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Doomie's Home Cookin' - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Vegan Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Gluten-Free Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free [Edit]
686 N Spring StLos Angeles, CA 90012
Neighborhood: Chinatown
(714) 883-7657
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
50 reviews for Doomie's Home Cookin'
Review Highlights
"Buffalo legs with vegan ranch -perfection."
(in 8 reviews)
"If vegan comfort food is your thing, you'll love Doomie's."
(in 7 reviews)
"We also had their Mac n Cheese which was just amazing."
(in 16 reviews)
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50 reviews in English
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Review from Elizabeth K.
Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2009
what will i do without your vegan chili cheese fries?!?!?!!
come baaaaaaaack -
Review from Sara A.
Pasadena, CA
4/14/2011
Doomies is open at 1253 Vine St Hollywood, CA 90038
(cross street is Fountain) -
Review from Pearl G.
Los Angeles, CA
4/8/2011
They're closed!!! oh no!! I LOVED THIS PLACE!!!
i want them open. Ricky is the best! -
Review from Daniel H.
Los Angeles, CA
1/25/2011
Ive heard they have great food through the Vegan vine of my network, so i decided to try it out with my friends, since they just opened up their NEW spot.
The customer service is great, they are warm and friendly, but the food i ordered i would have to say was a disappointment. The biggest let down had to do with one main ingredient. Salt. I had their nachos as a appetizer and then their chicken salad sandwich. Both were way WAY over salted, to the point of which i had to spit portions of the nachos into a napkin and could not finish my sandwich.
On a positive note, they did have amazing jalapeno poppers and the fried Oreo's are a MUST :]
Im definitely still down to try some of their other options, in hopes that my opinion changes, but i also know which things i wont be ordering again. -
Review from Jessica L.
Los Angeles, CA
11/17/2008 ROTD 4/30/2009
DOO-MIE'S DOO-MIE'S.
I ate at Doomie's and the next day Obama was elected President of the United States. I don't wanna say the vegan twinkies I bought here in bulk had something to do with it. But, come on people, this is more than mere coincidence.
Needless to say that week, which I now refer to as Doo-bama week, was momentous.
Let's get down to business. Philly cheese steak- awesome. Mac and Cheese tastes just like Kraft mac, if you love that you'll love it. Ranch dressing- mind blowingly authentic. The fried chicken, seriously WTF? so good.
I really enjoyed all of my food here. Yes, it's in a night club which is a little strange at first, but I'm here to eat and my stomach doesn't know Design Within Reach from Kmart patio furniture, so I'm not losing sleep over it.Listed in: Veggie Friendly Eateries, ROTD!
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Review from leelee w.
Los Angeles, CA
11/7/2010
Can't wait 'til you reopen!
Once was not enough...and purdy please, bring back onion rings. -
Review from Bryan R.
Long Beach, CA
1/7/2009
I wonder if I came here the same day as Alysia M, the one star review from January 3rd? Seemed like we ran into similar problems.
I was REALLY looking forward to this place after reading about it on numerous vegan blogs and Yelp. I had been craving fried chicken for some reason lately, and really had my heart set on that meal. I went with my girlfriend, and our plan was to split the fried chicken and a bowl of clam chowder soup (another thing I haven't had in probably 12 years and was really looking forward to). Upon arrival, we were greeted with a whiteboard sign saying they were out of, well, EVERYTHING. No fried chicken, no clam chowder, no meatballs, no soup, no onion rings, no shrimp anything, no chicken anything, no desserts. It was hard finding anything on the menu they had in stock!
We really were looking forward to Doomies, so we decide to try it anyways. We walk in and I couldn't tell if they were opened or closed. Felt like we were intruding or something. Just not very comfortable.
We ended up settling on the Philly Cheese Steak (we got it with real cheese) and the Fried Calamari. The Philly Cheese Steak came out at least 15 minutes before the Calamari. I'm glad we were sharing food otherwise I would've felt like a dick finishing my meal before my girlfriend even started hers.
Finally the food comes out. We were never provided silverware and the server never really bothered to ask us if we needed anything. It would've been great to have ketchup for the french fries and a fork for the coleslaw and a napkin to wipe our hands with, but oh well.
The good news is - both meals were really good! And that's why they're getting 3 stars instead of like a 1 or 2 or something (which is what I'd give any other place that would make me deal with these situations). The Philly Cheese Steak used the rolls that I LOVE and the flavor was great. I'm fine with eating cheese so I'm a regular at Philly's Best for their meatless Philly Cheese Steak (all vegetables), and to be honest the ones at Philly's Best might be a little better and definitely larger - but this one was still really good.
The fried calamari was awesome! But nothing like calamari. It reminded me of little nuggets of fish n chips. I used to love fish n chips!! I'd definitely order the calamari again if I was ever craving fried fish. If I knew how to make this dish at home I'd probably never leave the house.
This place would be my new favorite restaurant (and hopefully will be!) as soon as they get their act together. Some of the best vegan food I've had with all my cravings on one menu. Just call ahead and make sure they're in stock before you make a long drive out! -
Review from Andrius A.
Los Angeles, CA
12/26/2008 1 photo
The restaurant is in a night club. I've danced there once before so i was kinda nervous when i got there and noticed the place was still a club. They asked if we wanted to eat indoors or outdoors - we decided with the weather being a bit chilly we'd eat inside. Let me tell you... the indoor area was still a club. Its like...who the heck wants to eat on the dance floor and stare at the bar? After we ordered our food we sat outside. If you go - eat outdoors.
