Ahimsa Vegan Cafe

Super comfortable grovey vibe. Cool to chill with like minded folks — talking about the upcoming veg fest, etc. I wasn’t a big fan of the Reuben, but I’ll be back to try other items.

I was kinda excited about this place but it was a bit of a let down. The burger wasn’t tasty at all and the $ 3.50 slice of pie was a joke. It didn’t even look appetizing. The prices are a bit much for what you actually get. On a positive note– the guy behind the counter was nice. I will not be returning

My sister n I after long walk n decide let’s try Vegan. We were thinking mumm let’s take a chance n see if it is worth it. Let me put it this way we were impressed how delicious the salad bowl was. My sister love the Fiesta bowl n I have the Metrianiean bowl. It was big I had to take the rest for dinner. flavor just right for us. we are Chinese n was raise on cooking all types of food n always compare to our mom cooking from others.
We will come back.

Love this place. Anything with the word «Fiesta» is a homerun. I will enjoy exploring the menu. #vegan

the tofu sauce is like the sauce at the spot in Manhattan Beach, its savory and creamy. I really like the ahimsa bowl and have since taken to making it at home since the price is a bit high here :)
Room for improvement with time taken to prepare food and price. They should also put a spicy ranch on their menu for the SP fries, but that’s just my (strong) opinion

Stop reading and get in your car and go here. Seriously. This vegan restaurant is incredible. I went with my meat eating husband and he absolutely loved it as well. The hippy vegan bowl was Delish and the homemade veggie burgers are unreal. We also ordered a samosa to split, unreal good, and the Thai rice wraps app, so good. The ginger green lemonade was also amazing, so refreshing. Honestly we loved every single thing that came out so I’m convinced we’d love every other menu item as well. We’re just visiting a few days but I hope we can go back and try even more! Now my only hope is that they want to open a Boston area location!!! I’d be here daily if it was in my area! Yum!!! Highly recommend.

Would leave zero stars if i could.
Waited over 1hr with no food in front of me. I watched other people complain about how long it was taking. Will never come here again. Just another hipster place trying to make its mark in long beach.

This place has always had some of the best vegan food in LB. I. Highly recommend the Ahimsa burger, Nachos (most bang for your buck) and the spring rolls!
The staff has also been the absolute sweetest I love their service.

The reuben was amazing! Also their chocolate chip cookies are giant and have the perfect texture that’s a cross between cookie and dough. This is now my favorite vegan café!

What can I say I am really starting to enjoy this place. My mouth is salivating as I day dream about their food.
This place has a very hippy feel to it as you walk in (hand painted art on the walls, chalk art, rustic furniture, industrial lighting). It definitely pulls you into another world. I love how cozy it feels to eat here as well.
The food does take a while, normally about 20 – 30 minutes for it to come out. Which is fine since (1) you can tell everything is homemade and (2) to avoid the wait, I call in ahead of time and ask to place an order for dine in. I just wish that when they would tell me how long until it’s ready, it would be a more accurate number. They usually say 10 – 15 minutes but as I mentioned it’s usually double that.
I have had a few of their items, all of which were very filling and bring me a lot of energy shortly after eating (which is great since I’m currently pregnant and always tired lol).
— Mediterranean bowl — so simple and yet delicious. They use these red peppers that add a whole nother dynamic to the plate
— Ahimsa bowl — the sauce for it was very, very salty (I like salty foods too) and I couldn’t finish my meal, but something tells me that the cook may have accidentally put too much salt. I want to try it again as I could tell that it would have been delicious minus the extra salt in the sauce.
— Fiesta burrito — suuuuper delicious. The guacamole they put in there is so refreshing and I love the tortilla they wrap it in.
— Tempeh Reuben — soooo freaking delicious. It definitely has a distinct taste. I love the sourness of the sauerkraut against the flavor of the mustard.
— Chips & salsa — usually come as a side for the dishes. Nice crunch and corn flavor.
— Chocolate chip cookie — I didn’t get to personally try it but my 7 year old sister and step mom looooved this.
As far as the many review here I see stating that they received horrible service. It might just be that there are some very awkward personalities that work there, which can be translated as rude. Personally the service I have received here has ranged from mediocre to super helpful and sweet.
I really admire this privately owned restaurant for not only having a clear identity but also having a positive message/​mission. As far as I know, Ahmisa translates to the absence of violent actions, words and ultimately thoughts. Which I think is pretty dang cool. :)

Would not come back here.
Floors & tables are dirty and it wasn’t even a full house. The food literally took 20 to 30 minutes to come out and that was just an appetizer of sweet potato fries. Their jalapeño burger was so FREAKEN DRY. Their nachos were mediocre.
No parking, warm water, & long wait. NO THANKS!

