| Venice |
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Seed  
 based on 18 member reviews
1604 Pacific Ave, Venice California
90291
310-396-1604
Type: Vegan, Organic, Macrobiotic, Japanese, American, Take-out
Info: Venice organic vegan restaurant cafe located just steps from the Venice Beach boardwalk. The varied menu features hot sandwiches and pressed paninis, hot bowls, salads, desserts, Japanese teas, and more. Sometimes vegan soft serve is available (usually weekends and in the summer). Food is served in biodegradable disposable ware. Dine inside or out. Wheelchair accessible. Accepts credit cards. Open daily 10am-9pm. Price: Moderate.
Reviews | More About This Business |
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| "Must have the desserts"
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My Rating |
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69 |
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Posted on: Sunday, October 11, 2009 |
Review: I've been wanting to try Seed for a long time, but just never get over to Venice. I finally had the opportunity when meeting a friend for lunch today. Seed is very much like M Cafe, but it's all vegan. No fish! Yay! You order at the counter where you can ogle the fabulous desserts. The lady behind the counter was very friendly and I saw Eric running around too.
My friend had the Southwestern burger which she enjoyed and she shared her side order of sweet potato fries with me - just perfect! I had the soyzzarella tomato & basil panini which was very tasty, but I'm partial to it at M Cafe as well as I miss caprese. I took a blackened tempeh burger home to Dirk which he devoured. The ciabatta bun made it really good.
Onto the desserts - Eric makes the best desserts as anyone who has had them at M Cafe can attest to. Even though I eat them every time I go to M, I didn't make the connection to Eric until we went on the holistic holiday at sea cruise a couple of years ago when Eric and Sanae were doing a vegan macrobiotic dessert baking demo and I tasted his tiramisu. Just heavenly! So, of course, when I saw it in the dessert case today, I had to have it! I also brought home a piece of raspberry mousse cake - yum! You could really taste the fresh raspberries. The desserts are very European (with less sugar - the way we like it!). Seed deserves 5 cows just for the desserts IMHO.
Pros: desserts!!!!! * vegan macrobiotic * nice staff
Cons: no restroom * * |
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| "Didn't meet my expectations, but I would go again"
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My Rating |
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54 |
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Posted on: Sunday, October 11, 2009 |
Review: I went here with high expectations because I had read a lot of hyped up reviews, but I honestly was not a fan of the burger that I ordered. The sweet potato fries were amazing however, as was the cupcake that I came back for later in the afternoon. The location near Venice Beach is perfect since there isn't much for vegans on the actual boardwalk. I would definetly go again and hopefully enjoy my food more than I did the first time that I went.
Pros: location * decent prices * sweet potato fries
Cons: didn't like burger * * |
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| "Good find"
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My Rating |
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85 |
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Posted on: Saturday, August 15, 2009 |
Review: We visited Seed and had a very nice lunch. Can't say it was my favourite place in Los Angeles, but it's definitely worth visiting if you're in Venice Beach. The salads are beautiful and interesting. They mix a lot of ingredients and everything is super fresh. My wife had a really nice tempeh salad with chickpeas with a wonderful dressing. I had a soysage panini that was a little disappointing. Certainly tasty enough on its own merits, it was not what I expected and didn't seem like soysage at all, more like crumbled tofu. I was hoping for slices of firm sausage, and didn't get it. The sweet potato fries (at another table) looked great. We also had a tiramisu - the first we've tasted since going vegan. Very good texture, though a stronger coffee flavour was expected. All in all, a very nice lunch, though hardly excellent.
Pros: healthy * interesting options *
Cons: * * |
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| "fresh and healthy"
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My Rating |
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10 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 |
Review: I've had food from Seed twice and both times have been very good. The panini sandwiches and macro bowl are my favorite. Oh, the cupcakes are good too. The staff is friendly and even the customers are friendly.
Pros: fresh * delicious *
Cons: small * to go dishes * |
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| "Very Tasty"
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My Rating |
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16 |
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Posted on: Sunday, June 14, 2009 |
Review: We sat outside to enjoy the sunny day, and ordered a southwest burger and a macro bowl. The burger was thick and tasty, with good flavor, and we quickly devoured that. The macro bowl was healthy, although it wasn't a lot different than what I would have cooked for dinner at home! We also shared the sweet potato fries, which were good and brought us up to the "full" mark. The restaurant has a casual atmosphere and it is a great place to just hang out and enjoy good food on a fine day.
Pros: good range of foods * casual atmosphere *
Cons: * * |
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| "Great"
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My Rating |
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9 |
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Posted on: Thursday, May 28, 2009 |
Review: I had the mediterranean burger. It was really good. The place itself it really nice. There is places to eat inside or out. If I was in the area again I would definitely go again!
