flore cafe vegan soul food buffet. all you can eat. $10. (photo courtesy of cuteanddelicious.com)

hey los angeles vegans, we’ve got some news about one of your local restaurants and some important info about what you should be eating this weekend. it turns out flore cafe has switched up their business model a bit. they are no longer open during normal hours, and are instead bringing us a few bottomless epic vegan feasts each week for just 10 bucks a pop. coming up saturday through monday, flore cafe is hosting three vegan buffets consisting of soul food on saturday, brunch on sunday, and curry on monday. this is gonna get awesome. (btw, do not confuse flore cafe with its sister restaurant flore down the street. flore cafe is at the corner of sunset and descanso!)

if you are wondering why the picture above is so damn lovely…it’s because i borrowed it from last week’s review of the flore cafe soul food lunch buffet on the cute and delicious blog. the post praises the buffet and asks, “What could be better than all you can eat vegan macaroni and cheese?…The cole slaw was honestly the best slaw I’ve ever had in my life…It was fresh, crunchy and sweet. So good.”

while flore cafe is still around (they not be for long), you should really take advantage of their ten buck all you can eat deals…starting with this weekend. saturday you have the amazing soul food deal as raved about above, sunday you have the incredible brunch that we have blogged about several times before, and monday you have an all new indian dinner that sounds pretty damn exciting to me.

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Yesterday we brought you a list of the 5 best vegan restaurants in Los Angeles. But if a 100% vegan eatery isn’t on the cards for whatever reason, LA has a superb selection of vegan-friendly vegetarian restaurants, some of which rival or exceed the offerings available at vegan-only establishments. From a 60s-era hippie health-food store to a moderne hipster hangout, LA has it all. Check out our top five vegan-friendly vegetarian restaurants and please let us know in the comments if you think any don’t deserve the list, or you have a favorite that should be on it.

Follow Your Heart

Psychedelia. Woodstock. Topanga Canyon. Flower Power. Tie Dye. We have many things to thank the late 60s for, and Follow Your Heart is one of them. This amazing vegetarian oasis, established in 1970 in Canoga Park, has LA’s premier (= only) vegetarian grocery store with a TON of vegan products (some of which can’t be purchased anywhere else). Not only that, it has a cosy restaurant and patio where some of LA’s finest vegan food is waiting for you.

Vegan Reuben at Follow Your Heart

Don’t miss the Reuben Sandwich (make sure you ask for extra 1,000 island dressing), as a human being has to try this out at least once in their life! There are many, many dishes with home made fake meats, and vegan entrees such as breakfast burritos, benedicts etc. Follow Your Heart does a SUPER job with the restaurant food and you pretty much can’t go wrong. If you’re averse to honey (hopefully you are, bees are cool), the buns have honey in them, so be sure to order your delicious burger on VEGAN bread.

Fatty’s & Co

Fatty’s is an interesting place. So overtly pretentious, yet with honest down-to-earth food items you can’t get anywhere else it’s a somewhat strange place to dine. If you walk in when the place is empty, the greeter will give you a hard time because you didn’t make a reservation, but when you’re seated in this pristine restaurant with cavernous ceilings you will be served some truly special food.

Vegan Chartreuse at Fatty's & Co

After wading through a pretty dairy-heavy menu, there are some vegan wonders which await. Half the appetizers are vegan and run the gamut from bread and oil (very special, bread and oil, I might add) through blackened tempeh to more obscure things like “far east rolls” including non-meat chicken. This is a place with powerful entrees as well — get the vegan paella, ravioli, sloppy joe or chartruese for a throughly different and high quality experience. There are also some rare deserts, including a cotton candy that’s only available if a certain person is in the restaurant (Mrs. Dingle, I kid you not). Eat here when you really want to impress a date or experience vegan fine dining to the fullest.

Flore Cafe

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Flore Cafe rose from the amazing Vegan Spot, my favorite ever vegan restaurant. Despite a rocky existence (after the abrupt closing of Vegan Spot I firmly expected this place to be shuttered when I next visit), Flore Cafe has some great vegan food that’s served fast and of very high quality. Almost totally vegan except for a few egg and dairy items, Flore Cafe is unlikely to disappoint. Plus, they really raise the bar with their excellent “all you can eat deals”—from their regular Sunday $10 brunch, to their special event buffets—they give us several reasons to watch them closely.

