Real Food Daily
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice, Caterer
Hours
Profile
$$ - average
Organic vegan restaurant
Real Food Daily an all-vegan restaurant that offers a variety of dishes, including a vegan take on TV Dinner, as well as things like nachos, spring rolls, a variety of dinners salads, some macrobiotic options and more.
Their entree specials change every week, and desserts also change on a regular basis.
It's also kosher.
Between Beverly & Melrose on the East side of the street.
- (Mostly) Organic
- Brunch
- Delivery
- Kosher
- Large Group-Friendly
- Macrobiotic
- Outdoor Seating
- Valet Parking
Added by Joe Vegan on Apr 5 03 (updated May 14)
Reviews
This is, hands down, my favorite vegan restaurant in L.A. I just moved to Portland and one of the only things I miss is RFD! Having tried many other vegan restaurants (particularly in the Portland area, where there are more of them) I really have learned to appreciate the fact that everything you eat at RFD is made fresh on the premises - the fake meats, the fake cheeses, everything. It makes a HUGE difference in the flavor of the food. I may stuff myself silly when I eat at RFD, but I never feel sick afterwards, which is not something I can say for most other vegan restaurants that serve similar types of food. What I miss most are the mashed potatoes and (crack) gravy, the different Mexican style dishes (with the amazing cashew cheese) and the Sunday brunch which is ridiculous. (I don't even understand how they can make an OMELET that actually has the look and texture of a real omelet but without the eggs!)
I had to knock off a few points for poor service. I've only been here once, so maybe it was a fluke, but my waiter was the absolute worst I've ever had. We had snagged a primo parking spot outside, and we could have freed it up more than an hour earlier if this guy hadn't ignored us for huge stretches of time. It took me 45 minutes to catch his attention to order dessert -- something I normally would have skipped due to poor service, but the whole reason I visited in the first place was because of a dessert recommendation.
Basically, it was the first time in my life I have ever contemplated either (1) perpetrating a dine and dash or (2) completely stiffing the waiter on a tip. That says a lot, as I believe both acts to be pure evil. I did end up leaving a tip, and I meant for it to be measly, but in my nervousness I think I might have miscalculated. I will always live with a mild regret for that possibility!
The food was very good, but if I'm ever back in LA there are just too many places I'd rather go that have equally good food but far superior service.
Food is kind of pricey and parking is a bitch as with anywhere in LA, but the food is great. I have turned many people on to this place - too bad they don't have any in Orange County! (please expand south!!)
I love the "TV Dinner." To be able to eat mashed potatoes and gravy in a restaurant again is a dream! Oh yeah and their Caesar salad is awesome. Yummmmm!!
Real Food Daily is my favorite restaurant! I just love the wonderful menu there. They have so many good vegan options it's hard to make a choice. My favorite? The salisbury seitan! And for desert they have great soy cheese cakes with raspberry sauce. It doesn't get any better than this for vegetarian fare!
This place was fabulous. It is virtually impossible for my husband & I to go out to a restaurant to eat because he is on a macrobiotic healing diet and when we came to the L.A. area and were taken here by friends - well, we were delivered! Excellent food, extremely tasty, great selection, totally healthful and just an all out cool place with patio dining included. Parking may have been a slight problem, but who cared - what with valet parking available. And the staff - extremely polite, friendly, and helpful. We came to eat both nights that we were in the area and the 2nd night met a wonderful server named Jenna who really made our evening special. So, if you're macrobiotic, vegan, vegetarian, or just someone who wants to eat healthy and enjoys delicious food - try it - you'll love it! We sure did. (Thank you Universe - for opening this place up to us...)
I thought the atmosphere was great (some super models were dining there as well) and the menu was well thought out. A little pricey, but competitive with other restaurants in the area. Overall, a great experience and great food. Parking was easy to find on the street.
Last Fall went there (the Santa Monica restaurant branch of RFD) and haven't gone back because my husband and I think we might have gotten sick from a burrito. We had eaten there several times before. The staff does not appear to be a happy one which can be transmitted to the experience and the food.
It has a great menu but it is so small it just can't do justice to macrobiotics. We lived in Austin Texas for about a year (we are not southeners or texans originally) and had access to Casa de Luz which is the ultimate in macrobiotic and / or vegan dining. We are definitely spoiled by that experience and maybe this also shades our experience there. I am glad that there is a macrobiotic restaurant in the area for others, but I wish RFD would visit Casa de Luz and see what more they could do.
nice place. good food, though a little pricy. staff/service is... just okay. parking isn't a big issue.
Joe Vegan recommends: Go frequently; take a date (or two).
This is definitely one of the nicest vegetarian restaurants I've been to. Food, service and atmosphere were all great. A perfect place to go for a nice date or to take your friends who've been letting you crash at their pad during your visit to Los Angeles. (Thanks John and Julian!!)
I love Real Food Daily. The food is the next best in Los Angeles after Madeleine Bistro. And since I can only afford to eat at Madeleine Bistro once or twice a year, I go to Real Food Daily more often. Both the West Hollywood and Santa Monica locations consistently serve great food, and our waiters have been very friendly.
(As an aside, we spotted Alyson Hannigan and Queen Latifah eating at the West Hollywood location on our first visit! It was something of a thrill).
The restaurant has great weekly and salad specials. From the regular menu, the nachos (get them with seitan and jalapeno "cheese") are stupendous. I love to get their salads (so far I've enjoyed both the house salad and the farm chop) with the caesar dressing, which I can't get enough of. The house (tahini) dressing and the peanut sauce are also quite good. I love the El Bandito Rojo, which I get topped with the jalapeno "cheese." Also good are the mashed potatoes and gravy and the chai soy latte.
The desserts vary a bit more in quality, some (the chocolate hazelnut cake and the chocolate espresso truffle) are excellent, while others (the cupcake and the brownies with ice cream) are okay but not as great.
The great thing about RFD is that the menu is huge and everything is vegan. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I go there. It's thrilling to be asked "Would you like that with rice milk or soy milk?" when I order a chai. There are many menu items I haven't tried yet and I look forward to sampling them.
If I could change one thing about RFD it would be the prices. They are sadly typical of Los Angeles -- it is not uncommon to pay $14 or $15 for an entree. On the upside, at least you are getting a full meal when you plop down that kind of cash, which is not the case everywhere in this town (Madeleine Bistro, I'm looking at you). Still, RFD is one of the places that makes me glad to be in LA, and I recommend it highly.