Pure Luck Restaurant

I’ll make this one quick since they have closed up shop: I went there strictly because I lived in K-​town and love craft beer. Being a lifelong omnivore, I was looking forward to trying some vegan fare with my beer.
The jackfruit items (I had a burrito and my friend had a pulled «pork» sandwich) looked great, but the texture and flavor were, in a word, gross. The gnocci was mushy and flavorless. If not for the beer (and going to Scoops across the street afterward), this would have been a total bust.
If this is the food vegans went crazy for, I feel bad that their food choices are so limited.

My boyfriend and I shared our very first date here, so this little gem holds a special place in my heart. I’m saddened to see that it is no longer in business.

Yeah, I know I’m reviewing a closed restaurant, but deal with it. This vegan restaurant deserves a good eulogy.
Food: I’m not going to lie. My experience with vegan food amounts to perhaps two meals at best. What I do know is that vegan usually gets a pretty bad rap among food enthusiasts and that what I ate at Pure Luck was purely scrumptious. We pigged out on fried dill pickle chips (
) and I indulged myself with the tofu pesto sandwich with a side of tomato soup (
). While the soup tasted like marinara (can’t put cream in like most tomato soups) the sandwich was crispy and bursting with tangy flavor. It was one of the better sandwiches I’ve had in awhile, vegan or not. The dill chips were coated in a batter with the consistency of cornmeal and were practically inhaled by everyone at the table.
Atmosphere: Obviously catered toward hipsters. There is no shortage of ironic cat (
) and disapproving baby (
) paintings on the walls and the employees were randomly dressed in vampire costumes just for the heck of it.
Service: Sooo good. They really take care of you here. Of course, I still don’t get why they closed when they had tons of customers and loads of good reviews!
Synopsis: Farewell Pure Luck. You will be missed.

Relax folks!
Pure Luck is closed but not for good. They have plans to re-​open across the street on the south side of Melrose (where Pizza Paul’s currently operates). They plan to have their own microbrewery as well! It might be a while but they’ll be back. I know the owner personally and he told me this.

My last meal here: ginormous spring rolls, a tofu pesto sandwich, and a couple of beers.
All this AFTER sharing a bottle of wine and scoops.
Damn right, I stuffed myself.
Goodbye Pure Luck. The lines right now are ridic, but that last hurrah was worth it.

Word on the street is Pure Luck may be around for another week or two due to escrow fun (thanks to quarrygirl’s post update
) so get there while you can!
The closing of this restaurant is truly sad. The magic of their jackfruit «meat» has satisfied many carnivores. They have taught other veggie restaurants that faux meats can be made with real food (marinated jackfruit), not just processed soy and gluten.
I am glad that I have been lucky enough to dine at Pure Luck and hoping they reappear after their closing. If I am so LUCKy…
While I wasn’t head over heels in love with their fish burrito, discovering this restaurant long ago and reading about their jackfruit tacos made me buy some canned jackfruit of my own to cook.
Tasty and tangy soup, fresh salad, fried pickles, so much vegan goodness! Lots of junk food? Maybe, but also some great whole foods too!
Located across the street from vegan-​friendly Scoops, it’s going to be hard to match the awesomeness of this place.
Pure Luck, you will be missed. i just wished I could have visited more (seriously, the closed on Sunday thing killed it for me so many times).
xoxo
I guess I’ll have to make my own jackfruit tacos now!

Well hello there BBQ Jackfruit «pulled pork» sandwich! How YOU doin?
I see you there with your savory-​seasoned jackfruit topped with tangy BBQ sauce, onions and pickles.
I want to devour you and lick up any remaining yumminess.
…except you are too big for me to handle in one sitting. Must take you home!
Ohhh Fried Pickle Chips! What are you doing to me?
I can’t resist your crunchy cornmeal coating and tangy dill pickle-​y goodness.
Must. Eat. You. All. Up.
Soup of the Day… meh.
So unmemorable that I even forgot your name. But you made a great wingman to that BBQ Jackfruit sandwich!

If you order Tom’s BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with sweet potato fries or rosemary fries, along with their soup of the day or a side taco with jack fruit disguised as meat… then you cannot go wrong and will give this restaurant a five star rating.
however…if you come to this restaurant and order their fake fish tacos, burritos or salads, you may be disappointed with this place.
It’s hit or miss depending on what you order.
Beer is excellent.
No dessert… but there is Scoops right across the street
Prices are affordable (between $ 8-​$ 16 per person not including drinks).