Pros: great food * nice atmosphere * friendly staff
Cons: * * |
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| "Vegan Soft Serve makes me smile"
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My Rating |
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2 |
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Posted on: Monday, May 25, 2009 |
Review: Recently I had my first visit to Seed. I was greeted at the counter with a smile. I ordered the Soyzzarella Panini - creamy pesto, soy cheese, and fresh tomato inside perfectly toasted bread. It was delicate and melted in my mouth. I want to learn their pesto recipe! The man at the counter even checked on me during my meal, using my actual name. What a nice change. And for desert, the vanila soft serve. I ordered the large size. The vanilla bean really came out in every bite. I will be going back as soon as I have a little cash to drop. Next time I'll be getting a cupcake everyone has been raving about. I only wish there were less people who enjoyed venice beach so I wouldn't have to compete with traffic.
Pros: texture * service *
Cons: traffic * * |
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| "Good experience."
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My Rating |
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162 |
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Posted on: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 |
Review: I was very pleased with Seed. I had a few things from here; sausage panini, chocolate truffle, and chocolate chip cookie. Overall I was happy with everything I got. The sausage panini was very good (everything is thinly sliced it) and the other half of it tasted good hours later on my plane ride home. The chocolate truffle was very good and the cookie was good but not fantastic. I will more than likely be back here on my next trip.
Pros: * *
Cons: * * |
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| "Yummy Food"
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My Rating |
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11 |
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Posted on: Friday, March 06, 2009 |
Review: I loved the food - I had a panini and carrot soup which were both great, but nothing compares to the Green Tea Cupcake I had - yummy! The staff was friendly, but the food took a while and there was NO BATHROOM. Parking was also difficult.
Pros: Cupcakes * Tasty Food * Friendly Service
Cons: No Bathroom * Difficult Parking * Slow Service |
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| "Good eating experience"
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My Rating |
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8 |
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Posted on: Monday, January 19, 2009 |
Review: Seed is a nice cafe-style eatery in the heart of Venice Beach in Culver City. After reading about 'Seed' in Veg News magazine, my wife and I decided to drive down from Ventura to have dinner with a friend. We ordered Sweet potatoe fries, which were exceptional. We also ordered the regular fries (Pommes Frites) which had an uncanny resemblance and taste to McDonald's french-fries. The Barley iced tea, oddly enough, had a slight hint of coffee. Strange, but it did. I tried the Non-alcoholic Pinot Noir drink that was OK. The Japanese Vegetable Curry (I felt) needed more coconut milk to sweeten it up a bit. The best dish we had was the Southwest Burger, without a doubt. The wheat bun was perfectly slightly crunchy on the outside. The bean & grain burger inside was very tasty. We also had the BBQ Tempeh Burger which we liked, but felt needed more Tempeh. We also tried one of the grain bowls called 'Mango Tango'. The seitan eggless-eggroll included in the dish was very tasty, but a little greasy. For dessert, we tried the Ice cream (Vanilla flavor) that was good. The chocolate chip cookie that we tried was a bit dry and bland. The Chocolate Mousse Terrine was very good. Overall good dinning experience. I would recommend it to others, and will return to sample other offerings on their menu.
Pros: Proximity to Venice Beach * Exceptional Sweet Potatoe Fries * !VEGAN!
Cons: No public restroom :( * eggless-eggroll a bit greasy * |
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• Just need to correct you... Venice Beach is not in Culver City... Venice is its own city - Culver City is about 4 miles east of Venice.. response by calnative
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| "Sprouting Seed"
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My Rating |
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296 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 |
Review: Finally, visitors to Venice Beach have a real choice for good veggie grub!
I've been here several times already and have tried many of the dishes. What I like best are the cupcakes that are so moist and yummy (the frosting is delicious), the kale and almonds salad, the chop salad, and the tempeh burgers. My husband likes the hot panini sandwiches. The iced green tea is very refreshing, and the barley tea is tasty.
It's counter service set-up with seating provided, and food is served in environmentally friendly to-go ware.
I recommended it when visiting Venice.
Pros: quick service * pleasant decor * no frills
Cons: * * |
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| "good healthy food, nice location"
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My Rating |
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10 |
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Posted on: Monday, November 17, 2008 |
Review: The place is cozy inside, the staff is very friendly and accommodating. I had a thai curry bowl with brown rice and it was good, not mind blowing, but good - it did not have enough flavor for me though. Next time I will try panini - it looked delicious. Chocolate chip cookie was very tasty but had a different from traditional cookie texture and very mild taste, still - delicious. Unfortunately, the ice making machine was broken, so we did not get to try the ice-cream. Overall, good job guys! Finally, we have a vegan place to eat when we go to the beach.
Pros: healthy tasty food * good customer service * vegan ice-cream
Cons: no bathrooms!!! * hard to find parking on a warm day * |
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| "So yummy yet so far!"
