L.A. Nails Down Third Place on PETA’s Top 10 Most Vegan-Friendly Cities List

From Caribbean Quesadillas to Vegan Crab Cakes and Dodger Stadium’s Veggie Dogs, the City of Angels Continues to Be America’s Trendsetter

For Immediate Release:
June 6, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382  

Los Angeles — With the number of A-list celebrities going vegan growing every year, it’s no wonder that delicious vegan foods are becoming almost as common in Los Angeles as sunshine. So it should come as no surprise that L.A. has grabbed third place in PETA’s survey of the Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities, a list kicked off by Paul McCartney, who presented the mayor of Austin, Texas, with the Most Vegan-Friendly City Award in person.

“Boasting some of the best restaurants for cruelty-free vegan food in the country, the City of Angels is fast becoming an angel for animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Angelinos are known for being health-conscious as well as for their involvement in causes for social justice, and there’s no better way to advance both of these worthy goals than by going vegan.”

Los Angeles boasts a myriad of chain vegan eateries, including Real Food Daily, which serves organic, plant-based cuisine, such as Caribbean quesadillas made with coconut lentil purée, baby spinach, pepperjack soy cheese, and mango salsa on a toasted whole-wheat tortilla. The crispy Native “chicken wings,” served with ranch or buffalo sauce, are worth the trip to Native Foods alone, and everything at the all-vegan Veggie Grill is delicious, including the ranch chipotle barbecue—a grilled veggie-steak smothered in tangy barbecue sauce. Los Angeles also offers a trio of vegan happy-hour destinations: Mohawk Bend, Tony’s Darts Away, and the Pub at Golden Road Brewing all offer a wide selection of local vegan craft beer and food, such as buffalo cauliflower, hearts-of-palm “crab cakes,” and vegan apple-sage sausage. To get the celebrity treatment, be sure to try dinner at L.A.’s first gourmet vegan restaurant, Crossroads Kitchen, co-owned by vegan chef to the stars Tal Ronnen—and don’t forget to visit the attached gourmet vegan cheese shop on your way out. Sports fans can find vegan hot dogs at Dodger Stadium, and STAPLES center offers a sloppy Joe made from soy-based tempeh with peppers, onions, and brown-sugar barbecue sauce. Finally, the Southland is home to the annual Vegan Beer and Food Festival, featuring vegan food, beer, and live music.

Rounding out PETA’s Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities list are Portland, Ore.; New York; Chicago; Seattle; Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; Boulder, Colo., and Richmond, Va.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.