We Should All Eat More Vegetables!

Whether you’re a full-time vegan, a vegetarian looking for variety, or an omnivore taking a break from meat, you’ll find truly scrumptious options at these wonderful restaurants:

If you have set ideas about the meaning of vegan, Crossroads, at 8284 Melrose Avenue, breaks the mold. Calling their menu plant-based and Mediterranean, the restaurant is upscale, the atmosphere and preparation gorgeous, and the cocktails tasty. They serve brunch on the weekends, lunch during the week, and dinner nightly, plus a late-night bar menu starting at 10:00 p.m.

A Mexican-inspired West Hollywood restaurant, Gracias Madre serves organic, farm fresh, locally sourced, flavorful plant-based food. The menu is so full of good tastes, you’ll forget you’re eating vegan. Open daily for brunch, lunch, and dinner, at 8905 Melrose Avenue.

Formerly known as Real Raw Vegan, Green Table Cafe, at 5998 W. Pico Boulevard between La Cienega and Fairfax, offers a delicious assortment of juices, smoothies, bowls, salads, entrees, and desserts – 100 percent organic – from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Plant Food + Wine, at 1009 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, is a great addition to the Venice dining scene. Open daily for lunch and dinner, plus brunch on the weekends, Matthew Kenney’s PF+W has a mouth-watering menu of locally-sourced dishes and an impressive list of organic and biodynamic wines.

“The first 100% plant-based organic Italian restaurant and wine bar in the USA,” Pura Vita, at 8274 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, has the ambiance of a New York City wine bar (yes, they have plenty of biodynamic wines) with a traditional menu reflecting the flavors of Southern Italy. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner, with brunch on the weekends.

Real Food Daily now has three locations, one in West Hollywood, at 414 N. La Cienega Boulevard, one in Pasadena, and one in Terminal 4 at LAX. Since 1993, RFD has developed an extensive and flexible plant-based menu that offers options for all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, and brunch on the weekends.

Founded by Dr. Andrew Weil, True Food Kitchen, at 395 Santa Monica Place (also in Newport Beach, Pasadena, and elsewhere), is casual and lively, with a menu based on the anti-inflammatory diet. They will happily adjust ingredients for keto and paleo diners. Open daily for lunch and dinner, with brunch on the weekends.

With savory food and lovely atmosphere, these vegan restaurants also offer take-out and catering, as well as special-event services. I hope you enjoy them, and I’d love to know what your favorite places are!