Great little place, came here with a friend and neither of us had been here before. Glad we came in, small restaurant, servers were really nice and they had a nice selection of draught beers. It was a friday night, and it was nice they were open until midnight, not many places serve food that late anymore, so its nice to know where these places are
Their menu was great, I had a hard time deciding what to order. I ended up ordering the Pesto Tofu Sandwich, which was a great decision. I love pesto, I think it’s the best-​o! It came with a side of soup, which changes daily, the day I went the soup was a Chickpea Curry, very good, but a bit spicy for me, but I’m just a whimp when it comes to spicy. My dinner companion had the BBQ sandwich, which smelled and looked great, and from what I hear was great.
Their selection of beer was very nice, about 10 beers on tap, I had the Hefeweisen and it was very tasty, I also tried their IPA, but that wasn’t too much my style. Overall it was a great time, minus the rainy day… I know, rain in Los Angeles, whats up with that. and loved the Bamboo wallpaper. It was Pure Luck that we found this place… get it! :)

It is not possible that I haven’t written a review of them before but here goes again…
This place is Vegan and that scares plenty of you carnivores out there but first I must say they have a great beer selection on tap from local small breweries and it changes regularly.
I’ve had :
«Carnitas Burrito
A large flour tortilla stuffed with Jackfruit „carnitas“, pinto beans, rice, fresh avocado and pico de gallo salsa. With a side César salad.
Jack’s Super Burrito Wrap
A large flour tortilla stuffed with Jackfruit „carnitas“, sweet potato fries, pinto beans, BBQ sauce and fresh cilantro.
Todd’s BBQ Sandwich
BBQ Jackfruit „pulled-​pork“ with pickles, onions and vegan mayo on a rustic roll.»
Each of which I can barely tell it’s not meat. I love the sweet potato fries too but be warned they are not like many that people have had elsewhere, these are fresh and a little oily but very tasty and their sauce is awesome.
Service is really hit or miss I must say but I love coming here because there is scoops, tattoos, coffee, two bike stores and a great sun glass shop all in one block.

Awesome pub with bamboo forest on the wall. Tucked in the cut right off Melrose. ..
Well cozy inside, its roomy enough to still be able to enjoy a good meal. Staff was kind & the waitress was quick to refill the drinks !
I ordered the Fresh Noodle Salad, which was very tasty & had just right right amounts of sweet spiciness too it. I also had an ice tea, which I thought was just ok. Tasted like it was out the box & the way all their dishes were looking, I was really excepting something homemade :)
Next time I gotta try some of this BBQ Jackfruit !

I don’t think I’m hip enough to eat here. There I said it. But I can’t stay away from their sweet potato fries and great selection of beers. It was obvious when we sat down that my mother and yours truly did not fit the young and hip crowd that dines at Pure Luck. Various art pieces decorate the wall while the small space lined with wood offers up bar height tables for casual eating.
But as luck would have it, we fell in love with their fascinating vegan menu while I particularly fell in love with their beer selection. The jack fruit burrito was surprisingly delicious — very tender and flavorful. The salsa added some bright, spicy notes to the dish. My mother’s roasted beet salad was awesome — she still talks about it. I succumbed to ordering the sweet potato fries as an appetizer/​side and realized as soon as the large steaming plate arrived at our dinner that we were done for. The portions are sizable so be careful when ordering the fries as a side dish. If you like a glass of beer with your meal, you’ll be happy with the selection from Omegang to local micro-​brewers like Eagle Rock Brewery.
All I can say is this ain’t yo momma’s vegan joint. But whether you’re a mom or a hipster you’re bound to fall in love with Pure Luck.

Luck is defined as «the chance happening of fortunate or adverse events». While I deem myself lucky to have discovered have Pure Luck, I have to give credit to the Unilocal gods for this one.
Husband and I were staying at a hotel a few blocks away and the lunchtime hunger pangs prompted me to check out the good ol’ Unilocal iPhone app and see what was good in the area. Husband is vegetarian, though he usually eats vegan, so for fun I typed in «vegan» and was blown away by how many results popped up. Pure Luck caught my eye, and was close, so we hopped in the car and away we went.
We were greeted warmly and seated quickly by a really sweet waitress who brought us giant Mexi-​Cokes (with real cane sugar — ahhhh). The dining area is clean, simple, and modern. Not trying to throw rocks, but a lot of vegan places end up looking like someones patio or living room. We ordered and the food came out after just a few minutes.
The rosemary fries were flawlessly crispy and flavorful, and the garlic aioli complemented them perfectly. I ordered a tofu taco, which is basically a carnitas taco with grilled tofu instead of meat. A few piece of tofu tumbled out of my taco when I picked it up, and I was surprised that the tofu actually had a really great flavor all on it’s own. The cilantro was fresh and the tortillas were warm — que bueno!
We also ordered spring rolls, which we thought would be little wrapped up rolls but turned out to be more like sushi than anything. It looks like they made one giant roll, fried it, then sliced it up. We were skeptical because it looked weird and messy, but they actually held together extremely well and were additively delicious. They used the same firm, flavorful tofu as the tacos squished into the roll with bean sprouts and fresh mint. They came with a sauce, but I ended up eating most of them plain.
Three dishes and two cokes later, our waitress asked if we needed anything else, then brought us the check. With tip, it was about $ 26. I will most definitely be back next time I’m in LA, and will readily and enthusiastically recommend it to everyone I know.