The service was great. I ordered the fried chicken. It taste great besides the fact that it had a popsicle in it for the "full effect" of eating a real chicken leg. The mash potatoes, dinner roll and cole slaw were nothing to write home about. I really enjoyed the french onion and the vegetable soup.
During our meal the chef came out and asked if everything was ok. I thought that was super nice.
I also tried the macaroni n cheese which was pinkish orange. It taste ok but the color of it threw me off. The chef said he was still in the process of perfecting it and asked what we thought he can do to make it better. I respect that.
Overall I did enjoy the restaurant but I think they need to change locations and invest in some hot sauce. -
Review from caroline h.
Los Angeles, CA
11/17/2008
Sooo I am an omnivore and my boyfriend is a vegetable-leery vegan [ yeah...I don't get it either] so naturally, we have a super hard time finding any restaurant we can agree on! I was sitting at home last night waiting for him to come over so we could go out for dinner wracking my brain trying to think of a good place to go.
Magically, as my lovely friend Sharon randomly IM'd asking me if I had been to Doomie's yet and that I absolutely had to go.
Soooo freaking good. We got there about 7:20 PM and they close at 8. I had the chicken picatta and he had the southern fried chicken. We had the fried calamari for an appetizer . Doomie came out and hung out with us for a bit and seriously one of the nicest restaraunt owners I've ever met!
Our server was fantastic and informative and the outside ambience of Chinatown after-dark was awesome.
Doomie is meat eater with a knack for all things culinary who always had picky vegan/vegetarian girlfriends. He said he opened his place up because he knew he could do it better than anyone else around and he was right. The result: a fantastic menu!
Go go go! -
Review from stacey a.
Pasadena, CA
1/4/2009
I stopped over at Doomie's last week for a little early afternoon grub. Yes, the location is very odd and the ambiance is less than ideal but the food is good! I ordered the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and it was delish. I've tried a whole lot of faux meats and I was very impressed by the taste of the "chicken". Doomie even gave me a piece of faux bacon to try and I was surprised at how realistic it was.
I know that a lot of vegans/vegetarians aren't looking for meat free options that actually do taste like meat but that's not me. I like the taste of meat, I just choose not to eat it because I like animals and the environment. For the vegetarian who craves a BLT or a chicken sandwich once in a while, Doomie's is the place. -
Review from 'Nette O.
Salt Lake City, UT
11/9/2008
It's hard to rate a restaurant that's so damn odd. It's hard to sort through the experience to delineate those that were just plain bad from the parts that were just very strange.
First off - the...um...three staffers at the restaurant were perfectly lovely. They were honestly, resoundingly friendly and very attentive. They obviously care, and they care a lot. This is nice.
As noted in previous posts, this restaurant is apparently doing the split-personality thing - by day, vegan comfort food destination Doomie's Home Cookin'...by night, a kinda-sorta Goth Club (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Maybe this explains our beautiful server's patent leather corsety-thing, dead-serious eye makeup and porcelain skin. Hmm.
I had the pulled pork - a messy, delectable method of putting a million fat calories between two skillet-fried buns, sided with a surprisingly thoughtful mac 'n' cheese and crackle-icious onion rings. HAPPY. My boyfriend ordered a chew toy garnished with cardboard (the Western Burger.) Not so happy.
Then he washed it down with a Rogue. On tap. HAPPY.
Then he went to the bathroom and came back looking like he'd seen dead people. Not so happy.
Then we had a fresh-baked vanilla cupcake by Jenn's No Whey Bakery. HAPPY.
So...three stars. And, by the way, a high five for doin' it, Doomie's-folks. 'Cause you're obviously giving it all you've got and, after all, you're still a baby! :) I'll definitely be back for another go. -
Review from Vegan E.
Los Angeles, CA
12/5/2008
As we walked up the stairs to the restaurant we didn't know what to expect. After we saw it, we were even more confused. It appears that the space is also used as a goth night club, sports bar, and vegan restaurant. Since it was a weekday during lunch time, we could clearly see the interior of the club/bar which was dark and empty so we opted to sit in the patio. The restaurant is located in Chinatown and is completely surrounded by seafood vendors and restaurants. As we sat waiting for our waitress we could smell the stench of seafood--it was like sitting by the ocean, but with all the animals being dead.
However, even though we couldnt see a kitchen anywhere in sight, we still had hope that the food would be good. We perused the menu and noticed that almost every item on the menu was very "heavy"-- meaning fried, cheesed, or sauced. Where are all the vegetables? For a vegan restaurant (minus the real cheese option) I would have expected to see more vegetables in their natural state.
We had vegan mac'n'cheese which was a neon orange version of Easy Mac. Boring, but cheesy (which is usually hard to pull off). My entree was Doomie's Southern Fried Chicken served with a side of Clam Chowder, coleslaw, and garlic, rosemary mashed potatoes.
The fried chicken tasted, smelled and looked just like fried chicken. However, there's something unsettling about seeing a fake piece of meat with fake skin on it. The mashed potatoes and coleslaw were good, nothing out of the ordinary.
I was excited to try the clam chowder since that is not something I've had in years. It was good, and even the faux-clams had an "ocean" taste. In order to make it thick they used potatoes which I thought was a good idea.
For dessert I bought a "twinkie" which had a funny after taste. Not reccommended.
Pros: Friendly waitress, great if you need a meat fix without actually eating an animal.
Cons: Completely surrounded by smelly seafood restaurants. Nothing is healthy here.Listed in: Veg*n Restaurants
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Review from Robin D.
