Native Foods Cafe

I love native foods! Their food is absolutely amazing!!! Vegan food with tons of flavor! Great options great food great restaurant. Always go back for more! Absolutely love this place!!!

Protesting this place with a 1 star because they always close the upstairs dining area before 9PM. I really hate eating on the bottom floor because you have people walking in and out of the front, buying stuff at the register, calling out orders, the noisiness of the kitchen. The upstairs area is more peaceful, people lounging and working. I’m not sure what benefit that they have by closing early, other than lazy employees don’t have to walk up the stairs. Do the math, is it better to have some lazy employee save two minutes by not walking up the stairs or is it better to make hundreds of customers happy?

favorite part of los angeles
Their food reminds me of the texture of meat.
I was able to eat partially healthy in LA because of this place. Also, It’s right across from UCLA Extension!

Super affordable, super tasty, and such great sauces.
My boyfriend ordered the native foods chicken and bacon burger with avocado and chipotle sauce and oh my god HE COULDN’T BELIEVE IT WASN’T REAL MEAT! He was also so surprised «vegan» «vegetarian» good can make him so stuffed ;)
I love their Moroccan chicken and that’s my favorite dish :)
Their French fries are perfect and so tasty.
And we ordered two drinks and got an entrée free. So originally it was $ 27 and then we only paid $ 16 for two entrees, one side, and two drinks. Not a bad deal at all :)
Also– I’m in love with their chipotle sauce!!!

Love Love Love this place. The Rubin sandwich is to die for… considering the real meat one will kill you. hahahaha seriously I love this place, it’s my regular spot when I find myself near Westwood. Highly recommend for the vegan but also for the person that wants to start weaning themselves off of animal products. I have tricked so many people but not telling them it was plant-​based. My 14 yr old nephew (who knows everything) was moaning about how wonderful the burger was, it was the best one he ever had. Then I had him read the poster entailing the process of plant-​based food. He can’t believe it;s not meat. hahahaha

I was heading down 405 on my way to the airport when I decided to stop here because (1) it’s vegan and (2) it was only 5 minutes off the highway. Coming from NJ where vegan restaurants are sparse, I always try and make a trip to a vegan place in LA when I’m in town since there are so many options.
This place now ranks number one on my list of vegan joints in town!
I had their popular fried chicken run sandwich, a side of lemongrass broccoli, a watermelon Fresca, and a caramel cupcake … All for less than $ 20. Every single item was phenomenal. The fried chicken is by far the best, and most realistic, mock chicken I’ve ever had. Wow!
I hope to come back here soon and try many of the other staples other Unilocalers mentioned.

Let’s be real: Veggie Grill over Native Foods. That’s all you need to know.
I haven’t had a chance to try native foods all these years until recently. I’ve heard really great things about this place, and honestly, I agree that native foods sure embraces your taste buds with both flavor and texture. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed I wasn’t eating chicken if you had given me it somewhere else.
The ambiance is great. They even have a second floor if you want a more isolated feel. My friend and I decided to sit on the first floor since it was more convenient. I ordered the twister wrap, which came with a side of fries, and I also ordered their drinks since my friend recommended I try those out too, which turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
The watermelon fresca is amazing! It is just such a great compliment to your meal while still keeping a light healthy feel. I kept on going for seconds and thirds and so on. I’m pretty sure I lost count how many times I got refills on that drink.
The wrap tasted fine. Nothing too surprising. They also have organic ketchup for your fries, which is nice. Definitely didn’t taste like your regular Heinz variety, but still did its job.
In the end, my meal added up to about $ 15. Not bad for one of those veggie meals. However, you just can’t beat the deal at Veggie Grill if you are a UCLA student. Only $ 7 for an entrée and drink! If you aren’t a student, then Native Foods is definitely a worthy contender.

Food was good. I had the watermelon drink it was not too sweet or heavy at all. food was great, customer service was good the Ambiance was nice and clean would definitely, come back again.