Tofu Scramble at Flore Cafe

The tofu scramble (if you’re really lucky you’ll be eating that at one of the botomless Sunday brunches) is some of the best in town, along with the breakfast burritos, burgers and salads with seitan. Also, their fake tuna a.k.a. “tu-no” is awesome — especially when served on the tu-no melt. Like its sister restaurant Flore (located just 1/2 mile away), Flore Cafe offers organic meat-free menu with fresh ingredients and attention to detail, yet the restaurant is rarely crowded. Not the best place to dine in, but great for a quick snack or take-out feast.

Cinnamon

Californian-style Mexican food can be well prepared with vegetarian or vegan ingredients, and Cinnamon has perfected the art. Situated in a nondescript single-frontage store in Highland Park, Cinnamon has a warm, family atmosphere in common with all the best Mexican restaurants. Most times, the owner will be there to personally advise on her menu creations as well as supervise the kitchen. With a huge menu of high quality food items, you basically can’t go wrong.

Chorizo and Tofu Tacos at Cinnamon Vegetarian

Although a vegetarian restaurant, pretty much anything can be veganized or is already vegan. Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, all the regular Californian-style Mexican food is well represented as well more authentic stuff such as tamales, mole and empanadas. You got your mock meats, spicy black beans, fresh and crunchy vegetables and the typical sauces — all optionally vegan. Cinnamon proves that great Mexican food can be made vegan.You can eat here with a clear conscience because you KNOW the rice has no chicken broth and the refried beans no lard. Check it out…. you really won’t be sorry.

Paru’s Indian Vegetarian Restaurant

While our friends at Cinnamon excel at vegetarian Mexican-style food, Paru’s knocks the ball out of the park with vegetarian Indian food. Since the 1970s, Parus has been quietly plugging away, serving some of the best Indian food this side of Brick Lane. With a strict policy on preparing vegan food separately in the kitchen, they are to be trusted with our veganocity. The place is a little foreboding upon arrival. It seems like you’re entering a bail bond office or brothel in a sketchy part of town (they buzz you in), but once past the reinforced door you’re in a private patio that leads to an intimate restaurant.

Punjab Glory at Paru's Indian Vegetarian Restaurant

All but a couple of the menu items are either vegan or can be prepared vegan, and the best bet is to get a few side orders with some rice and bread. It’ll cost you a lot less than the signature dishes, and is a great way to experience the variety of food Paru’s has to offer. Get the dosa (puffy bread that looks like a deflating balloon), bonda (fried potato balls) and one of the lentil dishes. Paru’s is a welcome break from our fake-meat-tofu world as they make everything by hand from vegetables and legumes. That’s a rare thing these days.

Honorable mentions: Bulan Thai, The Spot, Nite Moon Cafe

Tomorrow, we’ll be presenting the Top Five LA vegan-friendly omnivorous restaurants. Stay tuned!

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hey los angeles vegans, this just in! saturday through monday, flore cafe (3206 w. sunset blvd) will be hosting 3 vegan all-you-can-eat events! they are each $10 per person, what a deal. i highly suggest you get over there and fill up your plate like 80,000 times. here are the menus:

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what: all you can eat vegan brunch for only $10
when: every sunday from 10am-3pm (starting this sunday!)
where: flore cafe in silverlake!

the sunday vegan brunch is BACK

hey y’all, i got some good news! cancel your plans this sunday and make a date with flore cafe’s all-you-can-eat $10 vegan brunch!

that’s right, our favorite breakfast deal in town is back. ever since it first started, we have been massive fans of flore cafe’s vegan buffet brunch on sundays from 10am-3pm. we were super disappointed when they canned it due to lack of customers, and now we are super excited that they’ve decided to bring it back.

as we mentioned last week, flore cafe has been struggling…and this is yet another reason to go support them. they have decided to start up the all-you-can eat vegan brunch again every sunday for just $10, for as long as they can.

if you haven’t heard…the bottomless tofu scramble, unlimited french toast, endless vegan sausage and refillable coffee at this brunch are all top notch. the best breakfast in town, by far.

SEE YOU SUNDAY. GET THERE, OR SUCK AT LIFE. and don’t wait around, they may run outta food!

flore cafe
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-0116
open daily 10am-5pm

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Every so often in the LA vegan scene I run into somebody that says “You know, I wish I’d eaten at The Vegan Spot before it closed down”. Well, Los Angeles vegans, its successor restaurant Flore Cafe (sister restaurant to the amazing Flore) is in need of our attention once again.

