True Food Kitchen — Restaurant in El Segundo

I am so disappointed. I want to start by saying that our servers were fantastic and kept trying to make things right. 1.) I asked for a small kale salad and got a large one. I said that I only wanted the small while it was still in the servers hand, and he apologized and said he would comp it. I said that I was happy to take the smaller one or at least pay the $4, but he insisted on making it right, which I appreciated. Things went down from there. 2.) We ordered coffee, tea, the salad, another appetizer, and two entrees. Everything was great except one of the entrees, I ordered the same ancient grains bowl that I eat almost twice a month at True Foods and that I had here in El Segundo just last month. Never in 3 years and dozens of this exact same bowl have I ever had tofu that was raw when I asked for it to be well done and tasted of mold.

The server knew it was raw when he brought it, apologized, and asked if I had time for them to fix it. I agreed. It came back worse. Other elements were raw and cold that have never been before.

I pushed it aside, and they asked me what they could do to make it right. I said I was fine, they insisted, and I said that I would take a veggie burger to go, which I paid for when I did not want it but they were so eager to get it right that I agreed.

I had to take it to go because we were out of time. I opened the box back at my hotel. The burger inside looked like it had been made out of spite. The bread was wet, there was no vegan cheese, the tomato was old, and a bottom end, the lettuce was old, the bread was stale, and the patty was mushy. The salad was awful compared to what we had as an appetizer, as if we were being punished for asking for edible food. Is it late? I am vegan with no options and an early flight.

I am greatfu to the servers who tried their best, but now I have to find some place else to eat when in LA. I am so disappointed.

*Update I see here that I am asked to contact True Foods directly, in the response below, by True Foods, to my complaint . I filled out a feedback form on the True Foods website that night, with my contact information, before I made the post.

**Additional Update I have upgraded my review from 1 star to 3 stars. True Foods management called me seeking to truly understand what happened that night, I get the sense that they genuinely wanted to know how to improve. I shared that I was extra disappointed as a vegan who turns to True Foods across 3 cities for clean food away from home. I felt like he was actually frustrated that I felt like I could not eat here anymore. After my discussion with management, I will give this location another try. My ChicagoTrue Foods, which I frequent in my hometown, has set a high bar. It is the only place that I have gone outside of Ethiopian restaurants, which gets it right every single time, for years.

Anyway, this place felt sincere. I appreciate the work that they are doing towards improvement. Thank you to local management and my servers.

*Aditional Update The manager sent me an email to ensure that my next visit was excellent. Wow! Mistakes happen all the time. The class and character demonstrated in the aftermath is the most important thing. I am so...

The Baseline: For an eclectic dining experience, the food offerings must be of quality for the variety offered, the seasoning/flavors must be special, the side dish offering must make sense with the other items, and the menu must be manageable.

August 2025 Food: Used the August 2025 brunch menu and had some new things. Ranchers Hash was good- great steak, great sauce, good veggies, and sweet potatoes was the base starch. I ended up wanting regular potatoes over the sweet potatoes (and I understand the sweet potatoes are the healthier option), but I will chalk that up to personal preference. Farmer’s Market Scramble was also good but it suffered from the sweet potatoes verses potato battle with my group (potato wins for preference). The scrabbled eggs were silky, smooth and delicious and the cheddar added to the dish. The Lemon Blueberry Muffins were awesome and were a great ender desert for the meal. I also had an Iced Shakerato which was a great mid-afternoon coffee fix.

Service: We had a good waiter and was attentive. All water glasses were kept full once we got them.

Ambiance: Very nice and comfortable when we came in for a late lunch. Well lit and the temperature was comfortable. Clean spaces all around.

June 2025 Food: The offerings on the True Food menu range from Asian to American from Italian rounding by Greece. The variety of the menu is large but several of the items work together (the Mediterranean Hummus starter works with the Korean Noodle Bowl). This visit we had the Pepperoni Pizza, Mediterranean Hummus, Korean Noodle Bowl, Chinese Chicken salad, Pesto Pasta, and the Thai Shrimp Lettuce Cups which all were good together. The Chinese Chicken salad was a bit heavy on the ginger in the dressing and the pesto pasta had a bit extra salt, but the pepperoni pizza was close to perfect and the Korean Noodle Bowl had a great mix of flavor. I ended with coffee and the flourless chocolate cake which was an awesome end to the meal.

Service: We had a great waitress and all parts of the meal were delivered efficiently. All water glasses were kept full and the extra request for more crackers for the hummus was fulfilled. I was very happy with the friendly and helpful staff.

Ambiance: True Food kitchen has been at the Point since the opening day over 15 years ago and the restaurant still looks great. Nice space between seats so you are not talking over adjacent guests as well as spacious comfortable patio area. The bathrooms are individual mini rooms with one communal sink and the area is very...

I began dining at True Food Kitchen when they first opened their original location at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California. I have been a fan ever since, and it is one of my favorite restaurants. The El Segundo restaurant offered a similar experience as the experiences I've had at Newport Beach. The main reason I like True Food Kitchen is due to their seasonal menu of fresh, creative, and healthy dishes. We usually start with their edamame dumplings and hamachi as appetizers (which also make a light meal if one isn't too hungry), and then get whatever looks good that day. Desserts are delicious, relatively healthy, and worth the calorie splurge. In line with fresh and creative dishes and drink offerings is the restaurant's decor, which is very casual at the same time stylish. I'll call the style abstracted urban farm. It has a clean look to coordinate with clean food and clean living. The outdoor dining space is equally pleasant as the indoor dining room. The only negative thing we experienced was it was a bit noisy. The dining experience could be enhanced if they proactively addressed this issue as well as turned down the volume of the music. We found ourselves raising our voice in competition with the loud music as well as the party next to us who also needed to raise their voices to hear each other. Service was friendly, and I would say slightly above average in responsiveness. It's a large dining room, and our server was literally covering a lot of ground. Our meal for 3 which included two appetizers, 3 entrees, 3 desserts, and a bottle of wine was $116.00 + tip. So, it wasn't what I would call inexpensive, but not overly expensive either considering how much more it is to buy quality organic food. I also value the careful preparation and presentation of the food. Overall our experience was very good, we all enjoyed our food, and we had...