A (Vegan) Foodie Tour of Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the land of movie stars, endless sunshine, and juicing. For people who love to eat right, get outside, and have fun, L.A. is nothing less than a sprawling, expansive playground. As a vegan, I spent a weekend dining at the most haute plant-based restaurants and shopping at the chicest cruelty-free boutiques. Here’s what I did on my weekend getaway in the city of angels, from dusk till dawn:

Donut Friend

This vegan donut shop opens at 7AM and is a great way to start off your weekend. I recommend grabbing a small hot coffee and the Polar Berry Club donut. It has a lemon glaze, fresh berries, and freeze dried raspberries on top of a raised donut. The mint leaf was a refreshing garnish and made the presentation beautiful. You can also build your own donut with toppings and fillings. There are dozens of pre-made donuts to choose from and thousands of build-your-own combinations. With outdoor seating, this is a great wakeup call and welcome to the city.

The Juice

Just down the street from Donut Friend on the way to Griffith Observatory is this organic, vegan, cold-pressed juice shop. The Juice is a staple of the Highland Park neighborhood it calls home. It just would be so not-L.A. to not go in. Grab a juice to go or one of their raw snacks for nibbling. The décor is cute and bright and totally made my morning.

Griffith Observatory

This stunning observatory is the best spot to view the L.A. skyline and the Hollywood sign. Parking is free and available 24/7 to the public. Many people come here to hike and walk around. It’s on the side of a mountain overlooking the city. It’s best to go early in the morning because the L.A. smog settles later in the day and you won’t be able to see the skyline. This was the perfect place to snap a few photos and admire the gorgeous deco architecture of the observatory itself before it got too hot. The winding drive up to the parking lot put me in the perfect vacation mood and I rolled those windows down, sunglasses on, mood tunes set. The lawn in front of the observatory is a great place for a picnic, too, and you can bring food on premises. There are lots of people walking their dogs and enjoying the rocky, Mediterranean dessert feeling terrain. So L.A.!

Little Pine

Musician and animal rights activist Moby opened this super hip all-vegan 100% organic restaurant to raise money for animal rights. All proceeds go to the nonprofit Mercy for Animals, which makes indulging so very easy. We tried the lemon poppy seed pancakes and the tofu scramble. The pancakes lemon-forward flavor balanced out the rich coconut whipped cream and paired perfectly with the savory and flavorful scramble. Iced tea is a must, and you can also get kombucha by the glass in flavors like rose tea. You will totally feel like an ‘in’ member of Vegan Club after this visit. We recommend the patio for the full experience. Reserve your table a few weeks ahead of time when you book your flight so that you are sure to get a seat. There is consistently a wait.

After brunch, head west to Venice Beach for some sunshine and a true California experience…

Moon Juice

Venice Beach is where health-conscious yoga-loving fun-in-the-sun culture fully blooms. Park anywhere you can find a spot and walk up and down Rose for the most laid-back experience. We stayed away from the main strip along the beach and over on Rose Avenue. Hit up Moon Juice, another great vegan juice spot. Their pre-bottled juices are so pretty and come in interesting and pastel-hued flavors. Definitely worth a peek.

Spend the late afternoon hanging out in Venice Beach. When you start to feel peckish head here:

Café Gratitude

Across the street from Moon Juice is Café Gratitude, an all-vegan restaurant. It’s one of three locations by the same name in L.A., but this one is my favorite. It’s closed patio and all-around glass make it a bright, light haven for healthy foodies. They have a made-to-order smoothie station and an expansive bar for sipping a leisurely plant-based beverage. The shops around this location are cute and not overcrowded with tourists so you can relax, blend in, and go with the flow.

Vegan Scene

This vegan boutique is the only one of its kind in the world, and it’s between the beach and Café Gratitude. Off the main shopping roads, the small but packed shop is a fun place to pop in a snap a cute outfit or even just a new nail polish shade.

Dinner time? You’re in for a treat!