Most LA vegans would put the esteemed Silverlake restaurant Flore in their top five vegan dining options in the city. An innovative menu, all-organic ingredients and incredible attention to detail in both the preparation and presentation of the food really sets it apart from places like Cafe Flourish (fast dining, limited menu). If only parking was easier in Silverlake, we’d probably visit Flore a whole lot more than we do.

Well, rising from the ashes of The Vegan Spot (my favorite ever LA vegan restaurant) just half a mile or so away from Flore is Flore Cafe. While owned by the same people as Flore, the Cafe is not entirely vegan (having eggs and milk products on the menu), but it serves many similar menu items as its sister restaurant a few blocks south – all organic, all very well thought out and all absolutely wonderfully prepared.

On a recent visit to Flore Cafe, we decided to order the Avocado and Seitan Salad and Tempeh Tu-no Melt – boy, we were not disappointed.

Avocado & Seitan Salad: Bed of mixed greens with sliced avocado, sprouts, grilled seitan, tomato and red onion. Served with choice of vinaigrette or tahini dressing. $9.95

The salad was crispy and fresh, perfectly prepared and the seitan was some of the best I’ve ever had (I don’t know how Flore make their seitan, but I wish I could make it the way they do!). In addition to the amazing seitan, all the ingredients in the salad were top notch. At first, nearly $10 seemed like a lot to pay for a salad…but when this bowl arrived overflowing with wheat meat and fresh produce, $10 seemed like a bargain. The tahini dressing was deliciously creamy as well, I couldn’t fault anything about this dish.

Tempeh Tu-no Melt: Tempeh salad, daikon sprouts and cashew cheese layered on organic seeded six grain bread grilled to warm, soulful perfection. Served with a mixed green salad. $8.95

The Tempeh Tu-no Melt was also truly outstanding – a well filled toasted sandwich with a sizable side of equally crispy salad. The melt was stuffed with a creamy and chunky tempeh salad mixture, with just the right amount of crunch. It tasted amazing all mixed up with Flore’s flavorful cashew cheese and the slightly sour daikon sprouts. Like the seitan salad, this melt was enormous. Each half was packed with a ton of tempeh; we ended up taking half of it home for a later meal.

Flore Cafe has a great menu, with tons of options, considering how small the place is. Whether you are in the mood for a full on breakfast, a hearty burger, a toasted sandwich or a burrito…Flore Cafe is your place. Here are just a few of the other things we’ve eaten there. If you are a reader of this blog, you’ve probably seen these pix before:

Smokey Seitan & Portobello Burger: served with red onion, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise and a side salad. $9.95

Flore Cafe offers 4 types of veggie burgers. I highly recommend the seitan and portobello burger—a large patty made of wheat meat and mushrooms all topped off with loads of vegetables.

Tofu Scramble: Tofu, tomato, basil, mushroom, red onion & spinach. $6.95

The tofu scramble at Flore Cafe is one of the best breakfast dishes in Los Angeles, and just about the only vegan one I can think for under $7. It comes with mounds of chunky tofu mixed with spinach and mushrooms, as well as a generous helping of tomato and avocado. Goes great with hot sauce.

Breakfast Burrito: Tofu scramble, cashew cheese, potatoes, avocado and pico de gallo ina whole wheat tortilla. Served with a side of fruit. $6.95

The breakfast burrito is also a good deal at $6.95—lots of perfectly cooked tofu, potatoes and avocado rolled up tight in an oversized tortilla.

I know we have given them flack before on this blog for serving eggs and dairy, but I’d strongly recommend visiting Flore Cafe both in the near future and on a regular basis. Like so many tiny businesses these days the economy isn’t on its side so all the help we can give Flore Cafe to remain on our list as a superb restaurant with a bunch of vegan options will, I’m sure, be much appreciated.

Let’s not lose the entire menu from Flore Cafe due to closure or reassignment of the lease to an omnivorous establishment. We’ve already seen Vegan Spot go away, as well as Flore Cafe cease offering LA’s best ever vegan breakfast deal: the “all you can eat” sunday breakfast brunch. Go pay Flore Cafe a visit… today!

