Cafe Gratitude Venice

Amazing!!! I was there twice so far and love, love, love the food, variety, taste, presentation… The staff seems to walk the talk and love the reminder of gratitude everywhere you look, including the dishes:). The best vegan lime cream pie I’ve ever had. Also 5* lasagna dish. The best vegan restaurant in Venice and Santa Monica.

Vegetarian that even non-​vegetarians will like. You leave full. Prices are reasonable. Staff is lovely. Don’t be intimidated by the affirmation stuff– it’s not required (but actually fun).

Service was amazing and actually very calming in a weird way like the whole atmosphere was great.
The food was literally like a fireworks show in my mouth, idk if it’s because the food really is just that fantastic or if the combo of knowing your doing your body good and doing right by the planet sets it off but the dishes here are just insane.
I had the seasonal Hawaiian pizza with coconut bacon which was fantastic I cant stop talking about it! As well as the spinach and artichoke dip, the grilled asparagus, and every pressed juice they offer. The only down side to this place is that it is expensive. It was 64 $ for my mom and I but you know what it’s really
Not that far fetched u have to be willing to pay for quality ingredients and factor in those external costs. Not sure why some people go and pay crazy prices for steak and buttered down crap that kills you. I can’t afford to eat here everyday but anytime I can I sure will best believe!

Not quite as awesome as it’s sister Gracias Madre, but still great. I love most of the menu and find the price range to be acceptable. I know some people have had conflict bc of the owners’ recent actions, but when I evaluate food, I go by what I like. I actually am not vegan and eat everything, so I’m not so offended. I’ll continue to work my way through the menu, I haven’t been let down yet

My favorite veggie place by far in Los Angeles! I usually get the bowls, we got mint chip shake which was declines, southern comfort plate and wellness shots. Wellness shots went down smoothly and my friend who usually hates vegan/​veggie food really enjoyed his dish. Service is great, ambiance is beautiful. Even my friend who came with me was surprised how nice and clean it was inside :)

Came in ⁶⁄₅ at 1pm. Started off the dining experience with a hostess (shoulder length ombré hair) that seated us near the bathrooms. I requested that we sit in the middle of the restaurant, she responded with «that area is closed» and then proceeded to sit two parties in that same area a minute later.
We ordered the breakfast burrito and french toast. The burrito was filled with potatoes and beans, the two cheapest foods at the market. There was a sliver of avocado and some spinach which didn’t have enough flavor. There goes $ 16. The french toast flavors were decent but the bread was thick and dry. Ick. There goes another $ 15. I won’t be coming back anytime soon.

UGH, YES! This place was so effing good. It’s the cutest atmosphere as well. I love positive vibes so I love their whole affirmation theme with the menu. I ordered happy and excited, and I couldn’t have been happier with my selection. The happy was a falafel wrap and excited was this super refreshing mojito. My boyfriend ordered the resolved platter and his looked bomb as well. He got a cheddar biscuit that I could’ve had 6 helpings of. I’ll definitely be back to try their desserts, we were just so full from the delicious food! This place gets all the stars!

This Place is just like Heaven!!!
Delightful food!

Spent last night writhing in pain and finally vomited. Saw the bits of corn too from the raw Mexican lasagna I got. My husband and I ate at this place he had the kelp noodles I had the tumeric latte which was room temperature when I got it and the raw lasagna. His tasted great, mine was kinda gross to look at, it was presented so sloppy… I ended up eating just half of it. Within an hour my stomach felt off, then it progressively got worse. By the time we got home I had «chocolate milk» coming out of my butt. Still writhing in pain running to the bathroom every 20 mins or so. By midnight I was in so much pain that I asked my husband to take me to the ER and that’s when I projectile vomited all that lasagna. It was horrendous.
I am… grateful to got all this nasty food out of my system.
Thanks for the unexpected weight loss and the acid burn in my throat. Could’ve been the latte could’ve been the lasagna

