Sunday, October 19, 2008

VeganMoFo: Restaurant Review - The Veggie Grill, El Segundo CA



Mmm, Mmmm. I like The Veggie Grill. It's the kind of place that I wish there were more of around here, especially near non-veggie fast food establishments which would give people more choices. The Veggie Grill is a no nonsense, non-fancy, non-hippy yet healthy vegetarian "fast food" restaurant that serves reliable foods like sandwiches, burgers and salads. I would be totally comfortable bringing my non-veggie friends here because there is nothing 'weird' on the menu (except maybe the tempeh) and I think most will feel comfortable with what they have to offer. All of the sandwiches and burgers feature a "meat" like "veggie-steak" or "chickin'" which look and taste very similar to the real thing. All items on the menu have no cholestorol (yay!), no trans fat and no high-fructose corn syrup. Everything is vegan.

I had the Chipotle BBQ sandwich which was shredded "veggie-steak" in a tangy BBQ sauce with chipotle ranch and caramelized onions. Yummy. The texture was nice, tender and perfectly seasoned with a tangy, spicy sauce. My husband had the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin' sandwich which was their fried chick'n with southwestern spiced mayo. I didn't have a bite of his sandwich but he assured me that it was very good. You have an option of getting sweet potato fries on the side at an additional cost, otherwise you'll get red cabbage slaw which was actually very fresh and crunchy. This place does not have sodas like Coke etc. but you can get different flavored iced teas, fresh lemonade, natural sodas and juice. I had a dark red lightly sweetened herbal fruit tea which was refreshing and delicious. Visit The Veggie Grill when you get a chance and see for yourself that eating vegan and healthy does not have to be tasteless and unsatisfying!


Chipotle BBQ sandwich


Santa Fe Crispy Chickin' sandwich

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (5 being the best)
Pros: Great sandwiches. Menu is friendly to vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Nice selection of iced teas.
Cons: A little more expensive than a normal fast food restaurant but for the quality it is worth it.
Website: VeggieGrill.com

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks awesoeme! Those sandwichs look mega tasty!!

Unknown said...

kmouse-I really like your blog! Your recipes and photos are inspiring. We made your enchiladas awhile ago, and last night we made those quesadillas with the tofu cream cheese. Amazing! My husband was in love.
I look forward to making more of your recipes!
Laura

Jen Treehugger said...

Mmmmm...they both look sooo good!

kmouse said...

laura,
I'm glad you are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for trying them out~ :)

Meg said...

Those sandwiches look amazing. Good enough reason to drive 7 hours to El Segundo. Right? Right? ;)

kmouse said...

herbstsonne,
Wow, 7 hours that's a little far! :) Next time you visit L.A. you should definitely make a stop at the Veggie Grill. (And Native Foods, Real Food Daily, California Vegan etc. etc...)

VEGAN TICKLES said...

My husband and I also love this place so much, we visit almost every Sunday afternoon. I think this place is THE best vegan restaurant in Ca. bec, non vegans don't feel threatened here.

kmouse said...

vegan tickles,
I wish I could go every Sunday afternoon! I think my husband would get sick of it.
I hope they start opening more restaurants throughout southern CA. It would be nice if it started catching on with all restaurant-goers! And you're right about omnis not feeling threatened about this place. The only thing I wish is their decor was 'warmer' if you know what I mean. It's kind of too 'Ikea' chic and cold.