When my daughter and I went to LA last year, I was surprised at how many vegan options there were. We only stayed for four days so I didn’t explore as many options.

So we decided to stay for a week this time and it was such a fun week!! It wasn’t just about how many vegan spots there were, it was the amount of options there were. There were burger joints, pizza spots, breakfast/brunch, soul food, Thai, Indian, Mexican, and even dessert spots.

The first place my daughter and I definitely stopped at was Aunt Yese’s Home Cooking down in Garden Grove, CA. Hands down one of our favorite spots!! It has both non-vegan and vegan options so both she and I can eat good without the restriction. I had the pleasure of interviewing the owner of the restaurant, Pedro.

(Click here for the full interview)

LA/Orange County had some restaurants that were already in my hometown (Veggie Grill and Loving Hut). However, to see explore new foods, such as a vegan sub sandwich, desserts, and even a grocery store showed me a more variety of options I didn’t think existed.

The vegan store, called Vegan7Market, is a small store where everything is vegan/plant-based. If it had a produce section, it would’ve been a one-stop-shop for me. Either way, it had just about everything you could think of: breakfast, lunch, dinner. snacks, desserts, candies, seasonings, and even alcohol.

There were no shortage of vegan spots. No matter where I was, there was a great vegan spot within a couple miles. Even when I took the girls somewhere where I was confident there wouldn’t be a vegan option for me, turns out there are…and not just an Impossible Burger. Whatever I was in the mood for, there was food for me, even pizza!!

Discovered a Japanese Vegan cookbook in Little Tokyo where I now have the tools to create new dishes from gyoza to ramen. Tried a vegan soul food spot named Jackfruit Cafe and it was amazing. Followed by a visit to a plant-based dessert shop named Hug Life where I had a chocolate brownie a la mode and it was so delicious!!

And to think, I didn’t get to explore them all!! Not even some of the spots I visited last year because there were so many new restaurants I wanted to try. But I will definitely be back to try some more!!