Plant-based cuisine is good for you, but it’s also just plain good, especially at these California places where vegetables are given top billing. With this in mind, we asked our Inspectors for their favorite veggie-focused spots in California and they delivered. While some of these restaurants are strictly vegetarian or vegan, others take an omnivore approach by giving vegetables a starring role. So, whether you’re looking to go beyond 'Meatless Mondays' or want to skip the sirloin all the time, below are a few California favorites to add to your rotation.
Plant Food + Wine
Venice
Plant-based chef and lifestyle guru Matthew Kenney successfully brings the vision of pure food and fine wine to the West Coast by way of Plantlab—a lifestyle brand replete with cookbooks, wellness retreats, and even a plant-based cooking school. Unsurprisingly, his Venice restaurant offers a taste of all that deliciously wholesome and gorgeous vegan goodness with vibrant, complex and beautifully plated dishes. This serene and contemplative space is the perfect backdrop for his bright and flavorful cuisine—and with such prime access to the Santa Monica farmer’s market, the quality of ingredients is all but guaranteed. Heirloom tomato- and zucchini-lasagna finds next-level palatability thanks to a wonderful macadamia nut “ricotta” and sun dried tomato sauce.
Ardor
West Hollywood
If a luxury spa ran a restaurant, it would look something like Ardor. Plush white velvet and leather booths, white and beige staff uniforms, and enough verdant greenery to rival a small forest match the equally chic aesthetic at its parent venue, The West Hollywood EDITION hotel, a MICHELIN Guide Hotel. The prices are high too, not that any hotel guests would even notice. But know that there is plenty of substance and care packed onto this vegetable-forward menu. Tandoor carrots with hummus and paprika vinaigrette or grilled dukkah-crusted ahi tuna with yogurt make for satisfying, clean eating. Dry-aged lamb and steaks cater to heavier appetites, and no meal is complete without a tower of tempura onion rings and at least one dessert (try the mojito pie).
Kismet
Los Angeles
A paradise for vegetarians, Kismet packs big flavor into dishes of all stripes. Highlights include cucumbers with rosewater labneh, oyster mushroom skewers, and that stunning Persian crispy rice (tahdig).
This enduringly hip Los Feliz favorite is best experienced with friends, but we can’t help feeling a tiny bit selfish when the chicken and pine nut pies wrapped in flaky phyllo arrive or when oyster mushroom skewers with a creamy onion and cashew sauce land on the table. And the Persian crispy rice with egg yolks? Do we have to share this one too? Such is the enduring charm of this Middle Eastern hotspot that prioritizes seasonal vegetables and bright flavors. Nothing feels heavy, ever, and even the most familiar of ingredients can surprise. The staff is equally charming, as cool as the cucumbers with rosewater labneh. Truly, in that eternal quest to find the quintessential neighborhood restaurant, Kismet meets the mark with flying colors.
Rustic Canyon
Santa Monica
A sense of community and warm hospitality pervade this beloved Santa Monica institution—it feels like your favorite neighborhood spot, even if you’ve traveled miles to dine here. The menu of shareable plates, overseen by Chef/owner Jeremy Fox is market-driven even by California standards, a fact that’s proudly advertised with the inclusion of a bevy of local farmers’ names. From heirloom carrots to puntarella, the quality of the produce is palpable, highlighted by simple, hearty cooking to which Executive Chef Zarah Khan adds influences of her heritage and inspiration from the Mediterranean, Middle East and South Asia to make the menu her own.
Orsa and Winston
Los Angeles
A counter and open kitchen showcase the culinary pyrotechnics of Chef Josef Centeno; and the deeply robust prix-fixe menu flaunts all the fireworks—think peak-season ingredients infused with wide-ranging flavors.
Inspired by the culinary traditions of Japan and Italy, the menu is a flavor celebration. For starters, thin slices of geoduck are tossed with top-grade abalone, charred onion, nori oil and citrus for a refreshing, flavor-brimming feast. Binchotan-grilled sea bream brings spring into focus with vegetables like locally farmed rapini and pea leaves. Hand-torn pasta with porcini "bolognese," lovage-dashi butter and salted shiso or the signature satsuki porridge with its moat of parmesan cream and rich Santa Barbara uni are standouts.
Millennium
Oakland
After more than 20 years in San Francisco, this vegan paradise relocated to Oakland, where it’s continuing to put out some of the most unique, delicious plant-based cuisine in the country. This rustic-chic space is laid-back and unfussy, with lots of dark wood, a patio for alfresco dining and a crowd of young families and professionals attended by welcoming servers.While dedicated vegans are sure to swoon, even hardcore carnivores might reconsider the lifestyle after a dose of Chef/owner Eric Tucker’s culinary creativity, showcased best on a five-course “Taste of Millennium” menu. Roasted pumpkin tamales with pumpkin seed pastor and cashew nut crema are knockouts, as are the crunchy king trumpet fritters with chili-persimmon jam.
