Holding it down for the South Bay is the beloved Green Temple. Nestled in a hidden courtyard in Riviera Village, the quaint patio offers plenty of feel-good vibes along with its insanely delicious tofu sauce, white lasagna, and pies.

At Crossroads on Melrose, chef Tal Ronnen is elevating vegan fare to an art form. The team has been turning out some of the most inventive and thoughtful meat-free food in Los Angeles since opening in 2013. Crossroads is not only a haven for vegetarian fine-diners, but for anyone curious about how delicious vegan food can be. There’s a second location headed to Calabasas this year.

Some cuisines naturally skew vegetarian, and Ethiopian is no different. At Rahel’s, they avoid all mentions of tempeh or soy-based meats and emphasize slow-cooked stews with spices that radiate flavor. Take a piece of injera bread and dip it right into Rahel’s greens with garlic and pepper, split lentil stew, or the house specialty banatu with fresh tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions.

Vegan A.F. founder Chanel Goodson launched her food truck in June and started selling savory vegan egg rolls and loaded fries from the bright pink vehicle. Mostly parked near the intersection of Melrose and Fairfax or roving through LA’s streets, there’s a uniqueness to her food apparent in dishes like loaded Nashville hot fries with vegan shrimp.

Jared Simons Taco Vega nearly closed earlier this year. But a recent rush of support kept this neighborhood Fairfax restaurant going — so Simons can continue to serve grilled oyster mushroom asada tacos, tofu scramble breakfast burritos, and cinnamon-spiked horchata lattes.

Yoga fanatics and Eastside locals show up in droves to longstanding Bulan Thai, where the spicy, sweet, and sour flavors that characterize Thai cooking make eating meat-free easier than ever.

Best known for her role as Felicia on the movie Friday, Angela Means opened Jackfruit Cafe in Crenshaw in 2017. She’s now operating from a ghost kitchen adjacent to Exposition Park, where she prepares a nut-free mac and cheese, jackfruit crunch wrap with black beans, house-made vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, and white sauce, along with a Beyond Meat dish called “hood tacos.” 

Alex Koons opened Hot Tongue in March, where he not only developed the blistery, airy, thin-crust pies but sometimes — if you’re lucky — acts as its delivery driver, bringing his creations to diners’ doors. Order the white pie with a garlic-olive oil base, but the buffalo with broccolini, shitake bacon, a drizzle of agave, and fresh parsley is as Los Angeles as it gets.

It’s uncommon to find a neighborhood spot that focuses on cocktails plus an inventive menu that’s friendly to vegetarians and vegans. Beelman’s serves bowls, sandwiches, and a top-notch spicy plantain stuffed-impossible meat burger with shredded kale, pineapple slaw, pickled jalapeños, and gochujang aioli on a brioche sesame bun.

Head here for Vietnamese vegetarian fare by chef Mai Nguyen. Regulars sing high praises for the restaurant’s salt and pepper yam “shrimp” and garlic basil noodles. And now that Walt Disney Concert Hall is reopened, Au Lac is the perfect vegetarian-friendly stop for a pre-show meal.

Directly across from Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights sits one of LA’s best plant-based spots. The walls are filled with multi-hued murals and just outside are incredible views of Downtown, which is the perfect backdrop for eating pupusas, tacos, pozole, nopales with rice and beans, along with a north Indian cholay or Persian stew.

Seabirds Kitchen in Long Beach — or the original Costa Mesa outpost — produces fresh and hearty dishes like purple potato taquitos, grilled mushroom tacos, and a Korean-inspired jackfruit bibimbap bowl. It’s all served in Seabirds’ beachy dining room, which is less than a mile away from the ocean.

This “vegetable restaurant” on Pioneer Boulevard is famous for its 10-course Gujarati-style thali buffet. It’s a steam table-less affair where waiters dish up flaky breads, hearty lentils, tangy curries, and even dessert tableside, until you say mercy.

The key to excellent Vietnamese vegetarian fare is a killer mock nuoc cham (fish sauce vinaigrette), and nobody makes it better than the folks at Thien Tam. Dig into platters of broken rice prettied with seasoned wheat gluten molded into various forms, as well as classic noodle soups that manage to satisfy without any animal byproducts.

In the middle of Uptown Whittier is Modern Shaman Kitchen. Opened in early 2020, owners Kimberly Harlan and Michael Kachoeff make jackfruit nachos and oyster mushroom po’ boys for loyal locals whether vegan or omnivore, and occasionally host a yoga class on the patio.

Green Green Trees Your Vegan is a longtime dream realized for chef-owner Carol Tsang. Her family owned a restaurant in Taipei, and she’s continuing the family tradition in West Covina serving fried rice, pho, noodle soups, and porridge in a brightly painted dining room.