I’ve always loved Native Foods! I used to go to the location in Culver City but that one’s closed. I have to say I think the portions have gotten smaller at Native Foods since my last visit which is disappointing but the food is still good.
PARKING: parking in Westwood is rough but there’s definitely metered parking you can use!
SERVICE: fine, nothing superb to note
AMBIENCE: the upstairs is actually being renovated so seating’s limited but my boyfriend and I grabbed a spot near the window. Cozy place and decorated nicely.
PRICE: each entrée is about $ 10-​$ 15. Reasonable.
FOOD: there’s unlimited refills on drinks which is nice! I got the Soul Bowl (fried «chicken» with brown rice and veggies and cornbread with vegan ranch and BBQ sauce) while my boyfriend opted for the Bangkok curry bowl. They looked pretty similar except the proteins were different. Food was warm and yummy and prepared and cooked well. I definitely enjoyed it but I have to say the portion sizes have definitely been downsized :’(
I’m not vegan but I really like this place! It makes vegan food fulfilling and I don’t really miss meat that much here!

Healthy, fast, clean, and efficient place to eat. I highly recommend this place. Really enjoyed my Bangkok Curry Bowl.

The atmosphere is clean with an organic feel, which makes me feel healthier just by walking inside! :P
But seriously, Native Foods uses high quality ingredients and delivers them to us at very affordable prices. The rewards program gave us $ 10 off of our two entrees, cup of soup, and drinks which came out to a total of $ 30 before the discount. I strongly suggest signing up!
Before I get into the food I will mention the yummy drinks. No soda at this place! The fountain drinks include watermelon juice, unsweetened green tea, berry hibiscus, lavender lemonade (my fave) and more. The seasonal tortilla soup was tasty, and a cup was the perfect size for an appetizer. I could tell that it was made with fresh ingredients. The curry bowl was quite impressive for it not being at a Thai restaurant. I wish there was more sauce on it but regardless, it was a dish that I’d order again. But my favorite item was the roasted vegetable salad! Seriously, the wide array of seasonal veggies combined with the candied walnuts and baby greens. Holy woooww! It was the bomb. I would eat that thing over and over again! :)
So if you’re in the area — or even if you are not, make this a stop for lunch or dinner because you won’t regret it.

If you like whole foods turned into something beautiful and delicious then this is the place for you! I rarely venture into the Westside, but I was at UCLA for a track meet and needed to find some place for lunch and Natives was the first place to pop up (along with a lot of others in the area so A+ Westwood on your vegan selection). We decided to give this place a try and I’m glad we did. I got the grilled tempeh with kale macro bowl. My friend got the burger of the month. It was a blue cheese burger and the burger was made of mushrooms and it came with a bunch of stuff on it (like a slaw) with fries. Everything was delicious. So fresh and satisfying. You know, that great feeling you get when you’ve had a nice hearty vegan meal… when you’re energized by your food, not weighed down by it? Yea, that’s the feeling I had.
They have a great homemade juice selection as well. If you buy a drink, it’s self serve, so feel free to try every one! I tried the watermelon, then the lavender lemonade. Both were so great and not overwhelming sweet.
The vibe was very chill, nice open space with a large window that let’s in the natural light. They also have a vegan recipe on the wall. It looks like they change it pretty regularly. I thought that was a really cool idea.
Overall, I’m glad I have another vegan spot to add to my list.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach! This is what happens when the menu is amazing. I ordered the nachos, the Bangkok curry bowl and fries. The cashew cream cheese was so good. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in Culver City.
There is an option for everyone. They have a lot GF choices as well. It’s a place you can take your non-​vegan friends.

I’m a regular at Native Foods in Westwood. Definitely one of my favorite places to grab lunch or dinner. Everything at Native Foods is vegan, and they have a wide array of menu items including burgers, wraps, bowls, and salads. Contrary to what some people might think, the food is very flavorful and I’ve introduced many non-​vegan people to this place and they love it as well!
My go-​to dishes here are the Portobello Sausage Burger (with a side of fries, either regular or sweet potato– both delicious) or a Twister Wrap with Crispy Chicken and ranch. The drinks are also amazing, including the Watermelon Fresca and the Lavender Lemonade (or you can mix both for a great flavored drink as well). On a separate occasion, I’ve also had their hot chai, which is also very flavorful and a great deal (you get free refills!).
Finally, I’m also a huge fan of their desserts, particularly the peanut butter parfait, as long as you like peanut butter. Their cookies are tasty as well. They often have buy one entrée & 2 drinks, get one entrée free if you get their emails, so look out for those promotions. All in all, this is a great place to stop by if you’re in Westwood and are looking for something tasty to eat!

