Variable Cafe — Restaurant in Culver City

This place is an absolute gem!! I had such an amazing experience from the service to their perfectly curated dishes and drinks, their adorable decor and great tunes, I had to come here pretty much every day of my stay! I’m from Canada and am not super familiar with LA, I stumbled on this place my first day here while I was waiting to check in at my place in marina del Rey. I’m so so grateful I did! The first day I came with my suitcases and exhausted from my trip, they let me hang out there for about 4 hours, I had the best coffee pretty much of my life, they were even okay with me repacking my bags and charged my phone for me!

The service was so phenomenal I had to come back with my girlfriend when she arrived, and continued to come for my daily coffees. My girl loved it maybe even more than me! I ended up ordering some smoothies, lattes, their sweet potato fries, the drunk cauliflower, and the northern lights pasta, I would rate all of them 12/10 and I will be back for more before I head back! I loved this place so much that I didn’t end up even going to that many other places cause I just didn’t want to miss out on my daily get from this place! Go here! You will not regret it I promise!!

Maya and Joel are lovely humans and I’m sad to be...

Will go again / price = average / service = above average / cleanliness = above average

This place is possibly a hidden gem for vegans / vegetarians. Although I am changing my eating lifestyle to a majority plant-based, I am no expert or either of the above as I will still eat meat on lesser occasions. With that said, this place is most likely a gem for those who are the above.

So far, I tried their northern lights pasta and brussel sprouts in which both were great dishes. The brussel sprouts are on the heavier flavor side but a good choice. The northern lights pasta tasted like a normal guilt free creamy parmesan pasta. The "chicken" is most likely tofu based after tasting the texture. It squishes similar to chicken so for meat eaters, this may be the better first time try. The ingredients included a bed of salad with a good mix of veggies providing a proper nutritious value overall. I am looking forward to trying many of their other dishes. Staff was very friendly when I asked for some recommendations.

Parking is ample but limited based on how busy the plaza is where the shared lot is located. The interior is clean, modern, and feels like a vegan decor whatever that means. Just goes off that kind...

I live nearby and have been to Variable many times because I absolutely love their food! Every time I taste the love and care in their food with every bite. Variable is well thought through vegan food with impeccable execution and goes above and beyond replacing meat-based dishes with a plant-based substitute. They think about how every component goes together and highlight the vegetables in their dishes. You really can’t go wrong with any choice here, but here are my recommendations:

The Northern Lights Pasta - my personal favorite, a complex and satisfying mix of textures and flavors, elevated comfort food

Organic strawberry lemonade - just the right amount of sweetness and tart, with a satisfying mint after taste

My Son’s Pho - sweet and slightly soy sauced tofu, flavorful broth very reminiscent of pho

TBS (tomato basil soup) - this is thicker and more textured than tomato soups I’ve had in the past, perfectly paired with bites of buttered toast with herbs

West coast shrimp - an extremely crunchy, sweet (due to the coconut) and shrimp-like starter, if you like the taste of coconut but not the texture, this...