On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Vegetarian, Vegan
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaMon. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Tue-Sun. 11:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Loading...
A coworker recommended this restaurant, but i was stuffed from a prior lunch. With that in mind, i ordered some desserts to-go, because if i didn't, i'd regret it.
The chocolate RFD cake: yummy, moist and tasts really good. its sweetened with maple sugar.
The chocolate cupcake: looks like the hostess chocolate cupcake, with the swirly white design on top. so cute. this was AMAZING. it even had some creme filling, which i couldn't stop eating. I still think of it today.
I can't wait to go back and try a full meal!!
meh.
id come back to try other things based on the novelty of the restaurant, but dont order the burrito thinking that ur going to get a mind blowing culinary experience. its very average in taste.
RFD, what can I say about this place that already hasn't been said? I have no clue but here goes.
I was here several Wednesdays ago on a date and had a fairly decent time all around. We both started off with soups, she had a cup of the tortilla soup and I had a cup of the potato and kale. Both were good. Don't you just love it when someone feeds you from their own spoon? That's intimacy at its best.
For the main course, she ordered Burger in a Salad and I had the Beijing Temple. I was in the mood for some tofu and I think she was in the mood for something that looked like a burger. Now mind you, I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't feel its right to rule restaurants out because you're not a partaker in their fare.
I enjoyed the Temple, although I would've preferred a soggier rice. I think the texture would've paired much better with the tofu. My date love the salad, and I'll admit it was tasty. That black bean burger surprised me.
We skipped on dessert and ordered fresh juices instead. I had the Power C and she had the Red Head. I have to admit, that Power C woke me up! I felt like going for a drink afterward but I thought that would be counterproductive.
So why the three stars? Well the food took a while to get to us, and the dining room wasn't packed at all. Furthermore, I felt wide-awake after that dinner and couldn't fall asleep until 1am. I tried everything to fall asleep but nothing worked!
Plus vegan is definitely not for everyone. The dishes offered here are an acquired taste. If you grew up eating burgers, fries and milkshakes, this place will knock you on your ass.
Twinkle, twinkle little star...
I come here more often than I probably would because of the awesome yoga studio next door: Power Yoga. I've had pretty much everything on the menu over the past few years and it is mostly good. Obviously, there are a couple of things that stand out (nachos!) and a few that are on the more bland side(pasta). It is very straightforward vegan cuisine. There is nothing here spectacular, but it is healthy and wholesome food. Isn't that like almost every veg. restaurant? My gripe here is the prices. They can be a little bit nuts at times. $10 for rice, beans and steamed kale? Give me a break Ann.
I'm not a vegan, but def try to eat more on the veg side and less red meat, if any. Decided to check this place out as I was driving by. My vegan "Yin Yang" salad consisted of cabbages, romaine, carrots, cucumbers, edamame, cilantro, sesame seeds, peanuts, and peanut dressing. I added grilled tofu. WOW. Tasted great considering it was organic vegan!! I loved it. Pricey side, of course, after all, everything's vegan, vegetarian and organic.
LA, that's how I roll son, got a new shirt and a brand new stroll son.
OK, I don't really have a new shirt or stroll for that matter, but I went to LA finally and that line above is from a funny ass show and I've always wanted to use it. So I did.
And night numero one in LA I got to give this eatery a try. Delicious. Seen it in a few veg magazines and I was not disappointed. I had vegan tacos and damn they were good. Like really good, and honestly I'd go 5 stars on them but I've had similar tacos before so I'm holding back. Woo me with your next attempt and I'll upgrade. I don't know how unique you can make vegan tacos exactly but thank you Real Food Daily for doing them well.
I'd gripe on the service, but I was extremely distracted. I'm fairly certain our food took about 18 hours to make it to the table, but when you're staring in to the most beautiful pair of brown eyes you've ever seen you tend to not mind such a delay. You're lucky my date had me forgetting time and space Real Food, or I might have gotten pissy.
So since time was a non-issue I'd say my visit was superb. I've since heard you have amazing pie but nervousness of a first date made me barely finish my tacos. If they weren't as tasty as they were I'd probably only made it a few bites in. Stunning women tend to make a fellow lose his appetite, so finishing my plate as I did was a plus in your favor.
I'll be back should I be 'round those parts again. All the meals sounded delicious and 'all vegan' restaurants have a soft spot in my heart. The iced tea was also divine, I think I have a new habit. Better than heroin right? I'll be back Real Food, just keep in mind it's generally frowned upon to take such a long time. Others may not be so forgiving. But then again I'll likely be there with the same lady in which case I wouldn't even notice if you took 2 years.
The daily soups are fantastic.
The taco-the-town is my favorite....cruncy & juicy & great sauce.
I always get a side of their homemade peanut sauce and/or bbq sauce and i pour it over the tacos.
The miso soup is too salty.
The BLT is just ok....although very popular.
The nachos are great.
Fettucini Alfredo....not healthy like the other items, but at least it has way less fat....yet tastes very good.
Let me start with the best - Taco the Town!
Everybody who loves tacos should eat Taco the Town!
They're made with spicy and flavorful seitan, awesome guacamole and creamy cashew cheese. You don't even know you're eating Vegan!
The wraps are good as well but watch out for the deserts. The consistency can be a little strange and the carrot cake needs more sugar in the frosting.
I was fasting(the lemonade diet fast) when I came here, but it was my last day of my fast and I was able to order their "Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice." The OJ was not fresh at all, but the waitress said it was squeezed that morning. Go figure...
What kept me from giving this place a 3 star is that they are organic and vegan and they had a surprise next door. Their own RFD BAKERY! Nifty place, but really small.
All of my friends enjoyed what they ordered and I was satisfied enough to give this place a 4 star.
As a business, the demand I believe is there for seasonally available, whole foods, particularly if they can accommodate vegetarians/vegans, and organics consumers. As a dining experience, particularly with the tastes and textures, many organic or vegetarian restaurants lack refinement. To say the least, adding seasonal adjustments and a different schedule each week as RFD does, execution can get complicated.
My experience at RFD was excellent, but it was not without flaw. It was also more closely aligned with a decent, homemade meal, than with a refined dish. The flavors and textures were a product of the foods, not the preparation. That is in fact a plus in my book. However, the misses included the pairing of foods (and the menu is somewhat hard to navigate) and the lack of a cohesive style, to name two obvious ones.
IF you truly appreciate organic, vegan foods, you will like RFD. There are better examples of such restaurants with better value (and sometimes at a lower price point).
If you think vegetarianism is about meat analogs (veggie patties, simu-nuggets, and soy products that try to taste like the real thing), come here and widen your horizons. This place is vegetarian in a way that is beyond the health-food section of your supermarket's freezer. The food here is all real, delicious, gourmet, and most importantly, doesn't TRY to be meat. RFD just serves up meals, made out of various vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and so forth, that are complete and satisfying in their own right. I used to work right across the street from this place, and would eat there regularly.
So why only three stars? One star docked for value. Yes, it's downtown Santa Monica, but a healthy lunch consisting of no meat costing upwards of $20 is not a good deal. You can go to Golden China Restaurant next door and get a decent lunch for less than half that.
Second star docked is for poor customer service. I had family in from out of town with a varied assortment of veggie types, all of whom agreed on RFD. We made a dinner reservation, but when we arrived, they didn't honor the reservation and said they don't "really take" dinner reservations. So over the phone they gave us a different story? They suggested we endure the 45-minute dinner wait, at which point we walked next door to Golden China Restaurant and were seated promptly, enjoying a delicious inexpensive family meal.
So come here and sample the food to experience vegetarian nirvana. Buy the RFD cookbook available for sale, and make some of these wonderful recipes. But don't expect too much here...not everything's as five-star as the food.
First let me start by saying I am in no way a Vegan, let alone a Vegetarian. I love meat! Hamburgers, perfectly cooked steaks, etc. are all so good and I would never give them up.
On the other hand, having Vegan and Vegetarian friends has opened my eyes up to a whole new world of cuisine. Real Food Daly is a cute little restaurant nestled between other restaurants and shops in Santa Monica near the Third Street Promenade. They have two different dining areas that I don't believe are even connected to each other which is kind of strange I thought. We were seated in the upstairs which let me tell you, on a warm summer night is not fun. Luckily we were seated right near the air condition so it was ok.
As for the food I ordered the Club Sandwich with a side of Potato Salad and a Ginger Raspberry Brew Soda. The Club was perfect and the fake bacon made it so much better. I am always amazed when I eat vegan food and I could swear it's meat meat meat! The seitan texture resembles chicken and the fake bacon tasted just like bacon only a little crispier. As for the "veganaise" (thats vegan mayonnaise) you honestly can't taste the difference. I mean, the potato salad was covered in that stuff and it still tasted like mayo to me. By the way, the potato salad was also really good.
Now if you know me, you know that I almost never pass up dessert. This place was no exception. In fact my friend and I each ordered one so that we could taste more. We got the Banana Cream Pie and the Passionfruit "Cheesecake". Both were so creamy and sweet with a little bit of tart for the cheesecake. I could tell the cheesecake had no dairy in it but it was still really good. This place is definitely a winner in the Vegan cuisine world.
This is actually my favorite Vegan restaurant too bad there's not one in Long Beach. They make food that doesn't seem vegan like Salisbury steak or nachos. Everything I've had here has been very well made and most importantly tasty. I suggest getting the chocolate pudding for dessert its so chocolaty and a perfect end to a great meal.
Overrated? You better believe it. Overly expensive? Without a doubt.
As a vegan, this is not the place you hit up without laying down @ least 15 bucks. Needless to say, i didn't get around to going there that often.
The scene is upscale, hip types & usually it seems like most people that eat there aren't vegans or vegetarians.
Best thing on the menu is the nachos. Their cashew cheese is awesome. Macro plate is good, balanced & healthy. If you need some vegan home-cooking, the salisbury seitan is the way to go.
Sometimes their 13 buck portions are fairly skimpy and that always pissed me off because if you're going to spend that much on a meal, you want to feel satisfied after.
Desserts are pretty good. I've had better for less moolah, but they seem to get away with it.
If I had more money and moved back to L.a. I'd hit it up, but it's not my numero uno choice.
I know I haven't been reviewing for a while. Time to get back on track. I've been to RFD twice now. Both times it was excellent. The last time I went (less than 2 weeks ago), I enjoyed the weekly special. I can't remember what it was called, but there were 2 tofu steaks, kale, mung mix salad, and cornbread. Oh wait, let me back track. Mr. Friend (from previous posts) invited me here as my post-birthday dinner. The special was great. I ate everything but the cornbread. I didn't even bother sharing it with Mr. Friend. Why should i? He had his own plate of food. OH here's the best part, Mr. Friend loves dessert and let me decide on what to order. I went for the Coconut Creme and Brownie Bowl with Chocolate Hemp Ice Cream. Chocolate Hemp Ice Cream has to be my new favorite ice cream. It was light and refereshing. What can be so refreshing about ice cream? I don't know. It just was.
Definitely looking forward to going back.
Good Mexican vegan options. The rest is just OK.
RFD makes me love them more and more each day. I love the new menu changes. The fact that they added the Fettuccine Alfredo onto the permanent menu makes me smile. I love love love love the fact that they decided to use broccoli florets, rather than broccoli rabe. The red bell peppers is a nice addition and the garlic bread crostini is absolutely amazing.
ps- SAMO location is so much better than WEHO. Better service, nicer people, and the food even tastes better. I love it :)
:D RFD is my haven! If it were up to me, I'd eat have it for every meal. Luckily almost everyone… Read more »
I like this place even more now that they have the special to-go/bakery side. It makes it a lot easier to seated and fed. To be honest, I haven't gone back to the full-service side since they opened up the counter side next door.
I like their lattes because they make them with rice milk, which is hard to find. Plus they have great dishes that are animal product free yet still incredibly flavorful. Oh and their juices...whoa! You can customize your own green juice and their ready in a snap of a finger. Bravo.
Simply amazing.
I've been vegan for about a month now, and its incredibly hard (at least for me, since i'm new to this lifestyle) to find decent, let alone spectacular, vegan eats.
And thats what Real Food Daily delivers - clean, fresh, crisp delicious food on a consistent basis - I always try the specials (never been let down) and my friend loves the club sandwich. They do great fresh juice, and the service has always been top notch for me.
It's a cute restaurant and the waiter we had was very nice and informative. We actually tried to order the sun-dried hummus, but our waiter recommended we get the lentil walnut paté instead. And it was pretty darn good! Since it was all our first times at RFD, our waiter briefly explained the menu and told us what is good in his opinion.
I had their pizza. If you've never had wheat, gluten and yeast free pizza, this is totally something new. It was really good, just really different from you're normal cheesy pizza.
Overall, this place is good with service and definitely a place to try.
I really, really love food, so going to a vegan restaurant really makes no sense for someone like me unless I want a healthy, guilt free meal. The thing is, I would eat here not only cause it's (for the most part) a really healthy meal, but the food here actually tastes good. My two favorite things are the caesar salad and the salisbury seitan, and you really can't go wrong with any of the desserts. Sure, they have some meals that make you want to cringe, but if you order the right thing, you will be hooked on this place, even if it's only the desserts, which you can buy next door at their bakery.
Whenever I get really excited about a place, I tend to want to put my review in rhyme form. So here goes:
I really just can't stress enough
This place cooks up amazing stuff
From pasta to sandwiches, deserts, oh boy
Heaping portions of vegan joy
The nachos: to die for, dripping in cashew "cheese,"
Had me saying, I'll have more, please!
The Salisbury Seitan had me licking my plate
The Caesar Salad is one to celebrate
Service: friendly; interior: clean and airy
We left, bellies full and feeling quite merry.
We had mixed reviews. The service was great, the restaurant was great. We ordered the french toast ( I thought this was 5 *) and the "burger". We love vegan food, but this burger was off-mealy, mushy and kind of tasteless. We wouldn't recommend the burger...the coffee also was pretty bad.
I'd say for the price vs. enjoyment level we won't try it again, unless we become Hollywood celebs and then it will be the "in" thing for us...God we're shallow!
Before coming to LA I was already in love with RFD. I was told by my vegan hair stylist that the RFD cookbook was what allowed her and her husband to stay vegan as it includes great ways to make all of the recipes they had been missing, come to life in vegan form. It is true, it is a great cookbook. *a note, RFD is not a place for creative vegan cooking, it is more a restaurant that recreates meat dishes for vegans. A different school of vegan/vegetarian thought from the concept that veg cooking should be an invention of itself for itself.
I have now visited the Santa Monica location on two occasions. The first time I had the living wrap and added portobello mushrooms- it was fantastic and a great portion size for a vegan restaurant. My dining companion had vegan eggs benedict- also amazing. I have never eaten eggs, but she said she wanted to see if they could pull off this dairy heavy dish without compromising taste. She was very pleased. Their tempeh bacon also rocks. We had the german chocolate cake for dessert, which I am sure is not a "healthy" menu option, but was honestly as chocolaty and gooey as any other orgasmic chocolate cake I've had. Wow maybe just go their for dessert if you are an inclined vegan.
The second time I went wasn't quite as good. I had the monthly special salad, it was an asian inspired salad with a spicy wasabi dressing that was far from spicy. Our server was neglectful and we had to eat upstairs which is stuffy (downstairs is nothing special, but has nice big windows). Two of the diners in our party really loved their dishes (one had a special lasagna, which I tried and truly enjoyed). The forth diner was my boyfriend, he had the burrito, which vegans love, but he did not. He said it was bland and wasn't filling (he is not a vegan). Our conversations afterward lead me to believe that the snooty nature of RFD and its attempts to recreate meat dishes may not charm a meat eater, and the restaurant is therefore best saved for a group of veggie lovers, vegetarians or vegans looking for a fancy place to dine.
Still a solid choice.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Been to LA 5 times in the last few months and went back every time. Great/friendly service, great food, all vegan menu.
Salisbury Seitan - with mashed potatoes and Ceasar Salad. If not the best meal I've ever had, definitely in the top 5.
TV-Dinner - I remember this being pretty good but not nearly as good as the above.
Chocolate Cake - Can't believe how good it is.
Oreo Cake - Amazing, maybe too much sweet if you don't have a sweet tooth.
Brownies - Really good but a little heavy.
Chocolate Chip Cookies - Not that great but I think because they made them gluten free and healthy and all that. (Come on, its a cookie).
I always get a bunch of stuff from the bakery to bring back to boston and they are good about wrapping it up for me instead of the usual to-go box.
They are pretty expensive but its right near the Pier so you kind of expect it. That and its maybe the best meal you'll ever eat? Worth it.
You'd think that a Vegan/Organic restaurant would have something that'd appeal to the rest of us carnivores, right? I mean, whenever we have a veg-head join our group at a regular restaurant, there's always a vegetarian option. What is there for the regular person like me? I've eaten here on several occasions because the group I was with was in the mood for something organic... so that's my story. Yah, the service and place is real nice... but I don't go out to a restaurant to sit down and stare. I go somewhere to eat.
Here's what I've tried:
RFD Burger. What the hell is this pink mushy mess? There's absolutely 0 flavor, and I highly doubt it's packed with much protein anyway. At least bocca burgers have a decent meaty taste to it. This is just... buns, lettuce, and space mess.
Soba. I'm asian... and this is not soba. Yah it's buckwheat noodle, but where the heck is the sauce? There is such a thing as good soba sauce, and they sure as hell don't know what that is.
I have been told to try the TV Dinner or their tacos, but at this point I'd much rather just bail on the gang and grab some McDonalds instead. Can't please them all I guess.
Two meals at RFD both left me unimpressed. They weren't bad, mind you, just... unimpressive.
In RFD's defense, it's an appealingly decorated restaurant- very bright and airy. If I didn't want to make the drive to Madeleine Bistro yet wanted to entertain guests, I would probably pick RFD since I think non-vegans would feel at ease here. (I totally feel like I'm damning RFD with faint praise but it's the best I can do.)
As far as negatives go, the seating situation felt a little cramped- small tables placed closely together on the upper floor (and I'm not someone who needs more space than average). Service both times was okay- a little on the slower side but nothing outrageous. What docked two stars from my review is (IMO) the sheer blandness of the food. My chai was bland, the nachos were bland, and I can't even remember what I had as an entree either time because they were that unmemorable. I do hear the desserts are very good but I haven't yet tried any.
While the prices might be normal for the area and for non-diner vegan food, I still felt they were high. Combine the cost with the lack of flavor and RFD isn't at the top of my favorites list for the area. It isn't bad by any means, just... blah.
Real Food Daily is one of the most outstanding restaurants in Santa Monica or greater Los Angeles. I've never eaten anything there that wasn't high quality. The vegan desserts are far better than the non-vegan desserts served at the average restaurant. Service is super-friendly.
Yum. Vegan food that tastes naturally delicious, with high quality ingredients and attention to… Read more »
I am not vegan.
I am nothing close to vegan.
I never wish to be a vegan (even though my 83 year-old grandpa is doing a 3 month experiment in veganism...go Poppy!) My love for all things dairy and meat runs too deep...and I could not live a truly happy existence eating all soy-based products.
That said, I do like RFD. Not everything on the menu, but the Stir It Up (with either soba noodles or brown rice) is quite filling and delicious, with light garlic sauce and mixed veggies, as is the Yin Yang Salad, with edamame, peanuts, in a peanut sauce. How can you go wrong with peanut sauce! I also like the blackened tempeh they recommended with it.
I have to say that the nachos (with cashew cheese?!?) also looked very good. I mean, two borderline anorexic girls were eating them last time I went, so they have to be good for me.
Only downside is that it's very expensive - you're not going to get out of here spending less than $20/person, no matter what you get.
It's a good, thinly veiled splurge of healthiness once in a while!
Sure it's tasty but it tastes like any other chain vegan/veg place.
It was about $60 for two entrees and an app and the food was just so-so. Apparently you can sit upstairs if you want the waiter service, which no one told us.
Bottom line- if you're willing to spend the money GO TO JULIANO'S RAW- iNCREDIBLE imaginative meals beautifully prepared with tastes that are out of this world.
I love the food here and appreciate what they offer us vegans who need some good-tasting nachos every now and again. I'm pretty sure the non-vegans in the crowd would like this place too.
I like this place so much I went and got the cookbook. The ingredients are really something to be respected -- no wonder the food tastes so good. Super creative combinations of healthiness.
Nachos and "meatloaf" are my two personal faves, but the selection is really gratifying and all the food is fresh and good.
The service staff have your typical LA attitude, but you can ignore them. You pay a little more but consistently get great vegan food.
Place was ok. They have two sides to the places. One side more a take out and the other side the restaurant. We ordered the pasta with 'meat' balls and a veggie burger. Pasta was tasteless, meatballs were good though. The place would get 3 stars if not for the price. For what your paying it's not worth it. The veggie burger and side of rice was almost $15.
Worst service ever.
I went to eat a month ago to this restaurant and I thought the service
was good. The waitress was very friendly and she recommended us very good. However, last night I went back with my girlfriend to eat in the bakery part of the restaurant (its next to the restaurant) and the experience was totally different.
I went with my girlfriend to get a cheesecake and an orange juice. We thought about taking it out because there weren't free tables downstairs. The person who was at the cashier asked us if we wanted to stay for eating and, because we saw some free tables upstairs, we thought that it would be a good idea to stay. The girl who was at the cashier gave me the check to sign for a cheesecake and an orange juice. It was 14.16 dollars. Too expensive I thought. The girl looked at me waiting to add the tip and I added 2 dollars. In total 16.16 dollars. Well, she gave us a number for getting our food and we went upstairs. Suddenly when we were walking upstairs, a waiter said that upstairs was closed. I looked at my clock and it was 9.00, and the restaurant closes at 10.00. There were also some people eating upstairs but I guess they didnt want more people cause they were going to close in 1 HOUR!!. Anyways, he was rude and he told me to eat in a table where there were a group of people eating. My girlfriend didnt like to share a big table with a group of people. Not even in McDonalds you are treated that bad. And, after paying 16.16 for a small cake and an orange juice, my girlfriend asked the manager if we could eat upstairs cause we just ordered some food thinking that upstairs would be opened and that were gonna be only few time. The manager said "No. Its closed". SO RUDE! After they just asked us if we wanted to stay in the restaurant for eating. They should have asked us: "Do you want to stay here, even you have to share the table and eat in front of strangers?" Not even in MacDonalds you eat like that! Well, my last time I give 16.16 dollars for a cheesecake that tastes like lemon and an orange juice that costs more than 6 dollars (with taxes, not tip included). Dont go to this place unless you like snobbish managers and overpriced food.
Yeaaa!!! So fun, just a few blocks from the beach! love the nachos and the cake- pretty soon I will be fatttt:) This is another great place for non-vegans to try and really feel ok about healthy eating. This is also a great inexpensive place to pop in for a snack or date with someone you've been seeing for a while. I really like the tofu wrap but NOt the living wrap. Lastly the staff are ALL very nice to me.
The only reason RFD gets 4 stars is because of the prices. I'm a poor mexican who just happens to be Vegan and can't afford the fab life of the west-siders! But when I do I go to this place. Never in my life did I ever think someone could make me pay 18 bucks for a wet burrito. BUT THEY DID! and I gladly pay it! Ive never tasted anything at this place that I didn't love. Spoil your self with the hostess cakes too! YUM!!!!
This has been my old standby for about a million years now. Apparently everyone else thinks so too, because they expanded last year into the storefront next door, which now holds their cafe/pastry place.
I love it so much that I'm even giving it 5 stars despite it being PRICEY. The service is always courteous and friendly and this location, though full of wannabe hippies with yoga mats tucked under their arms, is much more relaxed than the douche-laden Hollywood location. There's also more parking.
I always get the special entree and it's never failed me (only once in the last 6 years did I say, "ho-hum," but that's compared to my usual lavishing of praise.) The Tac-O' The Town is always reliable, as is the Stir It Up.
Unfortunately, my unemployment has resulted in my going on a Real Food hiatus, but if I had the money I would eat there every week. That's 52 times a year. For real(food).
*sigh* A year or two ago I would have given RFD 5 stars and a glowing review going on and on about how this is the greatest thing to happen to vegans since lettuce. However, this location (I can't vouch for the others) has taken a turn for the worst, and I blame it entirely on their expansion into the former Chinese restaurant next door...
What was once a warm, cozy, little vegan kitchen with fantastic service and amazing food has been transformed in two separate spaces, both equally cold, sterile, and a tad awkwardly laid out. Service isn't as warm and friendly as it used to be, and sometimes a bit slow (phone service especially). Dealing with these people is less like talking to a friendly neighbor and more like talking to an office receptionist. To be fair, I blame the service decline on new employees adjusting to a new space, system, workflow, etc.
The patrons have changed too. Where there used to be a diverse crowd of people in search of delicious and unique food, there is now only wealthy old white people looking to jump on the latest hip healthy bandwagon. Is that because of the change in decor? Maybe. I blame it on the RAISED PRICES! They have weeded out the less-wealthy, younger diners, and are left only with, well, what they've got in there now... I can't remember the last time I actually ate in the restaurant, mostly because I CAN'T AFFORD TO.
RFD was never cheap, and I am willing to accept that exceptional food is often worth the extra dough, but the prices here are OUTRAGEOUS now. Perhaps raised to help pay for the expansion? Or maybe they just knew that they could get away with it with such a large population of LA bourgoisie anxious to eat at only the most expensive and exclusive of destinations... $17 for a veggie burger?! $13 for a lettuce wrap?! WHO CAN AFFORD THIS?!
For a little bit I was sticking with Basics packages, the most affordable option. Choose a combination of veggies, proteins, and grains, accompanied by a sauce or dressing of your choice from $8 (choice of 2) up to $14 (choice of 5). The portions are decent enough, and all of the options are delicious, but RFD dropped down a notch when they discontinued my favorite wasabi sauce...
Eating at this place is barely worth it anymore, especially when I found the quality and freshness of the food to be declining when they were perhaps "focusing" on their expansion instead of their cuisine. But any debatable decline aside, the food is pretty exceptional when held in comparison with most other vegetarian restaurants.
They do a lot of imitation-other-foods kind of stuff. I don't recommend many of the faux-ethnic dishes like the burritos, tacos, enchiladas or pastas. But the tempeh burger is simply AMAZING. And it's HUGE. Get it with cashew cheese, tempeh bacon, and avocado. HOLY SH*T. THE NACHOS are the BEST nachos I've ever had in my life, also an enormous serving. I'm a big fan of the CAESAR WRAP. The CLUB is really delicious (though M does it better), the REUBEN is pretty good too (though Flore does it better). I never liked POTATO SALAD until I had their potato salad. The weekly and monthly specials are are always fun, exciting, original, unique, and delicious. The cookies are okay, AVOID the cheesecake (I'm very serious about this).
RFD offers amazing food which is why I ate there frequently enough that many of the amazingly friendly staff members knew my name. I now eat there very rarely, treating myself only on occasion, simply because it's just TOO F*CKING EXPENSIVE.
What is it about the Westside that demands to consume my hours looking for parking? Turns out, there is plenty of parking over on Santa Monica Blvd. and 7th Street. From there, my adventure with JCP began. He's recently decided to become vegan and, of all people, have been showing him the vegan eats.
The end of my tour, this particular weekend, finds us in Santa Monica for brunch. If you are accustom to RFD or brunch, then you'll be happy to know that the two combined is a great idea. My friend, JCP, went for a classic dish, but me, with Yelp in mind, ordered the Weekender, which is scrambled "eggs", "bacon", French toast, and hash browns. First thing I do is bite into the peanut brittle looking "bacon". My mouth said, "MMMmmm bacon." But my brain said, WTF! Why does this taste like bacon? Only the magical chefs know the answer to this, but my friend, there is no longer a need to kill any pigs for bacon. The "eggs" were also tasty, as well as the French toast, which, mind you, no animals were harmed in the process. What I liked about the French toast is the complimentary spices that made the dish worth a visit.
Aside from the food, the venue is beautiful and modern. I'm not too fond of the vagina pink expressionist paintings on the walls, but, I don't like vagina, so there. Speaking of vagina, there are some nice ladies that work there. The servers are very pleasant and helpful, which is odd for a recession.
I'm still not sold on the meatless lifestyle, but perhaps I am slowly becoming vegan. As I sit in the restaurant I look at all the healthy looking people and say, "Hey, maybe someday."
My sister who's super health conscious and sometimes follows a Aruvedic diet took us here, and it was actually really good- I got gluten free pancakes, fake bacon (I mean FAKE, it had seeds in it!), a Teachinno, and hash browns. Verging on a 4 star! Obviously has a local following.
Pancakes were made with almond meal and delicious, though I think it was supposed to come with some sort of lube-y component, fake butter, but it was missing?
Hash browns sucked. They were not dry and hashy enough for me. Too moist in the center.
I liked this place but the seating was not very comfortable as it was busy and I was in the seat right by a busy pathway leading upstairs. I was also displeased with the hostess, who really rushed us at the end because she wanted to seat the next table. I'd go back, perhaps at a less-busy time of day, or on a weekday.
It is true. Julie E. is not a vegan whatsoever, but every time she does to a vegan restaurant with me, she tries everything and is open minded about it. Some are hit, some are miss with her and I really wanted her to like RFD, because it's so much more than typical CA/Thai vegan food. And even though she was hesitant to try "new" stuff at RFD she was extremely positively satisfied to the point she ate half of mine ying and yang salad!
I guess it really proves that RFD is ahead of everybody by incorporating super fresh ingredients and ideas that are appealing to both, vegetarian and non vegetarian crowds. And seriously, why the hell not? Their tofu, seitan, tempeh taste so delicious that one really does not notice any difference. In addition to tacos, enchiladas, nachos, salads and burgers, my favorites are all the weekly and monthly specials, because they constantly change and innovate vegan dishes. I mean, seriously, AMAZING. Why not experiment and try something deliciously decadent and seasonal?!
RDF also offer freshly squeezed juices form veggies and fruits, which always blows my mind, because they are so fucking good - choose 5 ingredients for the same price! Add ginger/lemon for a little bit more. And for those who have a sweet tooth there are plenty of freshly baked goods and all the waiters remember the daily items and they recite it to you, and it ALWAYS sounds like a symphony. So far, no matter what you order is always worth it. Oh, and my other favorite are the daily soups!!!! thank you chef!!!!
If the prices were a little bit lower, I would probably eat there all the time, so for now, I go to RFD for special occasions and to treat myself, especially when I am on the West side. I am usually on the East Side, so I am more familiar with La Cienega location, but they are both equally delicious and innovative!
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Diners
Stop being so damn expensive to live in your…
I'm talking about the area bounded by…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
These are places in LA that only serve veg*n…
I don't discriminate. Thick & juicy or thin &…
It's so nice there :) I only wish I could go there…
and you will too if you check these out....it's…
these are the places i drag my family and husband…