I wrote a review of Café Gratitude a month or so ago regarding my last visit there. It was interesting to see that it was taken down.
Anyway, here I am to re-​write what I had.
The service is always weird and a little creepy here. They’re all new-​agey and too cult-​lovey. They want you to say affirmations all the time just to order your food. It’s not surprising since I was used to this at the original location in San Francisco.
The food was not that great. Kinda bland, but still edible. It’s basically exactly what you’d think a health-​food vegan restaurant would serve you, except over the many years Café Gratitude has been around it’s gotten even more basic and bland. The thing they had going for them a long time ago was that they were raw. It’s weird that they moved away from that and now have mostly cooked food on their menu. At least when they were raw, it was more inventive and creative.
The prices are too high for what you get. Our appetizer bruschetta, which was 2 small slices of bread topped with a minimal amount of tomatoes, was like $ 10. I got a quinoa bowl that was $ 15 or so… It was small, bland, and the quality of the ingredients wasn’t good. My sister got the pesto noodle dish, which was something like $ 16 and there were barely any noodles on the plate! And the noodles were basically dry because there was so little pesto on it!
Dessert was a brownie which was dry. The ice cream was good at least, but it wasn’t enough to make the brownie better.
I already knew I wasn’t going to go back. I already made a mistake when I decided to go there because it was the closest vegan spot to me when I was in Venice last. I already know the owners were cult-​like douche bags that love Landmark Forum. Then I learned about their transition from veganism to vegetarianism… then back to eating meat, which started last year! They even kill animals on their Be Love Farm! So gross.
That just solidifies it. I’m never eating there again, and I can never recommend this place to anyone that thinks ethics are important.

We’d had two mediocre experiences here in the past, so when my husband suggested we go, both of us were still a bit on the fence. We made a reservation for half hour away (easy to get), and walked over just a few minutes before. We were pleasantly greeted and had an attentive server for the evening. I’ll say, we’re both very into vegan food and trying new foods/​restaurants, but it is a bit much with some of the names of the dishes here «I am abundant, I am celebrating» etc. as names of dishes — it gets a bit hokey! However, our food was fantastic this time!
We started with the «I am dynamic» aka yam cauliflower samosa chaat. We sometimes doubt ordering Indian food outside of an Indian restaurants, but the mix of flavor sounded really good on this. Also, it’s rare I have a samosa since I don’t eat fried, and this one was baked! This was easily our favorite part of the meal. Very generously-​sized whole wheat samosa (two of them) stuffed with yam and cauliflower, kale, tomato and garam masala topped with (the best part) coconut mint chutney and tomato jam. It was all sitting in a small pool of chana masala. The flavors were vibrant, and each one truly better than the next. The mint chutney was a fabulous bright green. We were literally soaking every last drop of this up.
The next two dishes came out simultaneously and were specials. One was a warm salad of brussel sprout leaves, spinach, coconut bacon, avocado, tomato and a few other goodies. There was a more subtle version of a vegan ranch that coated the salad well too. It almost reminded me a vegan avocado BLT in salad form, it was really tasty. The coconut bacon was crisp and didn’t try to be bacon, instead it nicely maintained its coconut flavor. We also split the Hawaiian pizza (cooked version), which was also full of toppings. It included a nut cheese, the coconut bacon, pineapple and more. The crust was crunchy and satisfying, and all of the flavors were nicely melted together.
We finished with a key lime pie «awakening». This is never my favorite dessert anywhere, but the mix of flavors looked neat (creamy avocado and lime custard — as you’d imagine, not too sweet; coconut meringue — creamy and dessert-​like, but, again, missing some sugar; pecan macadamia date crust — strong nutty flavor but the best part of the pie). I’m all about healthier desserts, but this just wasn’t awesome. We have had the brownie sundae here before and would likely stick with that again instead of branching out.
Overall, a very satisfying meal with attentive service. Of note, it’s definitely a family spot — there’s room for bigger tables, so it’s not just couples and can get slightly louder. Tables aren’t too close together so it’s not an issue, but it’s certainly a bit of a different clientele than some places along Abbot Kinney. Love that everything is locally-​sourced, organic and vegan.

Hands down this amazing café has the most incredible menu, genuinely happy staff both front and back of house, and the kindest clientele I have ever experienced anywhere in the USA! Add to that the fact that my well behaved dogs were welcome on the enclosed patio made this a place where I am definitely going to try every single kind dish on the menu!
The vibe is chill, the food and drinks menu are outrageously awesome and the flavor of everything is unbeatable.

