as you probably already know, the club club is an ongoing series of blog posts where we ruthlessly attempt to seek out the best vegan club sandwich in los angeles. so far we’ve hit up follow your heart, flore, casa de tree, and mani’s bakery…all of which boasted quite impressive double-decker sandwich offerings. tonight’s sandwich comes to you from m cafe, and i am pretty sure if we had to declare a winner right now, this would be it.

california club: a triple-decker of savory tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, carrots, sprouts, and soy mayo on your choice of bread. comes with one deli salad. $11.25

granted the m cafe club is a bit on the expensive side, and clocks in at over 11 bucks…but the taste and quality of this thing can not be beat. it’s much lighter than the other clubs but comes packed with the finest and most memorable ingredients. the avocado is always soft and creamy, the carrots are paper thin, and the other vegetables are fresh beyond belief. add to that some completely spongy yet lightly toasted bread and the best tempeh bacon i’ve ever had….whoa!

plus each sandwich comes with a side of your choice (not pictured), and the deli salads at m cafe are amazing. depending what’s in season, there are usually tons of good options, but i can never stray from the epic peanut kale (ask anybody who has tried it—-it is insane!).

as you can tell, i’m a little blown away by the m cafe club sandwich…..and i have been since the day i’ve tried it. but this contest IS FAR FROM OVER! leave your favorite vegan club in the comments section and we will be sure to review it. it’s a tough job, but that’s why i’m here.

m cafe de chaya
check them out on melrose, in beverly hills, and in culver city!

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looking for a daily vegan lunch special that will fill your belly up with satisfaction and play nice with your wallet? well look no further than mao’s kitchen on melrose. the starkly designed communist china-themed restaurant (sounds weird, i know) offers an extremely delicious and vegan-friendly menu. and everyday from 11am to 5pm, you can have your pick of several different 3 course animal-free lunch specials for just $7.50.

what you get when you order the lunch special, is a scaled down version of any entree from mao’s menu…plus your choice of 2 of the following: soup, salad, or bejing spring roll. we tried out this meal deal over the weekend, and left mao’s completely stuffed and less than 20 bucks poorer.

vegan great harvest soup: pureed vegetables, brown rice, herbs.

i started with a cup of vegan great harvest soup…a rich blend of vegetables, rice and herbs. this stuff has so many complex flavors going on; it would have to be one of my favorite soups in LA. i’m not sure exactly what they put in it, but it’s super warming and satisfying.

salad: lettuce, cucumber & shredded carrots with our sweet & light vinegar-soy dressing.

rather than soup, my husband went with the salad option. it came with cool crisp leaves, fresh cucumber and carrot shreds, all mixed up in a soy dressing. it was light, refreshing, and definitely tasty…but i don’t think it comes close to the awesomeness that is the great harvest soup.

beijing spring roll

we both chose the vegan beijing spring roll with our lunch special, so that’s a double order you see pictured above. each roll was cut in half, shoved full of grated vegetables, and deep fried to perfection. it was so rich, i couldn’t even finish mine.

long march camp fry: chinese cabbage, snow pea, tomato, wood-ear mushroom, white mushroom, zucchini & bean sprouts.

for my entree, i ordered the long march camp fry with smoked tofu. i tried this once and have ordered it every single time i have been to mao’s since then—i love it so much! it costs an extra dollar to add smoked tofu, but man it is so worth it. the best thing about this dish is they mix in a generous amount of delicate and flavorful wood-ear mushrooms. i could eat an entire plate of the mushrooms just on their own.

black-bean: soft tofu with broccoli, zucchini, onion, mushroom & carrot in a hearty garlic black-bean sauce.

my husband went with the black bean entree with soft tofu, a blend of garlicky black bean sauce and lots of vegetables. also a really excellent choice, this came with lots of crunchy broccoli and soft zucchini rounds. as with all the dishes at mao’s, be sure to specify that you want them prepared vegan. most of the vegetable ones are vegan by default….but you’d hate to get stuck with an animal-containing sauce by accident.

after our meal our server brought us some fortune cookies, and while i don’t know if the cookies themselves were vegan or not, i ripped my fortune out just for fun…

i’d say it was right on the money.

so next time you want to fill up on lunch for under ten dollars, check out mao’s kitchen on melrose. tasty, clean, affordable chinese food in a place that has the word “vegan” all over the menu. gotta love that!

mao's even has its own parking lot!

mao’s kitchen
7313 melrose avenue
LA, CA 90046
323.932.9681

PS: this place also has free wifi!
PPS: there is another mao’s kitchen in venice which has the same menu…but i’m not sure if they do discounted lunch specials.

