Full o' Life Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants, Health Markets [Edit]
Neighborhood: Burbank2515 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 845-7411
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: None
44 reviews
Neighborhood: Glendale
"Oh my gosh. I don't even know where to begin to describe the many reasons why I can't live without Cafe Bravo! When the clock strikes lunch…" read more »
13 Reviews for Full o' Life Restaurant
This place has a great Sunday brunch menu - the omelettes and pancakes are awesome! They also offer lunch for a limited time each day, and I've always been disappointed that they don't serve dinner because it's hard for me to get there during their lunch hours. The food is over-priced in my opinion. I think I paid about $5 for a small protein smoothie that was not blended well and didn't even taste that good. Also, this is another one of those places where they are super friendly to regulars and not-so-friendly with non-regulars.
I love Full of Life! For those not interested in health food, dont go here. It's a Burbank staple that been here over 40 years. I like the fact that it's NOT a Whole Foods. It has that local flavor. I'm never dissatisfied with their daily specials and desserts!
After looking at the menu I thought "gee this place looks yummy." I was half right.
"Blended Spinach and Potato soup" = "Pureed Spinach and Potato soup" apparently. It looked like split pea but more neon. Blended and puree are so not the same thing! I thought there would be SOME chunks in it. I made a "whoa" face when the super chatty and cliquey waitress put it down in front of me. She then proceeded to explain the process of how they puree it. I swear to god the menu said BLENDED. Whatever... I added some salt and pepper and forced it down. My friend got the barley soup...it tasted like old people smell kind of. ick. She liked it though. On to the main course!
I got a tuna sandwich on a wheat honey croissant with sprouts and white cheddar cheese. This was pretty good actually. They put black olives in their tuna...I thought that was sort of odd, but it didn't bother me. They pile on the tuna and other ingredients. I also like that the offer carrot chips instead of potato chips. The ranch here is EXTREMELY disgusting. It tastes like water garlic sugar cream sickness. When we got the bill I was kind of shocked. It was $15 a person including tip for a meal inside of a health food store. I could have gotten a friggin' steak for that much.
Two cups of soup
1 tuna croissant sandwich
1 turkey and cheese criossant sandwhich
1 side of water sugar garlic cream
2 waters with no ice and huge lemon
4 dollar tip
= $30
Oh ya and when you order water they ask "with ice or without." We said with and she brought us luke warm water with a huge lemon on the side. I looked around and EVERYONE was drinking water with no ice. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this is weird. And people were just grabbing things from inside the market and eating them with their meal. Is that allowed?? Shit, I wanted some of those Caribbean Jerk Kettle Chips with my croissant.
I definitely want to try a salad here though. I shall return Full of Life.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Oooookay, how to say this without offending any veggietarians or (gasp!) vegans....Um, okay, how about this....
Full o' Life is not Full o' Anything You Will Find In My Life?
Here's the skinny on this place. If I ate here more I would probably be skinny. But seeing as how I fall into all of the following categories:
Cheese Whore
Meat Whore
Carb Whore
Sushi Whore
Wine Whore
...I just have a hard time getting excited about a bowl full of cucumbers with some soy sauce on it. I also have a really hard time tricking my brain into thinking that a "burger" made of tempeh or nuts and grains is the same thing as a piping hot, juicy burger oozing with love grease and covered with gooey cheese.
And it's not for lack of effort, believe me, I worked with a gal at Warner Bros Records back in the day and she swore by this place. She'd drag me here all the time for lunch and I would spend my hour sitting there, staring at the freakishly healthy things she would put in her mouth while I gazed across the street and imagined the sammich I could be eating from Handy Market instead of a sammich made of rock hard 85 grain sprout bread with pretend tuna.
No gracias para me, yo! But if you dig the healthy fair and can fit into a pair of size 26 skinny jeans, then by golly, your healthy happy place is here!
People thought this was:
Useful (10)
Funny (19)
Cool (10)
Awesome food, less-than-awesome atmosphere. The food here has a real homemade feel. The ingredients are properly combined and are rich in flavor. Some of the minor sides are a little bland, some of the soups for example. But the entrees, especially the daily specials, are all top notch. You will leave here feeling satiated, but not overly stuffed. You won't feel bogged down from a greasy meal. If you are looking for an out of control food orgy of beef fat and processed food, this is not your place. If you are looking for a delicious, homemade tasting meal, and can cope with feeling like you are in a grocery store eating, this IS your place. I would give it another half star if I could, but I do need to cite them for the dining experience. They must also be aware that people are keen to not eat there, as they charge 10% more for take out.
I come here every so often when Whole Foods in Glendale feels far away.
It's fine. It gets the job done for a few things.
What's weird about this place, especially the last time I was there, is that everyone in it...customers and employees alike...all looked like they were terminally ill. I mean, if they're all there for their health, how come they all looked like they were dying?