I’ve been coming here for awhile to eat and pick up raw desserts. The last time I stopped by for raw cheesecake I left pretty surprised. $ 13 for 2 slivers, which probably equate to one normal, decent slice. I definitely don’t mind paying a larger amount for raw desserts at all, but every time I come the slices are getting smaller and smaller. The cheesecakes are delicious, but not worth the price for the extremely small portion. I don’t know, maybe the guy cutting the cheesecake was having a bad day?
Also, Rainbow Juices is just down the street and they have quality raw desserts for the right price (plus their portions are always the same). Sorry guys, I’m not sure what’s going on, but the 2 «slices» were a joke.

This restaurant is just… I don’t know. It’s a vegan restaurant with its roots based in Hare Krishna religion– which means, absolutely no root plants will be cooked (i.e., onions, etc). There goes the taste.
My friend and I stumbled upon this location because we wanted to try to something healthy. I ordered the Indian wrap which was tofu and some spices with sweet berry-​like chutney. It was not that great and there was hardly any favor.
She ordered a bowl with rice and jalapenos and veggies. She didn’t even eat half of it. This place has lots of room for improvement. They did not even have ice water. Ridic.
It’s ultra-​liberal, hippy, and just full of interesting characters and women who don’t shave their underams. Not going back to this place again.

Bravo for another vegan find.
Good servings for the price as well!
I ordered the India Bowl minus the curry (basically craving some carbs and veggies) and it was a big and filling size! Wholesome ingredients and wonderful experience.

I have tried to give this place the benefit of the doubt because its one of the few vegan places in long beach, but they just seem to miss the mark every time. The food is very lack luster and the service is not great. The only positive thing is they are very accommodating when they make a mistake (which has been every time I’ve been there)
Today I had Ahimsa Vegan Burger, which their home made patty taste a lot like a falafel and they forgot to bring my fries. It was just ok. This place is too pricey to have average tasting food and bad service. Won’t be coming back here again.

Adorable 100% vegan café with an affordable menu full of clean, fresh dishes. The kind of food you can fill up on and not feel like garbage afterward. I went with the Thai Temple Bowl with tofu, which included steamed veggies over organic brown rice covered in thai basil peanut sauce and topped with fresh greens. The peanut sauce was incredible, and the portion was huge for the price. I also ate a chocolate chip cookie here, which was delicious.
Lots of seating, and fast, friendly service. All major credit cards are accepted.

If you’re in Long Beach… just go here. GREAT atmosphere, amazing staff and the food is incredible. (VEGANcredible!)
Thanks for the lunch!

Horrible first time experience. They ran out of «burger patty,» guacamole, and teriyaki sauce for my teriyaki bowl.” The bowl was not pleasing. It was dry. We got chips and salsa and got the bottom of the bag crumbles and server said «that kinda happens». No sir it doesn’t. Service was super slow. Want my money back but no manager in premise. Will not return. I’ll be calling Ashley or Brooke to get my money back.
Update: spoke with Brooke and she was very apologetic and refunded me as well as gave us free meal with our next visit. Great customer service by Brooke. We will be back.
Thank you.

Good food… but I won’t go back! Here’s why:
–Terribly long wait times (45 minutes — 1 hour) all three times I’ve eaten here. None of these times have been during high volume times of the day. The unusually long wait times seem more like a matter of poor organization and communication, as they seem to have more than enough people floating around.
–So dirty! The staff would rather be on their phones than busing tables. I have never seen so many people standing around when nearly every table is dirty! Half eaten food sitting right next to a prep station.
–The staff all seem like they would rather be anywhere else. Most of them move soooo slow. The silverware and napkins are almost always out, and rarely does anyone make an effort to restock, they simply give each person who asks what they want. One time the water was empty and someone pointed it out, so the staff member filled up a pitcher a quarter of the way full, pored it into the water container and that was it. It filled it up the water container just enough for the person asking to get a glass of water, but no one else.
–Nearly everyone has to ask about when their food will be ready, and then like magic it comes out 5 minutes later. I watched so many people that order after me get their food simply because they asked about it.
All that said, I do like the food (that’s why they get 2 stars instead of 1). I really do dislike saying anything negative about a vegan café, as Long Beach can use as many as we can get, but this place consistently disappoints. Hopefully they will take my review (and others saying the same) as an opportunity to fix their broken communication and poor customer service.

