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Angelenos love to eat big, fulfilling bowls of rice, farro, oats, and more as a way to eat healthy. These bowls are completely versatile, and they’re easy to enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They often boast seasonal veggies, whole grains, and some kind of protein make for a well-balanced meal. For anyone looking to step out of the salad game, here are grain and rice bowls to try around Los Angeles.
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12 Wholesome Grain Bowls Worth Trying in LA
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring
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Sqirl
At Sqirl, join the line during the weekend and check out the sorrel pesto rice grain bowl featuring kokuho rose brown rice, sorrel pesto, preserved Meyer lemon, fermented hot sauce, feta and a poached egg. After the ricotta toast, it’s probably the most popular order.
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Baroo
Grab friends and drive over to Baroo for a unique meal full of fermentation, flavor and sustainable ingredients. The menu is small and can easily be ordered and enjoyed in one sitting. For a bowl, the kimchi fried rice is a bestseller with pineapple-fermented kimchi, basmati rice, and topped with a sous vide egg. Or opt for the gim, which mixes kamut, Job’s tears, and farro with seaweed and pickled vegetables.
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M Cafe
M Café cooks plant-focused cuisine for most vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets. For a nutritious meal, choose one of its many whole grain bowls. Go for the macro bowl with seasonal veggies in a carrot-ginger sauce and add organic tofu or king salmon, depending on taste.
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sweetgreen
Sweetgreen rolled out its seasonal bowls this fall, so try something new for lunch. Look forward to the curry -roasted cauliflower, sweet raisins, umami-roasted chicken, and quinoa with a cucumber tahini yogurt dressing. Also, the new fish taco bowl is a deconstructed version of the Mexican favorite tossed in lime cilantro jalapeño vinaigrette.
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CAVA
Cava is another fast-casual eatery popping up in a few parts of town with fresh, traditional Mediterranean fare. Here, customize a bowl with grains as the base and choose up to three dips and spreads like the feta with jalapeño-infused feta mousse. Then, choose a protein like spicy lamb meatballs or stick with roasted seasonal vegetables for a wholesome meal.
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Backyard Bowls
Backyard Bowls added a few new LA outposts this year and graduated from only highlighting açaí bowls. Now, make-your-own grain bowls command a part of the menu with healthy options. Choose a base like miso rice, sauce, warm ingredients, veggies, pickles, ferments and nuts, for a unique bowl made-to-order.
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Ricebar
Head downtown with all the denizens for lunch and check out the unassuming Rice Bar. It offers an affordable Filipino rice bowl full of flavor. Try the most popular dish, the pork longganisa beside garlic-fried rice and topped with a fried egg. The chicken tinola, with a gingery soup base and plenty of rice, is a lighter alternative.
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EdiBOL
While in the Arts District, walk over to ediBOL for a well-balanced rice bowl packed with flavor. For a vegetarian dish, try the VegiBOL with tamari sake heirloom rice, chickpeas, almond basil parmesan pesto, sesame bean sprouts, crispy poached egg and other toppings. The borBOLeta, a Brazilian seafood stew with toasted almond rice, is a solid pick too.
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Bondi Harvest
A Westside favorite, Bondi Harvest, incorporates two wholesome grain bowls on its menu. For breakfast, the caveman bowl with turmeric quinoa, fried egg and bacon will keep hunger at bay. Otherwise, the Instagrammable rainbow bowl is served all day with chimichurri cauliflower rice, and fermented vegetables.
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BäcoShop
Josef Centeno’s fast-casual BäcoShop is a hit in Culver City, with its tasty bäcos made with the signature flatbread. If one’s cutting back on bread, the bäco bowl is a nice alternative. It’s filled with burrata, grains and the herb vinaigrette. Then, pick a protein like the grilled steak marinated in coffee rub, mild red chili, almonds and horseradish cream.
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Flower Child
For a quick and healthy meal, Flower Child’s bright and hippie vibe in Santa Monica is a solid option. With a variety of grain bowls to choose from, consider the mother earth bowl. Think ancient grains, sweet potato, portobello mushroom and other seasonal veggies.
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Superba Food + Bread
Superba Food + Bread Company is best known for its delicious breads and pastries, however, for something healthier, try the grain bowl. Served with a runny egg, collard slaw, and cashews, it’s simple but will keep the body energized throughout the day.
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