I’m the type of girl who will go for something if I see it enough.
Like… The Little Mermaid 3… or Tinkerbell Fairytale Rescue.
So, it’s not a huge leap that Pure Luck tickled my culinary fancy just by virtue of it being near Scoops (which I frequent!).
Pure Luck serves vegan food… I found it wickedly delicious. Meat what?
;) Ordered the baja tacos which is veggie fish with salsa. I didn’t even realize I wasn’t eating real fish.
My friends all seemed happy with their order too… and we do like our meat! Hubby got the super jack burrito — jackfruit bbq’d instead of pork!
A bit oversauced but nothing really to complain about.
Tried my friend’s order of sweet potato fries and plantains — pretty good. not oily at all. The rosemary garlic fries were EXCELLENT!
Oh​.my entrée came with rice and beans (my choice)…so so so good. The beans were firm but it constrasted really well with to tomato rice. Loved it. wish I could’ve finished it off had I not been saving room for dessert!
which of course was… Scoops!
The only odd thing was that they used Heinz ketchup. Would’ve thought they’d make their own, sans the high fructose corn syrup. Each entrée is about $ 10.

The vegan tacos here are amazing. If I lived closer, I’d come here every day. Oh. My. Godness.
Ordered Items:
— «Carne Asada» Taco
— Tofu Taco
— Fish Taco
— Fresh chips w/​avocado & pico de gallo
Everything was delicious. The «Carne Asada» taco — it’s like having heaven in your mouth. Eat slowly, you’ll want to enjoy every moment of it. And with fresh pico de gallo and avocado added — oh daddy. I wanted to lay on the bench and take a nap afterwards — it was that amazing.
The Tofu Taco is delicious. It’s seasoned with God knows what but God made that taco right.
Keep in mind, I usually don’t finish my dishes or wipe my plates clean. With the Carne Asada and Tofu Tacos, though, I ate every last morsel.
The «Fish» Taco. Hmm. I wasn’t a huge fan. I think its AMAZING that somehow they make it smell like fish, but that’s just gross, haha. It’s fishy while you eat it, too. Just stick to the Carne Asada and Tofu tacos, haha you can live without the «fish».
Little just wanted chips with guacamole and salsa, so they gave her an order of fresh chips with slices of avocado and pico de gallo. She finished ¾ of the chips haha and after trying one myself, I could see why — the freshness was delicious.
I highly recommend you visit Pure Luck and try their amazing food. I’m sad that I don’t live closer. At my next visit I plan to try their sandwiches and other dishes.

As a lifelong carnivore, I always had the impression that vegan food was bland and super healthy. Turns out you can get indulgent food with no animal products in it at all!
I had lunch here last week simply for the fact that it’s across the street from Scoops. While the menu was chock full of healthy salads and things like jackfruit carnitas, I went pretty much as unhealthy as you can get, with the plantain tacos and the deep fried pickles and sweet potato fry combo. I really enjoyed the tacos and the fried pickles may be my new favorite fried treat. The sweet potato fries were a bit dry for my taste, but I still loved devouring them with their ‘special sauce,’ a mixture of their veginaise and bbq sauces.
I also really appreciated the friendly service and earthy-​crunchy décor. There’s a good reason why vegans and non-​vegans alike flock to Pure Luck for a good meal!

