Vegan Express
3217 Cahuenga Blvd W
Los Angeles, CA 90068 (323) 851-8837
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
22 Reviews for Vegan Express
I went to this place a while back. The problem here, at the time, was the parking. The food was ok. The burger, wraps, etc. but, the place was small, not too much atmosphere, but, still an ok place if you could walk. And you wanted a cheap, quick meal.
If Californian Vegan didn't sit just over the mountain in Hollywood, this place would probably be sitting on 4 or 5 stars in my book.
With a similar menu, Cali Vegan trumps this place every time. From the fries through to the vegan pancakes they get it done so much better.
My partner raves about the Breakfast Burrito at Vegan Express. The one he orders contains scrambled tofu, faux-cheese and fake bacon bits. He loves them.
I'm a bit meh about it all. And word to the drivers... I think there are two spots out the back for parking. Maybe don't make this your destination for a special date. Just use it as a convenient tummy-filler on your way back/to Universal.
Well you can imitate good meat but you can't imitate good service. The service I received here was one step above abysmal.
Upon entering the place I was greeted by no one so I figured I should sit down and wait, but then no because the guy in the "As seen on porn" shirt is looking at me. He's behind the counter, wait, he's in the kitchen, oh my god he's the chef. And I think he's also my waiter?
I decided to make the first move by approaching the counter and asking for a menu and THEN sitting down. Hmph! Good. Awesome move, they know I'm here, obviously about to order, and all primed up, but after a few minutes of dead air I realize that no one is coming to see me. I'm on my lunch hour ya? TICK TOCK. Alright, cool, we make our own destiny right? I got up and placed my order with the porn star and sat back down. A few minutes later I was actually given a glass of water and then my "fish" wrap which was only not bad. The "fish" wasn't quite as good as I had hoped but the wrap had all the basics: Lavash, tomato, avocado, lettuce, and of course sprouts. Unfortunately the dipping sauce wasn't pulling it's weight and that's what I was counting on to snap that sandwich out of it's doldrums.
The place stays consistent with basic vegan consciousness by using energy efficient lighting and ceiling fans instead of AC. They have signs too. My favorite had a picture of a chicken saying "Let's face it Colonel, you do chicken wrong." It was so geeky and cool at the same time I had to laugh.
The menu here is so extensive I have no idea how they pull it off. They have a small kitchen with only a medium size grill, an oven, two pans and a spatula.
I am quite sure that I will have to try breakfast here in which case I may bump it a star.
It sounds so good.
-Cowgirl Pancake Breakfast: pancakes, tofu, scramble topped with soy baco bits and cheese (no casein)
-Chicken and Pancakes
They also have Thai food, curries, Salads.
I know I must be missing something here.
I never was brought a check and so when I was done I went up and paid. As far as I know, a bill was never physically produced, he just rang it up, calculating the total in his head. And I hated to do it but NT.
I will return for more rejection though because between the menu and possible porn stars there are too many ways to get lucky here.
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My office (or former office now since we're moving) is a few doors down from Vegan Express and although I've eaten here many-a-time I am finally writing my review.
I love this place! It has definitely saved me when I was too busy to drive away for lunch. I've tried almost everything on the menu and will always stand by the cowboy burger! My goodness, that burger was tasty. And many of my meat eating friends have said that this burger passes their approval test. I think it's the sauce they put in it...
Their spicy noodles are damn deelish (called see-me noodles on their menu) and their curries are good, although I suggest just getting it with tofu and hold off on the fake meats...but hey, you may like it. Many thai-influenced foods and they also have good breakfast wraps (although they aren't opened early enough to actually have them for breakfast...odd).
I will admit that their service before wasn't so great especially when ordering over the phone but they have gotten better and am now greeted fondly by every time I come in. Speaking of coming in, it is quite a cozy place. Very small digs but I didn't mind it much. Although, not cool if you come in with a big group and the 4-5 available tables are taken. They do have a back patio, though.
They've been opened everyday but will be closed on SUNDAYS starting in MAY.
Street parking is available on Cahuenga (meters) and there is parking in the back (tandem) but very limited.
