The Gadarene Swine

We went there yesterday and were amazed. The kale chips and thyme popcorn were free when we checked in on Unilocal,and we were already really excited about this place after we finished them. And the quinoa salad, and buckwheat pancakes entrees didn’t disappoint. They were really well thought out and balanced. It maybe could have been a little more filling. We were hungry a few hours later.

Incredibly sweet and genuine staff, tasteful décor, and wide array of menu choices. Food was creative and so fresh it slept in the garden the night before.
They are such nice guys that I wish five-​stars for them, but my experience wasn’t quite 5-​stars.
I dined on the $ 70 tasting menu. So many veggies, but I was hungry an hour later. The creations were all vegetables, no grains or legumes. No bread, crackers, pasta, rice… none. Why is that?
The dishes were on the sweet and salty side. I prefer savory and spicy dishes, but didn’t experience any, although I requested spicy courses.
I absolutely couldn’t stomach the last dish: «smoky» olive oil poured on cotton candy over a tres leches cake. The oil tasted like a burnt candle, and the flavor wouldn’t disappear from my mouth after the meal. Never would I eat that again even though I consider myself an adventurous eater.
I really want this team of food revolutionists to succeed. Please add more savory and spicy dishes. Also, please add grains and legumes to the tasting menu.
18% mandatory tip. Just raise the wages for the staff you supposedly care about.
The wooden plates are unsanitary. They are porous and shouldn’t be used.

Amazing food, ambiance, service, and vibe.
Highly recommend this spot!!!
The passion put into preparing these mouth-​watering small plates was mind blowing
Thank you Philip, we will be back

This is so good I want to be vegan again.
Try the peanut butter and jelly starter — it will surprise you.

This place is great! And I don’t mean the «great» that we seem to casually throw out there in an attempt to say we simply liked something. I mean truly, great! Originally, I wanted to say The Gadarene Swine was awesome but I’ve been trying to wean myself off of casually using that word too. After all, «awesome» is to inspire awe. I think I’ll reserve that word for things like, an incredible sunrise, giant redwood trees or a volcano eruption!
However, If ever there was food, prepared in a manner that came close to actually inspired awe, this is it!
I’m not vegetarian but I do like to eat well. I recently decided to eat fresh, eat less and exercise more. Since that was working pretty well, I decided to try and also eat from the season. If eating clean and from local sources is important to you, The Gadarene Swine is a must visit.
What these people do with vegetables and the like, is… well…tremendously delicious!
We had the multi-​coarse chefs meal. Each and every item that can to the table was a work of art that gave pleasure to the eye. So complex in its visual that we were drawn to study its assembly after the server described its ingredients. Once we decided to break into the art, the flavors didn’t disappoint!
To say we had olive stuffed olives, cauliflower, hand made pasta, carrots? It just doesn’t do it justice. You have to understand that I’ve never eaten better.
The Gadarene Swine, you guys are great at what you do. Keep up the good work!

DineLA Restaurant week hit #3. DON’T WASTE YOUR DINELA TIME HERE!!!
They don’t have a special menu for dinela or a deal. It’s just their regular chef’s choice menu of 40, 70, or 100, depending on how hungry you are. I would recommend them on a normal day but with other places that actually do have dinela specials, eating here is a bit of a waste. They also can’t seem to time the dishes properly with the increased foot traffic, so come on another day unless you want to spend 3hrs waiting for 6 small plates.
I wouldn’t recommend their $ 40 chefs menu at all. The plates are MUCH smaller and I feel a bit miffed. Why write that the chef comes over and talks to you about your likes and dislikes and then serve everyone in the restaurant the same items? I guess it also didn’t help that the couple that sat next to us ordered off the menu and had the same amount of plates but also ordered 3 glasses of wine and paid $ 20 more than us. Their dishes were also at least 20% bigger than ours =(They were also able to finish their meal much before us. I was also annoyed that we had the same dish coming but they got their before us even though we had been there longer =T
Ok ok… enough complaining. What they did well…
–Roasted acorn squash, candied tomatoes, candied walnuts, banana mustard, white balsamic, dehydrated spinach, raw spinach: This item was off menu and absolutely delicious.
–There was this dish that had flavors that reminded me of the tiradito that I had just had at a Peruvian place earlier in the week. I have no clue what I ate but it was delicious =d
Anyways, their food is solid but the $ 40 chef’s menu is a joke.

