VAN NUYS, CA
What do a couple of vegan foodies do when a new restaurant—with a 100% plant-based menu—opens in their ‘hood? They clear their schedules, throw on some stretchy pants, and rush over to taste one of everything. Shout out to Angelyque for being such a trooper. 💜
It’s incredible, really. Amid a global crisis, which has led to permanent closures of approximately 16,000 U.S. restaurants,¹ El Cocinero Restaurant is THRIVING.
The Mexican eatery celebrated its grand opening on June 24. We rolled up the very next day to find a mob of hungry locals, every one of them just as eager as us to dip into some Super Nachos or Papas a la Bestia. Herbivores and almost herbivores are badass like that. We show up to support the brave entrepreneurs betting it all to make an impact. We show up because we are part of a wider community that believes change is simply a series of small choices adding up to big results. And we show up because the food is damn good!
6265 Sepulveda Blvd #12, Van Nuys, CA 91411
The man behind the cocina vegana mexicana
Alex Vargas, aka “El Cocinero,” and I have something in common: Our families are from Jalisco, Mexico. Thanks to his mom’s and grandma’s recipes, the region’s flavors are reinvented in all-vegan dishes like jackfruit pozole, menudo, and tacos dorados. One of their six plant-based “meat” choices—soy-based al pastor, jackfruit carnitas, “chikin,” asada, chicharrón, and mushroom saudero—can also be served up in everyone’s favorites: tortas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos.
El Cocinero Restaurant doesn’t sell alcohol, but they do make a tasty michelagua—a limón, piña, or sandía agua fresca dressed up as a michelada. Need another sweet option? Try the nut-based flan. I can’t tell you what to expect though; I’ve never tried flan, ever. It wiggles, kinda like Jell-O. And the only wiggling I want happening during lunch is my little booty doing the happy dance. 😉
El Cocinero Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 1p to 8p.
For more deliciously kind comida Mexicana, check out Sugar Taco in Los Angeles, Gracias Madre in West Hollywood and Newport Beach, and Rascal’s in Santa Barbara. Or if you’re feeling extra adventurous, don’t miss La Pitahaya in Mexico City. 🌱
Exploring the city
A peaceful haven awaits less than three miles from El Cocinero Restaurant. No, it wasn’t easy resisting the urge to unwrap the takeout boxes during those excruciatingly long few minutes it took us to drive to Lake Balboa Park, but nature rewarded our patience.
Beneath a pergola draped in wisteria, with a view of the lake glistening in the midday sun, we finally dove into our tacos. Tasty bites, great company, and a gorgeous setting… We were as content as the people pedaling by in swan-shaped boats.
Angelyque and I walked the 1.3-mile path that circles the lake, telling ourselves it would be more than enough to work off the calories in half a dozen tacos, a couple of agua frescas, and a stuffed mulita. Sadly, a quick Google search now tells me we’d have been lucky if we burned the calories in El Cocinero’s signature hot salsa. 😳
Throughout the park, feathered celebrities lounged, allowing humans to approach them for photos. If the geese had the slightest bit of interest in us, they didn’t let on. Who could blame them for their apparent vanity? Natural orange eyeliner, remarkable webbed feet, and all that attention… I’d be feeling myself too.
I always feel so fortunate to see a butterfly. This gorgeous creature, possibly a self-appointed park ambassador, met us at the end of the bridge. We said goodbye and made our way home.
All in all, it was a good day.
¹Source: Yelp