The smoothies are good. I got the Ahimsa burger; it fell apart as I was eating it, but it did taste good. My mom ordered the Lemon Herb Chik’n Burger, which had a super strong sauce that made it pretty unappetizing. We also ordered the hummus, but it had way too much lemon juice and tasted of nothing else. Not a bad experience, but I didn’t leave impressed.

ZERO stars because of multiple encounters with staff being rude.
Don’t get me wrong, the food tastes pretty good and I’ll miss their burgers, but I’ve experienced poor customer service for a third time in a row and am extremely disappointed. The lady who worked 2÷18÷16 at night, especially. I didn’t get her name, but her lack of basic customer service was the nail on the coffin. If you don’t like your life or your job, don’t take it out on the customer. Yes, I understand your Thursday night was busy, but overt sighs and impatience translates as you don’t care. And I don’t want to support a business that is devoid of basic respect.
My orders are usually around 55 dollars because I get multiple things with my boyfriend. We order stuff here at least once a week. However, the food has declined in quality and the service is bad. We’re never going back to Ahimsa.

Even though I’m not vegan, I found their food savory and satisfying. Ordered* the Mediterranean wrap, samosa, and Thai Temple bowl! All were delicious and left us wanting more!
*ordered food online through Unilocal

Delicious restaurant! Loved the environment and the food choices. I had the basil grilled cheese and am still thinking about it! Can’t wait to go back.

I came here for an early Valentine’s Day lunch. I got the kitchari bowl and it was so delicious! The chutney was the perfect complement to this dish. The service was a little slow but overall a great experience. I will be coming back for that bowl

The food here is amazingly delicious. Some of the most delicious vegan food I’ve had that’s for sure.
Reason for only one star: the cleanliness of the place was terrible. The place smelled like a bathroom, the bathroom itself had urine all over the floor. My boyfriend and I got our food to eat there because we were so hungry– could not really wait to drive all the way back to San Pedro! It was very cold outside but we ate outside anyways because the place reeked. Mason jars for water were dirty and also the drinking water looked a little funny. Also noticed they did not have their health inspection rating in their window!
To sum it all up, the food here is amazing but the place needs a serious clean up. I mean major. I will not be returning to this place because of their cleanliness and it really bums me out!

I love this place !! Always a go to spot for this vegan! The décor is amazing, staff is laid back and friendly. Their menu is one of a kind and a vegan’s dream, mine anyway. Sandwiches and bowls are spot on! Plus they always have fresh desserts that are to die for! Plenty of cucumber water and good music!
A must dine in !!

If you order the right things, this place is pretty decent. I have had some of their bowls and burritos. Super healthy and they deliver! I think it’s a little overpriced but the convenience to my apartment makes it worth it.

Well a week ago I would have given Ahimsa 5 stars — or at least 4. I had a great meal there and was actually fine with the service. The greatest problem at Ahimsa is inconsistency — with both service and food. I had given up on this place when it was Zephyr after several attempts — I just never was thrilled with the food. But I’ve been coming back to Ahimsa lately because the food seems to have improved — a lot. And the very best thing was that after I ate one of their (good) meals I felt satisfied and nourished. But today I had a bowl that had mushy veggies, rice that seemed too old, and the toasted sesame seeds seemed just a tiny bit burned. So — too bad — because I had my hopes up. Well — I will give them another chance — their service has improved lately — so maybe their food will too. (One thing that is consistently great, however, is the ginger mint lemonade.)
Also — although I like the murals, the place is a little too dark and could be a little cleaner.

I’m not a big vegan, but when in the area this is my place of choice. The food and service, and space are all great.