«This really isn’t meat?»
That’s exactly what I thought when I looked at my BBQ Sandwich.
If any of you checked the threads earlier last month I made a thread looking for a good Vegan place
. And after all of the recommendations, I set my decision to try Pure Luck. Why? Because the notorious Scoops ice cream parlor is right across the street (that will be an upcoming review). Oh man, that ice cream was good.
Now onward to Pure Luck. Time to celebrate finals being over! When I drove to this place, I didn’t realize it was in a run down portion of town. I saw neighborhood, Wilshire Center, on their Unilocal page, and thought, «Oh Wilshire!!!» thinking it was like Wilshire on the west part of town by Westwood. Little did I know that I was totally wrong. But I didn’t let that fool me. Pure Luck may just be that diamond in the rough.
May W. and I came in and were told to take a seat where ever we liked. We chose the large corner table, with a wall of bamboo. Quite pretty. I like to think we chose this big table because we’re such fatties, and us fatties need our space. The friendly waiter gave us our menus and I asked what’s good, (even though I knew what I wanted. I’m a good Unilocaler and do my research!) She said Todd’s BBQ Sandwich, so the Todd’s BBQ Sandwich it was (with a side of Sweet Potato Fries.)
While waiting for our food, which didn’t take too long, May W. and I took pictures with her camera of us admiring our bamboo wall. (Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera, but luckily she did and I still had my blackberry.) After about 7 – 10 minutes our food came up and WOW it looked good.
That BBQ «Pork» sandwich really did look like some carnitas, and if I didn’t know it was jackfruit, I would have sworn otherwise. This sandwich had BBQ jackfruit, pickles, onions, and a vegan mayo on a rustic roll. What is surprising is that it didn’t taste like jackfruit, nor did it taste like meat at first. But after a few bites, it started to feel like meat. Crazy I tell you. Crazy. I felt like my eyes and my taste buds were fooling me. And that sweet potato fries… mm mmmm good! It came with some bbq sauce on the side, but honestly, they tasted fine without it.
I purposely didn’t finish my sandwich to save room for Scoops, but I could of totally finished that plate since it was deeeee-​lish. This small place makes you want to turn into a vegan. Well, it at least makes you totally consider it. Friendly and sweet service plus good food made me a happy customer there :)

Came back here a few weeks ago with another friend and they finally had the Heavenly Hefe! Now while I probably wouldn’t call it heavenly, it was pretty good. I was happy to finally get to drink it :)
This time I ordered Todd’s BBQ Sandwich since I wanted to try the oh-​so-​famously-​delicious jackfruit. I don’t think jackfruit by itself takes so great, but combined with the sauce and the rest of the sandwich, it is absolutely lovely.
I recommended the tofu pesto sandwich to my friend and she fell in love. Like seriously in love. As in it’s been almost a month and she still brings it up every single time we talk.
So obviously the two of us had a blast and stuffed ourselves silly and now I am giving Pure Luck their five stars because I love this place.

Underwhelmed a bit by Pure Luck, but I did come in with really high expectations. I will say that the Jackfruit is as good as advertised (got the wrap) and that the fried dill pickles are good as well.
Sarah G. and I trekked out to Silverlake from West L.A. to give Pure Luck a shot and I wish I could say that it was completely worth the drive. It was decent, but just not as spectacular as we would have liked (speaking for myself, but I think that’s the collective thought).
We split the dill pickles, jackfruit wrap, and tofu pesto sammich, while getting some sweet potato fries (a little too thick and dry for me) and potato gnocchi (nyokeeeeee), which were ok. Apart from the jackfruit wrap, I just wasn’t all that into it. The tofu sandwich felt like it was missing something and the sides were just ok overall.
Our waiter was cool though, sat down next to us to take our order and helped us decide what to get. I think I need to give Pure Luck another try when I’m in the area, but I don’t think I’d drive all the way out to specifically hit this spot again.

At Pure Luck, i remembered that you can’t make something that it’s not. While some Chinese Vegan places may have really good «goose» and other faux-​meat soy products, this American Vegan place reminded me to get the real thing out there in the real world.
I should have just stuck with the vegetarian/​vegan that were originally v/​v. Instead, i made the mistake of ordering Todd’s Pulled Pork sandwich. On one hand, I wanted to try the vegan take on pulled pork. I was pleased to learn that jackfruit is a staple as a substitute for meat. My guess is that its bland flavor easily absorbs others’ so it can be a cameleon and become a part of the Kristen’s Carnitas Burrito as well.
The pulled pork sandwich tasted better than the burrito, but our verdict was that we’ve at least gave vegan a try, but we won’t be chasing this lifestyle anytime soon.
The soup of the day was Kabuli Cholay (curry gorbanzo). A little bland but something different for the palate. The vegan beer was crisp — pretty big glass for moderate-​sized portions of food.
see pics!
one tip: DON’T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR CREDIT CARD WITH YOU after you sign the sales receipt. The restaurant has a collection after many people have forgotten to take the card with them. They don’t open on Sunday so you would be screwed if you ate and forgot your cc here on Saturday.