THE BEST VEGAN BURGERS IN LOS ANGELES: AN UPDATED GUIDE TO LA’S TOP PLANT-BASED BURGERS

Take this as your fair warning that this list of the best vegan burgers in LA will make you incredibly hungry…so if you’re not in a place where you can get your hands on one of these drool-worthy plant-based burgers ASAP, then please tread lightly.

Whether you’re a fan of the Impossible patty, the Beyond Meat burger, or a house-made veggie patty, we’ve got you covered. And while many of the restaurants we’re featuring in this list are 100% plant-based, a couple of them aren’t, yet still manage to have veg-friendly menus with incredible vegan burgers.

The Best Vegan Burgers in LA (Los Angeles’ Top Plant-Based Burgers)

• Mr. Charlie’s
• Plant Power Fast Food
• Calabra (Santa Monica)
• Shake Shack (Santa Monica, Century City, Marina Del Rey, Culver City, West Hollywood, Downtown, Koreatown, Bunker Hill, Topanga)
• Monty’s Good Burger (Culver City, Beverly Grove, Koreatown, Echo Park)
• Berbere (Santa Monica)
• HiHo Cheeseburger (Santa Monica, Mid-Wilshire, Marina del Rey, Studio City)

Let’s get straight into our list of the best vegan burgers in LA.

Mr. Charlie’s (Venice, Hollywood)

Mr. Charlie’s hits hits the marks for a fantastic burger joint: their food is fantastic and everything you want out of a fast-food experience, but make it plant-based. They’re also a mission-driven company and have partnered with Dream Center to employ those transitioning from homelessness, incarceration, or addiction. I love their “Not a Cheeseburger” with fries (which they call British Chips), and I’m excited to try their “Not Chicken Nuggets” and “Bkfst Frowny,” the Mr. Charlie’s take on a breakfast sandwich.

Plant Power Fast Food (Hollywood, Long Beach)

I was in Hollywood recently for work and needed a snack, and remembered that I had yet to try Plant Power – a fully vegan fast food restaurant that now has an LA location (in addition to Long Beach, Redlands and several in the San Diego area). I opted for the chicken nuggets and the vanilla soft serve, because I didn’t feel like my appetite was big enough for a full burger, and let me tell you: it did not disappoint. The nuggets were just perfectly crispy and I alternated dipping them in vegan ranch and BBQ sauce, as one does. And the soft serve is truly the best I’ve ever had, vegan or not. While I haven’t tried their burger yet, I hear they’re fantastic – and I love that they offer a faux meat patty *and* a veggie patty – so I of course had to include them on this list of the best vegan burgers in LA.

Calabra (Santa Monica)

Sitting atop The Proper hotel in Santa Monica resides one of my favorite restaurants, Calabra. This outdoor rooftop restaurant and bar serves a fusion of Mediterranean and California cuisine in a beautiful setting with the ocean not far away. The stellar views are matched with a special selection of boutique wines, seasonal cocktails, and small-batch spirits that all pair nicely with their vegan burger and other options for plant-based fare.

As one of the only restaurants on this list of the best vegan burgers in LA that isn’t fully plant-based, the kitchen at Calabra is very accommodating with dietary restrictions, offering a plant-based burger that’s out of this world. Be sure to order their mezze platter, too!

Shake Shack (Santa Monica, Century City, Marina Del Rey, Culver City, West Hollywood, Downtown, Koreatown, Bunker Hill, Topanga)

At long last, Shake Shack has finally blessed us with a vegan burger. Now – if you’re vegan, you’ll have to order the Veggie Shack burger by removing the cheese, ShackSauce, and fried onions and swapping the bun for the gluten-free bun or a lettuce wrap. But, even with those modifications, the patty is so flavorful that it’s still an incredible burger, and their non-dairy chocolate frozen custard or shake are also vegan (all pictured above). And don’t fret, Shake Shack’s signature crinkle cut fries are also vegan – phew!

Monty’s Good Burger (Culver City, Beverly Grove, Koreatown, Echo Park)

This popular LA-based vegan fast food chain has some of the best branding around (with a cute pup front & center), and they have the eats to back up their impeccable reputation. Plus, with four spread out locations where you can enjoy these vegan burgers in Los Angeles, a Monty’s Good Burger is never far away.

Their classic vegan cheese burger comes with an Impossible 2.0 patty, Follow Your Heart cheese, an amazing house spread, lettuce, tomato, house pickles and grilled onions on a bakery-fresh potato-style artisan bun. Monty’s really continues to thrive with their fries, tater tots, and fantastic dipping sauces.

If you’ve really brought your appetite on your next trip to Monty’s, add a shake, float, or cookie to your order and you won’t regret it. Their 100% plant-based shakes are made with Oatly’s delicious and creamy soft serve (I’m a big fan of Monty’s strawberry shake, personally).

Berbere (Santa Monica)

As a Santa Monica resident, I welcomed Berbere with open arms during the fall of 2021. This unique Ethiopian restaurant lends a very special flavor profile to a globally-inspired menu featuring traditional Ethiopian dishes alongside tacos, sliders, salads, one of my favorite vegan breakfast burritos, delicious pancakes and of course…one of the best vegan burgers in Los Angeles, hands down.

This housemade plant patty is made with butternut squash, carrots, red onion and cabbage, then gets a creamy cilantro sauce spread before being topped with micro greens and sandwiched between a fluffy bun. On the side, you’ll get the very special Berbere roasted potatoes with their in-house dipping sauce that’ll blow your mind; truly, their some of the best potatoes you’ll ever eat.

If you find yourself on the westside of LA, this fully plant-based restaurant is a must-stop.

HiHo Cheeseburger (Santa Monica, Mid-Wilshire, Marina del Rey, Studio City)

Before going vegan, HiHo was the home of quite possibly my favorite burger, and without a doubt the best french fries I’ve ever tasted (perhaps because they’re twice-fried and seasoned to perfection). It came as no surprise that HiHo also makes an incredible vegetarian option; if you remove the cheese and get the burger lettuce-wrapped (unfortunately, their bun isn’t vegan), you’ll get a tasty housemade vegan burger that’ll bring pure joy to your tastebuds. Don’t sleep on the fries, either. You’ll notice that the photo contains the bun – their team kindly reached out to inform us that it’s not, in fact, vegan.

With the added bonus of being a gluten-free, housemade vegan patty, the Vegetarian HiHo burger (minus cheese/bun to make it fully vegan) comes topped with ketchup, mustard, onion jam, lettuce and house made pickles. Not only does this burger taste great, but it’s also one of the lightest vegan burgers in LA, which always leaves me feeling great. Did I mention the fries? Don’t forget to order the fries..

Did I Miss Any of The Best Vegan Burgers in LA?

Drop a reply in the comments below if we’ve missed one of your top picks. I’d love an ‘excuse’ to do some more “research” and explore all of the best vegan burgers LA has to offer.

In the meantime, be sure to check out some of my other ‘best of’ lists in Los Angeles, like the best vegan ice cream in LA, the best vegan breakfast burritos in LA, and the 23 best vegan restaurants in LA.