CLOSED: Real Food Daily

Our server, Emily, said we had chosen well. I opted for a caeser salad starter with a main course from their list of specials, jackfruit tacos. My wife got the Real Food Basic Three, where you can select three items from an extensive list of veggies (she selected Garlicky Greens), beans & Grains (she got Quinoa), and proteins (she loved the almond-based "Tuna" salad, saying "How do they do that?"). I could eat Garlicky Greens all day, almost put in a second order. The caeser was very good, and Bonnie said next time she'd order the tuna salad on top of the caeser. Jackfruit was OK, but then we have a favorite place back that makes outstanding jackfruit tacos (Shine Cafe in Morro Bay), hard to compete. It was Wine-Down Wednesday, half price on all wines, so I had the Malbec, which tastes even better at half price. We ate upstairs, away from the REALLY loud music, with a bit more room between tables, and we got excellent service from Emily. Overall, very good food, hope to make it back for brunch sometime.

So many fond memories of trips to this place.
Smart staff, great atmosphere, intense menu, healthy as well as comfy options.

I was so looking forward to going to RFD having read about it from the UK. The food didn't disappoint - it was delicious and huge portions. I was too full after my burrito to have any chocolate cake but bought some to enjoy later. It was fantastic!

It's great there are lots of choices in Santa Monica, maybe we were spoilt by the other places but we found this one to be average. Food was ok, portion size not great, service was really poor. It was kinda busy so maybe it's better at quieter times.

I went for brunch on a Sunday morning and was seated quickly.

For a starter, I ordered the Sea Cake, which I was hesitant to get because I thought it may taste like a crab cake and even pre-vegan I couldn't stand that taste. But the waiter assured me that it would taste nothing like a crab cake, and he was right. What an excellent dish! The flavor of the Sea Cake was not at all fishy, it was highly delectable. It was accompanied by a spicy aioli sauce, which was amazing, and it sat atop a bed of arugula with pesto. It's the type of dish that you'd lick the bowl if you weren't in public.

I ordered the Weekender entree, which included pancakes (I upgraded to blueberry pancakes for $1.50 extra), scrambled tofu, hash browns, and tempeh bacon.

The blueberry pancakes were large, fluffy, buttery, and simply delicious. I would never guess that they're gluten-free.

The tofu scramble was very tasty. It was seasoned very well, but I'd request no tomatoes for my dish next time.

Hash browns were extremely disappointing. Like, seriously... How can you mess up hash browns? They were too hard (and I like crispy papas) and they were flavorless.

Tempeh Bacon had a great smoky flavor but was too hard.

The dessert case housed a massive array of vegan sweeties, but I was too full this time to try any.

I would definitely return for more Sea Cakes!

Being my first time in North America, I had never eaten a Burito before and this place had some great offers.
I do not think I will ever eat a burtio as good as this one. The place was nicely packed and people very friendly!
Not the cheapest place in town though.

the quesidillas were delicious. many options!

I have Ann Gentry's book, Vegan Family Meals, so I definitely wanted to visit her restaurant when we were passing through Santa Monica.

My son had the Not-Chos and they were very delicious. The serving seemed generous and he really enjoyed them.

We had a very friendly waiter who recommended either the veggie burger (lentil and mushroom, I think) with the works or the club sandwich. I went for the burger. While it was good, the texture was softer than I would have liked and there was a spice that didn't work for me. I enjoyed it but would probably try the club or something else next time.

It's always so much fun to go to vegan restaurants because there are so many choices! RFD had so many items to choose from. I wish there was one closer to me so I could sample them all.

No matter if Fit Fathers is in Santa Monica or near the Beverly Center, Real Food Daily is always a must visit. In fact, we typically invite non-vegans here for meetings since the foods are so appetizing. The nachos for example are always a hit. Moreover, your children also have a range such as the kids vegan platter with Buckwheat soba noodles, black beans and steamed veggies. Smoothies and sweets are also available. Yum!

We went for the desserts and were not disappointed. The brownie sundae bowl was awesome and plenty for two people. The salted caramel cupcake was amazing. Be prepared for varying levels of service from overly chatty about the menu items to forgetting to bring water after several requests. I was excited to try the fauxstess cupcakes, but they didn't taste like I remembered the real thing, though it's been about 20 years since I've had one.

Ate here once with a group. Everything was fresh, tasty, and flavorful.

Wish there was one in San Diego where i live now! When I lived in LA I would go to this place and pig out. Fun atmosphere, lots of fellow vegans, excellent, fresh, hearty, wholesome, creative food. What's not to like? With a tasty place like this, I wonder why in the world to people eat animals?!

Real Food Daily was a great place for dinner. We were there late but still enjoyed a full meal. We had sea cake (croquettes) as appetizer - quite good, the real food burger with works - a generous meal, and the real food meal - somewhat uninteresting. The location downtown is convenient. Parking is not a problem, as the city garages are free up to two hours - so there is enough time if you just want dinner.

This place was heaving..!! It took a while to get seated and be served but we didn't mind :) I had the tempeh/avocado burger/sandwich and it was lovely (see photo). There were several other things on the menu I wanted to try but sadly we could only visit once....we will return next time! :)

I make sure to go to Real Food Daily every time I'm in L.A. There are always a ton of vegan, gluten-free dishes and their desserts are divine. Great service, fun atmosphere, highly recommended.

Every single time I go I try something new and am NEVER disappointed! Even when I've been hesitant to order a dish, it comes out and it's amazing!! This place has great service & a great atmosphere, I recommend RFD to anyone. I stop by every time I'm in Santa Monica!

This restaurant is awesome! We ordered the Nachos as starter, then I had the chef sandwich, it was the best sandwich I ever had. They also have very good homemade lemonade. The Tiramisu we had for dessert was also delicious. Staff is very friendly and helpful and they have a good choice of vines. I can recommend this place to anyone and I would definitely go there again, don't miss out on this.

This is by far my favorite vegan restaurant in the area. Friendly staff, great selection. We are always happy with our food. They are also very nice to our 3 year old and accommodating. Cannot recommend this place highly enough.