Long Beach, CA
1/11/2009 1 photo
I'm hooked on Doomie.Everything is reasonably priced, the service is great and its right in the middle of chinatown ! Its a great place to get vegan comfort food even if you are not vegan. Their faux meat has great textures and flavors.
Some of my favorite things...
Buffalo legs with vegan ranch -perfection
Philly Cheesesteak sandwich - very flavorful, the faux meat is right on
Fried chicken - a hot plate of comfort with a side of rosemary potatoes
Pulled Pork Sandwich- way better then pure luck
Frech onion and Clam chowder soups
Try the vegan twinkie or the chocolate shake for desert ! -
Review from Lucinda M.
Canoga Park, CA
12/26/2008
Ok, let's get one thing straight: I AM NOT A VEGAN. Ok? I like bacon. Bacon is meat candy.
That said, I love good food in all its forms, and more often than not vegan food is good food, simply because it requires such careful preparation and necessitates healthy, fresh ingredients. So this meat-eater can happily say I eat vegan at least once a week, vegetarian more than that.
Now, on to Doomie's. When you walk up the flight of outdoor stairs to this upper portico in a two-level building smackdab in the center of Chinatown, you get the vibe as if you'd stumbled into someplace secret, a hidden outpost of meat-free eating amidst a thousand other restaurants that have dead ducks hanging in their windows.
Doomie's specializes in comfort foods. For the most part, that means FRIED comfort foods. This is prolly one of two or three places in the city where I don't feel guilty for eating fried food, because everything else is so goddamned healthy. But you wouldn't know it from the taste: no, happily everything tastes as wonderfully bad for you as the best mac'n'cheese, buffalo wings, cupcakes and twinkies (twinkies!) and chicken-fried steak you've gobbled down in your life.
Vegan food, when it attempts to simulate meat, eggs & dairy, is a fascinating science--they're trying to re-create those textures, the flavors, the feel on your tongue--with soy, with wheat gluten, with fruit, with whatever they can use to fool you into thinking you're eating dairy and meat. And Doomie's really nails it.
One thing I noticed: you may wanna go earlier in the week if you want the big sellers like the vegan twinkies: they seem to sell out by week's end. -
Review from apple t.
Los Angeles, CA
1/8/2009
I like Doomie's a lot. It's divey, it's in a great space, they play good music, and it's vegetarian. If only they stayed open later. But who knows how those hours might change in the future?
If you're into fried foods and you're vegan, this place is it. Their calamari is delicious and so's the tartar sauce that comes with it. If you were ever a seafood junkie before you went veg, get their seafood platter and instead of soup or salad, ask for fries. You will not be disappointed. If you're a big health nut, don't come here. I mean, it's certainly healthier than flesh foods, but healthy for the super health conscious it's not. So be warned.
Also, do not come here expecting some kind of four star dining experience. It's kind of a dive and comes with the service to match. And keep in mind that it's one guy running the show, so have a heart. Come with your friends and plan to hang out, or bring a book or something. During the day the patio is great for writing and/or reading while you wait, but so's the inside any time. It has the underground feel of black market restaurants on the east coast except Doomie's has regular hours. No looking for a red or green light to see if they're open or knocking someone's back fence. This place is supercool. -
Review from Katie G.
3/21/2010
Damn! Sorry to see that Doomie's has closed.
I only came here once - mostly because it was in such an inconvenient location for me - but the food was really GOOD. I could not believe that what I was eating was NOT meat. The Twinkies were also great.
Sad to see it is gone. Planned to go back - but I guess I should have done that sooner. -
Review from Summer S.
Studio City, CA
11/4/2008 3 photos
I went to Doomie's on it's first week of being open, and though they were still tweaking everything, it was still super awesome. Los Angeles has needed a vegan 'junk/comfort food' restaurant for a LONG time, and thanks to Doomie's we have it!
I ordered the buffalo legs (with Vegan Ranch) and chili cheeze fries, which were AWESOME, though I would have preferred the legs oozing a little bit more with buffalo sauce...I'm definitely going to ask for an extra side of it next time. Timmy got the western burger, and it looked pretty tasty as well! I am looking forward to my next visit....it's the 'pulled pork sandwich' for me!
I actually really liked the 'ambiance of the place', a rooftop patio with an awesome view of Chinatown and the fact that they have a bar in the restaurant is great.
I can't wait to go back to doomies! Make sure to take your carnivorous friends when you go...they will be amazed at how good vegan can taste!Listed in: Veggie Los Angeles!
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Review from Lilly M.
Los Angeles, CA
11/6/2008
OK. first offf.. several beers on tap.. yum yum yum. I had dead guy. My co worker and i decided to try the calamari because it just seemed to odd that vegan calamari exists!!!!
It was delightful. It wasnt overly fishy.. but definitely tasted liek calamari. the texture was a little bit rubbery just like real calamari. it came with vegan tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.
For my main dish i had a chilli cheeseburger with vegan sauce. also SO good. I really want to try everything on the menu here. I hope this place does well. When we were there there was one one or two tables of people.
Im going back.. as much as possible. YES! -
Review from Aaron A.
Santa Monica, CA
1/10/2009
The best vegan comfort/junk food restaurant in L.A.
Miles beyond the now closed down Vegan Spot (saves me time in writing Vegan Spot a negative review), Doomie's food is done with care, imagination and verve.
This is vegan comfort food...do not order salads..not this place's strong point.
The Buffalo Legs are a must for an appetizer. The sauce is vinegar-y, as it should be, and the fake chicken is of tender quality. The "Ranch" dressing is very flavorful, with great texture and no "vegan soy cream" aftertaste.
