👋 Hi, I'm Nicholas Roberts. I create and perform music and write this daily blog about creativity, culture, and my life.

I live in Los Angeles with my wife and golden retriever.

Email me: hello@nicholasroberts.io

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I've been vegetarian for over a decade.

I've tried dozens of fake meats, tofu replacements, “chickuns,” vegetable proteins, stir-fries, scrambles, and everything in between.

It's no secret that Los Angeles is home to some of the best and most abundant vegan food in the world. In fact, LA has the second highest number of vegan restaurants per capita.

Finding vegan food isn't a problem in this part of California. Finding diverse and satisfying vegan food beyond just a Beyond burger takes some exploration.

Here are my recommendations for the best vegan food near North Hollywood, Studio City, and Burbank at vegan and carnivore-friendly restaurants.

Prime Pizza

Locations: Multiple (Burbank, West Hollywood, Santa Monica)

Link: https://primepizza.la/

Prime Pizza is a great place to get vegan pizza. They have about a dozen options for vegans, including sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and "meat lovers."

All of the vegan cheese and meat products are flown in from The BE Hive, a Nashville-based vegan food company specializing in restaurant-quality vegan meats and cheeses.

I usually get a Vegan Grandma Square pizza, which comes with their New York-style sauce.

As someone who has never liked the taste of cheese much, this is one of my favorite vegan cheeses. It's melty and light, not like many nut-based vegan cheeses.

You can order slices, squares, and whole pies at Prime Pizza.

Crafted Donuts

Location: North Hollywood

Link: https://crafteddonutsca.com/

Crafted is a donut shop that also sells bagels and bagel sandwiches for lunch.

Overall, their vegan donuts are highly recommended. Getting a dozen vegan donuts costs about $30, or about $2.50 each.

The flavors are all over the board for both the vegan and regular donut options, including cereal-based donuts, chocolate, fruit flavors, and candy-topped donuts like Oreos and Reese's peanut butter cups.

The shop is unassuming in a small strip mall, but there are a few cafe seats inside. I meet up with friends here every week or two and get oat milk lattes and one or two donuts.

If you show up on a weekend morning, expect to wait a few minutes, as the line often extends out the door.

Lotus and Light

Location: Burbank

Link: https://www.lotusandlight.net/

This Vietnamese restaurant in a strip mall has great tofu bánh mì. This isn't a vegan restaurant, so it's easy to take non-vegan friends too.

First, I get vegan spring rolls. They're stuffed with veggies, vermicelli noodles, and fried tofu.

Then there’s a tofu side comes with some pickled carrots and a nice sweet chili sauce.

And my favorite item on the menu is the $11 vegan bánh mì sandwich. It's fried tofu, cucumbers, jalapeños, pickled carrots, and peanut sauce stuffed into a fluffy French baguette.

It's exquisite and a very good meal to get for takeout.

Vegan Exchange Street Market

Location: North Hollywood

Link: https://www.veganexchangeevents.com/

This is a bit of an oddball suggestion, but every Sunday there's a vegan street food market that takes place in North Hollywood.

There are always a handful of vegan food trucks that serve fan-favorite street food like tacos, "chicken" sandwiches, pulled pork, and more.

The trucks rotate every few weeks, so be sure to check out who will be there on a week you want to go.

There are also other street vendors that sell vegan-friendly products. To be honest, I'm often too hungry to stop and see what else is around!

Gindi Thai

Location: Studio City

Link: https://gindithai.com/

There’s an abundance of Thai restaurants spread throughout the Valley.

One shop close to me is called Gindi Thai. Their curries and noodle dishes are a solid choice.

I always end up ordering the yellow curry or prig king with tofu. Great, up the middle Thai food.

What sets Gindi apart, in my opinion, is their mango sticky rice. It’s a dessert that’s made with in-season mangoes imported from Thailand.

They also offer Impossible meats as an accompaniment or substitute in any dish. If you’d prefer to have your Thai dish with a beef substitute, you can swap in some Impossible meat.

That’s it! Stay hungry.