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japanese obento breakfast with miso soup, steamed brown rice, boiled vegetables with sesame sauce, pickles, hijiki, and broiled tofu. $12

i can’t believe i have been going to m cafe de chaya for ages, and only recently did i start ordering off the specials menu! seriously…the mac and cheese, pizza, and holiday feast have all been amazing, and today’s breakfast special was no different. unlike the heavier foods i just mentioned, today’s morning feast consisted of soup, vegetables, and tofu all beautifully presented bento-style.

i seriously LOVE eating my food in compartments, i don’t know why, but it gives me such joy. the sauces and vegetables were all delicious, and the tofu was perfectly cooked. sigh…like most of the specials at m cafe, i really wish this was on the regular menu.

oh, and the meal started off with a warm cup of vegan miso soup, which was perfect for this rainy morning. it’s hard to find fishless miso when dining out, so try this stuff if you get a chance. it was full of cubed tofu, soft seaweed, and huge succulent mushrooms. so lovely.

i highly recommend you stray from the standard m cafe menu and try the special on your next visit. i am always pleasantly surprised.

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UPDATE 1/10/10: i just heard that the culver city m cafe is running this pizza special on wednesday nights after 5pm! yay!

as if there aren’t enough places to get delicious vegan pizza in los angeles, you can now add m cafe de chaya on melrose to the list! on saturdays only, after 5pm (that means right now), the restaurant is offering a pizza night special for just $10.50.

thin crust individually prepared pizza toped with a slow cooked rustic marinara, daiya cheese, and fresh basil. $10.50 (add a baby green salad for $1.50)

i hit up m cafe on melrose this evening to try the special out on its very first night…and wow, i was very impressed. first off, the pizza is huge. m cafe is usually pretty expensive, but at under 11 bucks this pie is more than enough to feed 2 people. secondly, the crust is incredible. it’s ultra thin and crispy, and baked on the premises. it reminds me of gourmet pizza that one would find at a super classy joint. thirdly, all the ingredients are top notch and full of flavor. from the generous sprinklings of fresh basil to the hearty rustic marinara, the pizza is all so divine. oh, and lastly the whole thing is covered in daiya, the best vegan cheese around.

i think it’s safe to say, m cafe really hit a home run with this vegan pizza. while our options are plentiful in LA, i can’t think of another restaurant where you can get such a high-quality artisan pie at such a low price. it truly is amazing.

m cafe is open until 10pm tonight, so i suggest you get over there and eat some pizza like NOW. if you can’t make it this evening, be sure to hit them up next saturday. i really want to make sure this special stays around, because it’s so fucking good.

m cafe melrose
7119 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 525-0588

BTW, as far as i know this pizza is only at the melrose location. only on saturdays. only after 5pm. correct me if you hear differently!

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holiday cheer right on your plate or sent home with you in a box—that’s what you can expect from m cafe de chaya over the next couple days.

before you ask: ….hell no, m cafe is not open on december 25th! but today and tomorrow they are running a holiday roast special that will help warm you through this dreadful 60 degree cold front, and get you ready for santa’s birthday. have i mentioned before how much i love holiday food? i ordered m cafe’s special last night to go, and while it was a bit overpriced, i loved every bite of it. you can see it pictured above in all its take-out box glory, and below i attempted to make it a little more picturesque.

holiday roast dinner: sliced seitan roast served with herbed bread stuffing, covered in homemade gravy. with rutabega mashed potatoes, ginger cranberry sauce and broccolini. $16.50

the price tag was pretty hefty on this entree, but i assure you, so was the portion size. a long sliced seitan loaf came resting on an large bed of fluffy mashed potatoes and chunky bread stuffing. the seitan itself was absolutely exquisite, just the right amount of chewiness with a slightly burnt skin. and i’m usually pretty grossed out by cranberry sauce, but i was a fan of m cafe’s. the ginger added a whole new biting dimension to offset the sweet flavor.

overall, i really can’t fault the quality of this dish. for a quick holiday meal, it really delivered. the only complaint i have, is that it was pretty expensive. i chalk that up to, “oh well, what isn’t expensive at m cafe?!” right, right? we are talking about a place that charges over 10 bucks for vegan breakfast.

anyways, i know this special is going on at the melrose storefront today and tomorrow, so check it out if you get a chance…if you like holiday food, i highly recommend this. m cafe has weird xmas eve hours, so call ahead. oh, and also call ahead if you are in bev hills or culver city…i’m not sure what the deal is w/ those locations.

may you have a happy holiday, and eat all the roast-ish type foods as you possibly can. i know i will!

m cafe de chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046

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Okay, so we’ve already posted about the best vegan and best vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, but sometimes we vegans HAVE to eat in omnivorous restaurants. That’s a part of life. What’s interesting, though, is when we find meat-serving restaurants that we WANT to eat in. That’s a whole different story, and LA has a few outstanding omnivorous establishments that go out of their way to cater to vegans. Here are our favorites.

