August 21, 2013
We’ve used this space before, Reader, to give voice to the opinion that Los Angeles holds a veritable wealth of amazing food options for vegans. We may have even used the term ‘chock-a-block’ to describe how full of animal-friendly offerings the City of Angels is—from heavily vegetarian strip mall cafés to vegan-friendly mainstream restaurants to high-end, white tablecloth plant-based establishments, we’ve been thoroughly impressed by LA’s food scene and, even more importantly, how easy it is to be vegan out here.
One place that falls into the first of those three categories is the nearby Locali, a tiny café + convenience store on Franklin Ave in Hollywood that focuses on offering locally sourced food + products with a vegan leaning. As they put it:
“With an emphasis on vegan options, we advocate minimizing the consumption of animal products due to its aggressive impact on the environment. We carefully select all vendors and look forward to increasing your connection to the sources of what you consume daily. With a heightened awareness of where our food comes from, we can make conscious decisions about what we eat in order to aid our personal health and vitality, while minimizing our negative impact on the environment and other people. At Locali, everyday is a celebration of the choice to do better for our planet, ourselves and each other.”
Now, we’re still holding on to a good bit of our stereotypically New York cynicism for good measure, but I think these guys are being sincere. Regardless though, the food is definitely going to be bringing us back soon. Though their bowls are a little small in terms of portion size, their sandwiches far from small and pretty phenomenal.
Below, the vegan Reuben with Daiya, sauerkraut, vegan Thousand Island dressing, and frightfully realistic beet-/vegetable-juice marinated Tofurkey Deli Slices playing the part of corned beef on a really nice marble rye (I thought they didn’t have good bread in LA!). Below that, the vegan BLT with tempeh bacon, romaine lettuce, tomato, stone ground mustard, and vegan mayo on toasted sourdough.
We’ve also got it on good authority that the Baaadasss Breakfast Sandwich—vegan sausage patty, Daiya cheddar, chipotle sauce, and maple syrup on a sprouted multigrain english muffin—is mind-numbingly good. I’m guessing that’ll be showing up on our Instagram feed soon enough.
Locali is located at 5825 Franklin Avenue, right by the Gelson’s and between Canyon + Van Ness. They offer a few two-top tables inside + outside and are open every day from 8AM to 10PM.