The fried chicken is frighteningly realistic... which is either a plus or minus for some of you...very flavorful with great texture, and cooked perfectly.
My friend swears by the Western Bacon Cheeseburger with vegan bacon.....The mac n' cheese as other Yelpers have pointed out is more akin to Kraft than to that of say, Soul Veg. More of the stove top variety, and also in keeping with the theme of the restaurant. Very well done, great texture and taste.
I had the meatball sandwich on my second visit that was MASSIVE. Really fresh, homemade sauce and "meatballs"...great flavor...and the roll was chewy and authentic.
On both occasions, Doomie himself came out to chat and make sure everything was ok. Really nice guy...puts a lot of care into this place....
If vegan comfort food is your thing, you'll love Doomie's.
Oh, every time I've been here I've heard Joy Division and Cocteau Twins.... I know some of you can understand how eating fake meat to Joy Division can be such an unbeatable combination...especially when it takes place out of your own house. -
Review from Brettney P.
Santa Monica, CA
Updated - 2/10/2009
Sadly Doomies is Closed until further notice of a new location!
However if you're craving this amazing food (as I am )check out his myspace page on how you can get him to cater your next event! I'm too late to put in a request for my baby shower but for my birthday the grubs on!Listed in: Top Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/30/2008
The man who brought you tacos to Das Bunker and Xile now beings you something more amazing, his Home… Read more »
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Review from Robyn V.
Los Angeles, CA
1/29/2009
This place is AMAZING! I have had the chili burger, chili dog, mac and cheese, and fried oreos and everything was sooooo delicious!
If you are vegan and miss comfort food GO HERE!!!!!!!!
Great food and awesome staff! -
Review from Ol'BoySpeck c.
Los Angeles, CA
11/23/2008
I must say that the food was different, and pretty good. Unfortunately the bikers on Sunday, the atmosphere of filthy Chinatown, and the run down nightclub/sports bar that is a vegan restaurant by day kinda ruins it for me.
First off, I had to maze my way through street bikes to get to the stairs that lead to the "restaurant, nightclub, sportsbar, concert venue". To say the least...weird!
We sat, more bikers showed up. Apparently its a meeting place for them on Sunday. I've never heard of bikers meeting at a vegan restaurant....go figure. They must be friends of the owners, as they were controlling the TV's, the bar, and pretty much had the run of the place.
The staff was nice, my ice tea came with no sweetner, soda was flat. We ordered the chicken, and the philly cheese steak, and waited an eventful 30 minutes for our food to arrive. The bikers weren't eating, just drinking, and there was only one other table that was actually there for the food. So who knows why it took so long for us to get our food.
As we sat and waited for the food, we noticed 3 more parties come up the stairs, notice the weirdness, saw the bikers, and left. (There was a post that was deleted off of yelp that mentioned some of the staff looking at a playboy magazine in plain view of customers, this is true. To bad the post was mysteriously deleted off of yelp.)
The outdoor furniture is really trashed and ran down, sun-beatin vinyl booths, mismatch chairs and dirty tables. Never made it to the bathroom, but from what i've read....thank god i didn't make it.
Food finally arrived, I must say the chicken and philly were both pretty good. The staff was apologetic for the wait, but unfortunately the bad out-weighed the good. I will not return to this place.
It seems that the owner of Doomies is friends with the owner of the sportsbar, an idea sparked to make extra cash during the day, so now we have Doomies.
Some advice, the cleanliness of your "restaurant" reflects on the cleanliness of your kitchen. If your restrooms and restaurant are as "dive" as noted in my post and others, I can't imagine the kitchen being any cleaner. First impressions are everything folks.
I think its safe to say your biker buds are doing more harm than good. While I was there you lost maybe about 6 customers, which can be equivalent to about $10-$12 a piece(not including returned business and referrals).
It does not help that the place is in Chinatown. Chinatown sells and kills live stock on-site, so as you park and walk down the streets, you can hear and smell chickens. If you're lucky you will see a butcher or two walking around.
My point, sanitize and clean-up the place, make it comfortable for your customers, not your friends(the bikers) and serve good food.
THE END -
Review from Greg W.
Los Angeles, CA
10/27/2008
Doomie's gets closer than most to duplicating the texture (and, in some cases, the taste) of various meats. They get a pass for having 'calamari' that tastes & feels more like scallops, because I like scallops better. The shrimp gets good marks, as does the vegetarian (but not vegan) bacon. In fact, their vegetarian bacon is the first I've tasted that truly escapes the 'soy-sauce-flavored tempeh' description.
The location is a bit awkward: a hardly-converted sports bar that is perpetually 20-minutes away from a Bruce Springsteen cover band jumping up on stage. The bathrooms are borderline scary. Major points for ample outdoor seating and some gas heaters, and a pretty nice view of Chinatown and the eastern hinterlands of downtown.
The service was friendly, but hovered around us with a slight air of desperation; it seems they are new at this, and I expect that they'll find their rhythm in the coming weeks. Also, warning every customer that Stella Artois is "filtered through fish bladders", while resembling the truth, is probably not the best way to broach the subject of strictly vegan vs. non-vegan beers (search for "isinglass" for more info on this topic).
It sounds like their first week in business was quite a success (by yesterday, half of the menu was 86ed), and based on the other reviews and the local blogs, it seems they made a great impression on most customers.
Cash-only, but they have an ATM on-premises. -
Review from Christy M.
Bedford, TX
11/9/2008
First of all, if you go on a weekend, expect to pay for parking. That sucks.
I waited 20 minutes for the Classic Burger. The patty is hard and almost inedible. If I want to pay $9 for a burger and fries, I'd much rather go to Astroburger than this place. Guess I should have went for the Pulled Pork instead.
