Mobbed every Sunday brunch, many people forget about Larchmont Bungalow when heading out to dinner. At night, this spacious café become a quite sanctuary for a casual meal with friends.  The menu is fairly meat heavy, but a pretty hand written board highlights all their NEW vegan options! The obvious choice is the easy to share Vegan Nachos ($9.95). Light and crispy homemade tortilla chips are topped with vegan cheese (Daiya, the best band out there), whole black beans and thin slices of fresh jalapeno. With the perfect amount of salt and heat we could not stop eating the nachos, especially when loaded with the pico de gallo and fresh guacamole.

The duality of the Veggie Burger ($12.95) is… unusual. Between the glistening dome of a brioche bun lives a homemade potato/vegetable patty AND a grilled portabello. Nestled between the two are dollops of goat cheese, hunky arms of roasted bell pepper and sautéed spinach. As I clenched the burger in my hand, it quickly became obvious that this was a fork and knife affair. There is a bit too much going on in this burger, in the end I found myself picking though the pile for the cheese, spinach and veggie patty. The mushroom was a throw away (but I’m ultra picky about portabellos) and my friend seemed almost too happy to eat it for me. If mushrooms are not your thing, skip ahead to the other vegetarian options on the menu.

The one thing my friend didn’t care for–but I found surprisingly refreshing–was the side of Mango Papaya and Cucumber salad! Dressed lightly with vinegar and dill, it’s a juicy play on sweet and savory.

Our bellies at full capacity, my friend insisted on a “dessert” order of the Red and Blue Velvet Pancakes (Half Order 9.95 Regular $14.95). A blend of red velvet cake mix and pancake batter is crisp on the outside with a warm cakey center–made more decadent with a layer cream cheese. OMG they taste like oversized macaroons! They are forget your troubles come on get happy delicious! We savagely devoured them! This is the ONLY WAY a night on this charming stretch of Larchmont Blvd should end.

Larchmont Bungalow
107 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 461-1528
http://www.larchmontbungalow.com/