Had brunch here and it was delicious! I can’t wait to go back and try everything else on the menu.
I love the ambiance, I love sitting at the bar and listening to the buzz of the kitchen. I love that the servers are so knowledgable about every ingredient in their food. I love that its a plant based restaurant. I love that at the bottom of my plate there is a message of gratefulness. I love that they have a garage for easy parking and that they validate.
See you guys at Café Gratitude! Now what are you grateful for?

Came here for brunch – wish I could come back to try another meal.
I ordered the buckwheat pancake short stack with fruit, and a friend got the thrilled-​french toast with berry sauce and cashew cream.
The pancakes are a healthier option, not as decadent as the french toast, but even still – the french toast didn’t taste heavy, it was light, and you could eat it without the maple syrup and it would still be amazing.
The servers are really sweet, love the positive energy of this restaurant and next time I’m in california, I will try it again. Highly recommend for all vegans, especially if you’re trying to pick a few restaurants to hit up with the crazy number of vegan restaurants available.

I absolutely love Café Gratitude. Not just the food, but also the total feel and ambience. I would sit here all day and just eat breakfast, lunch, then tea/​coffee, then dinner (if I had no where else to be).
I love the «I AM» menu. Dishes are named things like «vibrant», «charismatic» etc, and you have the option of ordering food as «I AM VIBRANT». If you are not into that kinda thing, order as usual. Haha.
They have a nice selection of breakfast/​brunch items, and lunch/​dinner entrees. Everything is vegan** and GF items are clearly marked. There are also some Raw dishes. The times I been here were all brunch/​snacks so I’ve only had their «sweet» items. I really like their GF buckwheat pancakes.
**They do have HONEY in some items. They say they know their beekeepers personally and it is sourced responsibly. So if you are definitely strict on NO HONEY, then definitely let your waiter know.
Café Gratitude also offers a selection of beverages– fresh juices, smoothies and coffee/​tea! MUST try their Matcha Latte (contains honey and can be subbed with agave). The Chai latte was so-​so. But it was homemade chai I believe and definitely not sweet/​artificial, unlike other chai lattes I’ve had.
The vibe of this Venice location is absolutely charming. Their playlist is EXACTLY what I have on my Spotify– I felt totally in my zone. They play mostly indie/​folk/​chill vibe music. The waiters are all really friendly.
Don’t forget their amazing selection of vegan sweets! They have a counter at the front for to-​go coffee and pastries. I believe all their baked goods are gluten free too (banana bread, muffins, cinnamon rolls etc). There are also raw treats like almond joy, raw coconut macaroons. There is a little fridge with kombucha, juices to go. There is also a small section of select books/​natural beauty products.
Overall a GREAT vegan, healthy restaurant. I’m not from LA and I’ve been there 4 – 5 times in 2 visits to LA: D can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been to Gracias Madre quite a few times, and its definitely one of my favorite restaurants in LA. So naturally, I had high expectations for the sister restaurant, Café Gratitude.
The food was subpar, I’m usually a fan of this «new-​american, experimental vegan cuisine» but I was underwhelmed.
I got the rosewater spritzer, which was god-​awful. The mojito was okay, but the cucumber added a strange flavor. For a place with so many drinks, they were pretty bad.
The service was super nice, however! Our waiter was helpful, nice, and brought our food right when we were finishing up our appetizers. He was helpful, and the staff sang for my early birthday! (It was embarrassing, but sweet).
Parking: 90 minutes free validated, but $ 2 every 30 minutes after. We ended up spending around 2.15 hours there, so we had to pay $ 4. But make sure to get a reservation cause this place fills up fast.
Ambience: Classy-​casual. But not as classy as i’d hoped. Definitely more on the casual side.
Food: Average. Personally, I’d be happier with Veggie grill. The food was okay, especially for the prices.
Overall, if you’re looking for a vegan restaurant, I’d recommend Gracias Madre (their sister restaurant) 100 times more. Will I come here again? Probably not. Will I recommend this to a friend? Probably not.

Shakedown by the wait staff. Would skip this place for that reason alone. Overshadowing the good food here — although pricey — you may run into our arrogant wait staff asking for a reason why we didn’t give her a 25% tip!!! Shocked doesn’t begin to describe such arrogance.
Now for the food review:
Creative menu and well flavored.
Kunbucha and Kimchee were both quite weak in terms of probiotic kick. Not bad but not exceptional.
Hawaiian style pizza with pineapple etc on it was just weird and tiny for the price.
Bowls were generally good.
Good food? Yes
Arrogant wait staff? Yes
Avoid this place.