Vegan?! Really, from Jonathan Gold (Food Critic) — a well-​know and devoted carnivore — listing this place as #79 on his Top 100 list for 2016. Worth the try with my dinner mates, Isobel L., and Gary I., this place definitely, DID NOT disappoint.
Best of all, I didn’t feel the need to stop by McDonalds (down the street), nor In-​N-​Out (before entering the 101 South Los Angeles) — the food created by Chef Philip Frankland Lee and his team, sufficed my appetite, and proved to me, that vegan can be healthy, and satisfying, yup — tummy happily stuffed! :)
It also happened to be dineLA week too, and so we ended up choosing the $ 40 course, which consisted of 6 – 7 courses of the chef’s choosing, served family style for us to enjoy. Here are the following items we got to sample and savor:
Unilocal CHECKIN: Two free appetizers: Lemon and Pistachio Kale Chips, and Roasted Garlic /​Thyme Popcorn. Since Isobel and I both checked in, we got double the freebies, woohoo! Both were delicious starters. Who knew, Kale fried as chips were tasty! However, we both agreed, the Popcorn one was very addicting! If movie theaters started selling Chef Lee’s popcorn, I would definitely buy an XXL bucket, lol! Now, onto the courses:
Course 1 Snack (My Favorite Snack besides the Popcorn): Fried Olive Stuffed Olives: Both the green black olives were delicious!!! Lightly fried, and when you first bite into it, it starts out sweet, and towards the end, your taste buds get a salty savory kick. I could eat this one for days, and it doesn’t taste greasy either!
Course 2 Starters Hummus: Hummus by itself can taste somewhat bland, but when paired with sweet tomatoes, and assorted nuts and veggies, it tasted delightful! The hummus was also rich and creamy. Pair this with bread or chips = heaven!
Course 3 Main Entrée: Shaved Carrots & Sweet Potato Slices and Purée: After our waiter explained what it was, Gary I., mixed everything, so that we all get a taste of everything. Otherwise, eating it by itself, wouldn’t have tasted great. It had a nice crunchy, and sweet texture to it. Lightly sweetened and so refreshing!
Course 4 Main Entrée: Blackened Cauliflower (My Favorite Entrée): This one definitely did not disappoint! My favorite was the crunchy cauliflower stems that was lightly fried, and it tasted like dried squid — amazing!!! The cauliflowers were also delicious — slightly charred, and mixed in with pistachio nuts, and sweet onions, super yummy!!! I would have definitely ordered this one if we decided to not do the $ 40 course.
Course 5 Main Entrée: Strawberry Arugula with Finely Chopped Apples drizzled over Prosecco Strawberry Sauce — this entrée was more like an intermission. A palate cleanser. It was light, and refreshing. A wonderful dish best served on a hot and sunny summer day. Both Isobel L., and I loved this «intermission» dish, lol!
Course 6A Main Entrée: Assorted Mushrooms with Burnt Sweet Potato: This dish was loved by both Gary I., and I. I love mushrooms overall, and so this was considered our «Meat» dish, and the mushrooms were so hearty and flavorful. Even the burnt sweet potato purée underneath reminded me of pâté. Yummy dish!!!
We ordered this one separately before the final dessert dish:
Course 6B. Main Entrée: Hand Rolled Pasta — Both Isobel L., and I were looking at this dish earlier if we did separate dishes, and I wanted to try this one, and luckily, both Gary and Isobel were gamed, yay! Overall, this dish was okay. It was too acidic tasting — tangy, but not in a good way (though the dish reminded Gary and I of Sweet and Sour pork — all that was missing was the green bell peppers, lol!)…and the pasta tasted a bit too al dente and pasty. Would not recommend this dish.
Course 7 Dessert: Cotton Candy with Tres Leche drizzled over heated olive oil. The olive oil over the cotton candy was cute, and when you eat it, you do taste the candle wicker from it. The tres leche cake was yummy!!! Though we all agreed, this dish was not meant for sharing because it’s so little! The cake piece looked as if you got leftovers from a bigger slice. Plus, it’s awkward dipping your fork in all together, lol! They should have separate out this one.
Overall, this rustic vegan dining was fabulous! I was hesitant at first to try this place, but I’m so glad I was able to experience it with my dinner mates. I love the rustic setting — so cozy and intimate. The wooden tables and chairs were so comfortable! Service: Efficient and attentive — the waiters were great with taking away unnecessary dishes we didn’t need, and patiently explaining all the ingredients in each dish to us. Our food came out prompt and on cue for each course. Our waters and drinks were always refilled readily.
Would I come back? Definitely! I never really like Vegan, until this place came along :)