It’s always a hit or miss with Native Foods for me, but I’ve always had good experiences with this particular Native Foods– maybe because I ordered the right entrees? I recently stopped by this place for dinner, since the bf had buy-​one-​get-​one coupon where you get a free entrée with the purchase of another entrée and two drinks. Even with the coupon, the meal turned out to be about $ 17 which is more expensive than what you could get at Veggie Grill just around the block (which is our go-​to place since they give a discount if you show your Bruin Card). However, maybe it’s just because we eat at Veggie Grill too much, but I think I enjoyed the food here better. I ordered the Southwestern Burger… I don’t know what the «meat» is made of, but it was pretty good; the texture was very meaty. Oh, by the way, I am not a vegetarian but I thought this tasted just as good as a burger. The fries that came with it were just okay, but I prefer Veggie Grill’s fries better (they are thicker yukon gold potato fries; these were skinny fries). The bf got their St. Patty’s sandwich special which came with a side of lime/​dill potatoes– both were super tasty! I would definitely recommend these two entrees. I don’t think they’re the healthiest… but that’s besides the point…
I don’t think I enjoyed the portobello mushroom burger last time I had it (at another location), but remember the fried «chicken» sandwich and sweet potato fries being pretty good.
Anyways– I want to give a shoutout to their awesome drinks! For about $ 3 bucks, you get unlimited refills of delicious lavender lemonade, watermelon fresca, green tea, and more! I mixed those three flavors together (to make it less sweet with the tea), and it was super refreshing. I think I prefer their drinks over Veggie Grill.
All in all, Native Foods is not my favorite place, but I’d definitely come here again especially if they have those coupons again. I just wish they were like Veggie Grill and give discounts for Bruins.

Maybe it was just an off day for this Native Foods but the Bangkok Curry Bowl was the driest, un-​curriest thing I had ever had. It was basically three pieces of tofu on dry rice and semi dry veggies. I had to add Cholula to it just to get any flavor. It was sad.
Otherwise, NF usually doesn’t disappoint. I would avoid the Bangkok Curry Bowl and go with something else. I usually like their Nachos, drinks and pastries.

So I’m not a vegan, nor do I care to be. or sometimes I think about it and then my parents always mention some fancy steak house and then I forget I ever thought about giving up my precious meat.
Anyway, I haven’t seen my brother in over a year. He’s made some extreme dietary changes since the last time I’ve seen him. And I love him dearly. The poor boy has resorted to eating beans and avocados just to sustain himself in my parents home, so I thought I’d surprise him to something vegan, like a real full dinner with appetizers and sides and whatnot.
So as we got in, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It’s somewhat of a fast food joint and the menu was confusing. Upon looking at it, it seemed that there wasn’t very much he could eat because it was more vegetarian than vegan. but upon further pondering I realized that the «meats» were all plant based. He doesn’t do soy, so that went out the window right away, but as soon as I explained that the «meats» are actually made of plants, his face lit up like Christmas day.
We ordered some kind of asian chicken nuggets in sesame sauce (both of our favorite dish of the evening), a rueben sandwich, portobello mushroom burger, and chili cheese fries made from cashew cheese.
Im pleasantly surprised at how tasty everything was, and even more pleased at how happy it made my brother to eat here :)

Being someone who majored in Sustainability, I can honestly say that this place excited me. I was down for anything else that was down for the cause, but this was sadly not it.
I may be a tad hypocritical here, but sustainable food is awesome and great for the environment, but you have to remember it also has to be food.
After eating here (not just once or twice, but FIVE times) I can honestly say that they have consistently left a bad taste in my mouth.
I am all for sustainable food and sustainable goods, but at the same time I am a FOODIE who loves food, and what they served me was not FOOD.
It may have been good for the world, but there were two things it was not GOOD for my stomach and my health.
After eating what I felt was a greasy, gloppy Ban Mi-​type sandwich– i went to look up the nutrition facts… guess what? There basically was no nutritional value in that genetically modified sandwich.
So No. No thank you. Not Now. Never Again. I think we can sustain the planet a different way– that won’t sacrifice my tastebuds.

