The Spot Natural Foods

This is my taco Tuesday joint. Everything is healthy and home style cooked here. A South Bay staple for sure. I've been coming here since I was very young.

It's a bit easy to overlook being that it's a kind of homely hole-in-the-wall. Totally worth it though.

We decided to go to the Spot after looking for a restaurant by the beach. The portions were so big, two or three people could split one meal. The super burrito was as big as my arm! I got the tamale plate which cam with a tamale, a soft taco, and enchilada, along with a HUGE portion of rice and beans. The tala me and soft taco were good, the enchilada, not so much. Way too spicy and just didn't taste good. The waitress suggested I get the vegan gf burger as the protein inside of the taco. She said it was the best she ever had. I do not agree...it was tasteless and I regret not having tofu instead. Overall, everyone enjoyed their meal.

Groupon is for Dine In Only... ouch...even if you drove an hour an a half to get to them and are late to your next appearance. We had to come back at 9:30 to have dinner. Although our server and support staff was cool, friendly, and attentive, the front desk staff was cold and had defensive body language, but suspiciously nice to other customers and even had two seemingly regular customers come in and talk at length about the weather, health, and yoga positions which they semi demonstrated to each other.

Veg out,

Veggie Army

a little dark when you first walk in, best place to sit is definitely the back patio. staff is friendly and they were great about tailoring my meal. salads and dressings are yummy and i love that they sell gt's kombucha! My daughter loves the veggie burger!
Updated from previous review on Wednesday August 21, 2013

Went here for the first time this past weekend after a day at the beach.

It is a good casual hippy beach food kind of place. No air conditioning, small bathrooms, and metered street parking (it's impossible to park anywhere at Hermosa Beach though).

The food was good, simple, but good. The service was friendly and informative about the menu and the history of the restaurant (which was founded in 1977 and boast the tile of "The Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant in LA".

The best thing by far though was their special sauce. They brought it out in a bowl of it's own with our food and told us they serve it with everything and that we can dip or pour it over anything we wanted if we so desired. Once I tried it, I put it on EVERYTHING it was so good! Simple, but perfectly proportioned.

If you want to brave the parking in Hermosa Beach for a casual hippy lunch I would say it may just be worth it for that sauce alone.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday July 08, 2014

Updated from previous review on Tuesday July 08, 2014

Updated from previous review on Tuesday July 08, 2014

I was really disappointed with the food here after reading the great reviews. I ordered the tamale/taco/enchilada combo plate- it was nothing special, really lacking in flavor. The tamale appeared to be a store-bought frozen variety, full of frozen peas and carrots- lame! The cook looked like he really didn't care- about his sloppy appearance or the food. I'm not eager to come back. The server was very friendly though.

Very tasty enchiladas and I had the tacos earlier today. Excellent!

I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my The Spot Natural Foods review.

The atmosphere was pleasant, each table draped with a colorful cloth. Friendly waitress.

The food was simple and healthy. From the many options of the menu, my friends and I got the savory garden burrito, the tamales/taco/enchiladas combo plate, the Spot veggie burger, and a plate of rice/tofu/beans, a cookie, and a blueberry cobbler. The portions were generous, and the taste was simple and mildly flavored... pretty basic.

It's located just 1 block from the beach.

I LOVE The Spot! I've been eating here for years so I thought I would write a review. Ate there today actually! My favorite dish is the Dear George on rice which is steamed veggies and tofu smothered in Savory Sauce. OMG! The Savory Sauce is sooo good! You can buy a container of it there and at the local Whole Foods too. The Spot Salad is awesome too. The portions are seriously generous and the menu is quite extensive.

I love going to a place where they know my name and make me feel so welcome. The location is beautiful, and right after dinner you can go take a walk along the strand to see the sunset.

I'll echo an earlier poster and remind you to take lots of quarters for the meter. Don't forget! Hermosa is notorious for tickets!

If you're in LA for a visit, or a local, go to The Spot! You'll be happy you did! :)

I love this restaurant! I first ate here around 20 yrs ago and it's always been great. The savory sauce is so good and yummy. I don't know that I've ever had anything bad here myself. Great location too! You can buy their cookbook and it has my fav recipes inside.