Plant Food + Wine

If you only get to have one dinner in L.A., you have to go to Plant Food + Wine (by vegan superstar Matthew Kenney). This modern fine dining establishment is 100% plant-based and mostly raw. The restaurant has a gas fireplace in the front room, and a beautifully landscaped patio in the back that is lit up with strings of soft glowing lights in the evenings. You can see into the pristine and bustling kitchen and watch the professional chefs prepare the eye-catching dishes. Chef Matthew Kenney started this location as a teaching institution, and the upstairs part of the building houses a raw vegan cooking school. Everything is sourced locally a là Alice Waters, meaning that you get the best of the best of L.A.’s legendary local produce from the world’s first and greatest farmer’s market, the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. We tried the cheese plate, pressed miso pear salad, raw lasagna, and strawberry cheesecake, which was plenty to share. Go for a glass of vegan wine. Everything is animal-product free. Reservations should be made in advance to ensure that you can be seated, especially on weekends.

KindKreme

This vegan ice cream shop is open until 10pm and nested inside of the vegan restaurant Sage. It’s across the street from Lassens, a local chain health store, making it the perfect stop in case you need to pick up something (or want to spot one of the many A-listers, like Olivia Wilde, that love this place). I recommend the mint chip gelato, which was very light and refreshing.

The next morning, head over to:

Crossroads Kitchen

On your second day in Los Angeles, head to Crossroads Kitchen for breakfast (they open at 10am on weekends). This famous spot is the epicenter and leader of vegan cuisine, and it doesn’t disappoint. Chef Tal Ronnen has his own cookbook (grab a copy inside), and the décor is historic bistro feeling. The front room is lit by skylight and best for a sunny breakfast or brunch. We tried the shakshuka with chickpea fritters and warm homemade pita bread, the french toast, and Crossroads benedict. Don’t forget a side of persimmon and pomegranate fruit mélange and coffee. Their soy lattes are also fantastic. Be sure to make reservations in advance and to snap a pic in front of their iconic subway-tiled logo out front.

After breakfast, if you feel like taking a long walk, take a stroll straight down Melrose, to:

MooShoes

A big breakfast calls for a post-indulgence shopping break, and MooShoes is just the place to head. This is the second location of the vegan shoe store that started in New York. Spend some time hanging with Owen (pictured below), and Wrigley, the store’s furry shopping assistants. While you’re there, pick up a new handbag as well, because you can never have too many eye-catching vegan fashion pieces to brag about to your friends. And when you’re done shopping, KindKreme is just around the corner, in case you didn’t get your fill last night!

After shopping at MooShoes, head back the way you came, but this time through West Hollywood and Sunset Blvd, to:

Gracias Madre

This was my lunch spot in Los Angeles. Gracias Madre is an all-vegan Mexican-inspired restaurant in West Hollywood with a jaw-dropping gorgeous outdoor patio and open-air indoor seating. Think mosaic tile floors, dream Moroccan star-punched lanterns, and knobby shade trees. The menu was beyond fantastic. We split the tasting menu and added an order of Mexican street corn, which was more than enough for two. Our favorite was the sweet potato quesadilla. Dessert is included and the Mexican wedding cookie was worth noting, pairing perfectly with the Mexican chocolate ice cream. The decadent fare doesn’t weigh you down, leaving you feeling satisfied and light at the same time.

Circle V

We planned our trip around the world’s first vegan music festival celebrating animal rights. The event was hosted by Moby and benefited Mercy for Animals, a nonprofit dedicated to animal rights. The inaugural events were at the Fonda Theater on Sunset strip and was the absolute best place to connect with the coolest of cool vegans. It is, after all, L.A.. If you can, plan your trip around an upcoming event with Eat Drink Vegan, the city’s go-to event planning entity for vegans. They do many amazing events every year and have a large Facebook page, which is great for connecting with locals and figuring out what’s going on in the city the weekend you plan on being there.

Here’s a fun taste of what Circle V is all about:

Travel Tips

Accommodations: L.A. doesn’t have any vegan or vegetarian hotels. I recommend doing what I did and staying in an AirBnB in Silver Lake. This neighborhood is L.A.’s Williamsburg. It’s cute and up-and-coming, with lots of shopping and dining options in the eastern part of the city. It’s a 20-minute drive to Hollywood and another 20 minutes to Venice Beach on the coast.

Getting around

L.A. is a very car-centric city with basically nonexistent public transportation. Everything is very spread out and you can’t walk between spots. You need a car to get around. I rented a ZipCar and used Uber to fill the gaps. It’s was cost effective, convenient, and liberating, not to mention really fun. You can even rent a convertible mini cooper for extra flare. If you go with ZipCar, leave a least a week and a half to register online so that you have time to get your ZipCar card in the mail.

Who says you have to sacrifice lifestyle for ethics? I certainly had both and don’t feel any worse for it.