Elf Cafe

"Although Elf Cafe in Echo Park is no longer exclusively vegetarian (they make an excellent smoked trout brandade), this boutique-sized Mediterranean spot welcomes vegetarians with open arms—and by open arms we mean warm hummus and beautiful roasted produce. Every dish here is designed to share and sticks to the “whole foods” mantra: toasted carrots in a garlicky herb sauce, meatless tagine, and blistered shishitos finished with flaky salt." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder

"Elf Cafe in Echo Park has a Turkish, Lebanese, and Italian-influenced menu that’s vegetarian-friendly and sticks to the “whole foods” mantra: roasted carrots in a garlicky herb sauce, meatless tagine, warm hummus with a baguette for smearing, and non-fried proteins, like juicy lamb shish kebab that hit the table steaming hot. Perhaps eating “whole foods” doesn’t sound very sexy on paper, but the food here is delicious, comes out quickly, and it all takes place in a tiny, low-lit space we wish we could call our neighborhood spot." - sylvio martins, brant cox

"A candlelit hideaway in Los Angeles offering a vegetarian-forward Mediterranean menu with organic wines and local ingredients." - Ty Gaskins

"Elf Cafe is the little neighborhood spot everyone wishes they had a block away from their front door. This low-lit Mediterranean restaurant run by the same folks as Dune has been around since 2006 (minus a brief pandemic-era closure) and it still gets packed nightly with friends in search of wine, warm hummus, and skewers of juicy lamb shish kebab that hits the table steaming. Elf is also very vegetarian friendly, so keep it in your back pocket for when you need to feed a mixed group of plant and meat-eaters. And if you want to keep the night going, cross the street to Bar Bandini for another glass of orange wine. " - brant cox, sylvio martins

"This small, low-lit Mediterranean restaurant in Echo Park—run by the same people as Dune—was originally vegetarian but now serves meat and fish, too. The room feels like a tiny, exposed kitchen was plopped in the middle of a wine bar, where friends split natural wines and share juicy lamb sis kebap, bubbling trays of smoky trout brandade, and hummus that’s popped in the oven so it arrives warm. Elf is also still vegetarian and vegan-friendly, with various vegetable sides, meatless tagines, and pasta dishes to choose from." - sylvio martins, brant cox, nikko duren