M Cafe

While the “M” in M Cafe probably stands for Macrobiotic, I believe it actually stands for Mmmmmmmm, which is pretty much what I murmur with every bite of this amazing food. With a totally vegan menu except for fish, M Cafe has a chic urban appeal, backed up with an A-list of ingredients (and clientele) all layered over an efficient kitchen and fair pricing, considering how great the food is. While the last year or two M Cafe’s items have been prepared by kitchen staff rather than chefs, their menu items are still some of the best in town.

Vegan Benedict at M Cafe

The Big Macro is arguably LA’s best vegan burger. The broccolini pepporochini is without a doubt LA’s premier broccolini, and the Vegan Benedict is constantly voted one of the “best” breakfast items on any local menu. There are plenty of vegan options at all times of the day, and the rotating menu constantly keeps one coming back for more. The deserts are out of this world, along with the very best vegan tiramisu known to humanity. Check it out!!

Purgatory Pizza

It’s probably inaccurate to credit Purgatory Pizza with single-handedly introducing incredible vegan pizza to LA, but we’re going to anyway. The insatiable team, formerly headed by Chef Ricky, that painstakingly worked to veganize an entire product line and food preparation process has gone from strength to strength. Purgatory was not only the first pizza place to embrace Teese (the ground-breaking alternative to Follow Your Heart Cheese), but is also the first to stock Gardein and Field Roast as toppings, and one of the first to serve Daiya (the best vegan cheese at time of posting) in SoCal.

Vegan Chicken Pestop Pizza with Gardein and Daiya at Purgatory Pizza.

To get your Purgatory Pizza kicks (if you’re not in the delivery area), show up with a bottle of cheap wine and/or a six-pack of beer, then order your pizza to dine in. Feeling like a cross between an 80s suburban pizza joint and some kind of modern art experiment, Purgatory has a great, brightly-lit atmosphere and friendly staff to keep you entertained while you swallow slice after slice of LA’s best vegan pizza.

Hugo’s Restaurant

With two locations (one in West Hollywood, the other in Studio City), and a full-on meat-oriented menu, one might be surprised to find that the Hugo’s chefs have created some seriously innovative vegan cuisine. Not only do they have loads of options, but they have menu with several clearly marked animal-free alternatives, as well as dishes that can be optionally veganized. If you can get past the trendy atmosphere, long waits and constant celebrity sightings (I’ve watched the staff at the WeHo location fawn over Gabriel Byrne and Jeff Goldblum within the past few weeks) you’re in for a vegan treat.

Tikka Masala Veggie Patties at Hugo's Restaurant

Although I’ve long been a fan of the tofu scramble, I also love the Very Green Casserole (one of the best vegan burgers I’ve ever tasted atop stewed vegetables and sauce in a pot) as well as the salads, tikka masala veggie patties, stir-frys and wraps. Make sure you specify “VEGAN” clearly when you order, while the restaurant is extremely vegan-friendly, there may be butter hiding in unsuspecting dishes.

Toi

Sadly, the Toi chain has contracted from two locations to just one, on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Thankfully the sacrificial lamb of this two-outlet chain was the Santa Monica outlet on Wilshire and not the ultimate rock and roll dining location sandwiched between Guitar Center and clothing stores most mortals are too… well… mortal to shop in. Toi has a loud, brash atmosphere with a class-based seating system (some tables suck ass, others are amazing — you ride the wind and luck of the draw depending your arrival time).

Vegan Pad Thai at Toi

Get the vegan pad thai with grilled tofu for a real treat, or the Saigon spring rolls…and make sure you request the hot sauces to dollop liberally over your food. The portions are huge, the kitchen respects us vegans, and most things on the menu can be made vegan — substitute chicken for tofu, oyster sauce for vegan oyster sauce, and you’ll get a superb meal. Take your omni friends there, and chillax the fuck out listening to rock ‘n’ roll on the speakers. Step into the parking lot at the back and you can smell weed in the air. Need we say more.

Mama’s Hot Tamales

OK, I’ll admit, MacArthur Park (just West of Downtown LA) has a shady reputation. Lotsa crime, lotsa drugs, lotsa pigeons, lotsa bodegas and lotsa REAL, AUTHENTIC Mexican restaurants. How glad are we vegans, then, that one of the most popular, Mama’s Hot Tamales, has a full-on vegan menu, complete with Daiya cheese, vegan sauces and all the trimmings. Did you hear that? Authentic Mexican food AND Daiya Cheese!!!! That is reason enough to make any top 5 list, as far as we’re concerned.

Vegan Daiya Cheese Enchiladas at Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe

At Mama’s you can enjoy all the greasy, cheesy filling Mexican food that omnivores love to death, but prepared under the supervision of Mama herself: the real deal, a Mexican señora who could not be more understanding of what a vegan is, what we need and how to prepare the food for us.

