Gluten-Free Guide–Los Angeles
I LOVE exploring LA’s food scene. I know, LA county is huge, and there is so much to explore. I’ve been to many food establishments that aren’t gluten-free, so maybe I’ll make a separate guide later, but for now, it makes the most sense for me to make a gluten-free guide. LA has one of the best vegan food scenes, and where there’s vegan, there’s a high likeliness of gluten-free options, too.
One of my best friends is an LA local and has shown me her favorite vegan restaurants, and they are all so good! Come on South Orange County, step up the game!
I’ll start with breakfast/brunch, since that’s the first meal of anyone’s day!
Brunch
Café Gratitude
Multiple Locations
Cafe Gratitude is 100% vegan. You see, people think vegan automatically means healthy, but that is not always the case. You could be eating pasta and sandwiches, and all the carbs, but being gluten-intolerant, you can’t. My point is, not everything on the menu will be gluten-free…but they still have plenty of options. I really enjoyed the buckwheat pancakes. They were not bland or dry, as one may think; they were fluffy and hearty. They have some gluten-free baked goods as well–I highly recommend the gluten-free cinnamon roll!
Backyard Bowls
Multiple Locations
I love smoothie bowls. I realized it’s such a SoCal thing because at Berkeley, there are like, NO acai places that are easily accessible. You either walk 20 minutes or take a bus to get to the nearest one. I really miss my build-your-own smoothie bowl places and just juice bars in general. I’d always heard great things about Backyard Bowls, so I finally tried them out last summer. I love the power bowl because it’s packed with protein from the peanut butter and protein powder (perfect for a post-workout) and topped with two of my favorite fruits–blueberries and bananas. The portions are large and will fill you up until your next meal! They also serve grain bowls, porridge bowls, and smoothies.
Ring: Baked Tofu Donuts
6800 Owensmouth Ave #130, Canoga Park, CA 91303
I know, tofu donuts sounds kinda gross not gonna lie, BUT that’s what makes these donuts so soft and moist. You don’t taste it at all–they also use gluten-free flour and high quality ingredients, like matcha imported from Japan. These donuts are not bready or chewy like a normal donut, they are slightly cake-y, moist, and soft. They are baked, not fried, making this a healthier option!
Blue Jam Cafe
Multiple Locations
This is one of the more popular brunch spots in LA, so be prepared for a wait. Their menu is labeled with gluten-free and vegan symbols, making it easy to order. They’re known for their crunchy french toast, but sadly it can’t be made gluten-free. I had the spicy vegan tex mex tofu hash. It was filling and delicious–tbh, Mexican cuisine is the easiest to eat gluten-free, and there are other Mexican options as well like chilaquiles, and a tofu tostada. Most of their hashes and omelettes are gluten-free as well. I also like how they have a health and fitness section on the menu.
Dinner
Pikunico
767 South Alameda St, Suite 122, Los Angeles, CA (located in ROW DTLA)
So my friend sent me the Worth-It fried chicken sandwich episode, and the second price point was a gluten-free fried chicken joint. I could not believe it! I have not had fried chicken in 5ever! I planned a trip to LA just to try this fried chicken, and it did not disappoint. Also, the chef/owner has the same name as my grandma, Kuniko, how cute! She even took my order–I wanted to go back up and say I came because I saw her on Worth-it, but by then she was working hard prepping food in the kitchen.
I wanted to order the entire menu, and I came pretty close to doing that. I tried the mix chicken plate, kabocha squash, yaki imo (Japanese sweet potato with sour cream and jalapeño), fingerling fries, seasoned egg, and miso de leche cookie. The chicken was tender and perfectly crispy–they use rice flour and potato starch for the batter, making it gluten-free. Don’t forget to use the housemade dipping sauces: hot sauce, parsley sesame, lemon aioli, daikon ponzu. The kabocha was amazing–like eating tempura, and the miso de leche cookie crumbled and melted in my mouth. I really wish this was closer to me, but I can’t wait to go back!
Ramen Koo
225 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
There’s two locations, one in downtown and one on Melrose–I went to the downtown location. It was super tiny–limited seating and the bathroom is through the kitchen. The day we were there it was cash only; luckily, I had cash on me because I usually don’t have any.