I actually ended up here by mistake forgetting the name of the Veg restaurant I was going to nearby and navigating to the Spot. When I realized the scene didn't look familiar I quickly hopped on their website and noticed the magic words "Fat Free and Dairy Free available" Being a die hard McDougaller I was ECSTATIC to see the options on the menu. We tried the Burrito and Spud. I can't tell you how nice it is to get a Spud (with Mushroom Gravy instead of the special sauce) covered in wonderful veggies. Pure heaven! I left fully satisfied and plotting my next visit!

I've toured a lot and have been to many vegetarian restaurants throughout the US and The Spot is by far the best place I've ever been to. Located about a block from the ocean, the spot delivers home-cooked style american dishes, like faux meat loaf. If you go you must try to tahini or special sauce. I think i like the spot because all their food tastes so great and it feels like something that mom would make. I would definitely recommend going to the spot if you live in the los angeles area.

First off let me state that the "Great Spud" or "Giant Spud" or whatever it's called was excellent. I had mine made with vegan cheese and topped with vegan "burger." My wife had the Tacos (vegan) which were pretty good but the tamale had a "freezer burn" taste to it. There was one thing that started off the dining experience on a sour note. Vegan Quesadilla with soy cheese. Note to The Spot: Just because you put shredded cheese between two tortillas does not make it a quesadilla. The soy cheese wasn't even melted or hot. It was pretty dismal. On the upside if you avoid the soy quesadilla this place probably has what you're looking for! The fresh squeezed orange juice was also great.

Read the great reviews and was super excited to go here when we were on the area. I am vegan and my hubby is a straight carnivore. I got the Spot Burger (original veggie burger) with soy cheese. It was nice but nothing spectacular. It seemed a little mushy and undone in the middle. I could have made it myself. The almond rice tasted like plain brown rice with some cut up almonds. Could have used more seasoning and maybe toasting the almonds for more flavor. The iced tea was the best part----a blend of lemon zinger, cinn apple and I think chamomile. Very yummy.

My meat loving hubby got the tempeh enchilada with organic non-soy cheese. He said it was very average and bland. NOthing he would ever order again.

I sooo wanted to love this place but for the price ($40 for lunch) I was very underwhelmed. :(

I have been going to The Spot off and on for years. I grew up in the South Bay but didn't discover it until I went vegan 4 years ago. Now I travel back to my old stomping grounds as often as possible to eat the always consistant, hearty, and healthy food at The Spot! Last time I went I purchased the cookbook and have been eating the Mexorama everyday this week. Anything is delicious with the savory sauce smothered on top. I usually get the savory steamer but this last time the super helpful waiter suggested the mexorama (which is my usual with pinto beans too) and I am hooked. The pinto beans are wonderfully seasoned, not spicy but not just plain beans either. Go visit this restaurant! It has such a feeling of community about it. Yes it is cash only but they will accept personal checks if you forget (which sometimes I do!).

Does not accept credit cards, so bring cash. Have to pay at the meters so bring change too. Great food and service. Low key place near the beach. Love the tacos with veggie burger crumbles. Veggie burgers are huge. Nice organic beers. The sometimes daily special tamale pie is not that good in my opinion, it has too much corn meal. Chili is very tastey, just a little too spicey for me. They have soy cheese available for every dish which is great.

I have been going here for quite a while. The food is wonderful and in huge portions. The staff is super cool and friendly too which is very important to me. I just love the savory sauce. It's so yummy.

I really appreciate the Spot. They were one of the 1st fully vegetarian restaurants I ever frequented, and they remain stable and consistent over the years. Their baked tofu, tempeh and other delicious items are always available, and many of their specials have become regular menu items over the years, such as the Neptune Loaf and Mushroom Walnut loaf. This restaurant will please any vegetarian looking for a full menu of items to order from. Their soups are also very hearty.

Whenever we're in the South Bay area, we like to eat at 'The Spot' in Hermosa Beach. We went there tonight with the kids and in-laws. My usually picky 6 year old daughter ate not one but *two* plates of spagetti! :-)