Honorable mentions: Green Peas, XIV, Zpizza, Cafe Muse, Interim Cafe, Mani’s Bakery

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big macro: whole grain brown rice and veggie burger, special sauce, lettuce, tofu cheese, pickles, onion & sprouts on a house-baked whole wheat bun. comes with a deli side salad. $9.95

i think a lot of people would agree with me when i say that m cafe’s big macro is the best vegan burger in los angeles. it’s big, it’s hearty, it has a homemade patty made of rice and vegetables, and it’s covered in melted cheese and creamy sauce. the big macro comes with a side salad of your choice (i suggest the spicy kale) and usually sells for $11.45. well until november 9th, m cafe is offering a special deal on their popular burger, and selling it for just $9.95! the best vegan burger in LA and a hefty side salad for under ten bucks?! yes please!

M Chopped: organic hearts of romaine & mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, chickpeas herb-baked tofu, scallions, ume-pickled radishes, carrots, beets, tamari-roasted almonds, crumbled tempeh “bacon” , tofu-peppercorn ranch

in addition to the discounted burger, m cafe is also offering their most popular salad for $9.95 until november 9th. the m chopped is massive and comes filled with fresh vegetables, tender leaves, tempeh bacon, and herb-baked tofu. damn, it’s so good.

so, that’s all. i suggest you get over to m cafe and take advantage of these discounts. and if you haven’t tried the big macro yet, you know nothing about vegan burgers. nothing!

m cafe de chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046
323.525.0310

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i can’t remember the last time i was so damn excited about a dinner special. through friday, m cafe de chaya is offering vegan macaroni and cheese at both the melrose and culver city locations after 5pm. i have been wanting to try m cafe’s mac and cheese forever and when i finally got a chance to last night, it did not disappoint.

for those of you who have never been to m cafe before, it’s a macrobiotic restaurant that’s almost entirely vegan, other than some dishes that clearly contain fish. they serve mostly organic whole foods and seasonal vegetables, and their meals tend to be on the healthier side. i was excited to see what they would do with a home-style dish like mac & cheese that’s usually packed with oil, grease and dairy products. i was delighted to find my take-out container filled with light but creamy noodles, crunchy bread crumbs, and loads of vegetables.

dinner special macaroni and cheese: organic fusilli, sundried tomato, asparagus and arugula. soy cheese sauce and bread crumbs. $10.75

the macaroni and cheese came with twisted noodles, a light soy cheese sauce, bread crumbs, sundried tomato, asparagus and arugula. i can’t even begin to tell you how delicious the cheesy pasta was mixed up with the sweet tomatoes. i have never had sundried tomatoes in mac & cheese before, but DUDE, it was so good. the asparagus added a nice crunch to the whole dish and provided a slightly sour offset to the tomatoes. a perfect combination for sure. i also liked that there were tons of vegetables in the dish, so i didn’t feel like i was eating a bowl of just carbs and fat. for under 11 bucks, the portion was large as well, and it had a really fine-dining taste. you pay a little more at m cafe, but they use such high-quality ingredients that it’s well worth the extra few dollars.

i got my macaroni and cheese to go, and enjoyed it at home with a nice glass of organic wine and a side of m cafe’s broccolini pepperocini. it really hit the spot! right now the melrose location doesn’t serve booze, but the culver city one does. so if you are dining in on the west side, grab some alcohol to go with your dinner special.

if you like mac and cheese, i highly suggest you get to m cafe this week and try out their rendition of it. it’s healthier than all the other vegan mac and cheese in town, and it’s really delicious. they are only offering it as a dinner special through friday, but maybe if a lot of people order it (and bug them about it) they will add it to the menu. if any of y’all try it, let me know what you think.

i would be so happy if they decided to stock this regularly in the deli case…they wouldn’t even have to add it as a meal, but just a side salad. come on, m cafe. please?

m cafe de chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046
323.525.0588

9343 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
310.838.4300

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it seems like everyone is jumping on the twittering taco truck/food cart craze here in los angeles, and the border grill is the most recent restaurant to join the trend. one glance at the truck’s menu filled with things like pork, beef, fish & cheese, and there doesn’t appear to be much for us vegans to eat. however, luckily for me brittany from the vegan blog sick of lettuce got wind of some vegan offerings at the border grill truck, and invited me along to check them out.

we went to the melrose trading post, where the truck camps out every other sunday and brittany kindly paid our $2 per person admission into the flea market. as you can see, we were VERY curious about the border grill’s vegan options, enough to pay a premium just to get close to the truck. (thanks, britt).

it turned out that the only real vegan item on the menu (other than rice, beans and guacamole), was a vegetarian item that had to be modified: the avocado taco. the girl working at the truck was pretty knowledgeable and accommodating and said she could prepare the taco vegan by cooking the avocado separately and omitting the dairy from the corn relish. awesome. what we ended up with were tacos filled with avocado, quinoa, black sesame seeds, chipotle salsa, corn relish and pickled onion.