Flore Cafe
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-0116

open daily 10am-5pm

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UPDATE 9/17: as of sunday 9/20, THE VEGAN BRUNCH IS BACK!!! please go support flore cafe! we don’t want to see this brunch go away again!

UPDATE: unfortunately, due to slow business, the all-you-can-eat vegan brunch at flore cafe has been discontinued. you should still get over there ASAP though, as most of the brunch items are available on their menu.

so if you read this blog, you are probably already aware of the fact that a vegetarian restaurant called flore cafe now occupies the former space of the best vegan eatery in town (the vegan spot) and has recently started offering an awesome all-you-can-eat vegan brunch every sunday from 10am to 3pm for just 10 bucks. that’s right, probably the best vegan brunch deal ever conceived of, flore cafe provides quality vegan food in cafeteria-sized trays every week for a fixed price, and you can go up and get as many servings as you like. total recipe for over-indulgence disaster.

however this weekend, flore cafe started offering a different menu for the all you can eat brunch. today the tofu scramble and waffles were replaced with vegetable frittata and grilled “chicken” patties. both dishes were tasty, no doubt…but i can’t lie, i REALLY missed the tofu scramble.

flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch. french toast, vegan bacon, vegetarian frittata and "chicken" patties. $10

the vegan menu this weekend consisted of french toast with berry compote, vegetable frittata, veggie bacon, grilled “chicken” patties, roasted breakfast potatoes, bread & jam along with coffee & orange juice. the french toast was delicious (as usual) and the new berry compote really added and extra wow factor, if you enjoy eating sweets for breakfast. i’d say this was the highlight of the meal, along with the “chicken” patties which are pictured above to the top left and below in the bottom center.

flore cafe vegan all you can eat brunch for $10

the “chicken” patties didn’t really taste like chicken at all, but thick seitany sausages instead. they were absolutely delicious, albeit a bit cold, and i seriously couldn’t stop going back for more. the vegetarian frittata was a bit bland and, like the breakfast potatoes, full of bell peppers…which i HATE. bell peppers aside, the frittata just wasn’t as good as flore cafe’s tofu scramble. i don’t think i would ever spoon the frittata onto my plate again as long as other stuff was available, i’d rather just fill up on the awesome bacon and “chicken” patties.

i don’t know if this menu change is permanent for the all-you-can-eat sunday brunch at flore cafe, or if they were just trying out some new things. what i do know though, is i didn’t like it quite as much as the old menu that i’m used to. the seitan “chicken” patties and fruit compote were delicious, but they didn’t fill the hole that was left by the absence of the tofu scramble.

still though, in the end it is unlimited awesome vegan food at a fixed price and you just can’t beat that. if you haven’t been, definitely head out to flore cafe and get the sunday brunch as soon as you can. maybe put in a good word to your server about the tofu scramble if you are lucky enough to get it. believe you me, it’s the best thing they offer.

Flore Cafe
3206 W. Sunset Blvd.
@ Descanso in Silver Lake
323-667-0116

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UPDATE 9/17: as of sunday 9/20, THE VEGAN BRUNCH IS BACK!!! please go support flore cafe! we don’t want to see this brunch go away again!

UPDATE: unfortunately, due to slow business, the all-you-can-eat vegan brunch at flore cafe has been discontinued. you should still get over there ASAP though, as most of the brunch items are available on their menu.

in breaking los angeles vegan news, flore cafe in silverlake is now offering an all you can eat vegan brunch for just ten bucks every sunday from 10am to 3pm. they kicked it off today with an epic breakfast feast, and i was there to enjoy it.

flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch for $10. pictured is the french toast, tofu scramble and vegan bacon.

flore cafe has sparked a bit of controversy on this site in the past, mainly because it occupies the same space as our all-time favorite restaurant, the vegan spot, which no longer exists. the only major grouse i’ve had with flore cafe in months prior is in regards to its decision to sell eggs in what used to be an entirely vegan restaurant…and also it’s owned by the same person who owns flore, an entirely vegan restaurant down the street. well, that issue doesn’t even come into play for the sunday brunch. everything offered is 100% vegan, and there wasn’t a single egg or blob of cream cheese in sight. pure, animal-free, sweet & savory goodness.

my husband and i showed up mid-morning, and the place was already buzzin’ with people. we piled our plates high with tofu scramble, french toast and breakfast potatoes…and even ended up going back for seconds! the orange juice and coffee were flowing like water, and we didn’t want for anything. tons of our friends went throughout the day, and all of them said the crowd was hoppin’ and the food was excellent.

