The Veggie Grill has found a home on the Sunset Strip. It’s located at 8000 Sunset Blvd., an address also home to Bourke Williams Day Spa, CB2, Crunch Fitness, Pinkberry,Trader Joes, Starbucks, and Sushi Dan. This celebrity hotspot sees its fair share of celebrities, so if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore and like to spot celebrities (many of them frequent Bourke Williams Day Spa and Crunch Fitness), this restaurant may be worth a visit for those reasons alone.
The Veggie Grill is a vegan friendly restaurant that specializes in serving up vegetable protein sandwiches, burgers and salad entrees. They don’t serve anything that contains animal fat, cholesterol, high fructose corn syrup or trans fat. The main ingredients for their sandwiches and burgers are “chillin’ chickin'” and veggie steak. They also offer starters and sides, high-fructose-corn-syrup-free drinks and desserts, chili, soups, and kids meals.
The Veggie Grill had a very new feel when we first walked in, because it had literally just opened for business. We happened to go on a preview day, so everything was pristine and bright and perfect. I loved the accents of bright orange and lime green mixed with the natural wood—very lively. What was even more impressive was their effective use of space. It was roomy and had a casual, fuss-free atmosphere that I really enjoyed.
As for the food, I would rate what I ate at about 3.5 out of five stars. I ordered the Chickin’ Ceasar Wrap, with a side of red cabbage slaw and a lemonade. I love wraps and this one came with a chickin’, avocado, and corn salsa. I’ve had veggie protein before, so I thought the chickin’ would be no big deal. Umm, yes, very big deal for those not used to eating rather large pieces of veggie protein. Being an actual meat eater, I was increasingly able to tell that it wasn’t meat and I soon found it a bit unappetizing. Needless to say I had to leave behind some of the ‘chickin’, but I demolished the red cabbage slaw and the lemonade. My husband (a vegetarian) enjoyed his Grillin Chickin’ sandwich and spring mix salad, and our daughter couldn’t even tell that her chickin’ strips weren’t real chicken. I think she found her sweet potato fries a little too different, so I ate them for her and they were absolutely delicious (I’d rate the fries 5 out of 5).
The location of this Veggie Grill is one of it’s most promising features–along with it’s ability to cater to a vegan audience that’s oh-so-trendy around those parts. There are some items on the menu that don’t contain veggie protein–like the Papa’s portobello mushroom burger and the Baja Fiesta salad—but most items do. The prices are pretty reasonable for the fare, with sandwiches and burgers ranging from $6.75-$8.95, accompanied by a side of red cabbage slaw or a substitute. Their entree salads range from $7.95-$9.50, and they even offer chili and daily soup starting at $2.95. Parking is validated and is available in the garage located at 8000 Sunset Blvd, and they are open everyday from 11 am to 11pm. For more information, check out their website at www.veggiegrill.com.
The sources for food information and prices : the Veggie Grill menu.