A M A Z I N G ! ! ! Wow, I can’t even tell you how incredibly creative, artistic and delicious the food is here. Some how each and every bite just likes up your taste buds! While it’s not a cheap venture, if you’re a foodie like we are you will not be disappointed!
Oh, and make sure to have the fried olives and the blackened cauliflower dish, I dream of them

That was the most amazing meal experience I have ever had!
Let the chefs choose for you.
You won’t be disappointed one bit.
I am in love with this place!
I will say though the end of the night could’ve been better.
We sat at the table for 30 min with no water no more wine and we were ready to pay, but no one stopped by.
Make sure you have plenty of time when you come here to eat.

The is only based on my disappointment off of poor scheduling. Picture this: rainy day, make an appt through Open Table, says I have a table, get to the location and it’s closed due to «employee recognition.»
Wish I knew.
I’m all for employee recognition, but wish I wasn’t given the impression that I would be able to dine despite traveling in the rain.
I’m sure the food is good; too bad I can’t taste it.

Being a fan of cauliflower and sweet potato, they were both well represented here. The blackened cauliflower over cauli purée and the burnt sweet potato with mushrooms were all very good. The cauliflower had stamina and therefor not similar to mashed potatoes, which was a relief. Creativity with their food preparation is well appreciated, as opposed to most other veg/​vegan places I’ve been to. I’ve stopped going to those other places a while ago.
Meter parking. Nice looking place.
I don’t agree to the mandatory 18% tip. To provide more money for your staff, you can increase your prices and let me be the judge of what I should tip.
* And Jesus drove the demons into the Gadarene swine. The whole herd of swine subsequently ran into the Sea of Galilee and perished.
Matthew 8:28−34; Mark 5:1−20; Luke 8:25−39; Psalm 50:10;

I’ll admit it. I’m an omnivore and do like meat. The food here is very yummy and you don’t really miss the meat.
We tried a number of dishes and I’ll focus on my favorites.
I could eat a whole bowl of their popcorn. You can smell it even before you walk in the restaurant. The spice is a good balance of savory with a little bit of sweet.
The PB and J made me smile with remembered flavors of childhood, but updated for a more adult palate. Like many of their dishes, there is a good balance of sweet and savory. The P, the B and the J are all made in-​house. The salad topping the sandwich provided nice acidity to balance the sweetness of J and the richness of B.
Hi, I’m an omnivore and I enjoyed this meal, very much.