Vegan Express, you will be missed! Thank you for feeding me all these years!
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Sooooo, fifilala and i decided that we'd do breakfast today...i followed up my 9am lesson with a trip to studio city/universal city(?) to Vegan Express...i found Vegan Express on Yelp ofcourse in a desperate attempt to get my girlfriend Vegan pancakes without enduring Swingers AGAIN!
After i parked on Bennett street, a block down for the restaurant, I directed Fifi off the freeway from my outdoor seat at Starbucks (where she would park). One half of a sugarfree vanilla soy latte later (starbucks IS handy!), we realized we could have parked on cahuenga right in front of holiday inn express. which of course is right next door to Vegan express. anyway, together we walked a short block over to the restaurant just after they opened around 11am!
AND OMFG!
this place is glorious! a cute little cozy bungalow with a crazy involved menu including lots o breakfast burritos, pancake options (breakfast is by far my favorite meal 24/7) and wraps, salads, soups, noodles - thai food and american standards - the menu is actually INSANE!
little miss fifilala had the pancakes fried chicken combo, very authentic i must say as a meat eater...i had the Cowgirl breakfast, pancakes, soy scramble with cilantro onion and tomato and a side of hash brown potatoes. and i have to say that the pancakes were some of the best i've ever had PERIOD. AND I"M NO VEGAN!
LOVE IT!
4 STARS! PERIOD. DOT!
I'm amazed at how far vegan food has come. This place has "fried chicken" that is delicious! I guess everyone who's not vegan has a few foods they wouldn't want to give up in order to be vegan. (It's not that hard, really. But I digress.) If fried chicken is "your thing" then you should definitely check this place out. I'm not qualified to say whether it's like KFC or Popeye's or whatever cause I haven't eaten real fried chicken in over a decade. But I am qualified to say it's really damn tasty.
They have a breakfast combo of pancakes and said fried chicken. It is amazing!!! The pancakes are probably the best vegan pancakes I've ever had and could probably rival most non-vegan ones. They're even wheat-free. I'm generally not a big fan of wheat-free things, but they use cornmeal to add a really nice flavor. You won't miss the wheat.
This is a very casual place. They have a counter where you place your order and they bring out the food when it's ready. They only have a half dozen or so tables. It's very small. I mean quaint. It's right off 101 in a tiny little house. So cute! I want to put this place in my pocket and take it out and pet it from time to time like a little kitten. Ok, that was weird. Just go.
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a good vegan can eat a wide array of burgers including snazzy named ones like the cowboy burger. I had the mushroom and it was very slippery but quite tasty. The place is very cramped and practically only fits 10-15 people. The place is close to the office so all good for me. I wouldn't drive all the way out from my area for it though. Decent eating.
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In my transition from omnivore to O/L vegetarian and then to vegan, I've gone on a vegan food jihad -- on a constant quest to find good, reasonably priced, clean vegan food. Or *else.*
...Vegan Express kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Is it good? Sure. Is it reasonably priced? Definitely. Is it clean? ::cricket cricket:: I know that the Powers that Be have bestowed an 'A' rating upon Vegan Express, yet every time I walk in, my 6th-sense-I-can-smell-a-dirty-restaurant-a-mile-aw ay alarms go off, putting a ringing in my ears and flashing red and blue lights cluttering my view.
Then again, maybe it's best that my vision remain clouded in a colorful haze, so I don't have to write yet another good place off for being roach infested and/or filthy/disgusting.
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To clarify, this is a hole in the wall. The problem with many Yelp reviews, I have noticed, is that people go to holes in the wall and expect the same service as they would at nice restaurants. Not gonna happen.
This place is fantastic. Almost everything I have ordered has been awesome. The cowboy burgers rock, as do the curries and the "chicken" nuggets. The guy behind the counter is friendly if you say hi to him and you yourself are nice. Just don't be a douchebag. Go to the counter and order, THEN sit down. This is a dive, moron. Not a 5 star restaurant. That being said, I give it five stars.
I highly recommend.
I did not know they deliver. Not that it matters for me because I live in an undilverable area and would go hungry if I ordered food.
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Its a pretty great hole-off-the side-of-the-freeway.
My friend Cortney took me here the first time. it was after a job at an agency specializing in media jobs. Towards the end of the interview, she asked me how old I was since I sound so much more poised & intelligent than I look [what a lame "complement"]. I was 24 at the time. She told me I looked like "jailbait" [her words not mine].
I walked up to someone while we were waiting for our food & asked him if I could ask him some questions one being how old I was. He figured I was 24. She was an idiot.
After he left the guy behind the counter told me the guy was a member of the band Phantom Planet. Ooops! No wonder he thought it was odd I wanted to talk to him.
Try the salads. The red curry is pretty good. The mock meat rocks sweet!
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i absolutely L.O.V.E!!!! this place. they have a pretty large menu, full of plenty of choices of yummy yummy stuff. great variety from breakfast to wraps and curry! its very affordable and well worth the long drive for me all the way from south central to the studio city area. Totally homey- from their super polite kitchen, to the tip jar that just takes all the tipping pressure away and the free water on the counter! i also go nuts for the red sauce they have on every table (i dont know what its called... but its amazing).
try the chicken strips with the red sauce (i think they might call them chicken nuggets) and the pad thai and the mock duck curry and the berry smoothie!!! yummmmmmmmy!
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This is the best vegan restaurant in Los Angeles/Hollywood/StudioCity. Hard to determine what city Vegan Express really is in, but once found this place has the best food, quickest service, and homey atmosphere. I love the veggie chicken sandwich, and mock duck curry. For all those newbies to the vegetarian & vegan cuisines try this place, it really is DELICIOUS....
Vegan Comfort Food.
It's been a difficult time for me. And during such difficult times, what makes things better (for a short while at least) than comfort foods? Nothing. Diet taboos to the wind, I needed a new drug. I needed something delicious.
Thankfully it's only a short drive to Vegan Express, and also thankfully, they make the most incredible vegan pancakes and fried fake-chicken you've ever not yet tasted. I ordered the "Chicken & Pancake" breakfast (breakfast served all day). The chicken of course is not real, it's made of soy with a kamut, low-gluten batter, then fried to crisp, golden perfection. That's right, I said fried, not a word I use often, or take lightly for that matter. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
This fake chicken is amazing, as good as it gets. Better even. The batter is thick and a tad sweet with a slight donuty flavor, which is just perfect with the very realistic tasting chicken. It's normally served with the regular pancake, but they were happy to indulge my request to have it with the "Tropical Pancakes" instead, which have fresh bananas and blueberries cooked right into them. So fluffy and thick and amazing. The plate comes with Earth Balance vegan buttery spread, maple syrup and a whole lot of sticky, carb-coma inducing, who - gives - a - crap - about - carlories - at - a - time - like - this kind of yum.
The next time you need a good eat-your-heart-out because your eyes are too tired to cry anymore sort of pig out, you now know where to go, and exactly what to order.
I eat there often actually, and everything I've had from the menu has been amazing (and most of it is neither fried nor fattening) ... be it the spicy green beans (basically a Thai style Prik King), the mock-duck curry, one of the yummy wraps, or any of the fantastic, huge and brimming over with fresh vegetable salads. Don't forget the vegan Thai ice tea either. Yeah, it's all good here. And did I mention the breakfast rocks?
Just to piggyback on a few of the other reviews, a couple of corrections and comments:
1. It's a tiny, family owned and run place, one step up from a hole in the wall (the tiled counter makes it way too pretty to be considered a dive). Expect them to wipe down a table for you, but don't expect them to hold your hand or wipe your ass when you go to the bathroom. Grab a menu, order at the counter, have a seat, enjoy. The patio setting outback is especially nice. These people are not here to entertain you, they are here to feed you. Sure, you have to order and pay at the counter, but it's not a big deal considering the entire place is maybe 12 feet by 12 feet in total. I can't believe someone complained about this!
2. They do in fact have a parking lot (why am I giving away this secret? this is how much I care about you Yelpers... just don't block my car the next time you're there, ok?), it's behind the building and needs to be accessed by turning into the hills one block to the west of the restaurant, at Bennett Drive, then left into the alley way and straight back.
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The food is amazing here. American or Thai, it's all good. I particularly like the Mock Duck Curry or really anything they make that includes the word "curry." Their burgers are good too, as is the pad Thai. You can pretty much close your eyes and point to anything on the menu. It will rock!
Sure it's tiny and there's no parking lot, but neither of these things have ever been problem for me. Maybe I'm never there when it's busy, but the service is quick and it's a very nice environment.
It's very important to me to have a little place like this that's affordable and easy. You know, like a casual neighborhood joint. Most cities don't have a place like this that's vegan (especially in the Hollywood/Studio City area), which makes this place that much better.
But back to the deliciousness! I've taken a number of non-vegetarians there and they unanimously love it. It's just plain good.
Go there and eat delicious food often!
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This is a great hole-in-the wall veggie place. I had a terrific salad with edemame, garbanzo beans, avocado, onions, romaine and choice of dressing for under $8. And this included a whole avocado! I couldn't believe it. The other had a lentil burger that was a bit soft, but tasty none-the-less. And there was a great smoothie too. They have great outdoor seating in the back. This is a counter place, but there is indoor seating as well with air-conditioning.
Major complaint, no parking.
*Update*
Thanks to Foodeater Z. - I found out that there is parking in the back. My mistake, I tend to miss things like that.
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This is probably one of the 1st vegan places, I ever ate. The food was ok. I had the cowboy burger. Since I'm a carnivore, I had the cowboy burger. Yes, the boring cowboy burger. It was tasty, once I wrestled it to the plate, took the bun off, & mixed in all the veggies, etc. Very slippery w/ bread. I thought the place was small w/ no parking (busy street), and little or no atmoshphere. There were like 2 people there. 4 would have been considered busy, for dining in. And it's a little out of the way for me. But, still has similiarities to California Vegan, Vegan Glory, The Vegan Joint, etc. I usually indulge on which ever is closest, when I need something healthy..........
They deliver?!?!
If they get even 4 people deep in line, the place is considered busy because it is so, so small. The food is good if you are open to vegan and vegetarian food. But if you are bringing people who are total meat eatters, they will merely poke at their lentil burger or tofu cubes and scowl. That's no fun, leave them home for your sake.
The food is good and worth the wait. Credit card over $10 or $15 so bring cash or pay for your friends. Nothing on their menu sounds too impressive, I admit, but most of the stuff I've had are really good (minus the pepper black steak wrap (blah)).
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Definitely my favorite vegan fast food place in L.A. It is a little dingy and small, but always quality. The menu is good, especially for when you are hung over on a saturday. The breakfast burritos are my favorite, chicken and pancakes are a close second. I really like the pepper steak and the mock duck curry too. The guy who works here always remembers me which is sorta nice I guess and the back patio seating is nicer and quieter than the inside.
This is the best vegan "hole-in-the-wall" I have ever been to. The menu is interesting and not limited to so much of the super-familiar vegan fare. Although, it does have a good selection of favorites like thai and chinese stuff. I had the tofu and green beans and while that doesn't sound like much it belies the culinary journey it took me on.
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This is, I think, one of the first vegan restaurants on the more easterly side of Los Angeles, located just over the hump of Barham, off the 101. Yes, it's small but the food is very good and has been consistently so for oh so many years. Before there were the other Thai Vegan places--Truly Vegan, Vegan House, Green Leaves, Vegan Plate, California Vegan, etc.--there was just Vegan Express and it has remained among the better of such restaurants. Their seitan wrap and pad thai are so good! Also, they do have a little bit of parking, two spots that are located in the alley behind the restaurant. You can normally park on the street in front, though.
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this was one of the few places that delivered to my place. the delivery girl was always so sweet.
it's good vegan food at a decent price. The wraps with the faux meat always satisfied my carnivorous husband. he'd get the one with some white sauce, lettuce and tomatoe. i love the curry with brown rice.
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