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Plant-Based Specialist Monty’s Good Burger Opens in Santa Monica Today

Plus, a Baja-style taco pop-up, a drag brunch in Santa Monica, and more

People wait to order vegan food at a restaurant in Santa Monica.
Monty’s Good Burger Santa Monica.
Monty’s Good Burger
Mona Holmes Mona Holmes is a reporter for Eater LA and a regular contributor to KCRW radio. In 2022, she was nominated for a 2022 James Beard Award.

Monty’s Good Burger opens today in Santa Monica, marking the sixth location throughout Southern California for the vegan fast-food spot, whose burgers, shakes, and fries remain as popular as ever. The first location opened in Koreatown in 2018.

Monty’s co-founder Nic Adler — who also operates Nic’s on Beverly — tells Eater the Santa Monica location represents a significant milestone: “One of our goals has always been to take Monty’s from our Echo Park location through LA, [until] we hit the beach.” The new spot is on Broadway between Second Street and Ocean Avenue. Monty’s other locations include West Third Street, Koreatown, Echo Park, Culver City, and the Riverside Food Lab.

LA’s Latino-owned plant-based restaurants

In more plant-based news, VegOut Magazine put together a handy round-up of Latino-owned vegan restaurants in Los Angeles.

Hinano chef’s Baja-style taco pop-up

L.A. Taco profiled Mario Curiel, who writer Memo Torres describes as the designated “grill-master” at Venice’s legendary Hinano Cafe. On weekends, Curiel and wife Lupita Cruz operate a regular Venice pop-up called Lupita’s Tacos, where Baja-style tacos are on the menu. Check the TikTok below.

@l.a.taco

Mario Curiel is manning the famous grill at @hinanovenice , one of Venice’s last-standing great neighborhood dive bars. He grills up a storm from Monday to Thursday, making Venice’s favorite beach burger. The other two days of the week, he’s out on the streets with his wife of 26 years, Lupita Cruz, bringing the neighborhood out for Baja-style @lupitas_tacos2020 (on IG) and building community without realizing it. Full wide version of this video is available on YouTube if you want to full food porn effect. Video by @el_tragon_de_la #venicebeach #streettacos #fishtacos #calamaritacos #tacostand #cheesburgers #venice #lataco

♬ Selfcare-demo - Bella Moulden

Celebrating a new show with pizza slices

Pizzana chef Daniele Uditi is celebrating the premiere of his new Hulu show Best in Dough this Monday, by offering single slices from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pizzana Sherman Oaks.

Clubby restaurants, explained

If you’re perplexed at the term “clubstaurant,” this explainer from Infatuation LA has an excellent breakdown for spots like Mainro, Tao, and Barton G.

Drag brunch at Loews Santa Monica

Every third Sunday, the Loews Santa Monica restaurant Blue Streak is having a drag brunch hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight contestant Naysha Lopez. Find themed cocktails, bottomless mimosas, and brunch menu with all the standards. A portion of sales will go to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

A flyer with drag queens.
Blue Streak’s drag brunch.
Loews Hotels

Monty's Good Burger Santa Monica

123 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Visit Website