Quick Tips (for those who are short on time):
-$ 5 valet parking in front of the restaurant
–Tasting menu for 7, 9 and 12 courses. Prices start at $ 50/​pp, $ 65/​pp, $ 83/​pp. You might end up with some special dishes that are not featured on the menu!
–Want to add a wine pairing to your tasting? It’ll cost you extra buddy! $ 30-​$ 65 extra.
–Check in offer… The popcorn is amazing! I took some home for my long drive home!
–It’s helpful to make a reservation. I made one online. So easy.
–An 18% gratuity is added to your bill for ease. Some hate it, some love it. Just know that tip is added beforehand –k?
With the experience fresh in my mind, I thought I should bust this review out right away! The Gadarene Swine’s name is a tiny bit misleading because they don’t serve piggy. I read a review that stated the name also derives from philosophy/​gospel, but I can’t say for certain why the name was chosen. No info on the website to reference. BUT they are a vegetarian/​vegan friendly restaurant! It is located right next to Stout, which I thought he owned too but it’s actually Scratch! The «S» confused me), owned by Chef Philip Frandland Lee. I have the Food Network to thank for introducing me to the chef!
Anyhow, one of my friend’s is a vegan so this was my excuse to test this baby out. I really enjoyed everything about TGS. The interior is cozy and small. If the weather was a little warmer, a seat out of the patio would be nice. Maybe better suited for lunch because of the backyard like aesthetic. I got this rustic barn old timey cabin feeling.
Go for the gold! My friends and I ordered the 12 course taster and a bottle of wine because we’re cool like that. Everything came out like clock work and I really left feeling very very full (believe it or not). Our server explained each dish and the chef even graced us with his presence– that was to introduce a dehydrated eggplant filled cup of veggies. We had 3 desserts believe it or not! My absolute favs were, and forgive me if I don’t have the exact description:
–Blackened Cauliflower with a sweet corn purée. There was another crunchy element but I can’t remember what it was.
–Coconut pudding with Mojito granita, strawberries and brown sugar crumbs.
–Tomato dip/​purée with homemade mini sour dough rounds
Many of the dishes had several different textural elements, i.e. dehydrated veggies, purée, crispy/​fried, so your mouth is in for an adventurous treat! Who said you can’t have a fun yummy meal with all vegetables? Now I know and knowing is half the battle…

Great experience until we watched in horror as the prep chef in the front LICKED the spatula TWICE after he turned and made sure no one was looking and then returned it to the dish to use again!!! OH MY GOSH!
We just ate there tonight and now feel sick to our stomachs just thinking about what we ate. We watched this front prep guy for 10 minutes as he went back and forth, scratching his arms, a weird part of his jaw multiple times, squeezing and playing with the other chefs clothes and his own and clearing his throat, liking his own finger– NOT washing his hands and then shredding herbs and prepping the trays with his dirty, disgusting fingers!!!
He put another utensil up and licked it before we sat down but I thought it was imagination– It was real.
I’ve worked at restaurants and this is just horrific. I’m so disgusting right now.
The food and ambience and service was all great but this nasty guy completely ruined our experience and we will never eat here again. No wonder we stay at home and don’t go out to eat!
–totally disgusted in every way

Between the Restaurant Name or the «I do not exist» mirror, I wasn’t ready for any philosophical meaning of life discussions over lunch. Hell, my sis wasn’t sure about the day’s choice of a vegan restaurant.
BUT, whatever your reality, this was Hands Down, the BEST Vegan restaurant I have ever visited. Further, each dish was Creative & Inventive that shocked my sis and I throughout our delightful lunch.
Made reservations through Unilocal (but they didn’t have it upon arrival). No worries, we were the first to arrive for the lunch hour.
Parking: Blech. Only a metered spots on the street, but I was able to find a spot in the residential area a block away.
We grabbed a table by a window. Ambiance is intimate, rustic & romantic. There were stumps of wood that were our plates? (we never quite figured this out or used them. Okay, we rested our forks on the wood stumps).
I started with a glass of Bread & Butter Chardonnay-​Very Good.
With Unilocal Check-​in, you get a free order of the Lemon & Pistachio Kale Chips and Roasted Garlic & Fresh Thyme Popcorn. We giggled at how delicious these typical snacks were and we inhaled them. After finishing these off, we were ready to proceed…
Blackened Cauliflower-​4 types of Cauliflower and pistachios and a creamy sauce. Excellent.
Mushrooms w/​Burnt Sweet Potato-​tiny mushrooms over creamy sweet potatoes. Excellent.
Hand Rolled Vegetable Pasta-​this was my least favorite, but still Very Good.
We were tempted to try dessert, but alas, we were full. We both agreed that we would love to come back to try their tasting menu.
Final notes:
We never got any napkins.
18% gratuity included in bill (stated on menu).

