Vegan
American
Delivery
Take-out
Mexican
Bakery
Catering
Fusion
Gluten-free
Vegan cafe offering a varied menu with salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, faux chickn, daily baked goods, and more. Beverages include smoothies and shakes, organic coffee and teas. Weekend brunch served til 3pm. Casual and small with additional second floor loft. Est. 2009. Sold in 2019 and renamed Viva Vegan: happycow.net/reviews/viva-vegan-santa-monica-166877
46 Reviews
First Review by SuzaFrooz
Shanticlare
Points +442
Delicious Desserts - Edit
The desserts there are among the best desserts I have ever had! I love their coconut cake with blackberries on top. All their cupcakes are scrumptious.
Read moreGuest
RoBeanMartino
Points +217
Glad to have another totally vegan restaurant - Edit
I am always supportive of vegan restaurants and would definitely go back to try other options. I bet the salads and smoothies are good but the macaroni and cheese was NOT good at all to me or my friend. It was so bland and the cheese was like rubber- tasted like Dayia cheese so if you like that, this might be something to try. We also ordered the “tuna melt” and “Rubin”. The Rubin was a little more flavorful than the tuna melt but both tasted pretty bland. The arugula and chickpea salad also needed some flavor!😕 I wanted to try some cake but decided to pass today. For 2 sandwiches, one small side of Mac & cheese and one kombucha the bill was $56 ( $12 tip) so I think that’s too much for what I ate. I won’t go out of my way to go back but would go again out of convenience. Hopefully next time is better
Read morePros: All vegan , Nice selection , Quality ingredients
Guest
ronitw
Points +679
Good Food on Second Floor - Edit
Based on reviews here we headed directly to the second floor. We Shared the spicy dragon rolls and enchiladas. We took a couple of cake slices (coconut vanilla especially recommended) to go. Everything was great though we should have taken the rice and beans instead of asking for a special salad with the enchiladas.
Read moreGuest
AleVibes
Points +148
TASTY!! - Edit
I’m obsessed w the nachos 🤤 they were delicious!! I also ordered the supreme pizza and that was incredible as well. I’ll def be back.
Read morePros: Everything is good , Baked sweets
Guest
cheddabrown
Points +239
Cool little spot - Edit
Nothing amazing, but still had flavor and versatility. I had a simple enchilada plate and it was a generous portion, but could’ve done without the daiya cheese. Their desserts looked amazing, maybe I’ll go back for that cheesecake.
Read morePros: Fully vegan, Versatile and big menu
Cons: Kind of small inside, Kind of expensive, Daiya cheese
Guest
pianomom
Points +230
Loved it - Edit
Pesto Pizza and fruit smoothie were delicious. Upstairs loft was cool!!
Read morePros: 100% vegan, Whole foods based
Cons: Impossible to find parking
Guest
Jaysin586
Points +47
A Great Place To Have My Veganisary - Edit
I had a long day of bad traveling. Sat down and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of homemade items they contained. Ended up with the quinoa curry with their patty, that the server suggested. If I am ever out here again I will be stoping by!
Read morePros: Great Options, Homemade Items
Guest
Joellauruschkus
Points +42
Overall great place - Edit
Let's start by saying that 5 star isn't enough. I had the best tuna melt (untuna melt) I've ever had by far. My friend ha the pesto pizza which was amazing as well. The service was top notch, super friendly and let us take our time ans enjoy our meals after closing time. The desserts looked delicious but we were both so full that we couldn't possibly try any out. If you're visiting LA, this is a MUST GO. You will not be disappointed.
Read morePros: Cheap & good size potions, Great service
Guest
Vipergq
Points +51
great spot with full vegan menu! - Edit
I went all Mexican and got the vegan nachos and burrito. Priced well and portions were decent sized’
Read moreGuest
corasoraya
Points +133
Tasty but expensive - Edit
Nice staff and delicious cake as dessert. The portobello burger and the enchiladas were tasty but not worth the high price. However staff was very friendly.
Read morePros: Dessert, Nice staff
Cons: Expensive
Guest
nafanc
Points +1615
Good but pricey - Edit
Good all around vegan cafe and eatery. Their offerings are fresh and bright and reasonably sized, but definitely on the pricey side for cafe food. We especially enjoyed the fantastic strawberry almond cake.
Read moreGuest
aner1kind17
Points +1193
Great menu - Edit
Great little spot with a huge menu. I had the tofu kale scramble and found it a little bland. However, the rest of the menu looked diverse enough that I would go back to try other options.
Read moreGuest
Matham
Points +502
Very good vegan food, desserts and all that good stuff! - Edit
Very good vegan food, desserts and all that good stuff!
Read moreGuest
FlorentineFelicitas
Points +66
delicious food, friend staff - Edit
Had the chicken teriyaki bowl and loved it. Super friendly waitress. Will be back :)
Read moreGuest
isabellapiga
Points +20
extremely satisfying vegetarian foods - Edit
Without the greece
Read moreGuest
robertandrewsmith
Points +93
fresh, variety, mostly organic, delicious!! - Edit
Had to get the Vegan Reuben to benchmark the restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was best Reuben and the healthiest one I have ever eaten. Ordered the soup and Mediterranean Salad, lentil curry quinoa bowl, carrot cake, and pumpkin Cake. Everything was fresh, healthy, and tasted quite amazing! I would definitely come back.
Read morePros: fresh, variety, mostly organic, delicious!!
Cons: not 100% raw vegan, but incredibly fresh.