I live just around the corner from this place and I’m so glad I finally stopped in for dinner.
Lot’s of space and very comfortable inside. The employees are nice and sometimes they will tell you the wait for food is quite long (45 min) which has deterred me, but when I went we only waited maybe 10 – 15 minutes for our food.
I had the Fiesta Bowl, which was delicious and plenty of food. I’ve also had the Fiesta Taco plate (similar ingredients but in taco form). Everything is fresh and healthy, but not bland and unoriginal like many Vegetarian places… Ahimsa really has a special touch with their creative sauces and flavors.
They also have a juice bar, fresh teas and vegan baked goods available. I will absolutely be back here.

I’m hooked on the fiesta burrito and guacamole!
Customer service is usually pretty good and they’re ready to help you right away.
The environment is well designed and maintained.
I recommend giving this place a try.

We love this place! Love even more now that we can order online! The bike man was very nice! And of course we got our favorite dish… the bbq chicken sandwhich!

Great food awesome people.
Yummy ginger mint lemonade
We need more vegan restaurants like this.
Great pricing
Everything I’m in Long Beach I have to stop by here.
Thank you guys.

I got the Thai Temple Bowl, I was not a fan as everyone says, but they we super nice to swap it out for something else
Got a free samosa when I checked in. It was good
I also had potato soup was decent, not the best
Overall opinion, ummm my water was good plus they didn’t take as long as everyone says to bring out my food, probably about 10 minutes so I will give them another try

I’m editing my review from four stars to five. We’ve been here three times and this place is fantastic.
The food here is very good. Flavorful sauces, bright and fresh vegetables, and a good variety of dishes. Personal favorites so far are the Thai temple bowl, the Ahimsa burger, and the avocado BLT. I like that you can choose between tofu, tempeh, or vegan «chicken» to top many of the dishes. I’ve read some complaints about wait times. We’ve yet to come during a busy time, but it hasn’t been too bad. It’s not fast food. Good food from whole ingredients takes a little while.

Well, we wondered why the place was so empty. Their fryer was broken and they were out of veggie patties. The party of 4 ahead of us gave up and left.
It did limit the choices, but we ordered hummus, veggie spring rolls, the soup of the day (black bean) and the ginger mint lemonade. Good, average, not worth a big rave review IMO, but decent.
I’d like to try again when things are working and they actually have what’s on the menu. Next week, there’s supposed to be e book signing there — I hope they resolve their challenges before that!
It’s a cute place and I think they could do well with some attention to these issues. I’ll revise my review after my next visit.

I am new converted Vegan and so I was super happy to discover this place only blocks from my residence. I love the atmosphere… very chill and relaxing almost like a coffee shop rather than a restaurant. I ordered my food over the phone and walked with my dog to pickup food. I was grateful that they had seating outside which I end up sitting and eating my food once I picked it up.
I was hopping for a better, more interactive and friendly experience from the staff but the staff seemed a little distracted or pre-occupied…they just rang up the bill and handed me my food.
The food was absolutely delicious. I had the Ahimsa burger with french fries and it was absolutely perfect. I will definitely be back to try other Vegan options on the menu :-)

Short story: overall really enjoyed my experience here. I felt like I was feeding myself good things. Décor is great, love the freebies, only complaint was that service is slow– will be back!
Ok, the longer story:
Since I was so disappointed with Steamed and Happy Elephant, this place was my last great hope for a good vegan spot in the Downtown/​Alamitos Beach area. I was disappointed with Steamed’s limited options, and Happy Elephant’s portion size. I am not a vegan, but I just like having a resource for a place where you can go to a restaurant, so I don’t have to cook, and still feel good about what you’re eating. Ahimsa, seemed like a good fit.
You walk in here and you just feel like you’re in a «cool» place. Gorgeous hand painted murals, tall ceilings with brick walls, large open concept industrial feel. This place is filled with color and with life.
Ordered the ginger mint lemonade, the Thai Temple bowl (with vegan chicken), the pakoras, and the Avocado Jalapeño burger. $ 21 something total. Awesome!
–Pakoras were great, crispy, and the fruity chutney was the perfect complement to the salty pakoras.
–Thai Temple bowl came with this peanut sauce that I couldn’t get enough of! Definitely a filling dish
–Burger– loved all the elements– spicy jalapeño, creamy vegan cheese and avocado and soft bun. I wish I had ordered some fries to go with it! It was definitely a creative burger, especially when done vegan style.
–The ginger mint lemonade is a MUST. I’ve never had anything like it. Plus they do refills!
Pros:
1. This place has a lot of awesome freebies
–Check in and get a free appetizer (usually samosa or pita and hummus, but they ran out of samosa so they gave us pakora)
— Free ginger mint lemonade if you post a photo to twitter/​facebook and tag #ahimsavegancafe
2. Friendly staff with lots of suggestions. They cleaned up all our plates efficiently and refilled our drinks quickly.
3. Food is good, filling, and healthy.
4. This place is simply cool. Your friends will be impressed when you bring them here. It’s a quintessential funky Long Beach restaurant.
5. This place’s strength are the bowls and its sauces. Love how they can make a simple dish like rice and veggies taste completely different with the sauces they create.
Cons:
1. I wish there was more sauce in my Thai temple bowl! I tried to ration it but I just ended up with a mound of brown rice at the end
2. But really there’s only one– the food took WAY too long. We were waiting almost half an hour for the APPETIZER to come out, and it was 6:00 pm on a Sunday! Usually I don’t dock a star for something so minor as that, but a half hour is wayyyy too long for a place that seemed well-​staffed. I was surprised and disappointed.
I think they should just up the efficiency a tad and they’d easily be 5 stars in my book, as well as my go-​to vegan place.

