One of my challenges when mom and dad came to visit was their diet – they are hardcore, no bullshit, vegans. (though side note – they are not vegan for all the ethical reasons, they follow the Esselstyn diet) So in an effort to make sure that I did not have to spend forever trying to find a place to eat, I made a map of all the vegan restaurants my friends recommended. I also made note of everyplace that sold the Impossible Burger, in case we got stuck somewhere weird.
As you can see it covers much of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. I ended up being very lucky and Mom & Dad totally LOVED The Counter and Farmer Boys. The Insufferable Vegan has a great post about Farmer Boys Vegan fare on their site . I highly recommend taking a quick glimpse at their posts. The Counter and Farmer Boys saved us more than a few times on my parent’s visit – good food, not horribly expensive and quick to grab a bite at.
One of our surprise restaurant finds was Umami Burger in Hollywood. It was late, we were hungry and I knew that they served the Impossible Burger so we could probably find some food for the Parents there. We were able to get a seat quickly, even though the place was pretty busy. Only problem…the music was REALLY loud. My mom is hearing impaired – we always have tough time finding a place that isn’t too loud. If the ambient noise is too high, she can’t hear the conversation, even with her hearing aids. I very politely told the host the situation and asked VERY nicely if they could turn it down a tad…. AND THEY DID! Phew – no drama.
More luck, when my parents started ordering, our server noted what they were removing and asked if they were vegan. Because, of course -it’s LA, she was vegan too. Could not have had a better experience at a local restaurant for them,