!
What sparked joy: The Beyond Avocado tacos (which are vegan as is) and the crinkle fries! I’ve missed crispy “beef” tacos so these were a treat, and I wish there was a Del taco around us in Austin. You can see all of Del Taco’s vegan options here.
What didn’t spark joy: nothing really. One thing that would make the tacos even better though would be adding vegan cheese.
Vegan Pizza (Vegan with gluten free options)
Overall did it spark joy? It did for Ely because she loves their pizza, but not so much for me since they were out of gluten free crusts, so I didn’t actually get to try their pizza.
What sparked joy: The Chili Cheese Waffle Fries (these were delicious at least.)
What didn’t spark joy: the lack of gluten free pizza (they usually have it, but they were out.)
Blaze Pizza (Omni with vegan & gluten free options)
Overall did it spark joy? Yes!
What sparked joy: Their delicious vegan and gluten free pizza, of course! (And the fact that they saved me when Vegan Pizza didn’t have any gluten free crusts on the pizza night we planned.)
What didn’t spark joy: nothing, I love Blaze Pizza! I didn’t get a decent photo, but you can see photos of their pizza here.
Beji Sushi (Vegan & gluten free)
Overall did it spark joy? No.
What sparked joy: The fact that everything on the menu is vegan and gluten free, which is why Ely and I were excited to try it. The presentation was cute.
What didn’t spark joy: the food and the prices. The Mango Mania was the best roll we tried, but even that one we weren’t impressed by, and we really didn’t like the Green Power roll. All of the rolls we tried were either lacking in flavor or had a weird flavor and were not worth the steep prices or the long drive to get there. When I asked Ely if I should bother writing a post about what I ate in LA, she was like yea save someone a trip to that sushi place. Yikes.
The Black Bean (Vegan with gluten free options)
Oveall did it spark joy? Yes for Ely, not really for me. We did get it to go, so maybe it would’ve been better eating it fresh in the restaurant.
What sparked joy: The grilled cheese Ely ordered (she said it was amazing), The Animal Lover Fries (they were good and tasted like In-N-Out animal fries, which I do miss.)
What didn’t spark joy: Gluten free version of the Nachos (they use a different cheese for the gluten free nachos, and it wasn’t great), sweet potato fries (just not amazing).
La Vegana Mexicana (Vegan & gluten free)
Oveall did it spark joy? Yes!
What sparked joy: Everything! The tamales and the tostada. This was the last meal we ate, on the day of my flight out of LA, and Ely was like dang, we could’ve been eating here the whole time!
What didn’t spark joy: Nothing–the food and the service were both great.