I am by no means vegan. I truly enjoy rich foods of meat, starch and dairy so when my friend who is vegan brought me here I was very sure that it would be as bad as most of the places he has had me try. I however was surprisingly incorrect. The food was very flavorful and filling. My biggest surprise is the Ice Cream Deluxe which has no dairy but the taste and texture is equal to real ice cream. I could see myself returning here and recommending others to give them a shot. The staff also very friendly and informative.

Yummy vegan food! lots of variety, and SUPER fast delivery! Everything on the menu looks good! Had a veggie burger and sweet potatoe fries, yum! Staff super friendly :)

My boyfriend and I went to the aquarium for his birthday and we had a hankering for some Tempeh Reubens, which is what drew us in.
I had a nice experience. The woman who helped me was kind enough, and I REALLY enjoyed my Reuben. Their sauerkraut has an awesome flavor, and the bread was toasted perfectly. The cheese was melty and was just prepared very well overall.
I had some fries on the side and they were pretty good, and I used the Unilocal check-​in deal to get a samosa and that was easy to redeem.
I liked the décor and the service was fine when I was there, although we were the first people to arrive before a small rush they had. It didn’t cost any more or less than what the average is for a meal like that around there. Very pleased and I’ll order a Reuben any day!

Disappointed by:
The food
The Staff
and the Service!
and completely not WORTH the price whatsoever!
The front lady was rude and has a very aloof response when we ask for her suggestions.
When we asked if we can get some appetizers to munch on since it was incredibly slow and we were already starving. they didn’t hurry one bit! In fact they gave me this blank stare and «so what… is that you want» respond!
Rude.
We had big orders of bowls and burgers and everything lack taste and hard to chew. An exceeding amount of Soy sauces were added on everyone’s meal. The Only thing that was actually tasty was the somasa that were free upon check in and that was it!
I wouldn’t reccomend this place mainly for the rude staff!

This is a charming, laidback café in Long Beach that I stopped by one Sunday afternoon after attending the Patchwork Craft Show. I was thirsty so I ordered the fresh Ginger Mint Lemonade (yum) and sat down to take in the atmosphere. It wasn’t crowded and there are small tables, a communal table, a welcoming sofa, and outdoor seating as well. I found free street parking right across from Ahimsa, it looks like the metered spots are free on Sundays. I will be back to try their food options!

This place has impressed me in my last several visits. This absolutely warrants a review update increasing my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars!
My reasons for the upgrade include:
— This Avocado Jalapeño Cheeseburger:
— Unilocal Check-​In perk (free samosa or chips & dip) …btw, their hummus is delicious!
— Yummy pies
But the biggest reason is the Fiesta Taco Plate! Black beans, romaine, corn, tomatoes, nacho sauce, vegan sour cream and guacamole in sprouted corn tortillas. It comes with a side of more black beans and brown rice. It’s a lot of delicious food!
The first time I had it, I was craving it again and went back to Ahimsa less than a week later to treat myself to another Fiesta Taco Plate. That’s how much I loved it :)