Prior to revisiting any city, I conduct a thorough search of vegan options with the purpose of identifying new restaurants that may have opened since I had last visited. This certainly was not my first visit to LA, but it is the first time I noticed an unusually named restaurant come up on the list of vegan restaurants — The Gadarene Swine.
The restaurant is beautiful. From the outside, it reminds me of a French château with its brick façade, scripted font, and outside wine garden. On the inside, it is quaint and elegant with its rustic wood tables, tree-​inspired plates, and unusual artistic elements such as the rope in the box above the semi-​open kitchen. It is dimly lit and perfect for a romantic evening for two. We were dining on a Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. We started with a Rosato rose sparkling wine — quite refreshing.
Our server was pleasant and recommended we go with one of the many tasting options from which you could choose seven, nine, or 12 courses. We went with the seven-​course meal. We also ordered two cocktails of which the Bangkok Dangerous was my fave. The Bangkok Dangerous made with nigori (sake), pinapple, ginger, and turmeric had a really nice spicy kick to it that was somewhat dampened by the fruit. The Hibiscus cooler made with junmai (sake), hibiscus, and lime was light, but tasted like it was missing something.
The amuse bouche consisted of Roasted Garlic and Fresh Thyme popcorn with a light dusting of sea salt. So much flavor and so little time. Lemon and Pistachio Kale Chips were also served. I felt like some of these needed more of a coating of the lemon marinade.
The first course was the Fried Olive Stuffed Olive. An interesting dish, they take Calastrano olives and stuff them with a Kalamata and sweet potato purée, then deep fry them with a lime vinaigrette. The flavors were unexpected and bold.
The second course was the Hummus made with garlic oil served with purple potatoes and tomatoes and topped with pistachios and seaweed. The tomatoes added a nice sweetness while the pistachios added crunch to a spectacular hummus dish.
The intermezzo was eggplant three ways. Over a dehydrated slice of eggplant was chopped eggplant with red onions and pickled pomegranate topped with pickled eggplant. What a delightful bite!
The third course was a shaved heirloom carrot salad infused with nutmeg and cinnamon with sweet potato curls on the side. The emulsion of pineapple, ginger, and fennel really made the dish for us.
The fourth course was the Strawberry Salad or strawberry tacos as the server liked to call it. This complicated compilation featured Grenada and champagne, cucumbers, white onions, and thinly sliced apples with arugula and pickled onions. Sweet and satisfying.
The fifth course was one of our favorites. The Blackened Cauliflower dish was made with lots of blackened cauliflower and romanesco with pureed white cauliflower with garlic oil, chopped chives and Thai basil. It was so damn good. The pieces sticking up are crispy slices of broccoli stalks.
The sixth course was another favorite. Maitake and shimeji mushrooms with cayenne in portobello purée with rosemary, and sweet potato chips. This dish was complexly satisfying.
The final course was a coconut pudding with maple brown sugar, streusel, and Thai basil. Very filling!
For just $ 50, this tasting menu was a steal. Since we shared every dish, the portions were quite light, but the pudding at the end really filled us up. The service was good, but a bit too fast. They had called us beforehand asking if we could come earlier and it was clear they wanted to go home by the time we were done. We felt the dishes arrived too quickly generally. But despite that, we felt our server was very knowledgeable about the dishes and was quite attentive and the food was spectacular. This is one of my new favorites in LA! Oh, and I’ve heard this chef is currently competing on Top Chef so you can watch him there as well.