avocado tacos (VEGANIZED!): chipotle salsa, corn relish, pickled onion, quinoa and avocado.

i’m really glad i went and checked this place out, because the tacos were uniquely delicious. i don’t think i’ve ever had a quinoa stuffed taco before, and certainly not topped off with pickled onion. you can tell a lot of thought went into making this taco different, and combining unusual flavors. it all worked really well together. i also got a side of rice, black beans and guacamole (yeah, we checked all of it was vegan) to round out the experience, and everything tasted great.

so if you happen to be around town and see the border grill truck, stop by and get a vegan avocado taco. just be sure to specify you want the taco to be made vegan, because under normal circumstances, it’s just vegetarian. and another heads up, avoid the cumin fries at this place, they are cooked in the same fryer as the fish. ew.

follow the border grill truck on twitter for more info.
and you can check out brittany’s review of the tacos here.

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if you read the LA vegan sites, you’ve probably heard of jennshaggy’s recipe blog. well recently, jenn has been doing more than blogging; she’s lent a hand to fratelli cafe on melrose and has helped them design an extensive vegan menu. now the small eatery has a variety of vegan sandwiches, wraps, and salads stuffed with high-quality meat substitutes, fresh vegetables and marinated tofu. i have dined at fratelli cafe twice, and both times the food was delicious.

chinese tofu salad: marinated tofu, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red onions, crushed peanuts and organic sesame soy dressing. $10.95

on my first visit to fratelli, they had just run out of their meat substitutes, so the only protein option they had was marinated tofu. my friend and i decided to get two entrees and split them: the chinese chicken salad (with tofu instead of chicken), and the mexican cilantro wrap. while i was a little skeptical of having tofu rather than chicken in the salad, it turned out to be wonderful. this was indeed some of the best marinated tofu i’ve ever had. it was slightly crisp and oily on the outside, then soft and juicy in the center. seriously tasty stuff. the rest of the salad was on point as well, all extremely fresh with an excellent vegan dressing.

the mexican cilantro wrap did not disappoint, either. it was filled with the same amazing tofu plus vegetables, salsa and vegan cheese. since a jennshaggy designed the menu and told fratelli which brands to buy, you can trust that things like the fake cheese and meat are truly vegan. for a cheese substitute they use follow your heart, which isn’t my favorite, but it tasted pretty good in this wrap.

mexican cilantro wrap: chicken or tofu, lettuce, tomato, salsa, red onions, avocado, cilantro dressing, vegenaise, and shredded mozzarella. $10.95

i hit up fratelli cafe again a few days later, and luckily the fake meat products were back in stock…

mediterranean salad: chicken or tofu, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, white balsamic vinaigrette, shredded mozzarella. $10.95

my friend ordered the mediterranean salad with chicken, and we were pleased to find it topped with huge thick slices of well-seasoned gardein. the only complaint i’d have about this salad, is it seemed to come with normal lettuce, not spinach like the menu indicated…and the follow your heart cheese was cut in cubes, not shredded. it impressed my omnivorous friend though, and she happily ate all of it.

pesto chicken sandwich: chicken, lettuce, tomato, red onion, non dairy pesto, mozzarella and mayo. $10.95

i ordered the pesto chicken sandwich was also stacked with gardein chicken and a garlicky vegan pesto sauce. this is my favorite thing so far i’ve ordered from fratelli. gardein is just so moist and flavorful, with stuff like this out there, i don’t understand why anyone eats meat. the pesto was also incredible, creamy and so full of flavor, the dairy was not missed one bit.

so next time you find yourself on melrose, head over to fratelli cafe and check out their new vegan menu that our local jennshaggy designed. just grab the laminated menu and flip all the way to the back for the vegan selections. yum.

fratelli cafe
7200 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 938-2233
7 days 6:30am – 11pm

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“We don’t need to go looking for trouble, it comes looking for us…” – Oscar Wilde

Don’t you just hate it when you see something you like ripped off, and hard working people’s livelihoods threatened?

Back in 1991 two Israeli emgres, Nachman and Sima Milo, opened their very first Maoz restaurant in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With a menu designed to be healthy, vegetarian, environmentally friendly, inexpensive and very tasty, the Milos quickly had a hit on their hands.

Now, Maoz has 22 restaurants globally. The outlets in London and Paris have a long line outside the door most days, and the Union Square outlet in Manhattan is often so crowded that it feels more like the subway station underneath than it does a modern eatery!

As we reported on Wednesday, we were delighted with the apparent opening of a Maoz franchise location here in LA called “Muma Vegetarian“. The similarity of menu, corporate branding, restaurant ambience and artwork implied to us that this was a Maoz location, only named differently because of its close proximity to Mao’s Kitchen, a popular (vegan-friendly) Chinese restaurant half a block away. Have a look for yourself and compare Muma’s menu with the menu from Maoz. Nearly identical.

Determined to see if there was a connection, we visited Muma again this weekend, posing as regular customers, and began to ask some questions. The conversation went something like this:

QG: “This place is great! Are you part of Maoz?”

Manager: “That’s the third time I’ve heard that today. Look, there are places like this on every corner in Israel, OK?”

QG: “We were wondering because this place is identical to Maoz, except for the name. Who owns the restaurant?”

Manager: “Err… it’s three people who own this restaurant.”

QG: “Would you be kind enough to give us contact details, we’d like to know if you’re part of Maoz and have plans for more openings?”

Manager: “I don’t know about Maoz, and what’s in it for me if I give you the ‘phone number of the owners?”

QG: “Well, there’s nothing in it for you personally, but I’m sure they’d like to talk to us about their future plans.”

Manager: “Why would I do that? Are you trying to sell me something?”

At that point the manager was getting very defensive and a little loud (he even stepped out from behind the counter and led us to a table where he sat down so that the conversation could not be heard by others in the restaurant). Fearing that he might ask us to leave, we said “OK, no problem – was just wondering if you were part of Maoz. That’s all.”.

Shortly after, we noticed the manager in the back room. He was glaring at us through a window in the door while engaged in an animated ‘phone call – we guessed it was with one of the three owners. Just as we were finishing up our meal he came from around the back of the counter and gave us a portion of pumpkin hummus and warm pita bread. He said: “Please accept this on the house. We make it here and call it Smashing Pumpkins.”. We wolfed down a few bites and left the restaurant right away.

As soon as we got home, we posted THIS COMMENT on the original post, and sent an email to Maoz corporate in NYC to enquire about the legitimacy of this outlet. Our comment sparked a few more in the same vain, and then this morning, we received the following response from the COO of Maoz USA:

“Thank you for your email. We have nothing to do with this restaurant. I was shocked to read your review and to find out that someone took advantage and copied the Maoz Vegetarian concept. By leveraging our brand values and look and feel they are creating confusion with our chain.”

We were, frankly shocked as well. Muma appears to be shamelessly copying Maoz in great detail.

Almost identical menus at Maoz Vegetarian & Muma Vegetarian

From the look and feel of the food down to near-pixel perfect copies of their menu items, artwork and corporate identity.

Menu artwork is almost identical at Muma Vegetarian & Maoz Vegetarian

While we were originally impressed with the food, we wonder why anybody would want to eat at a restaurant owned by people with such a lack of integrity that they would brazenly steal another company’s entire identity. If they are that shameless, we’re sure the quality of the food is also suspect.

The Maoz Falafel vs The Muma Falafel

Until Maoz deal with Muma (and we’re sure that there are plenty of intellectual property issues here that I’m sure lawyers would love to get their hands on), we’d advise potential customers to stay away. After all, we can’t support such acts now, can we?

muma vegetarian
7275 melrose avenue
los angeles, ca 90046
323-936-7697

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UPDATE: it appears the owners of muma have serious integrity issues and have completely ripped off another restaurant. please read this post before you eat there. i myself will be staying away!

hey los angeles vegans, i have some pretty exciting news for you. if you are familiar with this blog and our travels, you may know that there has been one non-LA restaurant we can’t get enough of. maoz vegetarian is an animal-free and almost entirely vegan falafel shop/salad bar with locations all over the word, and i will go out of my way for their food whenever i visit london or nyc. for years i have longed for maoz to open up a storefront in los angeles, and i think i may have finally gotten my wish.

salad muma meal: salad box with falafel balls, eggplant, hummus and salad bar, plus a fresh juice. $9.50

muma vegetarian opened up yesterday on melrose, and in every way i see it, they are identical to maoz. the logo is similar, the menu is the same, the interior design is the spitting image, and of course the FOOD is tantamount to the ridiculously delicious stuff i remember. i asked the girl behind the counter if muma was related to maoz, but she didn’t know. muma is the newest vegan food to hit los angeles, and also definitely some of the best as far as i’m concerned. i urge you to go check this place out before it gets crazy popular and crowded.

so here’s how it works. muma has a bunch of meal options, the main ones being a sandwich or a salad box. for both of these menu items, muma gives you a simple base of food which you expand on by adding whatever you want from the exceptional salad bar. hot sauce, carrots, crispy broccoli & cauliflower, cabbage, salsa, tahini and more are all at your disposal…and you can take as much as you can cram into your box.

for instance, here is how a salad box starts out…

then you go for an intense round of food shoving at the salad bar…

and you end up with this…

muma salad box (fill it up as high as you want!) $7.95

or you can make it a meal with some fresh juice…

same goes for a sandwich—it starts out really simple with some falafel in a pita…

and you end up with a massive thingy stuffed with billions of vegetables, hot sauce and tahini.

muma falafel with salad bar. $4.95 (you can also add hummus and eggplant)

it’s pretty fucking awesome. oh, and everything at muma is vegan, other than the eggs and feta cheese. so feel free to fill up on the creamy green sauces and marinated vegetables…it’s all safe. muma also offers some fine house-made beverages like the refreshing jalapeno lemonade (pictured way up top), plus a pumpkin hummus blend. i tried both of these strange concoctions, and they were completely unique and delicious. i will never get enough.

check out muma’s menu. i can recommend….everything (other than the egg and feta):

click to enlarge

in addition to incredible food and a fill-it-yourself salad bar (am i the only one who gets super excited about that?). muma also delivers and has free parking. and you never have to worry about your falafel or pita being grilled with meaty nastiness…the whole places is non-meat!

so what are you waiting for? LA’s newest vegetarian restaurant is a must visit as far as i’m concerned.

muma vegetarian
7275 melrose avenue
los angeles, ca 90046

323-936-7697

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for vegans in hollywood who are looking for some quick, cheap and decent fast food…astro burger is your place. located on the corner of melrose and gower, the legendary burger joint has been around since the 70’s and has a really impressive vegetarian menu, with vegan items clearly marked.

i hit up astro burger for the first time with one of my vegan homies, and we both left stuffed and feelin’ happy. most of the vegan items at astroburger are provided by gardenburger; they offer several of their products including the chik’n grill, bbq riblets, flame grilled burger and more. while the food is mass-produced store-bought stuff and isn’t exceptional, it’s really well-prepared at astro burger and pretty inexpensive. (everything costs around 5 bucks)

chik'n grill vegan sandwich with no bbq sauce, + mushrooms, + onions, + avocado

my friend ordered the chik’n grill sandwich and (being the astroburger pro that she is) got it modified with from average to delicious by adding extra toppings. she shared some with me and i was wishing i had ordered this for myself as well. the chik’n grill normally comes with lettuce, tomato and bbq sauce…but she got it without the sauce, plus grilled onions, mushrooms and avocado. absolutely wonderful. the chik’n patty was really thick and juicy, the onions and mushrooms added tons of flavor, and the avocado provided a cool and creamy texture that complimented the cooked vegetables perfectly. it may have been falling apart, but it was one of the better vegan fast food sandwiches in los angeles, for sure. it would have been much more boring with just lettuce and tomatoes on it.

flame grilled vegan gardenburger

i ordered the vegan flame grilled burger which came with lettuce and tomatoes, and tasted like a standard store-bought gardenburger. not much to really describe about this one, it was lightly grilled and didn’t have much flavor…next time i am totally gonna add some onions and mushrooms.

vegan chili fries

we also split an order of vegan chilli fries, which were excellent. i was expecting the chilli to contain fake meat and probably be out of a can, but instead it was just beans with a really thick sauce, sliced round carrots, and huge chunks of chillies. the crispy fries were absolutely covered with it, and it was all topped off with a load of fresh chopped onions. i really, really dug the chilli fries and would definitely order them again. between the two of us, not a single fry or bean was left behind.

so there you have it, astro burger is definitely a place to grab some vegan fast food if you are hungry in the hollywood area. they have a parking lot and a drive thru, which is super convenient but they are cash only, which is not so convenient. they also have an atm inside the restaurant if you don’t mind paying a buck fifty surcharge in order to buy a burger.

oh and don’t get this astro burger on melrose and gower confused with the one in weho on santa monica blvd. i think they are owned by the same people, but the vegan menu at the melrose/gower location is much more extensive. and yes, the vegan items are cooked on a separate grill with separate utensils, it even says so on their website. enjoy!

astro burger
5601 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 469-1924

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let’s just set the record straight on what us vegans can eat at the kogi truck…because the information presently available is confusing to say the least. here goes!

if you live in los angeles, i’m sure you’ve heard of the latest food craze to sweep the city…the kogi bbq truck. kogi serves up korean/mexican fusion food on the cheap with a menu full of tacos, burritos, and daily specials. the little truck has gotten so popular in just a few months, that it has been known to draw crowds of hundreds and even run out of food. i have been wanting to try their tofu tacos since forever…so imagine my excitement when i saw on vegguide.org that they were in fact vegan.

kogi truck roja!

i ate the tacos and pretty much raved about them in a review i posted this morning. my party was ruined, however, when a very informed commenter named louise left the following in reply to my post:

Sorry to break it to you, but you just ate a mouthful of pork fat. The tortillas Kogi uses have manteca (lard) in them. That’s one reason why the BF (vegan) never eats their regular tacos. The only vegan one they have is the one wrapped in shiso leaf.

