Black History, Bold Flavors: Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants to Support in LA

Simply Wholesome

(4508 West Slauson Ave.)

Located in Windsor Hills, Simply Wholesome is a vegan-friendly health food store and restaurant that's a beloved fixture in the community and a destination unto itself. Founded in 1984 by Percell Keeling, the restaurant and adjacent specialty store were named a historical landmark by the County of Los Angeles in 1989.

"Our health-food restaurant and adjacent specialty storehouse over 100 black-owned small businesses," Ayanna Keeling, manager of Simply Wholesome, tells Kind Traveler. "On the restaurant side, we serve the community delicious food while sharing how meals can be transitional. Our overall focus is to provide healthier food options with a hint of Caribbean flair."

Noteworthy menu items include vegan mac & cheese, sauteed spinach, cold-pressed juices, and Jamaican patties.

And be sure to try the Vegetarian Delight, which is "filled with so much flavor and savor," says Keeling. "It comes with your choice of pigeon peas & rice or black beans and brown rice. Also, steamed mixed vegetables, macaroni pie, and West Indian potato salad garnished with fried plantains."

If you're still hungry (or better yet, be sure to leave room for) Simply Wholesome's vegan crab cake plate. The crab cakes are made from garbanzo beans, hearts of palm and garlic and the plate includes brown rice, candied yams, collard greens and vegan aioli sauce.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Vurger Guyz

(788 South Grand Ave.)

If you're headed to Los Angeles and need to cater an event while in town, VurgerGuyz offers a mouthwatering vegan option. Founded by former NCAA athletes Naeem Outler and Phil Bennett in 2018, VurgerGuyz serves everything from plant-based burgers to crispy fries, breakfast sandwiches, tots, and tacos.

But the plant-based burgers are where it all started, Outler tells Kind Traveler.

The business can be traced back to Outler embarking upon a plant-based lifestyle himself. At that point, the former athlete began experimenting in his own kitchen with vegan recipes, trying to recreate some of the flavors he was missing as a result of making the diet switch. After Outler served Bennett one of the vegan burgers he had developed, the duo decided to go into business together and Vurger Guyz was born.

Outler says he "felt that there was a gap between plant-based eating and the flavors of a lot of people's favorite foods," and for that reason it was important "to show people that you can follow a plant-based diet without sacrificing flavor."

While Vurger Guyz does focus mostly on catering and events, many of the events it serves are open to the public. So there's definitely a chance for Kind Travelers to try the Vurger Guyz famous burgers while in town. The best way to keep up with Vurger Guyz events is to follow the business on Instagram @vurgerguyz.

"We will be sure to post the details so anyone interested will know where to find us," says Outler.

Harold & Belle's

(2920 West Jefferson Blvd.)

Another Black-owned business with deep roots in its community, Harold & Belle's is a highly-acclaimed Creole restaurant dating back to 1969. Founded by Harold Legaux Sr. and his wife Mary Belle, this local institution was created as a place where friends and family could gather, shoot pool and socialize. The menu, meanwhile, focused on family recipes with a heavy emphasis on the flavors of the Bayou including po'boy sandwiches, red beans & rice and Filé Gumbo.

Fast-forward to present day and the restaurant, which has gone through many changes, is now run by third-generation family members and husband and wife duo Ryan and Jessica Legaux. Under the pair's leadership, the Harold & Belle's brand has been expanded in various new directions including adding 100 percent plant-based (but Louisiana-inspired) dishes to the menu. 

That includes vegan takes on gumbo, jambalaya and po' boys. The menu additions were inspired by Jessica Legaux's own decision to transition to a vegan diet more than a decade ago. 

"I missed being able to eat our New Orleans cuisine," Legaux explained to Kind Traveler. With that in mind, Ryan Legaux began experimenting with vegan variations of some of Jessica's favorite dishes, including gumbo.

"He made vegan gumbo that was delicious and then he made me a vegan jambalaya one day, and he made a vegan version of our red beans and rice," Jessica Legaux explains. 

Not long after that, Jessica discovered that oyster mushrooms can serve as a delicious meat substitute. Now, the restaurant serves a fried oyster mushroom dish as a vegan alternative to fried catfish. "It gives me the same flavor profile and feels like it has substance," continues Jessica Legaux.

If you decide to visit, Jessica recommends trying the restaurant's fried oyster mushroom dishes. In addition to the catfish alternative, there's a vegan take on the po' boy sandwich filled with mushrooms and complete with vegan French bread.

And one last tip. If you happen to be in town in early March, don't miss the restaurant's Mardi Mardi Mardi Gras celebration on March 4, where you can combine memorable vegan New Orleans cuisine with a day full of live music.

Author Bio: Mia Taylor is an award-winning journalist and editor. She has been writing and editing professionally for 20 years and holds an undergraduate degree in print journalism and a graduate degree in journalism and media studies. Her career includes working as a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fortune, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Parents, and Health.