I went to the Japanese New Year celebration in Little Tokyo, and I was craving ramen for lunch, so when I saw Ramen Koo had rice noodles, I immediately decided I wanted to go there. I was sad that all their broths still contained soy sauce (which has gluten) and that I had to get the vegan broth, but it was still super flavorful…and colorful! The noodles were great and there were so many veggies inside, plus tofu for protein. I also enjoyed the mini salmon bowl. They offer combinations for the ramen where you can add a small side dish for $3. My family enjoyed the katsu curry bowl, tonkatsu ramen, and gyoza.
Crossroads
8284 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
LA never ceases to impress me with it’s plant-based, vegan restaurants. I don’t even realize it’s vegan, it’s that good! I wish there were more cool restaurants like this in South OC. Crossroads serves Mediterranean fare; the environment is more upscale and reservations are recommended. We walked in and were seated at a high table on the side; I didn’t mind, though, I just came for the food. Also, the gluten-free options are labeled with GF.
I had the hardest time deciding what to order. For the appetizer, we shared the truffle potatoes. They were amazing! Crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. They are sliced super thin, so all the seasoning gets into each bite. I had the housemade lentil tempeh piccata. The waitress recommended it because it’s made in-house; since I can’t get that anywhere else, I decided to give it a try. I was underwhelmed by the portion size, as it did not come with anything else on the side. It was just the tempeh–it looked like a gyro and the first bite was sorta fishy, so I was a bit worried, but it was actually quite tasty. I just wish it came with vegetables or something. For dessert we ordered the brownie sundae, but gluten-free. We assumed that we’d get a gluten-free brownie, but the gluten-free option is strictly the ice cream with NO brownie. Wish the waitress could've clarified that because I was disappointed. Nonetheless, the food is tasty here.
Âu Lac
710 W 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Âu Lac serves plant-based/vegan Vietnamese food–many of their options are gluten-free, too! We started with the salt & peppered shrimp–it’s lightly battered (and gluten-free). It actually tasted like shrimp, no joke–I couldn’t believe it was vegan. You MUST get the lasagna. When I saw it was BOTH gluten-free and vegan, I knew I had to order it. It contains almond and macadamia cheese, spinach macadamia cream sauce, housemade tomato sauce, zucchini (the “pasta'“), mushrooms, onion, olives, and basil. The presentation was pretty, and it was so delicious; I finished the entire thing.
Dining here feels more upscale. You can find a parking lot down the street that is for the strip mall.
Shojin
333 S Alameda St Suite310, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Located in the Arts District, and also Culver City, Shojin offers 100% vegan, gluten-free Japanese cuisine. They use no refined sugar, table salt, or artificial ingredients, and the food is organic and macrobiotic. The location is odd–it’s in a mall and you walk behind a curtain and inside, it’s pretty fancy, but it adds to the ambiance of your dining experience. What stood out to me about Shojin was their service–we felt very welcomed, and our waitress was so sweet. They even deliver a notecard to your table with a message about their mission.
To start, we had the shojin shisho gyoza 2.0. Gyoza was my favorite appetizer at Japanese restaurants, and since being gluten-free, I had not enjoyed one in a while. I was so happy to see this on the menu–they’re pan-fried and filled with vegetables, served with soy-free sauce! Next, I tried the black evolution 4.0 salad. It’s made with konnyaku yam noodles in a black-sesame sauce, topped with arugula and popped sorghum. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! The black-sesame sauce has a slight nutty taste, and I was happy to enjoy noodles again, too. It was a pretty light dish, too–I recommend sharing it as an appetizer.
For my entree, I had the shojin dynamite roll 2.1. This is their most popular roll; it contains spicy tofu, avocado, and spicy mayo and is plated with a spicy beet sauce. The presentation was awesome! Usually I have to order rolls without sauces because they contain gluten, but here there’s nothing to worry about. The flavors of this roll went so well together–it was creamy and delicious. Lastly, we had a matcha cheesecake for dessert.
I will continue to update this guide as I visit more places :)