Vegan in Los Angeles – The Perfect Food Guide

If you’re plant-based and heading to LA soon, I have great news for you: It’s super easy to find vegan places in Los Angeles that offer delicious, affordable food.

I went there in February and the large choice of vegan restaurants and cafés was really overwhelming.

Fortunately, I had quite a few days to make my way through all the different food spots. Here’s a vegan food guide for you, including the majority of the places I went to:

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking.)

1. Fala Bar at Melrose Avenue

Fala Bar is a 100% vegan restaurant serving all different types of cuisines. Whether you’re craving a plant-based burger, wrap, bowl, or just a salad, there’s nothing you won’t get there.

Moreover, the food is not only vegan but free from nuts, soy, and gluten – except for their bread – as well. I had the Fala Sandwich with sweet potato falafel and my sister tried their Avocado Burger.

Both were really tasty and I was a big fan of the sweet potato falafel. However, I liked the avocado burger a bit more so that’s what I recommend you to get.

How to get there:

Fala Bar is located on Melrose Avenue, not far from the famous “Made in LA” wall painting. Furthermore, there’s a bus stop just around the corner or if you go there by car you’ll find available parking spots nearby.

2. Café Gratitude in the Arts District

The next vegan place you should check out to eat amazing plant-based food in Los Angeles is Café Gratitude.

Café Gratitude is the perfect place to experience an unforgettable dining experience. Moreover, they only use the finest natural ingredients from local farmers and environmentally friendly products.

Additionally, their whole concept is based on nourishing the body with the healthiest food earth has to offer. From salad and bowls to pizza and wraps, there’s something for everyone.

I chose the Indonesian Grain Bowl with black rice, roasted beets, butternut squash, and more. Whereas my sister decided on trying the Seasonal Pizza which was a combination of tofu and pineapple.

Where to find Café Gratitude:

First of all, there are three different places where you can find the café. We went to the one in the Arts District not too far from Union Station.

Even though it’s the same brand, every location has its own menu so it’s definitely worth going to every single one!

3. Grand Central Market in Downtown LA

There’s one thing I absolutely enjoy doing in a city: Visiting food markets. Good for me that LA has a lot of them, for example, Grand Central Market downtown.

Although it’s not a plant-based food market only, there are still a couple of vegan vendors offering mouthwatering food and refreshing drinks. Press Brothers Juicery is one of them and the perfect address to get healthy and affordable food.

I chose a raw wrap for lunch and couldn’t resist trying one of their vegan lemon donuts for only $2 in addition. Everything tasted heavenly and it was such a pleasure to eat a donut after a very long time again!

Where is it located?

Grand Central Market is very easy to find because it’s just a short walk away from the metro station Pershing Square and is located between Angels Flight Railway and the Bradbury Building.

4. Tocaya Organica in Venice Beach

If you love Mexican food then Tocaya Organica is your place to go! However, not everything there is plant-based but they offer a wide range of vegan, vegetarian, and even gluten-free dishes.

Their cuisine can be described as “Modern Organic Mexican” which is definitely accurate because they only use organic ingredients for their incredibly tasty bowls, burritos, tacos, and salads.

The dish I chose for myself was the Black Bean & Quinoa Bowl with tofu which I can highly recommend!

How to get there:

First of all, it depends on where exactly in Los Angeles you are. You can find Tocaya Organica almost everywhere in the city including Santa Monica, Venice, Downtown, and Hollywood.

I went to the one in Venice which is just a few steps away from the Venice Sign, one of the most famous landmarks in California.

5. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop in Venice Beach

Honestly, who doesn’t love ice cream, especially when it’s from Ben & Jerry’s? Thank god there’s an entire Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop right at Venice Beach!

Luckily they offer three different sorts of non-dairy ice cream including Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Caramel Almond Bite. I can guarantee you, it’s worth every penny. 😉

Tours you might find interesting:

6. Veggie Grill at Sunset Boulevard

Another good place to eat cheap yet delicious vegan food in Los Angeles is Veggie Grill. Some of you may have heard about it already as it’s a famous, plant-based restaurant chain founded in California.

Frankly, I’m not a fan of fast-food chains and I don’t visit them very often (not even if they’re vegan), BUT I gave it a try.

I guess it’s not necessary to mention that I was pleasantly surprised and now I honestly wish they would open some restaurants in Austria too. Their menu is full of heartful, vegan/vegetarian dishes like burgers and tacos.

Additionally, if you want to have a light dish you can choose from a great number of bowls or salads as well.

Being a huge fan of falafel and similar stuff, I went for the Mediterranean Supergreens Salad with a bunch of healthy greens, falafel, and hummus.

Locations:

You can find the fast food chain all over LA, from Santa Monica to Hollywood and Downtown. Whenever you feel like having a tasty plant-based burger, there’s a high chance a Veggie Grill is somewhere near you!

7. Cocobella Creamery at Vine Street

The following vegan food place in Los Angeles is perfect for all people who have a sweet tooth (including me hehe): Cocobella Creamery. Cocobella Creamery is an all-non-dairy ice cream shop run by two lovely ladies and is located on Vine Street.

With more than 16 flavors offered daily, it’s a true paradise for all ice cream lovers and you can even order a custom-made ice cream cake for special events.

Therefore it’s no wonder I simply couldn’t decide which flavor to try. So I went for Coffee Chip which was recommended by the seller.

As you can see in the photo above, not only their ice cream was one of a kind but the interior design and especially the walls were truly awesome as well.

Cocobella Creamery is definitely a place I wish I would have been more often to stuff myself with yummy vegan ice cream. Unfortunately, it’s also the last place in my vegan food guide for Los Angeles.

Tell me, could you imagine a better end of a vegan journey through the city than having the world’s most beloved frozen dessert? 😉

I hope you liked this food guide and if you’re interested to discover more of LA, have a look at the following posts!

Check out:
– The Perfect Los Angeles Itinerary For 5 Days
– Best Places to Watch The Sunset in LA
– 9 of The Best Things to do in Downtown LA
– How to Use Public Transport in Los Angeles

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Flights: I prefer using CheapOair or Skyscanner to book flights. The destination everywhere feature is perfect for finding some cheap deals!

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Tours: I love taking tours to explore destinations like a local. My favorite website to book them in advance is GetYourGuide.

Camera Gear: I use a Nikon D5300 camera with an 18-105 mm and a 10-20 mm wide-angle lens to take my photos.