Everybody hates going to the dentist, which is why last summer some very nice people gutted a crappy dentist’s office in Sherman Oaks and replaced it with the Blue Dog Tavern: an honest, homely place with one of the valley’s best beer selections and ample parking all just seconds from the 405.
We hit up the Blue Dog one Sunday lunchtime for a quick drink on the way home, and settled into a comfortable booth with a nice, fresh German beer (they had 8 amazing beers on the menu when we were there and 16 more in bottles). Usually, a “real” bar – the kind with TVs showing football and burgers on the menu – has nothing vegan for us kind, but we were shocked to find Vegan Chili on the menu, boasting “10 different vegetables”, which was a good thing as we hadn’t made lunch plans.
vegan chili: 10 different vegentables and protein-rich kidney beans. $5.99
Well, $5.99 and another round of beers later we were chowing down on some awesome vegan chili, which was really tasty and just the right texture. This thing was full of vegetables and beans in a rich tomatoey sauce, and arrived with a hunk of toasted bread.
Sadly we were only passing through and had to drive otherwise we could have comfortably spent the entire afternoon there eating bowl after bowl of chili and drinking everything from Duvel Green to Chimay ON TAP!!
For vegans in the 818, or vegans who live close to the 101 or the 405 (basically all of Southern California) the Blue Dog is a great destination for lunch, dinner or as a start to a great night out. For movie fans, it’s within walking distance of the Arclight at Sherman Oaks Galleria.
Oh, and it’s worth pointing out that (literally) across the street is the Sherman Oaks Wholefoods so if you want to stock up on pretty much any vegan produce just stagger out of Blue Dog with a belly full of beer and chili to buy your essentials.
10/10 and huge kudos to Blue Dog for having something vegan on the menu. We really appreciate it and will be back time and again.
blue dog tavern
4524 Saugus Ave
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818.990.2563
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8:18 am on December 29th, 2009
thanks for the great review of our little blue dog. i’m happy you found us, and even more so that you discovered the vegan chili. starting in the new year, we will also be offering a couple more items for the vegans of the world, such as grilled portobello mushroom burger on a non-dairy potato bun, a salad with candied pecans, dried cranberries, avocado, pine nuts and butter lettuce, and we always have vegan hummus with pizza bread. hope to see you again soon. happy new year!
11:43 am on December 29th, 2009
Actually, it replaced a Thai massage place.
I go there and get the vegan chili all the time. Would love to see more options besides that and the hummus!
(And a return of the Chambly!)
12:24 pm on December 29th, 2009
Mmmm…Chili and beer – where’s the cornbread!?
4:37 pm on December 29th, 2009
Saw your site mentioned in Jan/Feb VegNews. Way to go!
10:49 am on December 30th, 2009
“the valley’s best beer selections and ample parking all just seconds from the 405.”
Yeah that sounds like a great combination….
That said, I do appreciate the review!