two vegans get their fill of breakfast, orange juice, and coffee on sunday morning.

i could really get used to a totally vegan all you can eat brunch in los angeles. flore cafe has stepped it up a notch and everyone should check out this sunday meal.

while i still miss the vegan spot more than ever, it’s great that flore cafe has decided to leave out the eggs and offer a cruelty-free brunch for us los angeles vegans. go and eat it up!

today the many brunch offerings included:
tofu scramble, french toast, waffles, potatoes, fresh fruit, bread & jam, coffee and orange juice.

all you can eat! vegan brunch! flore cafe! sunset blvd. and descanso! yeah!

check out the trays and trays of food, lined up right next to the health code department grade A on the window. flore cafe did raise a question today though (and lex of vegan-la also noticed) when they didn’t provide new, clean plates for each trip up to the buffet line. that could result in contamination and raise some eyebrows with the health inspector. i myself, go with the flow, though. that didn’t stop me!

i filled my plate with the mainly the tofu scramble and vegan bacon, both of which were out of this world! i’ve written about flore cafe’s tofu scramble before, and this stuff was just as good. the chunks of tofu were thick, not all mushed up like in most scrambles, and it came with a generous helping of spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. the vegan bacon was really small and crispy, and had an absolutely delicious smokey taste. the fact that you can take all you want of this for ten bucks is total highway robbery.

i also got a slice of flore cafe’s french toast. i’ve never had any kind of vegan french toast before, but i can tell you this was better than the real thing. there was a thin slice of really nicely fried bread beneath an absolutely delicious cinnamon batter. i topped it all off with some maple syrup…total perfect decadence!

i asked for a vegan twinkie when i purchased my plate, but the dude behind the counter told me that they no longer stock them. total bummer. so no more vegan spot, no more vegan twinkies. wtf! i’m just so glad that flore cafe came up with the all you can eat brunch…it’s definitely something that will keep me coming back for more, no matter how disappointed i may be when my favorite stuff drops off the menu. and for all you twinkie stalkers, i hear from sources that they are available at native foods.

bottom line is, los angeles vegans, the flore cafe brunch is truly incredible! head over there on sundays from 10am to 3pm to get your share of all-you-can-eat 100% vegan awesomeness. you won’t be sorry, and the food is fuckin’ great.

flore cafe
3206 w. sunset blvd.
los angeles ca 90026
323-667-0116
all you can eat sunday vegan brunch. 10am to 3pm, ten bucks per person!

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first off, before i get into any dramz, i’m happy to report that flore cafe has added FOUR new veggie burgers to their menu, and even some macaroni and (vegan) cheese. not just that, but rumor is they will be bringing back the famous vegan spot roast beef and cheddar sandwich sometime this month. great news all the way around! i hit up flore cafe recently and only had a chance to try out one of the veggie burgers. i got the smokey seitan and portobello burger, and it was delicious.

smokey seitan & portobello burger: served with red onion, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise and side salad. $9.95

this burger definitely exceeded by expectations. i was kind of expecting it to be a big slab of seitan with a mushroom on top. instead, everything was all blended into one flavorful patty. it was very original, very tasty, and very healthy. while it definitely needed some hot sauce on it to liven it up (what doesn’t with me), i’d still order it again. i’m looking forward to hitting up flore cafe again and trying out their other new burgers…the chickpea & quinoa burger, tempeh meatloaf burger and broccoli kale burger all sound too good to be true.

now, on to the controversy! well it seems my last review of flore cafe stirred up a little drama in the comments section. to make a long story less long, i basically wrote a positive review of flore cafe’s food, but expressed remorse for the closing of the vegan spot, the restaurant that occupied the same space weeks before. i also pointed out that flore cafe is owned by a vegan, the same owner of the 100% vegan restaurant flore…yet flore cafe has chosen to sell both eggs and dairy products.

it’s the selling of eggs and dairy that got some people a little worked up in the comments section. i probably didn’t help by referring to eggs as “chicken menstruation” and dairy products as “puss and blood”. the owner, miranda, was decried by the readers and finally decided to speak up for herself by commenting. this is what she had to say:

We, the vegan community are based in love, understanding and compassion. Just as we are correct in the belief that our choices and lifestyle should be respected it is important to remember to respect all peoples. Veganism is divisive in nature in the same way that politics and religion can be. Flore communicates with its patrons in an accessible and nurturing manner and is careful to engender a good relationship with the non vegan community that makes up nearly 70% of it’s customer base. We believe that we do the most good by influencing the dietary and spiritual nature of our customers… showing them that vegan food is accessible, nutritional and delicious. We work against the stereotypes that vegan food has to be a facsimile of “real food”, doesn’t contain enough vitamins or nutrition to support proper health and is bland. We believe in providing proper nutrition for the health and longevity of all of our brothers and sisters. Our decision to sell free range, organic eggs (that have a dedicated cooking appliance) was in keeping with our decision to offer conventional organic milks in addition to oat, almond, soy and rice… to bring people to the table that usually push it away and to communicate with the people that have been made to feel uncomfortable for their non-vegan procilivities. We think that what we do is important work and a service to the community. We will not create change or further a cause with division, animosity or intollerence.

On a side note, anyone who thinks that Flore is about profit should look at the menu pricing and realize that it sells food at the same price level or for less than conventional restaurants that do not use organic ingredients and rely on a sysco truck for their salad dressings, potato salad, etc.

now, this assertion that flore isn’t about profit and that’s it’s all peace and love, certainly ignited many readers, and several rants ensued. some were attacking miranda for calling herself a vegan while she sells animal products, and some were defending miranda for maintaining a healthy vegetarian business, that may attract more carnivores than a 100% vegan restaurant.

my 2 cents: i think it’s all a bit odd that someone who calls themself vegan would sell other people eggs and dairy products, as it perpetuates animal suffering. that being said, i love a lot of vegetarian restaurants…and as long as they serve good vegan food, you count on me eating there. i wish flore cafe the best of luck, although i can’t lie, i’d give anything to have the vegan spot back.

so no matter what your views are on a “vegan” who sells eggs, or the death of the vegan spot, you should head over to flore cafe and eat some of the new things they have to offer. if anyone tries the shells and cashew cheese, please let me know how they are!

please note that flore cafe also has new hours. they are no longer open 7am to 4pm daily.

flore cafe
3206 w. sunset blvd.
los angeles, ca 90026
8am to 5pm
mon-fri
9am to 6pm
sat & sun

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yo, los angeles: a new vegan-friendly restaurant opened today in silver lake and i was eating it. welcome to the hood, flore cafe. we are pleased to have you.

flore cafe: LA's newest vegan eats!

flore cafe is the lesser little brother of the awesome los angeles vegan eatery flore. i say “lesser” because the menu is smaller, there are fewer places to sit, and um….IT ISN’T FUCKING VEGAN. that’s right, although flore AND flore cafe are owned by a vegan, flore cafe still serves up piping hot plates of chicken menstruation (eggs) and offers a bagel topping of puss and blood (cheese). a total disappointment coming from vegan management.

don’t get me wrong, although flore cafe sins with disgusting animal by-products in some of their dishes, the place is super vegan friendly. 90% of the menu is animal-free…they just have tons of icky eggs on their breakfast menu, a real cream cheese option for the bagels, and pastries riddled with butter and other crap. the soups, salads, sandwiches, and wraps are all vegan. plus, they have an awesome selection of vegan waffles and vegan desserts. i will take what i can get.

now before i get all into the food, lemme say…not long ago, i posted about the tragic closing of one of my favorite los angeles restaurants, the vegan spot. i posted time after time about this little sandwich shop that could(n’t), but sadly after a good run, they had to close their doors. well now it seems that just 2 weeks later, this new vegetarian coffee house has sprung up in their exact location. flore cafe is owned by a woman who is the sole owner of flore and was one of the two owners of the vegan spot. i guess she took the opportunity of the vegan spot’s failure to expand her flore empire, and add start selling eggs at the same time. eww. eww. eww. why?!?

the upside of all this, for the vegan community, is that the super tasty breakfast items (which are only offered until 1pm at flore) are offered until 4pm at flore cafe. so that awesome tofu benediction, that tofu scramble, those cruelty-free waffles can be yours well into the afternoon. i hooked up the sweetest tofu scramble today at around 2pm. considering it was their grand-opening and all, i gotta say they cooked this up quite perfectly.