I’ve been here several times, and Native never fails to impress.
Food: Great! I usually get the daily special and/​or the nachos. Also make sure to ALWAYS get the sweet potato fries, they’re literally some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had.
Parking: Street/​metered, or free for 1 hour with validation in the lot across the street.
Ambience: Casual
Price: good for the portions! It’s like a fast-​casual place, and I usually split a meal or take some home.
Drinks: Great! Get the free drink then try them all because free refills!
Will always recommend to friends and will definitely come back multiple times!

While the food here is wonderful and probably has my favorite vegan dishes in the west la area, it’s a poorly run business and that makes me avoid this place most of the time. This place almost always seems like they are understaffed when you want to dine in; the manager is friendly and I don’t blame him entirely but some of the female cashiers seem clueless and act like they are just hanging out rather than actually working. There is one employee there that is so rude to customers, I’m baffled how she got hired let alone how she still works there. They often have the upstairs section closed off probably because, again, they are understaffed. It sucks because then you feel like a can of sardines eating downstairs. It’s a busy restaurant, they obviously are making a profit, so hire more competent employees and bring your customer service to the same level as your food. As far as recommendations, the Oklahoma burger and chicken ranch burger are so good. I love their ice teas and lavender lemonade, and the oatmeal cream pie is out of this world delicious!

My favorite vegan place! My not vegan friends enjoyed its food too! It has tasty burgers and wraps.

I’ve been here several times, and Native never fails to disappoint.
Food: Great! I usually get the daily special and/​or the nachos. Also make sure to ALWAYS get the sweet potato fries, they’re literally some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had.
Parking: Street/​metered, or free for 1 hour with validation in the lot across the street.
Ambience: Casual
Price: good for the portions! It’s like a fast-​casual place, and I usually split a meal or take some home.
Drinks: Great! Get the free drink then try them all because free refills!
Will always recommend to friends and will definitely come back multiple times!

This is one of the most innovative restaurants I have ever been. People always look for a restaurant which they can eat vegan foods, but there are not many. For those people, here is a good restaurant because you can eat it, so you will not put on weight no matter how much you eat. Many people tend to think that vegan foods are not so yummy, but here is different. There are a lot of delicious and sweet even though they don’t use sugar.
I ate chicken wings and Japanese sesame crusted native chicken bites. There are flavorful and enjoyable. I smelled chicken flavor, but they don’t use chicken, so they cook them by great way to cook.
By the way, atmosphere of this restaurant is really good and comfortable. Chairs, wall, and desks are made up of wood. The servers are also friendly. Here is totally clean and cozy place. This restaurant’s theme seems like ecology and nature, so there are a lot of expressible paints and design which are about nature and eco on the wall. If you go there, you can feel something else which makes you comfortable and relaxed.

The Native Foods Café in Westwood is one of the numerous locations from this vegan restaurants chain founded in 1994. The place’s atmosphere is pretty cozy, its wood tables give the restaurant an authentic feeling and it looks like every piece of furniture has been picked up directly from Mother Nature. I also loved the wood boards hanging on the walls designed to educate customers about ecology, and the hand soap in the restrooms made from recycled-​grease coming directly from the kitchen.
The service was really good and friendly, and even though I came there with a group of ten people, every server and member of the staff gave us a warm welcome and helped us with the menu, always with a smile.
I ordered the Native Southwestern Burger with a side of potato salad and a drink from the self serving machine. This was my first vegan-​burger experience and I have to say that the mock meat got me. It was savory, juicy and it had great meat-​patty texture. The guacamole and jalapenos gave a perfect tangy balance. I still remember the taste of this Watermelon Fresca I chose and now I’m thinking about going to Native Foods after this review to grab a large one.
To conclude this overall experience was great for a very fair price, I paid around $ 14 for a organic, fresh, healthy meal and a Watermelon Fresca to die for.
I’ll definitely come back.