My bestie and I have tried to dine here before but we came too late one time, so we have never tried to come back since.
Buuuuttt today was different, we just randomly ended up in the stout parking lot and went here for lunch. Very satisfied with with the whole experience. Not knowing what to expect we let the server lead the way! Chandler was awesome.
Heads up. there is a 18% automatic gratuity added but totally worth it. We added tip on top of the auto grat because the service was such a good vibe. Everything came out on time and accordingly and we are definitely happy we stumbled in.

Very tasty vegan offerings in the old Eggplant location (which I stopped frequenting due to terrible service). Here’s what I had:
Olive Stuffed Olives
Described by the server as «an olive dish for people who don’t like olives», this definitely was borderline dessert territory as other reviewers have pointed out but delicious nonetheless. The sweet glaze and batter make for a unique combination of flavors.
Blackened Cauliflower
Perhaps the least interesting of my dishes simply because it was the most familiar. Cauliflower has been enjoying a brussel sprouts like renaissance lately and the dish here does a nice job sprucing up an otherwise boring vegetable.
Hand Torn Pasta
Rich tomatoey flavors and a bit of heat. Really liked this one.
Coconut Pudding
Now this was a show-​stopper. Basically coconut sorbet topped with a minty blast of «Mojito purée», chopped strawberries, and crumble. Excellent combination of flavors and textures. Helluva way to end the meal.
I also had a pineapple-​fruit cocktail with nigiri which was very refreshing.
My server had a great attitude and was very knowledgable about the offerings. Look forward to trying new items on my return visit.

Possibly one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to! Creative beyond your wildest expectations.
A knowledgeable staff that has as much passion as the owner about what is prepared there.
The best way I can say is this place has very high standards without being arrogant. The food is the star and it shines brightly. The dishes are constructed so well. There are no pointless additions for color or decoration. Everything has purpose, and it’s symphonic the way it all comes together.
I recommend the tasting menu. It really highlights the talent behind each dish, and the theme of the restaurant. Not only that, but you really get a sense of what the place is all about, and it will make it easier to go back, and order off of the A la cart menu.
What a find and how amazing to be in studio city. HIGHLY recommend.

As someone who loves meat and pretty much any part of an animal, I was curious about The Gadarene Swine, especially since its chef is also a lover of the flesh. Being DineLA week, it was a perfect opportunity to indulge my curiosity.
With a $ ⁵⁰⁄₆ course tasting menu, my first concern was, «it’s veggies, will it actually fill me up?» The answer is a very strong «yes.» In fact, it’s been awhile since I’d left a restaurant that full before. We opted for the supplemental Honey Fried Olive Stuffed Olives ($ 6), which taste like little sweet and savory beignets.
The tasting menu itself consisted of Hummus, Seaweed Snacks, Potato, Tomato (that’s the first item), Roasted Carrots, Strawberries & Champagne, Roasted Mushrooms w/​Burnet Sweet Potato and a Pear Pie. While everything may read simple, the dishes were anything but (hopefully my photos do them justice). The flavors were all uniquely complex, with a focus on highlighting the vegetables themselves. They’re not trying to make things taste like what they’re not as other vegan/​vegetarian places. It’s all about loving your veggies.
There wasn’t a bad course, and my only complaint might be mouth fatigue, with nothing I wouldn’t happily eat again. Have faith in what they do and just go with it.
They also have something I’ve never seen before: kombucha on draft, from Kombucha Dog. At 1% alcohol you don’t have to worry about getting drunk, though I found the ginger one to drink like a light hefeweizen that complimented the meal perfectly. I’d highly recommend trying it.
One more tip, if you get the chance, sit at the bar. It was great watching everyone preparing the items, and the staff was very friendly and conversational. Overall, it was an excellent experience. Even if you may be wary of a place that is meat free, I promise, you won’t be disappointed.