Guest
Rona
Points +22
Lovely - Edit
Would recommend 10/10
Read moreGuest
Amiressy
Points +290
It is healthy - Edit
Fresh food. Very healthy ingredients. I did find it a little blend but over all it’s a great place.
Read morePros: healthy
Cons: a little blend.
Guest
HelenaAlison
Points +34
Favorite cafe in LA - Edit
Haven't tried one thing I didn't like there. Delicious Tempeh Rueben. My mom who isn't vegan orders from here several times a week. Would highly recommend it.
Read moreGuest
Poppybutts
Points +22
amazing and pretty healthy vegan noms! - Edit
I had the club because Tempeh bacon (as if anymore need to be explained) 😜 Sooo delicious! The cherry tomatoes that were on the salad it comes with were insanely sweet! Guess they care about there produce quality- how awesome is that? My guy had the Hot heavenly bowl (think that's what it was called?) super quality ingredients and no extra stuff, just kale quinoa and vegan chicken. Quality item for all your health needs 😏 We also had the chips and guacamole as an appetizer and some Kombucha to drink. Great place 👍🏻👍🏻
Read morePros: so many choices, brunch served til 3? yes please 😋, great produce
Cons: only bummer: the dessert case was empty when we we
Guest
WolfPatrick
Points +115
Obscenely Good! - Edit
My whole family ordered take out from this place and we were all amazed! I got the chicken Parm and Nachos and it was soooo good! My grandpa loved the burger, my grandmother loved her burrito, my aunt loved the tuna spicy roll, my uncle loved the Udon noodles and even my little 2 year old cousin loved his pizza!! Usually delivery of most food is subpar but the delivery mattered little here, it arrived fresh!
Read moreGuest
KatieFleming
Points +58
Fantastic! - Edit
We ate here several times during our stay in CA. It was right next to the hotel and convenient for take out after a long day of vacationing. It's also relaxing to stay there and eat. I tried the Macaccino, which is a fun alternative to coffee. I also tried the curry bowl and veggie burger and I would recommend both. My mom loved the chicken parmesan. Also, the strawberry almond cake is HEAVENLY!
Read morePros: Great Food, Large Portions, Take Out Option
Cons: Expensive Smoothies
Guest
ducks
Points +44
Amazing food! - Edit
My friend & I were on vacation and were so happy to find this cute little cafe in Santa Monica. We were equally amazed by the extensive menu & the great customer service! We ordered a pesto pizza & spaghetti and meatballs to share. Both were amazing, but the spaghetti and meatballs were the best I've ever had! We left feeling very happy due to both the amazing service and also the great food!
Read morePros: Friendly service, Great food
Cons: None
Guest
Amber1869
Points +49
great selection - Edit
This restaurant had an amazing selection of vegan options! I had a hard time choosing between all of them? I ended up getting the burrito bowl, which was a amazing! The down fall of this place was that it needed a face lift. The restaurant seem to be a little fun down and the service was not the best. However with a great selection and good food it's a great place to go for some yummy vegan food!
Read morePros: selection , taste
Cons: run down , poor service
Guest
IBANEZ
Points +114
amazing sandwich - Edit
I've been there after searching for some vegan restaurant on happycow and I was shocked for this sandwich with quinoa burger and vegan cheese. I loved it and I wanna come there another time during my trip in LA. Also my friend (not vegan at all) tried one piece of my burger and said the same! Let's go to try it!
Read moreGuest
Angeliquevegan
Points +42
was good - Edit
I try the burger was really good and pizza and tacos was ok , they have variety of desserts they look really nice but I don't try it , the price I think it's little bit too much the tacos they are too small you need to try 2 dishes to make you feel full
Read moreGuest
sambee
Points +135
Good waffles - Edit
We came here around 11am on a Wednesday so I was excited to try some brunch items. Their brunch is served till 3pm daily which is awesome because most of the other places I've been to only serve it on the weekends.
Read moreI got the Belgian Waffle which was great. It was nice and fluffy which isn't the easiest task for vegan waffles. I got a side of potatoes to go with it and these were amazing. Best side of potatoes I've ever had. I know it sounds weird because potatoes are pretty simple, but I've been let down before. These potatoes were great.
My mom got the Vegan Chicken Pesto Panini. Keep in mind she's an omnivore. She said it was ok; we've been to a lot of vegan restaurants and she usually orders some sort of sandwich with chicken, and she said this one wasn't as great as others that she's had. It wasn't bad, but she's had better. She eats real chicken on a daily basis though so she's a tough critic with the mock meats.
My brother got the kids pizza. He's an omnivore as well, and a picky one at that. He said the pizza was ok. The crust was super thin, I believe it might have been gluten free (don't quote me on that). He really liked the sauce and thought the cheese was ok. He ate two out of the four slices which is saying a lot because there are times where he'll order regular kids pizza at Italian restaurants and only eat one bite. I took a bite of it and thought it was ok as well. I hate vegan cheeses but thought this one wasn't horrible. They do smother it in cheese though so I don't think I would've been able to eat more than a few bites, and the crust was way too thin for my liking.
My mom got a Golden Helix antioxidant smoothie which was delicious. I got the creamsicle milkshake. The flavor was pretty good; it definitely tasted like a creamsicle, but the texture wasn't great. I was expecting it to be much thicker.
Overall it was pretty good. I would definitely give it another try. Their desserts looked amazing but we were all too full to try any. They also give 10% off the entire meal if you post a picture of your meal and post it on social media which is pretty cool.
Pros: 10% off bill for social media post, Really good side of potatoes, Friendly staff
Cons: Some of the food was just ok, not great, Slow service
Guest
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