um…so the tofu tacos aren’t even vegetarian? that can’t be right. i messaged the kogi truck (who knew about my blog post) via twitter telling them i found out that there was in fact lard in the tortillas. they immediately replied, “U are mistaken. Im the roja manager steve. Come take a look anytime. We use canola oil” and i was like, “are you sure there’s no lard in them?” and he said, “yes.”

to follow up on the matter, we emailed the chef and told him we’d been hearing conflicting stories about the lard, and that the truck manager was saying the tacos were vegan friendly. it’s then that we got the sad, sad news from the kogi’s very own chef roy:

our tortilla itself contains hints of Manteca although we use canola oil…but we have a vegan taco with sesame leaf as the “tortilla”

alright dude, thanks for being honest. but that’s fucking so nasty that i ate something containing “hints of lard”. almost immediately after i received that email, the kogi twitter account deleted its tweets saying that the tortillas contained no lard, and sent me a direct message via twitter:

aLL the homemade corn tortiLLas are made with a touch of Manteca. The fLour tortiLLas aren’t. Hey! You can order an eggLess burrito! ^__^ (and cheeseless)

so that settles it. what a shame. those delicious fluffy tofu tacos topped with sesame-chili salsa, romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in korean chilli-soy vinaigrette, and cilantro-green onion-lime relish were wrapped in a tortilla contaminated with piggy fatz. as louise put it in an email to me, “It’s kind of stupid that they don’t make it a point to tell you. I don’t see the point of a tofu taco if it’s wrapped in lard. The tofu taco would have been a great option for vegetarians, but now it’s just, ‘Haha, just kidding guys. No tacos for you.’”

sad tacos. they taste so good and vegan in the middle, but are wrapped in lard.

so to take something good from this situation, at least we now know kogi does have some stuff that is vegan-friendly. i will definitely return to check out their lettuce-wrapped tofu taco, as well as their tofu burrito…minus eggs, cheese, and anything else unvegan.

for those of you vegans who aren’t phased and want to give this inventive cuisine a try…but don’t feel like queuing up and want to drink alcohol while you eat your korean/mex, kogi has taken over the kitchen at the alibi room in culver city monday-saturday from 6pm to midnite. their vegan stuff is available there as well, and if you call in advance, they say they can whip you up some extra vegan specialties.

in fact, lex over at vegan-la has talked to the chef and even arranged a “vegan drinks” session with alcohol and loads of kogi food at the alibi on march 28th. for more info on that, check out the vegan drinks site.

the way kogi seasoned their tofu tacos was nothing short of incredible…they truly blend flavors to create a really unique and delicious taste. i’m willing to bury the hatchet and try something that i know is vegan for sure, from the chef’s mouth.

for up to date times and locations of the kogi trucks, and for just some all around entertainment, follow kogibbq on twitter. also check out their website for more info.

hit up kogi when you can, and get there early to avoid the lines! i know i will be back. just don’t eat any fucking corn tortillas!! YUCK. oh, and don’t believe everything you read on vegguide or on twitter.

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i love london and would move here in a heartbeat, but los angeles has got one thing that i would always miss…pure luck. it’s without a doubt my favorite restaurant of all time, and when i think about it, i really do wish i was at home.

torta: sauteed jackfruit "carnitas", plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. with a side of potato pals. $9

pure luck is a one of a kind vegan eatery, definitely the best in los angeles, serving up quality junk food and tap beer in a laid-back and non-pretentious atmosphere.

i would argue that the crazy-tasty torta is the best thing on pure luck’s menu. it’s got their signature “carnitas” (marinated jackfruit that is so creepily good, even meat-lovers drive across town to eat it), plus ripe avocado, spicy salsa, plump pinto beans and juicy vegetables. stack all that goodness on a roll of world famous la brea bakery bread, and you got the best sandwich ever. i say “world famous la brea bakery” because now that i’m in the UK, it has proven to be true. even all the way over here in london, there is a familiar la brea bakery outlet and i’ve been living off their rolls from tesco. nothing is quite as good as eating it at home, though. and nothing comes remotely close to pure luck.

for all my awesome LA homies…when you order the pure luck torta, the menu gives you the side options of salad, rosemary fries or sweet potato fries. please, bypass that crap and beg your server for some potato pals. you won’t be sorry. the crispy fried and lightly-peppered gnocchi are the perfect compliment to any meal; none of the other sides compare. plus, they bring it out with a magical dipping sauce that tastes like a cross between vegenaise and bbq. totally insane.

if you are lucky enough to be in LA today, get your ass over to pure luck. they aren’t open on sundays, so you better hurry. or hit them up next week at the very least. i would give anything right now for a couple of vegan tap beers, some potato pals and a torta. mmm.

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