Nice try, but Doomies is doomed for failure.
Pure Luck is way better than this place and they are just ok. -
Review from Renee W.
Glendale, CA
2/21/2009
My favorite vegetarian restaurant EVER, in this history of the universe, is Red Bamboo in New York City's East Village. So unbelievably amazing. I was hoping Doomie's would be L.A.'s answer to Red Bamboo, but...nope. The ambiance was pretty lame - that's something I pay attention to unless the food is just so absolutely amazing that it distracts me from the fact that I'm sitting in a huge empty room in a McDonald's-like semi-dirty booth.
That aside, the food wasn't bad. It also wasn't memorable. The clam chowder was good. The chicken salad sandwich was pretty yummy, but had that odd soy aftertaste. I made a lot of faux meat type stuff at home and it doesn't have that odd soy aftertaste. My friends weren't too impressed with their dishes either - one of them vegetarian, the other semi-vegetarian, and two huge meat eaters, one pretty adventurous when it comes to this type of place, and the other not so much. He just got dragged along. ;)
I would say this is definitely not a place to take a bunch of friends who aren't into vegetarian/vegan food. The menu needs to be expanded a bit, say a few salad choices, a pasta dish, at least something that's not an adventurous fake-meaty type dish that most non-veggies would be afraid to try. The two meat eaters in the group ordered the veggie meatball sandwich, because those are often good, but they were out, so no dice.
But I suppose all of this wouldn't be relevant if it's closing, now would it? That's too bad. If they open in another location I'll give it another shot. The owner was very friendly and came out to see how our food was, which always scores points with me, but the service wasn't great - forgetting drinks, silverware, etc.
So three stars...not great, not bad, but not overly memorable. -
Review from quarrygirl q.
Los Angeles, CA
10/20/2008 4 photos
doomie's home cookin' veggie-vegan serves up a huge menu of sinful comfort food, all of which can be prepared vegan, and a offers a pretty nice selection of draft beer. i think i have found my new favorite place.
take the chilled out bar atmosphere, nice seating, and good beer from pure luck then combine it with the ridiculously "real" tasting junk food from the vegan spot and you have doomie's. i think any meat-lovin' carnivore could dine out and doomie's and completely forget they are eating a vegan meal. everything i tried was insanely delicious.
when i go to doomie's next time and try something new off the menu, i know the philly cheesesteak sandwich will be extremely hard to beat. i threw caution to the wind and scarfed the the whole thing down pretty quickly, it was just soooOOOOOOOoooOOOOo good. the vegan cheese was absolutely amazing. it had a sour taste that seemed exactly like real cheese, and it coated the juicy beef strips and greasy vegetables perfectly.
additionally, doomie's gets extra points for this sandwich because they were able to make it for me without bell peppers. i absolutely bloody hate bell peppers, and they come in so many vegan things. often at restaurants, when i specify that i want my dish sans peppers, they apologize and say it won't be possible because the vegetables are already in a mix together that was made at the beginning of the day. doomie's on the other hand, supplied me with a pepper-free sandwich without any fuss, even though they also had a pre-made mix that contained peppers. it was great to see a restaurant go out of their way to accommodate my request with a smile, even though it meant more work for them.
the side of homemade onion rings the sandwich came with were also out of this world. freshly battered and steaming on my plate, i could tell they had just been cooked. there were a lot of them too, $8.95 is a great deal for such a hearty sandwich and a huge side.
for you healthy eaters out there, doomie's also has a wide variety of salads. we got the chop salad with ranch dressing and vegan cheese, and it was pretty damn tasty.
while this salad is still pretty decadent, it's probably a lot healthier than some of the meatier-cheesier stuff on the menu. all the vegetables were fresh and finely chopped, and the creamy dressing was delightful. i know anyone, vegan or otherwise wouldn't be able to tell this stuff was lacking dairy. it's just delicious, period. not delicious for being vegan.
lastly, we couldn't leave without trying something really intriguing off the dessert menu...vegan gell-o. i gotta say, it tasted even better the bone-filled jell-o from when i was a kid. this stuff had the same sweet flavor but was just a little bit thicker. a big improvement, and no bones!
on top of serving up arguably the best vegan food in the city, doomie's has a pleasant outdoor atmosphere and friendly knowledgeable staff. it's located in a place called roberto's that turns into a swingin' nightclub after dark. there are some seats inside and a huge sunny patio with tons of seating and a view of chinatown.
we had a couple questions about the veganocity of our food, and within moments the chef, doomie himself, joined us outside to chat with us and answer any of our concerns. he really knew his shit, as he talked about which menu items contained organic sugar and which products had been purchased from other companies whose sugar source couldn't be verified. so even if you are the strictest vegan, this guy will have all the answers and be able to put your mind at ease about what you are about to consume. doomie also talked a little about his reasons for starting up this restaurant, explaining that he wanted to open a place that vegans and non-vegans alike could visit and enjoy really good food. not healthy-tasting vegan food, just GOOD FOOD, that everyone would love no matter what they were used to eating. i think doomie definitely succeeded. you really need to check this place out.
a couple things to note: doomie's is CASH only. but they do have an atm. i suggesting coming prepared, however, with enough money so you don't get bitch-slapped with an atm fee. also, on sunday afternoons there is some biker event or something that takes place on the patio. you can still eat there, you will just be surrounded by rowdy bikers. they are actually pretty entertaining and i didn't mind them at all, it's just something you may want to know about going in.
so head on over to doomie's home cookin' veggie-vegan, get a huge plate of vegan comfort food and a tall glass of cold stella. this place is giving all the other vegan restaurants a huge run for their money. -
Review from Jenn S.