From an unsuspecting carnivore that met a friend here for lunch, I was a bit turned off by the lack of the word «vegan» on their menu. I found this word prominently on their website under «story.» When you’re in-​line and have to order rather quickly, it’s hard to fully look at all of the descriptions. It was pretty obvious that it was at least vegetarian, since most faux meats had the word «Native» before them (e.g. chicken strips, bacon, meatballs, sausage, and burgers). However, it wasn’t clear that the cheese was vegan (e.g. Mac + Cheese: Super pasta in a cheese sauce).
Regardless, I got the Native Chicken, Bacon and Avo Club (two faux meats plus avocado) on a multi-​grain ciabatta roll. The food was alright, but didn’t agree with my stomach later.

Just waited in line to order for 30 minutes with 6 people in front of me. Need to hire more staff during dinner hours.

I feel compelled to write a review for people who aren’t vegan and aren’t thinking about becoming vegan who are considering going there. Just don’t. They have food that is supposed to taste like regular «non vegan» food but it doesn’t. So the chicken that isn’t chicken doesn’t really taste like chicken. Don’t expect it to. Look, if you’re vegan and like that stuff, more power to you. If you’re not and someone tries to get you to go, don’t expect much from it but hey, you can always grab a burger on the way home.

Come to the buffalo wings.
My vegan boyfriend baited me with the buffalo wings, and boy, they were seriously orgasmic. The other stuffs (i.e., native chicken burger, meatball sub, apple cider drink, etc.) are just the cherries on the top.

Excellent vegan food. Specifically my favorites are the buffalo wings, seitan meatball sub and seitan burger.

Native Foods is really growing on me and whoever I take with me always enjoys it as well, vegetarian or not!
Service here was great, our food came out quickly and was prepared and presented perfectly.
Prices and portions are fair and the food is great quality.
I love that they take the time to make everything in house, even all of the sauces.
I went with building my own burger and adding a side salad and really enjoyed it.
Prices well at $ 10, it was a filling lunch that still didn’t leave you feeling overstuffed and guilty the rest of the day.
Restaurant is simple, but clean and modern, perfect for a casual lunch or dinner.
Worth checking out if you are a veggie lover like I am!

Overall 4 star rating. The place is cute and clean. I like how there is upstairs and downstairs seating. They have chalkboards hanging on the wall with descriptions of what their food contains. I felt as though the portions were a bit small, but I love the fact that all the food is plant based.
WARNING: the building next door is undergoing construction right now. The entrance is obscured and there is no parking in front, but they are still open.
Chicken Run Ranch Burger: it is hard to believe that this is their most popular item. The Native chicken was not crispy and I feel like there was too much bread. Also I felt like it was lacking flavor. I probably will not order again.
Chicken, Bacon and Avo Club: this sandwich is delicious. The Native Chicken was actually crispy. The tofu bacon was awesome and avocado makes everything better. Again, I feel like there was too much bread.
Sweet Potato Fries: Seriously so good! They are he perfect texture and whatever seasoning they use is delicious!
Regular Fries: also very good. The texture is great and seasoning is different from the sweet potato fries but equally amazing.
Blueberry Lemonade: I recommend it.
We ordered Togo and the chick who brought our food offered us sauce which I thought was cool.
I would go back here.

This place is delicious! I’ve had the Moroccan Bowl and the Bangkok Curry Bowl. I always get the sauce on the side since places usually drown it in it and it tastes great. I tried the meatball from the Thai Meatball Bowl and I was in heaven! I have to get that next time.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because I haven’t had a wide variety of their menu and I’m basing my review solely on their bowls. Their desserts look amazing as well so I’m definitely going to have to try it!

Native Foods is my all-​time favorite vegan restaurant and the only vegan place I actually crave (and I’m not vegan). My favorite items to order are the gyro bowl and the sweet potato fries with a side of ranch. Their vegan ranch is delicious and better than a lot of regular ranch dressings I’ve had. The gyro bowl is hearty, flavorful, but not too heavy. I have ventured off the menu a few times and it’s good, but the gyro bowl is great.
There is free 2 hour parking before 6pm in the indoor garage on Broxton, and they also validate parking in the indoor garage off of Kinross.

