Native Foods

So I'd heard good things about Native Foods but had never really thought much about it. First of all, it's in Westwood, which is an area I try to avoid.  It's packed with students, which makes me feel a mix of nostalgia and jealousy. Let's face it. No one wants to feel old. Secondly, I live in Los Feliz so it doesn't really make sense to travel to the west side for good vegan food when we have Pure Luck. However, I work in Brentwood and didn't have any lunch today so I figured why not give it a try? Oh man am I glad that I decided to stop by!

The wait staff is friendly.  By signing up for a free Native Foods rewards card, I received a complimentary beverage. I chose the lavender lemonade. It was sweet without being overpowering and just yummy. It also came with free refills, though each refill comes in a plastic cup which I wasn't over the moon about.  I ordered the cup of chili and the voluptuous veggie pizza.  Man oh man, I can't get over how good each item was.  First the chili: it was the perfect ratio of beans to fake meat to onion to vegan sour cream. Sooo yummy that I practically licked the bowl clean.  It comes with a large chunk of cornbread, which I totally nibbled despite my corn allergy. It was a little dried out but inside was squishy and perfect. I only wish that I could actually eat corn without having intense allergic reactions!

Then the pizza showed up and it was amazing. The kale on top had a savory dressing so it was like a mini salad. Then the veggies were roasted and yummy with creamy pesto. The dough was great, so fluffy. A little oily (I admit I smeared oil fingers on my iPhone trying to take pictures) but I loved it. Everything was so good.  All this was only $16.03 with tip.  That's way less than Real Food Daily and several other vegan restaurants around town.  So I guess what I'm saying is if you live in LA, get in your car right now and head over to Native Foods. You will not be sorry.