Los Angeles, CA
10/26/2008
So, I kind of just stopped posting reviews for a while. I worked for some restaurants for a while, and after seeing how personally the owners consider the reviews, I just decided to take a break.
But I'm back! And I give Doomies full credit for my Yelp resurrection.
Doomies is AWESOME. Once they have all their ducks in a line in terms of hiring a staff member or two, this place is going to own. NWA style.
I am so impressed with all the new Vegan places opening in town, each one offering something different to our growing community.
The expanse of outdoor seating here is a big plus. After I bake all morning, I love that there's a place I can go grab some beers in the sunshine and take a breather. They even have free wi-fi so I can geek out and blog from their patio!
The food is A++. Great Mac N Cheese, Philly Cheese-steak, salads, onion rings, etc. Thoroughly impressed.
Roberto, the owner, is such a sweet guy. I can tell he genuinely cares about what he's doing. -
Review from Alysia M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/3/2009
luckily for doomies i was super hungry today post drunk night or i probably wouldn't have stopped by...
so when i got there, there was a sign in the window that said they were out of about 3 things on the menu...
i walk in and there are 2 employees standing there. they look kind of surprised, but still say hi. maybe they think its weird for someone to go eat alone? i dont know whatever... anyways i tell them just one and they let me sit where ever i want. at first i sit inside, but it's really dark and dimly lit, with only about 4 very spaced out tables. just not flattering. so instead i move outside.
when i finally get to ordering, i tell the server that i want the fried chicken. "We're out of that today. I'm short staffed. I'm pretty much the only one working here. We're out of half of the things on the menu. Well I guess i could make you the chicken but it would take an extra 10 minutes to wrap it."
Okay first of all, I don't really want to know the whole sob story of why doomies is crappy today. Second, how can you be out of something one minute and the very next second you say, "Well I guess I can make you that". Thirdly, I have no clue what it means to wrap the chicken. I bet most of the customers dont know what that means either.
So I order the mac and cheese as an appetizer because I was absolutely starving, and I tell the guy im fine with waiting longer. The mac and cheese is kind of nasty. It was a huge bowl of macaroni pretty much drenched in cheese sauce, or i guess what might be vegan cheese? I'm not expecting cheesy goodness that you get with macaroni made with real cheese, but this shit was like e-z mac.
next up, beef barley soup, which was OKAY. just pseudo beef with barley and grains in a broth. could probably buy something equivalent at the grocery store. nothing to rage over.
then, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a roll.
As I put the roll in my mouth, it kind of disintegrated. It wasn't that good. Maybe kind of doughy and powdery as well? Suffice to say, I didn't eat much of it (or any of the food for that matter).
oohhhhh the chicken... so i read a review on here that said seeing fake skin on fake meat seems kind of unsettling. when i read that review i thought maybe they were just talking about the fried part of the chicken... but no. This vegan chicken is wrapped in some kind of weird synthetic edible clear wrap with a grimy texture to it, with the fried crust over the wrap. It was kind of unsettling actually. Actually, kind of gross. i still tried to eat it though. there was a gravy like substance between the chicken and the wrap. it didnt taste too horrible but the wrap and the gravy kind of made me want to puke for some reason. my stomach started to hurt.
i tried the mashed potatoes... didn't have much flavor to them and were kind of dry. they kind of tasted like those mashed potatoes that you can make out of the powder flakes when you add water.
nothing here was good. i thought about giving it another chance because there were so many good reviews, and sometimes places have bad days, just like we all do in life, but my stomach didn't agree with that mentality.
doomies i think i'll steer clear.
if you want good vegan food try some of the places in silver lake like flore. MUCH better. Of course I always think people should try places for themselves. Hope your stomach feels okay when you do.
*If you're looking for healthy vegan food (which i wasn't particularly looking for at the time), this is not the place for you. There's maddd fried foods here. -
Review from Michelle L.
Los Angeles, CA
12/17/2008
This restaurant is a lot like Food Swings in Brooklyn, but better. I really like restaurants that re-purpose other people's kitchens. Also really in to the goth/sports bar ambiance. I took a friend here and as we were walking toward the restaurant she said "I think we're near the ridiculous goth club where I saw Babyland". Well, the restaurant was not only near, it WAS the same club.
The staff is super nice and helpful. We got there right before eight, but they sat us and told us to take our time. They had run out of the fried chicken and some other stuff I was eyeballing, so we ended up getting the Buffalo Legs, Philly Cheesesteak, a side of Mac and Cheese, and a secret "Off-Menu" dish. I've been craving vegan Buffalo Wings ever since I left Brooklyn, and these definitely hit the spot. They're not breaded and fried like at FS, but still really delicious. The buffalo sauce is great, much better than the Food Swings version. The ranch dipping sauce was thick and tangy. Mmm. The Philly Cheesesteak had a nice warm steamed roll, but the tempeh (I think) insides were dry. We did come right when they were closing though, so it's probably better during peak hours. The vegan mac n cheese had a peculiar taste and texture, maybe vegan mayo? I wouldn't say it tastes "just like" the blue box stuff, but it wasn't bad. I would probably have liked this much more if I was still vegan.
Vegans and post-vegans with cravings for fried meaty/seaflesh/comfort stuff will love this place. Health food vegans and vegges, maybe not. They do have some salads and things though which I haven't tried, so I could be wrong. But def don't come if you're looking for a "locavore" type place. The meal had a couple hits and a couple misses, but it was still pretty great and I'll totally be back! -
Review from Hackney C.