I can’t believe I’m actually downgrading my rating for a vegan restaurant that I love. But my last visit here left me unsatisfied with the quality, it made me question the direction that Native Foods is going.
I’m still a bit unclear as to what the story is with Founder Chef Tanya. Did she sell full ownership of Native Foods? Is she still a co-​owner? The fact that I don’t see her name on the website at all leads me to believe the former. It also has been a few years since other owners have stepped in. Regardless, I still found the food to be delicious and the service to be great.
That is, until recently when a spontaneous visit to Westwood led me to the most unsatisfying Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger I’ve ever had. I’ve probably eaten this same burger at several locations for a total of 15 – 30 times. For starters, this was a bit dry. A very minimal amount of BBQ sauce was present. I had to ask for extra sauce just to give it more flavor. It also was missing ranch sauce. But here’s the real kicker, this dish is no longer served with batter-​fried pickle chips!!! Why would they do that??? It was what made it so special!!! It was the best part of the burger!!! Makes me so sad…
:(
I also had their seasonal dessert, Chocolate Coffee Cheesecake, which looks ridiculously delicious in the newsletter emailed to me but when it was actually served to me, it looked deflated and sad. It wasn’t even worth taking a photo of. Don’t get me wrong, it was still delicious. But I appreciate when my meals involve visual foreplay.
Lastly, the service just seemed so blah. The cashier girl gave off this «whatever, I don’t care» vibe while the food runner had no idea what dessert he was supposed to serve me or that I had ordered dessert at all.
Also, what happened to the weekly specials? Did they get rid of that too???
I’m not sure if this less than excellent food and service is contained to this location but I can tell you that a recent inquiry regarding ingredients via the website’s «contact us» form led to a less than unsatisfactory response. Not sure if the person who responded is from the corporate office but it worries me that they do not have answers to things regarding seasonal items.
I’m hoping that these occurrences are coincidental one-​time events and that future interactions won’t lack heart and soul. I thought about downgrading my rating to 3-​stars since the experience was just A-​OK but I felt that was being too dramatic. I’d like to remain a fan. I guess time will tell.

The interior design and staff are amazing. The menu is fun and creative. I can see why this is such a hip happening vegan place.
After my very pleasant ordering experience, I waited up stairs for my meatball sub. I think its silly they still call it meatball, but whatever. Upon getting it, as it came out rather quickly, I inspected it. The onions, sauce, pesto, and peppers were all quite sexy and yummy. However the meatballs were kinda dry, and the bread was not helping the cause. Needed a lot of liquid to help it down.
Personally I am not a fennel guy, and there was a lot of fennel here. That was off putting to me, butt I can’t knock them so much for something that is a personal distaste of mine. I could definitely see why people like this place so much.
Just don’t let them fool you, it is a vegan place!

Came here for the second time and I don’t know how to explain it but I like the vibe of this place.
Ordered the «rockin Moroccan» and I have to say it’s different– in a good way! A bit spicy but not too spicy and the veggies were cooked just right, not to mention the quinoa is a great substitute for rice that did not make me feel guilty full.
The other thing I got was the tomato basil soup which was quite tasty.
My friend got their lemonade and said it was really good!
It’s not super cheap but it def fills you up without making you feel like crap. I look forward to trying more dishes here.

I’m definitely a carnivore, but I do not discriminate against tasty food and Native Foods is indeed tasty.
Based on my brothers recommendation, I ordered the Bangkok Curry Bowl. The bowl comes with brown rice, steamed veggies, tofu and a ginger curry sauce. It is also topped off with cilantro, but since this girl is allergic, I skipped that.
The combination of favors in the bowl were great and the dish was hearty without leaving you feeling guilty. The veggies included kale, cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli; all cooked to perfection. Although the curry sauce is a little on the sweet side, it was a great compliment to the rest of the dish.
I also tried a bit of their oatmeal cream pie, which is a bit messy to eat but worth it. It’s also quite large, so you could easily share it with someone else.

It makes me feel healthy to come here after going to LA Fitness for my spin class. It’s convenient and fast. I remember when they used to have a much smaller place without much seating at all. They’ve expanded since then so it’s much better.
In any case, I’m not into vegan food that much, but this place is decent! I like their lavender lemonade. It’s not too sweet. Their faux-​meat dishes are decent — meaning the texture is simulated pretty closely. The Greek gyro bowl was not bad at all! Some of the dishes can be over salted but it’s not the rule. The sweet potato fries were pretty good as well.
It’s not super cheap, but it’s vegan! Good service.