This is the kind of place you will already know if you’ll like it or not before you go. If you like vegan food, you’re going to love it! If you don’t like vegan food, you won’t like it. It’s not the type of place that’ll turn you into a vegan food lover, but it’s definitely enjoyable for non-​vegans who like eating a plant based diet from time to time. Everything we got was yummy. I don’t think you can go wrong with their food or drinks, it just depends on the type of meal you’re in the mood for. They have an extremely diverse menu and everything is chock full of nutritious ingredients. The ambiance is simple, nothing special. It’s Venice, so you can go in your workout clothes or trendy-​ish. There’s also a covered outside patio and the staff are extremely dog friendly! Worth a try if you are interested in plant based eating!
On a side note: it’s supposed to be a «spiritual experience». I feel ridiculous ordering my food saying «I am (xyz)» but it’s a cute concept, especially if your server doesn’t take it too seriously. They also have a question of the day for you to discuss (or not) with your table. Our question was «what are you expanding?»
One more side note: they need to give more attention to their bathrooms. Every time we went something was missing (toilet paper, paper towels.) I heard someone say «it smells like a gas station bathroom». Kinda kills the grateful vibe…

Wow! Wow! Wow!
You have got to try this restaurant. Everything is vegan and actually tastes amazing! More than that, it’s doggie friendly, has easy access– free parking, and friendly staff.
My husband and I visited Café Gratitude for our first lunch in 2016. It was the best choice.
We arrived with our puppy and they curtiously sat us down in their covered patio area. It was a bit chilly and, so, they provided blankets! They even gave us boxes to put our baby puppy’s food and water in. That was before our meal.
Then, they brought us a delicious menu. We ordered the wrap and the kelp noodles and they were AMAZING! I asked for hot sauce — they make their own. The sauce was delicious too!
I was so happy with my meal that I had to order dessert. Yum. Glad I did. It was a coconut chocolate cake slice that hit the spot. My husband loved it all too! Made me extra happy.

I am not vegan but this is one of my all time favorite restaurants despite the fact that I’ve only had the pleasure of coming here twice. Can’t believe I never wrote a review for this place till now since I dream about this place when I’m back in Vegas. Really wish they would expand out here.
Everything is so delicious, fresh, and refreshing. I love how clean yet flavorful the dishes are.
It is the best «cheat clean» meal.
4 stars since the dishes are pricey and portions on the smaller side. We had to order 3 entrees + 1 app + 1 side + 1 smoothie to be satisfied.
Liberated — a kelp noodle dish — is one of my all time favorites. Super light yet full of flavor. Surprisingly creamy for being vegan.
Kansha — a seasonal noodle dish — is a close 2^nd for me. Not sure what they use to make the sauce but it is citrus-​y goodness. Must try if you like citrus /​sour foods.
Flourishing — small portion but heavier/​heartier and more filling dish.
Resolved — it was good but I wasn’t really a fan of this dish as I’m not fond of sweet entrees. I think sweetness should be saved for dessert. Also, it was a bit heavy + full of empty carbs.
Love that their patio area is dog friendly! :)

I started off my trip to LA with this place, and it set the bar HIGH. The entire place is centered around positive vibes, all the way down to the way you order your food. The staff was friendly, reaffirming, and very open to any allergies/​dietary restrictions! They even bring out their ingredients book called The book of Knowledge if you have any dietary restrictions.
I ordered I am Grateful, a comforting bowl of black beans, quinoa, kale, and garlic tahini sauce. My friend ordered a kelp pesto pasta (raw), and another friend ordered a squash, kimchi quinoa bowl (I forgot their names!) All the dishes were vibrant and delicious!
I would highly recommend visiting this restaurant at least once. And then take a walk to Venice beach (20 min walk). The prices were between $ 10-​$ 20 dollars, but for the flavor, it was worth it.