11/13/2008
Any place with a mascot of a confused half-bunny, half-hipster boy holding a large knife and frying pan can carve out my vegan heart to fry it up any day.
Located on the roof above a Hawaiian (real!) chicken restaurant without a real sign to indicate this establishment, I had to ask a friendly woman where I was to find Mr. Doomie. She opened her arms wide to indicate that the scattered assortment of tables and chairs on this roof WAS Doomie's and told me I could sit anywhere.
I chose a table near the edge to overlook a bit of Chinatown...passing cars and hubbub aplenty. A perfect getaway from the office to enjoy the afternoon Californian sun. For an hour, I could overlook my minions from my castle in the sky.
I quickly ordered a glass of red.
I nearly fell off the roof when I opened up their flyer menu. CLAM CHOWDER???!!! I had waited for this day for 21 years. Not only a vegetarian version but a VEGAN version of clam chowder. AND you could add it on as a side to a sandwich or burger choice for $1.99 so I didn't even need to commit to it as a meal.
I kept eyeing the menu...
FRIED CALAMARI? I've never had calamari in my life and have always felt so left out. Here, I could get a whole plate as an appetizer and rub it in all my co-workers faces. Muhahhaahhah.
Settled. Appetizer of the fried calamari, Philly cheesesteak with onion rings and clam chowder. And another glass of wine.
Yes, I had a friend with me. And yes, I offered some of this food to the hipsters at the table next to me. It was definitely too much for one growing girl to consume.
DELICIOUS. Clam chowder wasn't as good as my memory of Campbell's clam chowder of 21 years ago but it was close. The calamari was remarkably unhealthy (my non-veg friend said that it tastes better than the real thing) and complimented well with the tartar sauce (not so much the marinara) which accompanied it. The vegan Philly Cheesesteak (you can opt to get it with real cheese instead) Sandwich was filled of a faux-meat of the highest delectable kind.
I felt like this roof was a cloud made of comfort foods which I could actually reach out and grab instead of just imagine.
I tried getting a "Twinkie" to take with my left-overs but I was told I had to come back Friday for that. Not sure why but it's as good as excuse as any to go back on Friday to escape to my new comfort-zone. The hipsters added to the excuse to let me know I HAD to try the fried chicken next time.
I told them I'd be back on Friday. -
Review from Bryan M.
Oakland, CA
1/4/2009 1 photo
As far as I know Doomie's has (thank god) put down the foundation for Los Angeles vegan junk food. Daily, i yearn for Foodswings (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), and having spent weeks perfecting non-cheese cheese, I can safely say I love vegan junk food!
Anyways, Doomie's is very, well...homely. It shares the floor with a bar that looks like it could be a movie set. Its also in the heart of chinatown and they played wonderful pop radio.
We ate family style, sharing everything; Let me tell you all about it!
First, we dove into the fried calamari, which tasted more like fish n chips, making them probably more delicious. The tarter sauce was unbelievable! The buffalo legs were perfectly marinated, and damn smokey! The side of ranch dressing was some of the best i've had. We shared Doomie's famous mac 'n' cheese, which was a great imitation of the Kraft box stuff we all remember, even in color. It was alright, but great for nostalgia's sake. the chili cheese fries were amazing. I'm pretty sure we were licking the plate 3 minutes after it was set down. You've gotta check out the photo i added of that gooey mess! Nachos were five stars. The philly cheesesteak, a sandwich i loved as a kid, did not disappoint. In fact, the omnivore at the table said "how do they make it so greasy!?" The creamy clam chowder was great, although i've never had real clam chowder. My girlfriend ordered the bbq pulled pork sandwich, which came with great 'slaw! It was a lot like the one at Rico's (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), and almost as good. The chicken picatta was alright. I suggest sticking to junk food (always). My little brother ordered Roberto's salad, but ended up being too stuffed to eat it, and brought it home.
My mouth is now watering. I want onion rings. Doomie's is a strong 4.5 stars, but I'll round up. -
Review from sara r.
Los Angeles, CA
10/27/2008
c'mon guys, don't complain about the ambiance here when you have a giant patio with an awesome view of chinatown. i'd much prefer that, than the super cramped seating at most other vegan places. not to mention the fact that if the food is that good, who gives a shit about the decoration. i mean seriously, you can sit outside and drink a beer with your vegan mac n' cheese! the bar is actually separate from doomies, which is why they offer some non-vegan beer. i'll just use my own discretion, and i heard they're putting a disclaimer on the menu soon anyway. the dude running the place is a total sweetheart, and really cares about doing something positive and bringing people awesome vegan food.
bottom line is....
the food is fantastic and we should all support this place! :) -
Review from Claudia R.
Orange, CA
11/16/2008
The food took a while to come out but boy was it worth it!!! Went here today with my sister and my favorite vegan (MFV). I had the western burger, my sister had the fried chicken and MFV had the pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese. All 3 were fantastic!! THe BBQ sauce on the pulled pork and my burger was delish. Mac and cheese tasted like real Kraft boxed mac and cheese (i was expecting a down home mac but this was yummy nonetheless). The fried chicken's texture and crunch were unbelievable and kinda scary...and delicious. The burger was what I remember a Bacon Wester burger from Carls Jr tasting like -- only not gross. We finished it all up with a chocolate cupcake and it, too, was great. I honestly can't say enough about this place...wait staff was super nice, food was great. Come here when you are not in a hurry, it is totally worth it. I just wish I lived closer to it.