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My Rating |
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11 |
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Posted on: Sunday, November 16, 2008 |
Review: I was starving when I arrived at Seed so I started off with a moist coconut creme frosted cupcake. The frosting was decadent and I could taste real bits of coconut which was nice. The cake itself was very moist and fresh (my cupcakes don't come out this moist!). I had the tomato soyrella pesto panini which was devine! The pesto was perfecto! My husband had a black bean burger which he was very pleased with and we split an order of sweet potato fries. I don't think I can go back to regular fries- these were so awesome! They were HOT and fresh and crisp but not too crispy. The service was great, the atmosphere was really pleasant, and the food was outstanding. If you live in the area this is a place you must try and won't regret. Only bummer was the soft serve machine was still down. Once they get that going the place will probably get twice as packed! ;)
Pros: Excellent food * Friendly staff *
Cons: * * |
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| "A new world of dining for macrobiotics and vegans!"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Friday, November 14, 2008 |
Review: I just dined at Seed and I have to say that it was excellent. I took my time and chewed well (something I've been doing that I never did before - and this is emphasized in the macrobiotic world) and it only enhanced my dining experience. Seed has a diverse menu and crowd, with food that would be pleasing to anyone, macrobiotic/vegan or not. The atmosphere is relaxing and pleasant, and for a restaurant that has not been open for even two weeks, the traffic was pretty darn heavy! I highly recommend this restaurant. I really enjoyed the Indian Curry, and the Mango Tango was great too. The head chef Eric is very talented, and whips up amazing dishes. Keep up the good work Eric and Sanae!
Pros: excellent food * healthy cuisine * friendly staff and great atmosphere
Cons: * * |
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| "Seed"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Thursday, November 13, 2008 |
Review: At the recommendation of HappyCow, my lady friends and I have eaten at Seed a few times. Each time we would order different dishes from the menu and share. All in all, our experiences have been positive with mixed reviews on the food.
We all agree that the grilled panini sandwiches are wonderful (all of them) as are the veggie burgers with tempeh (a blackened one that's nicely peppered with herbs and a bbq sauce one that's a bit sweet and very tasty). The chop salad and the kale salad are very good, too.
But the bowls and the currys we've tried can be improved or modified. Today we had the Japanese curry, and it was so spicy that we couldn't finish it (I like the pumpkin and carrots in the curry but the mushroom seemed like a strange ingredient). We also tried the seitan beef bowl, which was uncomplicated (simple bowl of brown rice/veggies/seitan), and the seitan was tough and hard to chew. The best bowl to try is the Japanese macrobiotic one (with brown rice, beans, seaweed, kale).
The best part is the desserts. Excellent cookies and cupcakes. Must try a cupcake.
Pros: quick service * sandwiches & burgers * desserts
Cons: to-go container only * currys and bowls need improvement * |
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| "Thanks Eric and Sanae!"
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My Rating |
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1 |
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Posted on: Sunday, November 09, 2008 |
Review: Great lunch today at SEED!I ordered the saisai donburi macro bowl, and it's just like I'd make my lunch at home: only just about a million times better...I like when I go out and I don't have to order something too different from what I eat...anyway...this bowl from heaven comes with kabocha, kale ,shiitake, arame seaweed, beans of the day (today was pinto), sauerkraut and a yummi balsamic-miso sauce (which I almost drunk), served on a bed of brown rice.The place was packed!!!Word of mouth already started to spread!
I was totally satisfied, but what I was more happy about was that I got there, and I got to hang out with people I mostly know.
It's not just a great place to eat, but it's a nice and comfy place to just hang out.
Also,there will be every tuesday night at 7pm the Macrobiotic Community Evening...can't wait to attend#ciao
Pros: great location * friendly waiters * fast service
Cons: * * |
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| "echoing the previous review"
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My Rating |
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304 |
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Posted on: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 |
Review: Same style of food as MCafe but 100% Vegan and wins over MCafe hands down! There's plenty of metered parking in front of Seed. Do NOT skip out on the cupcake, they are WAY better than M's, actually probably the best in LA. Super moist. Right now the restaurant has to serve everything in a to go container, but you can eat there (no public bathrooms so plan ahead) (they are waiting for zoning changes so better to be open and serving great vegan food in containers than to not serve it at all) I highly recommend the Tempeh Burgers! I plan to try everything on the menu, though! ALSO THERE IS A SOFT SERVE VEGAN ICE CREAM MACHINE! Sorry for the caps, but its needed! It wasn't operational when I was there, but I assume it is now.
Hours are 10-9pm First all vegan restaurant in Venice since Good Karma closed so much needed!
Pros: softserve * parking * cupcakes
Cons: no bathroom * to go containers * |
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| "Highly Recommended"
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My Rating |
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31 |
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Posted on: Monday, November 03, 2008 |
Review: Hurray for Seed! Finally, an all veg place in Venice. It's a cute little cafe with excellent, quality food--creative and healthy (well, except for the sweet potato fries and french fries that are quite decadent but yum). And the desserts are heavenly. Great tempeh burgers, unique salads, and the chocolate chip cookie is yum. Highly recommended when in the Venice area.
I am one happy cow. Thank you for bringing Seed to the neighborhood.
Pros: delicious * creative and balanced food * pleasant atmosphere
Cons: * * |
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