tofu scramble: tofu, tomato, basil, mushroom, red onion & spinach. $6.95

while flore cafe is missing my favorite item that constantly appears on flore’s menu (KALE!!!!!!), they made up for it in tons of spinach and fresh avocado. my scramble was, to say the least, divine. i am looking forward to having it again. at $6.95, it was pretty fairly priced and came with large cuts of firm tofu, all mixed in with flavorful vegetables. they didn’t use nutritional yeast or beat the crap out of the tofu, like most scrambles i’m used to. this dish just had cubes of tofu sauteed with natural ingredients, all up in an impressive sauce.

on top of a bloody great scramble, flore cafe eased my vegan spot separation-anxiety with the best dessert of all time: the vegan twinkie. vegan twinkies kind of put the vegan spot on the map. cooked up by no whey, a los angeles-based vegan baking company, these twinkies have gotten all kinds of press and have been known to sell out within hours of delivery. i was so stoked to see them at this new vegetarian coffee shop. i love it when good things stay the same.

vegan twinkie. $3.50

okay, so before i pass out from my food coma, let me remind you that the opening of flore cafe is both depressing and exciting news rolled into one. the best vegan food in los angeles, by far was provided by the vegan spot. they had amazing sandwiches, melty fake cheese, and my favorite meal EVER…the chef salad. now that they are gone, i am super glad a new vegetarian cafe has taken their place, but goddammit, it isn’t the fucking same.

this flore cafe doesn’t have all the melty fake cheese, no insane mind-blowing wheat meats, and definitely no chef salad. it’s funny, how a vegan restaurant can turn its nose up at “fake meats,” refusing to offer them, then open a cafe that sells REAL FUCKING EGGS. i just don’t get it. why any vegan would open a restaurant and sell egg dishes and dairy-filled pastries is beyond me. ah well.

furthermore, flore cafe is only open from 7am to 4pm. ok, great…they are open like 3 hours earlier than the vegan spot was. but all of those 3 hours are hours when i am usually asleep. i used to stumble out of the bar with my husband frequently on friday night at around 9pm and order an impromptu meal from the vegan spot. i guess that avenue of pleasure is forever closed off. hmmmm, at least if i am randomly in silver lake at 7:30 am, i know where to get some good tempeh bacon! ho hum.

now that i have done a good job talking shit on the new development that is flore cafe, let me say they have done wonders with the space.

i wish i could have gotten more pix of flore cafe’s interior, but dude, i was all self-conscious. busting out a camera and being outed as a blogger is the last thing i need. let me tell you, though, flore cafe has a new paint job, great furniture, and sweet decor. i felt so hip when i was there. rad.

what used to be a shabby, depressing sandwich counter is now a shic little cafe with tons of sunlight, a pleasant interior and comfy seating. i would actually rather eat in at this coffee shop than at the real flore. they have huge windows, a booth, sweet little tables and chairs, barstools along the wall, and outdoor seating. the vegan spot just had a cracked-out chicken mural and some really depressing tables that looked like they were about to collapse. flore cafe, at least is trying.

picture taken from a spacious booth. CLASSY DIGS!

so, i’ve only been there once, but i can say i will be back to flore cafe. the food is awesome, the atmosphere is chill, and the prices are alright. HOWEVER…vegan spot, IT IS NOT!

to break it down: a.) flore cafe has eschewed all fake meat, yet at the same time embraced NON-VEGAN shit like eggs and cheese and butter and whatever. that totally grosses me out. b.) flore cafe is not open when i want it to be. i can never get drunk at 9pm and decide i want some flore cafe…because it will have been closed for 5 hours. c.) there’s nothing new or inventive on the menu at flore cafe, almost all this shit can be found at flore itself. see for yourself:

tasty menu….BUT….god, did i mention HOW MUCH i will miss the vegan spot’s roast beef cheddar sandwich, philly cheesesteak sandwich, french bread pizza and chef salad?!?!??! i think that this will be a long and drawn-out break-up.

so, vegetarians and vegans, hustle your ass over to flore cafe between 7 am and 4 pm. they have salads, bowls, twinkies and some tofu breakfast items. i’m so stoked that a vegetarian cafe filled the location of my old favorite restaurant. but let me tell ya, and i can’t make it any more clear…I STILL MISS THE VEGAN SPOT! boo hoo.

but my tofu scramble was still mad decent.

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