CLOSED: Newsroom Cafe

I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my Newsroom Cafe review.

I've been here once or twice in the past. The interior of the restaurant is very spacious and visually interesting. To the right was a bakery case, a coffee and juice bar counter, and in the center and outside on the patio were many tables.

Last I went, it was early in the day and I saw people with huge plates of breakfast foods, so I was excited to try some food. Well, although the menu was extensive, the vegetarian choices were limited, and vegans had only a couple choices. Too bad.

My friend and I both ordered breakfast plates, and the food tasted fine, but I was not happy to discover that an extra $1 was added for a soymilk substitute in my latte.

(actually, this practice of charging extra for soymilk in coffee drinks is common throughout the greater Los Angeles area restaurants, unfortunately)

This place has some of the best tasting vegan food I've ever had!

I happen to think that most of the vegan places in LA have pretty boring food, but this place is awesome! There are lots of vegan options, plus they're happy to make substitutions/changes to make other dishes vegan, too! It's a nice, upscale casual place with a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

I guess the parking can be bad, but, if you go an a weeknight (after 7, I think), there's plenty of free parking along Robertson. The prices weren't too bad, especially considering the quality of the food.

The mushroom ravioli is to die for!

We used to go here more often before so many other all vegan places opened up. It's a good place to go with non-veg people who won't go to a vegan restaurant because you know you'll still have something to eat. Dirk met some co-workers there recently and brought home some leftovers - a vegan quesadilla and scramble. Both were tasty enough. I've liked the vegan ravioli and artichoke hearts on previous visits. The bellinis at brunch are yummy as well. Basically, everyone will find something to eat, but unless you are out to spot celebs, there are other all vegan places to go.

Wow, they have some of the BEST tofu scramble dishes in Town! Plus, if your CRAZY like me its a good place to do some Celeb Sitings:)

Since I can walk to the Newsroom I already love it. But if you have to drive the parking can be iffy. The thing that I really enjoy is that the staff doesn't seem confused when you ask for substitutions, changes, etc to the food items. I ordered a salad but needed to make so many changes to accommodate I thought they would turn me down at some point. But instead they just said "OK" and brought exactly what I asked for. Very friendly!

You have to know that NewsRoom is a celeb hot spot on the popular South Robertson fashion strip. I've sat next to countless celebs there. The food is pretty good, too! They are very nice to vegans and have a ton of options. The vegan buffalo wings are pretty popular. Get a seat outside and a Ginger Rodgers and take in the scene. Its a great walk up and down past IVY, etc. If your in from out of town you'll have a blast. Its great for everyday lunches, too :)

i love the hummus......all the vegetable are really (naturally) sweet like they were dip in syrup. What's the heaven on earth. The roast artichoke dip.....ahhhh......cannt help my self stop eating it.
The menu are large and numerous choice of hot and cold juice. Now,i'm hungry.

I second the last poster's comment. There may not be a lot of vegan options at the Newsroom Cafe, but the fact is that you only need one. The vegan spinadilla is, hands down, my FAVORITE dish in all of foodland. Every time I go I order the Spinadilla and the Iced Mocha Blast with soy milk. And it never disappoints. I have tried to replicate it at home, and have sampled similarly sub-standard attempts at other places, but nothing I have ever had comes close. There is also a really good veggie burger, a pancake dish, and a couple of other items that can be made vegan with slight alteration. But why would you want to even bother with that stuff when the spinadilla is right there on the menu?? This is the perfect place to take your carnivore friends so that everyone can be happy. And it's excellent people watching. I always bring out-of-town guests here because the patio is so pleasant and it's right across the street from the Ivy so you get to experience that surreal Hollywood thing from afar while still having attentive service, good value, and a friendly staff. (sidenote--i tried to give the newsroom 5 stars, but the rating window would only allow me to give 4. this is definitely a 5 star restaurant in my book!)