Gracias Madre

This review is from a visit

to Los Angeles back at the end of the summer of 2017. I was visiting a friend of mine, Erin, a few days before returning to Skidmore College in Upstate New York, where I was studying at the time. Erin, like me, is vegetarian and recommended this great plant-based restaurant called Gracias Madre right in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant was a charming place with a mix of open-air and indoor seating. We arrived in time to enjoy the $7 happy hour, along with a fair bit of 100% plant-based food.

The Happy Hour Menu

We started with the housemade nachos served with black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, cashew nacho cheese, vegan chorizo, salsa verde and cilantro.

House Nachos

We then split the crispy potato chorizo taco served with a delightful salsa Roja cashew crema, pickled cabbage and crispy onions along with the barbeque jackfruit carnitas tacos also served with cashew crema, pickled cabbage and crispy onions.

I decided to pair my food with one of their house cocktails called The Purista. The cocktail was made with tequila, agave, lime, orange bitters, and garnished with a sweet citrus salt rim.

The food’s straightforward presentation and, flavour combinations were sublime. While I am not a big fan of nut cheese, the cashew cream was surprisingly smooth and creamy. I was a big fan of the jackfruit carnitas tacos. The texture and flavour combinations were terrific.

For the price point and the quality of the food, this place is a no brainer. Besides, the convenient location and the cocktail helped significantly on the warm summer day. I would like to preface that this was only a review of their happy hour. I hope to come back someday and give the rest of their menu a try.