Maybe I was there on some odd coupon day. Or maybe there was a field trip. Or a Make A Wish Foundation thing with a bunch of terminal people with low standards. I don't know. It creeped me out.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
mmmm...
Great stuff, so far I've only tried the veggie burger, but it was the best I've ever had. No kidding! Can't wait to go back for more.
The Market is great too, large stock of fresh foods, meat substitutes, and vitamins.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Gosh! This place is full of life! Very healthy and so good. They serve food seasonally.
It's home cooking meets trendy vegetarian food. I love the sheppards pie and steamed whole sweet potato. Steam artichoke with melted butter.mmmm Meatloaf and stuffed cabbage. So darn good. No crazy evil French chef messing with mother nature.
I love this place
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Love this place. Never have I had a bad meal and every meal is fresh & oh so damn good for you! I ordered a piece of their lentil loaf & it looked scary as hell, but it was unbelievably one of the best food items I've ever had :)
Treat yourself & get your butt here and eat something! Then go shopping dammit!
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
This is an un pretentious cafe inside of a health food grocery store. It just so happens that it's also the best darned vegetarian joint in which I've ever eaten (and this includes The Stand in hippee-standstill Laguna Beach). They understand the principles of proper food combining - wow! Don't bother with the pita as it's a little dry - the nature of the bread. If you're into veggie burgers - this is the one to eat. It's not "Boca" or "Nature's..." It's their own thing and it's just terrific. They are also one of very few places in LA where you can purchase Hav a Chips - which if you haven't tried, you must. It's essential. They are made with soy sauce and sea salt. This is that great tasting chip that doesn't break the caloric bank! Check it out! Fresh salsa - fresh everything.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (3)
All I can say is yum!!
My hair dresser ar Frechys Beauty Parlor (down the street, go for cuts!) Told me about this place,
and I had one of the most delicious burgers.
the food was so fresh and yummy.
I also love the store,
you can find all the hard things to find here!
On Sundays, my husband and I often drive up to Griffith Park and wander around. It's the closest we usually come to hiking. If we feel like it and the bikes don't have flat tires, we bike over to and then around the Park. On our way back home either way, we stop here at Full O' Life.
They have many vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. In fact, it's sometimes difficult if i'm in the mood for murderous meat. I heart their Huevos Rancheros. I honestly have never had better (except at this one place in New Mexico, but that really can't count, different category all together). The service is super friendly and, if you have brunch there (since it's also a great health food and organic grocery store), you get a discount on whatever else you buy! It beats driving into Glendaly (Whole Foods Market) to get my 7th Gen. products.
In closing: great people, great food, great deals, great groceries. Check it out!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
The restaurant side of this humble health food store has a wide selection of healthy eats and a daily specials menu that has something for both meat eaters and vegetarians. They appropriately won Best Vegetarian Restaurant for "Best of Burbank 2006". What's cool is that you can call the Daily Specials Hotline to see what's on the menu: (818) 845-9361.
The soups are homemade and heartwarming. I get excited when mushroom barley is on the menu because it's oh-so-big on rich mushroom flavour with nice chewy barley pearls. In contrast, the vegetable barley is bland and boring. Pass the pepper please.
I usually get a turkey burger, made of naturally grown meat from Harmony Farms, with white cheddar and it's always belly rubbingly good. Sandwich and burger orders come with a choice of potato chips or crinkle cut raw carrots chips.
My second fav is the raw vegetable salad where the only lettuce on the plate is used as a garnish. We're talking major veggie action here: big scoops of finely grated carrots, finely grated raw beets, julienned raw zucchini, a deliciously light homemade cole slaw, topped off with alfalfa sprouts, tomato wedges, cucumber spears and a couple of black olives. Whew! A dressing of your choice comes on the side.
If you haven't been up on eating your veggies, their homemade green drink is just the ticket. A subtle pineapple juice base nicely complements green grassy dandelion flavours. Looks like pond scum, tastes like heaven.
The gourmet coffee is really good and the service is pretty snappy with the refills. So I usually leave very nervous.
The only disappointment I've had here are the desserts. I sent back the the lemon meringue pie once because it was completely unpalatable, predominantly beige, shapeless, runny, and it had this odd taste like all the good (unhealthy) ingredients had been substituted with something hippie dippy. The only really worth while dessert is a cobbler made with fresh sliced mangos. But unfortunately mango crunch is a rare menu item.
Note: They're only open for lunch M- F from 11:00 - 3:30 and you can get lots of info on their web site.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Food Weaknesses
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Hot and New
- Langer's
177 reviews
Neighborhood: Westlake
- The Castaway
53 reviews
Neighborhood: Burbank
- Griffith Park Observatory
71 reviews
Neighborhood: Griffith Park/Los Feliz
- Sushi Nozawa
93 reviews
Studio City, CA
- Fisherman's Outlet Seafood…
65 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown