On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Vegan, Vegetarian [Edit]
Neighborhood: Silver LakeMon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Loading...
I stopped by last night and it's completely shut down. Ugh. So sad. Glad I got to eat here a few times, it was wonderful while it lasted...
Also, if any of you miss those fabulous twinkies, you can order them right here: http://www.cosmosvegan...
RIP Vegan Spot.
Oh my goodness. I've been here three times now (in one week) and the food has been consistently… Read more »
Philly Cheesesteak sandwich without the heartburn, sluggishness, cheese or steak - and it tastes pretty much like the real thing. Need I say more? How about a BBQ Tempeh sandwich that looks and taste surprisingly like a sloppy joe?
Yes, comfort food for the liberal elitists! Amen.
Scrolling through the reviews I'm surprised more folks aren't classifying this as a take-out establishment, because that's clearly what it is. I grabbed dinner here on a Friday night with a friend and we were the only people in the place! The set up is definitely a take-out deli/sandwich shop kinda joint.
We tried the Philly cheesesteak and the Turkey dinner sandwiches. The Philly... sigh, why do I do this to myself again and again? It was fine, tasty, but in no way a faux-cheesesteak. You gotta chop that meat people! Not slice it. And if you're going to add the peppers and onions, you need to go whole hog and throw marinara on that jawn. BUT I will say the bread was about a million times better than on other vegan cheesesteaks I've sampled lately (meaning it didn't fall apart as soon I looked at it).
Turkey dinner sandwich is way better and the reason for the four stars. At first I was very skeptical of the foccaccia. In fact, it's a genius choice because it's a hearty bread that can hold up the veritable mountain of faux-turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce and stuffing rocking and rolling on that sandwich. I can see that guy becoming a wintertime solace for me in the coming months.
As for the Twinkies -- think of them as what they are, a rare treat, and don't whine about the $3.50. If it really bugs you, go eat an Oreo!
Well goodness gracious...my undies are all up in a bunch right now. I cannot believe how low the ratings are for this place.
All I have to say is deliciousfantasticamazingness.
While I don't use a lot of fake meats in my cooking, I have to truly appreciate those that do, and do it well. The texture and flavor of their "roast beef" is truly a remarkable achievement. Tofurkey? Hecks nah! The menu's variety and quality of the sandwiches is a testament to the hard work that went into all the pre-planning. Starting a restaurant is never easy work, and it takes some time to get all your faux ducks in a row. That's understandable. But I shun the non-believers. Coming from someone who eats only vegan food, this place is pretty top notch.
And whoever makes those vegan Twinkies must be sent from the heavens :)
I'm bumping my review up a star just because the owner of this restaurant actually contacted me and offered me a meal on the house to show me better things on the menu. These are the things that will keep me going back to a place. That's a very impressive move.
Oh, and I got the price wrong for the sandwiches-- they are apparently more in the line of $8-10. I didn't have the menu on me at the time and just remembered I paid $13 for something.
Anyway, apparently they have vegan Twinkies now. On that bit of information alone, I think I might just have to give this place another shot. :)
Man, I wish I liked this place more. I really do. But I've been twice, now, and I have to say, I'm… Read more »
So it gets dropped back down to three. I ventured off of the Club Sandwich path and got a Philly Cheese Sandwich and my mom got the Mac ' Cheese. Both foods were pretty horrible. I finished what I could of my sandwich, while my mom ended up sending the MC back. The guy working the counter was nice enough to get my mom a PB&J, which was good, but it's hard to mess it up. I was so let down after having a couple of good experience. Unfortunately, that Mac n' Cheese was a big, huge -1 star.
----------------
Edit:
*I'm editing my update instead of writing a new one because I feel this is an extension of the previous experience.*
I got a PM from Sara, the owner of Vegan Spot not long after I wrote this update. She explained that they had ordered the wrong pasta and as soon as she found out about the mistake pulled it from the menu. I went back to VS and unfortunately they were out of the Mac n' Cheese. I had a delicious (as always) Club Sandwich instead. I'll go back again (although I may call ahead first) to try out the Mac n' Cheese.
So I was thinking about upping my rating to four stars as I've been back a couple times since I… Read more »
Great Vegan sandwiches!!!
These definitely satisfy those old meat eater habits. A breakfast menu awaits my mouth too. I can't wait!
Reason why this place rocks too - They DELIVER!
Now just spruce up that cole slaw that comes with, and you've got it made. Get creative and add some more flavor!
Pretty good vegan fare. I gave them an extra star just for not being Thai food (not that I have anything against Thai food, I love it but if there's one thing LA doesn't need it's another Thai vegan place).
I got the turkey dinner sandwich, my husband got the roast beef and cheddar. The seitan and all veggies were fresh and tasty, except the coleslaw which was disappointingly bland. We also got a shake and a twinkie. The shake was good but so thick a straw was out of the question, the twinkie was very yummy but $3.50 seemed kind of steep.
Overall, it was good but a little pricey. Still, it's not Thai...
Had to follow-up a hot-dog stand review w/ a vegan review. I went here the next day to balance out my chili-cheese dog and fries. I accompanied my girlfriend actually and was pleasantly suprised. She got the caprese sandwich for $8.95, I was like woah $8.95 okay, but hey you gotta try and make some money right? The sandwich came and was accompanied by quite a hearty salad w/ baby spinach, tomato and romaine w/ a great balsamic dressing. The capreses sandwich was very good and served on nicely seasoned warm flat bread.
So I went in to get another balsamic and came out with that and a bowl of lemony celery soup that was accompanied with 2 pieces of grilled toast. I loved the soup, delicious broth with a lemon tang and a nice undertone of vegetable base w/ cooked potatoes. Very good.
We will be back here, I'm gonna try the pumpkin spice twinkies next time!!
Greg K., I say. Take me somewhere new! ...and so he takes me to The Vegan Spot, a hole in the wall of sorts.
Sandwiches aplenty in this joint. My "chicken" sandwich was extraordinarily filling (you ain't getting flaccid, soggy veggies here) with a giant patty, slices of avocado, sprouts, tomato slices, a creamy/extraordinary dill ranch dressing, wheat buns, and lettuce all de-constructed. I lurve puttin' that shit together.
A choice of salad or cole slaw is at your disposal. I am quite the cole slawt, but this one really didn't do the trick. Some cole slaws get away with only having vinegar, but ya can't get away with not having any! I liked the slices of apple and red cabbage, but I need some tangyness to match the creaminess!
Some cons were the long wait and small size of the iced tea, both problems which exasperated each other. (Iced tea made me hungrier, long wait forced me to drink at a quicker rate... more iced tea made me hungrier... etc.)
BUT, the service was friendly and the dining atmosphere was very casual, which when I am hung over and looking like http://trash.net, I am beyond grateful for. ...and on a Saturday afternoon, I tend to have more time at my disposal, so the wait didn't bother me so much.
Good price $10-$15
Very tasty vegan food (I'm not even a vegetarian)
Lots of options
Open late 7 days a week
Nice casual seating with a couple outdoor tables
YUM YUM!
YES, I do miss Cardone's Italian Deli (the restaurant in this little space before V spot) BUT, I won't hold that against the Vegan Spot.
Delicious. We tried 3 different sandwiches, a twinkie, and a chocolate peanut butter shake.
The delivery was shaky, we are close by and it took them FOREVER to find us. But, they were super duper nice and apologetic.
The choc peanut butter shake was absolutely UNREAL. So good, I was depressed when it was all gone.
The ruben sandwich was crazy, tasted better than the real thing.
The BLTA was sooo good and spicy, and salty, and yummy. I am a carnie(vore) and this sammy had better spices than the real thing.
I mean, WHAT is in THEIR "MAYO"!?!??! I could prolly eat a quart of that alone.
This place has awesome healthy options of fatty favorites.
I am excited to go back.
Oh God, is this place still here? It has been for sale on Craigslist for a while now for $75,000. Maybe they've had no takers because the sale price includes the recipes!
I had a truly horrible vegan reuben here... threw half of it away and I was really hungry. The coleslaw that came with it was gross as well... really salty. So disappointing as it is right around the corner from my house and had it been even halfway decent I probably would have frequented it. Flore's vegan reuben down the street is soooo much better. I highly recommend that one.
Someone hurry up and buy this place and put something new in there.
I've been vegetarian for 20 years now. Well I did start eating fish about a dozen years ago. Still though I've tried alot of vegan/vegetarian restaurants/foodstuffs in my day. This wasn't one of the better ones. I'm sure you could do better at home in about five minutes.
I gave it three stars just because I like to encourage vegetarian/vegan restaurants. To be fair I've only gone once, but I can't think of any reason to try it again.
Adding on and changing my rating, the vegan brunch on Sundays is delicious. Good job guys.
Changing my review since it is no longer the Vegan Spot. We liked the Vegan Spot soooo much better. Flore cafe is lame. They are missing off their menu the best items from Flore down the street and they serve eggs which is disgusting in my book.
I ain't no vegan, but I love to see if a veggie place can offer a carnivore a good, meal. The Philly Cheese Steak was incredible. Tastes just like the real thing...healthier and more compassionate to critters. The Greak Salad wrap that my girlfriend had was yummy too!
Place was newly opened, and had it together, fast, efficient and good.
yum yum yum. So delicious, walking distance from my home (OK, a long walk, but that's cool.) I've had the turkey dinner sandwich and a chef salad and a chicken sandwich. (not all at once, I'm not that much of a glutton, ha) and they were all tasty and reasonably priced. Also the staff is super nice and the murals are cute.
My one beef (heh) is that they advertise delivery, but when I called to get something delivered, I was informed that they actually don't deliver. But, they're new, maybe they just don't have a driver yet?
EDIT: 8/7/08
OK, now I'm really sad. I've had a couple other pleasant experiences with the V-Spot since my first review, but a couple weeks ago, I got really annoyed with them. I decided to give their delivery option a second chance, they told me it would be 20 minutes. Fab! OK, my food did not come until an hour and a half later, and my salad was all soggy and gross, and the bread for my husband's sandwich was stale. V-Spot!!! If you had just TOLD me it was going to take that long, I would have come to pick it up!!! Or even a phone call like "oh hey, the driver's car broke," or whatever. I'm nice! Understanding even. But now I don't know if we'll be visiting you again.
If you're making that difficult transition from meat eating to non carnivorous habits, then this is the place for you. PLENTY of meat substitute options to satisfy whatever craving you can imagine; pizza, nachos, sandwiches, burritos and even chili.
Now I don't dig on soy so I made the mistake of ordering the chili, which looked delicious, but not for me.
I did enjoy the avo-citrus salad. This is more for the raw fooders out there.
There are only a few tables so the opportunity is there to chop it up with some like-minded vegans.
If you feel like taking the step, here's a good place to start.
We tried the Vegan Spot last week and I spent the weekend trying to decide if I would write this review because two stars seems so brutal. But like some of the other reviewers I just wasn't impressed at all by the sandwiches. (I really hope they don't really use Tofurkey, not because Tofurkey is bad but because I feel like if you're gonna sell vegan sandwiches, make your own sh!t. If I can make seitan at home, you can make it there. it's not like some unobtainable culinary miracle.)
The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about. It felt kind of amateurish. While I did find the staff to be friendly and stylish, with good taste in music, the music was too loud and everyone gave off this weird, high schooly ambivalent vibe. I dunno, It's weird to describe but it was like going to an A&W Rootbeer in high school that was staffed only by some smart-ass punker friends of mine who could give a care less about real customers and always hooked me up with free floats. Only I wasn't cool enough to be friends with the cute Vegan Spot people and couldn't sit inside to eat because it was too loud to talk to my friend I came with.
Perhaps this review is only revealing my ever-encroaching snooty old-person attitude for
****EDIT 7-22-08: I recently was informed from a trusted and respected source that The Vegan Spot makes all of their own "meats" on location from scratch. I've also learned that not all restaurants in big cities are standoffish and some, including The Vegan Spot, are really into customers. I'm really looking forward to giving them another try!****
It's quite pleasant as a vegan to see all of these great vegan restaurants popping up all over the place. The vegan spot is definitely one of them. Although the decor and ambiance leaves quite a lot to be desired, the staff is friendly (although very slow) and the milkshakes have had me completely addicted!
As far as the food goes I'd suggest to try the club or the turkey dinner sandwich, they where really great. The philly cheesesteak and the beef cheddar sandwiches are OK , however have PLENTY of room for improvement. The chicken sandwich and ceasar wrap are very bland. And the mac and cheese is awful, as well as the quesadilla.
I believe that the people running the place have very little experience. And I also believe that with time they'll get the hang of things and improve recipes. You've got to start somewhere!
Oh and if you're in the echo park/silver lake area, delivery is always very fast!
Vegan twinkies... 'nuff said. Go go go!
I felt so fat when I finished lunch here the other day. But, oh, so happy.
Two weeks ago, a dear vegan friend of mine mentioned that this place had mac and cheese and "Twinkies" and thus followed the nightly dreams of once again consuming such a complete meal. A meal which filled my miserable childhood with a bright orange future with a creamy center; I only wanted to keep living if mac 'n cheese and Twinkies were to be apart of my life always.
Then I became vegan.
Just like that, the fun slip 'n slide I had been riding turned into a fondue pot I couldn't get out of. Only this fondue pot was void of cheese.
Vegan Spot was to give me that hope again. A future. A reason to eat carbs again.
So after a succession of dreams, I show up one day to get my mac on only to find out that I had been misled!! There was no Mac 'n Cheese here although it was clearly labeled as such on the menu.
What was delivered to me was Penne 'n Cheese. Clearly a different pasta shape!!! And the colour of this penne dish was a pale yellow, not neon as I had been envisioning.
I was flabbergasted yet ready to try something new. Perhaps this dish was going to be the replacement for the mac 'n cheese which haunted my dreams. Perhaps my future was a pale yellow, not a bright orange.
So I ate. And ate. And ate, only pausing for air once. I must have looked like a freak but I kept going. The penne shape allowed for the ease of the stabbing of my fork. Genius! And...
DELICIOUS!
OOOOOOOHHHHHH...and then the Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich came...OMG. I nearly fainted; it was that comforting a food. A burger arrived to my table, too. (Did I not mention that I left this place, fat?) The burger, however, was nothing I was going to be dreaming about. Sorry, but compared to what was already on the table, the burger tasted flavourless and was in dire need of hydration.
Then finally, after a job well done, it was time for the "Twinkie".
If I could move at that point, I would have been jumping up and down with excitement.
Unlike my childhood Twinkies, this little guy was served on a plate.
But it's look was right. It looked like it should be dressed up as a cowboy, ready to lasso my cholesterol.
I dug right into my ritual Twinkie dissection to investigate further, breaking off a third and sticking a finger into the creaminess first and then devouring the spongy cake.
It wasn't a Twinkie. It was better than one. I couldn't taste the preservatives which have killed off so many and the sponginess was replaced with cakiness.
So, so good.
Vegan Spot is keeping me and my dreams alive.
Thank you.
i really want to like this place, which is why, since i can't give a "2.5" rating, i'll give it 3, with that last 1/2 star being for the hope that i'll find something i really like one day. everything i've tried is just so-so. i've been there about five times, and each time i've been less than satisfied. the rolls they use for the some of the sandwiches are pretty dry, so i wind up throwing most of the roll away, along with whatever side i get (also, just so-so, every time). i can't even tell you what i've had each time i've gone, i just know that it's...just OK. nothing spectacular.
oh wait...once i ordered a soy milkshake, and i thought it was less than OK. it takes a lot for me to not like a soy milkshake, so it had to be an extraordinarily bad milkshake. mind you, i finished said milkshake, but, still...
Can someone else try to confirm if this place is still open? I went by on Sunday and it was all closed up and today (Thursday) they haven't answered the phone at all. How sad...
Have you ever eaten something so delicious you want to cry a little? Maybe you should see someone… Read more »
I love this place but I'm bumping it a star because, as my husband has been very frustrated with, they are very often out of food on the menu. Three times we have ordered food here and been told they were out of what we wanted. They really need to work on their supplies and they'd clearly be five stars for me.
The vegan red velvet cupcakes (on the rare occasions that they seem to have them these days) are absolutely to die for. I love the philly cheesesteak (doesn't really taste like the nasty real thing) and beef and cheddar sandwiches too. Mmmm... I'm hungry just thinking about it...
i've only been once. it's in the spot that used to be cardone's, so i can walk here for lunch from where i teach. i've only tried one thing here, the avocado/citrus salad, and it was tasty. they were out of cashews so they subbed in walnuts instead, and i have to say that is the way i will order it next time. yum.
vegan places have been popping up all over the place lately so i have mixed feelings: i'm glad there's so many choices now but wary of purely trendy places. vegan spot is not like just a johnny come lately vegan restaurant, even though it seems like it since it just showed up in trendy silverlake.
someone else mentioned that it is better for takeout and i totally agree, it's not like air conditioned with comfortable tables: it's great to pick up stuff to go or to have a quick lunch alone or with one friend. when i want to go to like a sitdown vegan dinner with friends i would go to flore instead of this place.
also of note, they were playing all galaxie 500 songs when i ate lunch! cute.
I love the Vegan Spot. When I'm in the mood for comfort, or things i just can't get ANYWHERE, the Vegan Spot satiates!! I love love love the Roast Beef and Cheddar and the Caesar Salad. Rite down the street from my house, thank you Vegan Spot.
Nice little spot located smack dab in the middle of Silver lake. Small and quaint, with some bitchin' artwork on the walls courtesy of Cache. Moderately priced sandwiches, soups, and whatnot. I highly recommend the BBQ sandwich. Yum! When all is said and done, about 12 bucks for my self. Good stuff, but I'm not gonna cum in my pants for a hankerin' of Vegan Spot.
Today I had the Philly Cheesesteak, and WOW, was I impressed! Really great texture & flavor. It's just too bad that I'm not going to have it again for some time...I'm going to move on and have everything else on the menu first!
After having been there twice, I'm really into this place. I would recommend calling ahead for… Read more »
Great vegan junk food!! Perfect for new vegan, or veg curious. Vegan Twinkies to die for. Support the adorable young owners. :) xCx
peanut butter smoothie! caprese sandwich was decent. good sized helpings. very chill spot. i also tried the soy burrito and it was probably better than my caprese.
I so wanted this place to be awesome, but my first meal there was pretty bland. Check out our full review here: http://veganchix.blogs.../
I will try The Vegan Spot again, but I had the cheesesteak and found it to be nothing special. The tortilla chips they served with the sandwich were totally stale AND cost 75 cents more than the pile of cole slaw that comes standard.
My mocha java shake was full of crunchy bits of coffee but didn't really taste very rich or flavorful.
The staff at The Vegan Spot was courteous and friendly, which counts for a lot in this town. They deliver too, so that's pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to better food next time. I think I'll try the breakfast food. Their desserts looked pretty tasty too (Snickers Cheesecake!).
We are the Satuday Night Vegan Club. Ok, we are dweebs, but we love to hunt down new vegan restaurants and have had some really notable AND healthy meals to boot. Which is what the "Reuben" Sandwich actually tasted like. Boot. The fake meat was the worst I've ever tasted. Our mushroom soup was tepid. I ordered the "special", a grilled veggie and tempeh salad, and the salad dressing was soy sauce and oil. We were sad. Disappointed. Hungry. The chain-smoking sad guy sitting at a table out front when we went in turned out to be the chef. The guy who took our order and delivered our soup pointed out the soup spoon bin on the other wall to us with a cheerful. "Help Yourself" We were the only customers. Almost all evening. I'm thinking he could have brought us spoons WITH the soup. It's a shame that a good location, and a great concept, could fail so miserably. It's like the restaurant has lost the will to be great. Or good. Or even a restaurant.
this place is owned by Flore up the street and has much better desserts in my opinion. the chocolate peanut butter shake will make your knees weak i swear it tastes like a blended up butterfinger in the best way possible. the mocha java is good too and so is the banana chocolate but none beat out the pb&c combo.
as for the food...i would say stay away from the tofu scramble! i hated it so the guy didnt charge me for it which i thought was awfully nice. the salads are all so fresh and come in generous portions. i have yet to try the nachos though but i'll be back soon instead of going to Flore cos that place just isnt doing it for me anymore :(
what? actually a decent restaurant in LA with the word "vegan" in it? if you don't believe me, try it yourself! decent for now, these 3 stars are pending. i knew i should've gotten the cheesey roast beef sandwich but my burrito instincts were tugging at my tummy strings. i ended up getting the breakfast burrito with mozzarella and some mac n' cheese. the burrito could've done with a little more flavor but their AMAZING habanero hot sauce fixed most of that. it was missing something... i think that thing might've been potatoes. the mac n' cheese was good. not great, but it was good and the bowl was aplenty. enough for a meal for one person. my friend's reuben deifnitely kicked my burrito's ass. it was delicious. which makes me think that sandwiches are the way to go at this place. i can't wait to try the roast beef sandwich and the philly cheese steak. once i do, this rating might gain one or two stars!
p.s. they serve breakfast all day. what is it about the three words "breakfast all day" that makes me smile so hard?
This place is awesome. The chow ranges from junk food vegan (yumm "Roast beef and cheddar" or "phllly cheesesteak" to an amazing tempeh over greens w cashews. Nice people, less than $10 to (mock) pig out, and I can walk there from my place..
i've been vegan for 11 years. vegetarian for 14. yet whenever i get a little glum, i somehow crave arby's beef and cheddars. maybe it's the onion bun, i don't know. obviously i have never wanted a real one, i just want one like it.
here it is! thank you, kids. the roast beef and cheddar is soo good. now if only it was on an actual bun (an onion bun would be incredible) instead of crammed in a "baguette" bun boat half the necessary size.
the coleslaw had good flavor, but the weird super big chunky chunks was a little different. it kind of took away from the good flavor, since it made it seem dryer and crunchier and less dressed than smaller shreds would, not allowing the flavors to really mix. not necessarily negative, but not my favorite. but still all eaten by me, so clearly i must have still liked it. the pickle ruled.
the prices are very reasonable, the food was great. perhaps a slightly larger bun will come so the baby bun boat didn't appear so much of an open faced sammich. then you'd have much more than 4 stars...more like 100. thank you for making my day!
and thank you for another great vegan restaurant within walking distance of my house! i'm sure you'll get a million dollars out of me.
xoxo!
i love this place. don't expect too much restaurant, it is more like a deli/cafe style place. you order your food at a counter, pay for it, and then pick it up when ready. their food is incredible, even for non vegans and the price is fantastic. over the course of a couple of visits i had the vegan mac and cheese (*****) and several sandwiches, all of them were great. they also have a couple of organic sodas (none of them diet) but you can pick up your own at the market next door. people working there are friendly and helpful so everything is great :)
Another Silverlake/Echo Park joint that's well meaning with some good stuff that suffers because of it's dumbfuck anemic staff...Forget delivery unless you want to be stuck in Bill and Ted's whatever the fuck movie about dumbfucks...These places like this and Flore just seem to go downhill fast...It must be hard to find good help.
the tofu scramble was really good & the salad r good too & i heard the sandwiches were too - vegan & organic!! very good =P
Limited Time Offer!
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Twitter Specials!
Neighborhood: Culver City
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Vegan
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Vegan
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Category: Vegan
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Vegan
Didn't your mommy ever tell you to eat your…
Places I can get my vegan on. This list will…
When people hear I'm vegan, most of the time they…
My firsthand accounts of vegan friendly eateries…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