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Review from Mary M.
Downey, CA
Updated - 2/2/2009
I was recently told that Doomie's home cookin' has closed?!?! Does anyone know if this is true? NOOOOOO! I hope not!! I've been eager to go back asap! If it's closed, expect me to go on a homicidal shooting spree!!! :(
Listed in: Favorite Restaurants, Cafe's,…, Vegan & Vegetarian Heaven
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/20/2009
Holy crap the food here is delicious! I ordered the chicken parmigiana which was sooooo hearty and… Read more »
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Review from candace b.
South Pasadena, CA
12/12/2008
This place is, in a word, "punk". From taking over another business' kitchen (Roberto's) to the mismatched tables & chairs, Doomie's feels very relaxed and like a hidden escape from Chinatown. We started with the Buffalo Wings- which were good. Less salt and grease would have made them great, but the ranch dressing made up for the few sins. For entrees we had the pulled pork sandwich and the chicken fried steak. The pulled pork was almost there. If they can tweak the bbq sauce, I think it would be better. On this plate, the mac and cheese more than made up for the lacking bbq. This stuff is un-freakin-believable! Very smooth, creamy and no weird beany or nutritional yeast aftertaste (common with a lot of the vegan mac I've tried). It resembled velveeta in the best possible way. The chicken fried steak was pretty good, but on this plate, the star was the clam chowder that came with it. Wow, wow, wow- thick, rich and hearty.
Service was quick and friendly, and the prices are reasonable. Go there now! -
Review from Heather B.
Long Beach, CA
1/2/2009
Doomie's is a work in progress -- and unless you sit outside, it's not a place to head to for any kind of atmosphere. That said, you need to go. For every item on the menu that needs tweaking -- oily soups, average mashed potatoes -- there are three that are just totally outstanding. Hit up that calamari; I can see the look on your face, but for REAL. Pick a sandwich, any sandwich, but especially the Meatball Sammich or the pulled pork. Get the onion rings on the side, not the fries, and splurge on the mac if it doesn't come with your meal. For entrees, anything with chicken in the name is good to go -- chicken parmesan, fried chicken, chicken fried steak. Decent draft beers to wash it down. And now that Vegan Spot is gone, this is the place to go for your Twinkie fix. Doomie's will make you fat and happy. Trust.
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Review from Luz V.
Los Angeles, CA
11/12/2008
The first week Doomie's opened, my friend Matt brought take out home with him. We got the Southern Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a bread roll, Chicken Parmigiana with real mozzarella, and the Philly Cheesesteak with homemade vegan cheese.
Matt handed me the fried chicken, I opened the box, smelled it, looked at it. I bit into and spat it back out. "Matt! This is real chicken! Where did you get it!?!" "I got it at a new veggie/vegan restaurant in Chinatown." "Well, are you sure they know that chicken isn't vegetarian?" "Luz, come on. It's vegan. I checked. I asked. Let me see." So he took the chicken from me, bit into it, and reassured me that it was vegan. Then we looked at the "skin." Yup, okay, it's not real chicken. So, the chicken is so good that I thought it was real and spit it out!
My friends both loved the chicken parmigiana and the Philly cheesesteak, although, the cheese on the Philly wasn't so melted by the time Matt got it home. We also had their Mac n Cheese which was just amazing! Best mac n cheese yet. And we had the Chop Salad, which was just an iceberg lettuce salad, nothing to rave about.
Sophia and I went here on a Tuesday at 7pm. It was chilly outside, so we sat inside and yes, it is inside of Roberto's night club, but whatever. There were only three other customers; the waitress says most of their business is on the weekends, so if you want a quiet dinner, weekdays are the time for you.
The waitress was super nice and cute, but that night she was also doubling as cook: poor thing! We started off with the Fried Calamari and oh, my goodness! So fucking good! Although I wanted to try something new, I just had to get something with chicken in it, so I got the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a side of Onion Rings and Sophia got the Shrimp Scampi. My sandwich was huge and I could only finish half of it. I'm not generally into onion rings and I got them Sophia, but they were good. I love shrimp and Sophia loved her pasta.
We didn't get dessert, but they've added twinkies and cupcakes, so you're not stuck with Gell-O.
I got the fried chicken to-go for my brother back home and he thought it was amazing as well.
Doomie's is super awesome and delicious and my new favorite restaurant. Oh, and they're mascot is so cute!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Mika E.
Long Beach, CA
1/19/2009
This place was sooooo good! I had the chicken parmigiana marinara sauce was tasty, the chicken had a healthy coating, and the texture was very similar to real chicken.
Seriously, you gotta try this place.
Also, the staff was extremely friendly, the place was very clean, they had beer, and played Morrissey! Can vegan food get any better?? -
Review from Robin H.
Los Angeles, CA
12/16/2008
i read about doomies on several different veggie blogs and decided to try it out after ice skating in pershing square. the food was awesome, the nicest people waited on us, i could not complain. my boyfriend and i went for dinner tonight and we had: buffalo legs, french onion soup, western burger, and a philly cheese steak sandwich (keep in mind this is all vegetarian). we would've liked to try the desserts but were too full and had to get a to-go box.
i highly recommend this restaurant to vegetarians/vegans, but everyone else would also enjoy the food (aka. the boyfriend). i was very surprised that there were so many things on the menu that aren't normally made for vegetarians so far, everything tasted great, feels like a family environment. the end. -
Review from Heather G.
Los Angeles, CA
1/31/2009
This is one of the best vegetarian restaurants in LA, a total hidden gem. The food is spectacular every time!
Keep it up Doomie!
