One of the truly exciting things about being in Los Angeles is the abundance of plant-based options. Not only in the variety of restaurants, but also the sheer number of choices available at many places. Further, a lot of places that might have omni options definitely understand the value of catering to those that prefer plants.
Café Gratitude is definitely one of those places for people who prefer plants. We’ve been about five times now in the past six weeks and have been happily working our way through the menu and so far we like pretty much everything that we’ve had. The only down side has been that the service has gotten progressively worse each time that I’ve been. The last meal, a Sunday brunch, just might be my last for a while.
We started the experience off at their Larchmont location where we had traveled to meet a friend. She’d recommended it as a good place for a plant-based meal and being newbies to the area, we were pretty much willing to try anything. Fortunately, this location, like the one in the Arts District, has parking so we were able to pull right up. Even better, we snagged a seat at their outdoor dining table and we’re able to take in the perfectly lovely Southern California evening.
We began the meal with their version of a “calamari” type dish that I seriously hope to see more of: fried, soft, young coconut that has the unbelievably uncanny resemblance to calamari. Well, well, well, aren’t we off to a good start?
Going back to Handlebar in Chicago, I’ve been a sucker for a good hen-of-the-woods fried mushroom sandwich and their version, Enthusiastic – a chicken fried mushroom sandwich is a contender. Tomato, pickles, romaine, buffalo sauce and ranch dressing are all on a brioche bun with a side of french fries. This was a winner. Crispy and juicy, all the textural components of a perfect sandwich were right in place.
This meal was so good, that once we realized there was a location downtown, we had to seek that out. I’d rather walk for 30 minutes than drive for 30 minutes just about any day. It was a no-brainer.
Working our way through the menu, we’ve also tried their Chickpea Tuna Focaccia, a concept that’s always a winner in my book. I love all that one can do with chickpeas. A near-classic take with pickled red onion and carrots, sliced tomato, arugula, green tahini, a side salad and Persian cucumber pickles. A nice, light meal for a warm day.
Another item that we’ve had on multiple visits is their Eclectic – Buffalo Cauliflower. Now, it seems that pretty much everyone has a version of fried cauliflower. It’s as if that’s the only vegetable that people think to want to use. And that’s okay. Cauliflower is a bit under-rated in the versatility department. They do theirs with an adobo-buffalo sauce and the usual accompaniments. We’ve ordered it three times. Need I say more.
We’ve tried the Sharing – Nachos, as a part of a happy hour offering we happened upon on one visit. Most everything has been really decent. We even managed to make it in for brunch one morning, and while we liked the food, I had to ask a server if they were going to help us after she had walked by several times actively trying to ignore us. It wasn’t until about 30 minutes later did a guy show up who I think was supposed to have been our waiter, but we never actually saw him again.
Café Gratitude is 100% vegan – and therefore has a VegScore of 100.
Cafe Gratitude
Arts District
300 S Santa Fe Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Cafe Gratitude
Larchmont
639 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004