Venice’s Butcher’s Daughter opened the plant-forward De Buena Planta in 2020 where the beachy vibes are met by gorgeous cocktails, mezcal, aguas frescas, gluten-free options, and plenty of tacos with options like the cauliflower, potato, or mushroom. If heading to the Westside is not feasible, a gorgeous Silver Lake location opened in March 2022.

With locations in West Hollywood and Pasadena, Real Food Daily cranks out an all-day menu featuring chocolate chip and banana pancakes or the creamy Alfredo pasta recipe with cashew “cheese” sauce that’s been tested and perfected over the decades. (Note: RFD owner Adaline Hobbs plans to open a new plant-based restaurant in Silver Lake called Junkyard Dog later in 2022 as well.)

Chef/owner Tal Ronnen elevates vegan fare to an art form at Crossroads. The restaurant has been creating some of the most inventive and thoughtful meat-free food in Los Angeles since opening in 2013 with a new Vegas location opening earlier in 2022. Crossroads experiments and changes the menu regularly with dishes designed to wow, including a seafood-inspired tower.

Open for 22 years, Rahel Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine is a gem within Little Ethiopia. Go with a friend or group and order the generous combination platter with fava bean ful, lentils, zucchini, mixed vegetables, and as always, injera.

Chef Babette Davis’s Inglewood run began nearly two decades ago, where her restaurant brings plant-based options to historic Market Street. Step up to the counter for ordering, then wait for staff to bring out soulful dishes like greens, mac and cheese, yams, quesadillas, and a hearty tamale pie.

Seabirds owner Stephanie Morgan opened a bright new location in in Los Feliz in 2022. Head to the Costa Mesa or Long Beach locations for her signature blackened beet taco and filet o’cauliflower.

Bulan Thai had a front seat while Silver Lake changed over the decades. It’s been churning out excellent plant-based Thai long before Erewhon moved in across the street, and diners can still find the restaurant’s mock duck curry, roasted kabocha squash with Thai spices, and the specialty inferno chicken that packs heat and flavor.

Flore Vegan was pushed out of its original location in early 2020, but has since landed in a delightful nearby spot that comes with a perfect patio to eat sliders, salads, bowls, and a blta pizza with tempeh bacon, avocado, tomato, and lettuce.

Downtown’s Wild Living Foods is one of the few raw food restaurants throughout the city. Staff prepare foods between 104 to 118 degrees emphasize the natural form of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts. The tacos are particularly delicious with a pumpkin seed “chorizo” in a lettuce wrap, drizzled with a decadent cashew cheese, avocado, crispy walnuts, and a spicy creamy sauce.

Back in 2017, Golden Road Brewing founder Tony Yanow and the Artisanal Brewers Collective switched Beelman’s into an entirely plant-based menu. As a longtime vegan, meatless fare is a common practice for Yanow, and Beelman’s diners can expect an exceptional food menu with a fried green tomato po’boy, a Vietnamese-style wrap, and a corn and potato chowder.

Frogtown’s cozy bakery/cafe Just What I Kneaded gets points for a punny restaurant name, but owner and head baker Justine Hernandez prepares fantastic galettes, cookies, and scones with coffee until everything is sold out. Not to be missed: a plant-based take on a BLT and the excellent coffee with a cozy patio.

When a Vietnamese restaurant can make nuoc cham without traditional fish sauce, it’s safe to say that the remaining menu will impress. Try the broken rice and classic noodle soups. The formica tabletops are plentiful, so sit back and watch the gorgeous dishes arrive at everyone’s tables.

Chicana settled nicely into Downtown Fullerton in 2020. This family-run business offers some of the region’s best plant-based food with dishes like the massive loaded nachos, taquitos, street tacos, burgers, and sopes.