Café Gratitude opens its doors in Downtown Los Angeles Arts District
With locations in two of the city’s hottest neighborhoods (Venice and Larchmont), it comes as no surprise that Cafe Gratitude recently opened its doors in Los Angeles’ burgeoning Downtown. This third LA spot is tucked into a 4,200-square-foot corner of the Yards at One Santa Fe, a mixed-use complex in the Industrial Arts District, which, come lunchtime, teems with artists, entrepreneurs, and other creatives.
The 11-year-old brand is loved for its organic plant-based dishes named after affirmations. The intention is for the guest to order by stating “I Am…” followed by their desired dish. It’s not unusual for diners to erupt into a fit of giggles while declaring how “Fresh,” “Giving,” and “Ecstatic” they are. (Translated, that’d be an order of grilled asparagus with hempseed hollandaise sauce; ancient grain flatbread; and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts with maple miso glaze.) Menu highlights include “Open-Hearted” buckwheat flax pancakes; “Yo Soy Feliz” portobello mushroom tostada—a tasty riff on guacamole; and new dinner dishes like the “Abundant” artisanal antipasto plate with cultured macadamia cheese and white truffle, and “Dynamic” garnet yam and cauliflower samosas.
In a first for Cafe Gratitude, Executive Chef Dreux Ellis has introduced a three-course prix fixe tasting menu that can be paired with wine or house made sodas—a concept that has rolled out to the other café locations.
While there are plenty of reasons to drive downtown these days, Cafe Gratitude keeps it grounded with the question that informs their philosophy: What are you grateful for?
Café Gratitude, Los Angeles Arts District
300 South Santa Fe Avenue, Suite A
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-929-558, cafegratitude.com
Marina Chetner is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.
Marina Chetner is a Los Angeles-based Australian freelance writer.