I am bummed. (If you’ve eaten here, you’ll get it.)
2 quick disclaimers:
(1) The Café Gratitude in Larchmont Village is one of my favorite places for a vegan chow-​down. 7 stars all the way.
(2) I am dreaming of writing my next 5 star restaurant review. I’ve probably never had a streak of bad luck at restaurants like the one I’m currently experiencing.
My wife and I ate breakfast here (Café Gratitude, Venice) yesterday Monday, March 7^th. We were in the area and had planned this meal for awhile, knowing CG was close at hand. It was only our 2^nd visit to this location. (The last one was a year or so ago and we had a pretty good time if I’m remembering.)
This time our server was Lisa. She was really good. Warm greeting, nice smile, let us change tables a couple of times till we found one we liked and not too difficult to get her attention. She had the requisite CG blissed-​out aura (all the servers and employees are required to attend Landmark Seminars – a bastardization of Werner Ehrhardt’s EST, mind control system posing as a coaching program) and delivered the daily question right on cue as we got settled: «Where do you feel safe?»
We asked Lisa a few menu questions and when the subject of the breakfast burrito «Yo Soy Supremo» came up, she made a OMG face that completely sold me. My wife must have seen what I saw in her expression and made it 2.
Here’s how it’s billed on the menu:
«Roasted heirloom potatoes, cashew macadamia cheddar, seasoned pinto beans, spinach,
shredded romaine, coconut bacon, pico de gallo, avocado, side of spicy pickled
vegetables, whole wheat tortilla, topped with toasted pumpkin seed salsa verde, cashew
sour cream and goji chipotle sauce»
I ordered mine with «no cashew sour cream” — I don’t like creamy textures very much.
The Supremo arrived and I cut into one end and got a large helping of folded over tortilla. Next bite was mostly tortilla and a tiny bit of lettuce and/​or spinach. I immediately told my wife and wondered if there was anything in it – particularly wondering where the «roasted heirloom potatoes» were. Unfortunately my bites didn’t get much better. When I got a full third of the way in, I started getting slightly more substantial mouthloads with a few pinto beans, and bits of avocado. I THINK I got a couple of potato fragments, maybe 3 in the entire burrito. My wife on the other hand had a whole bunch of them. I became curious if the other end of the Supremo tube was going to be as un-​thrilling as the first, and sure enough, when I flipped it around I got the same 3 or 4 bites of mostly tortilla and then, just the most «nothing» burrito eating experience of all time. I mean at freaking CHIPOTLE you get your tortilla STUFFED TO OVERFLOWING with whatever you want.
My «best bites» of this thing, if you could call them that, were a few pinto beans, maybe a hint of cheese flavor and a sort of saucy texture that wasn’t too bad. I never had a «bacon-​y» moment. As I said, the potatoes weren’t even «there» for all intents and purposes. It was also on the dry side so we ordered 2 extra pico de gallos, which of course they charged us for. My wife kept telling me to «send it back, send it back» but I didn’t want anyone handling it who would be so fucking inept at their duties in the first place that they could put this thing out on the finished product platform in the first place. You would think that «no sour cream» meant: «Please don’t put anything good, savory, plentiful or generous in your dried out tortilla.» It cost $ 16.00 by the way.
The pickled vegetables that came on the side were REALLY COLD! Maybe because they had just opened a few minutes earlier and hadn’t adjusted yet temperature-​wise? I didn’t think they were too amazing – not bad but didn’t compliment the dish (I mean if my dish had been what it was supposed to be). Maybe I should have asked for some roasted heirloom potatoes on the side so I could see what they actually tasted like.
We also ordered a short stack of «Open-​Hearted» buckwheat flax pancakes with fruit. (Fruit costs extra.) When they came out they were VERY dark brown and buckwheaty looking and I thought we were in for an experience like the people in covered wagons used to have when they’d grind their hard-​tack baked in the sun between their teeth, but they were actually pretty good. The texture was softer and fluffier than I thought they were going to be and they had a reasonably nice flavor. They came with a microscopic helping of syrup (more costs extra) and even though they were just «good» they were a thousand times better than my burrito disappointment.
We each drank a «Courageous» known in other parts of the world as «coffee» and I washed my desiccated burrito down with a glass of «I Am Hydrated» otherwise known as «water.» (I made that last one up.)
Anyway, no complaints about the service but DAY-​AM, how could a «chef» put something like that out and be «I Am Proud» of it?
We’ll stick with Larchmont, thank you very much.