Cafe Gratitude — Restaurant in Los Angeles

TLDR; Staff was fantastic!! Food was delicious. Overall experience was disappointing. Cost felt high, especially due to our meh experience. We arrived and chose to eat in the outdoor area to minimize potential COVID exposure since we were embarking on air travel the next morning. We chose a table and began the process of ordering with the QR code mobile system. There was no guidance or indication on the correct process for this so with four people at the table getting 3 separate checks it seemed reasonable for us to make our own orders from our own phones. Shortly after ordering another party arrived and sat right next to us so we found the host and asked if we could slide down one table to increase our distance. He kindly said of course and we slid down one table. Shortly after that (unbeknownst to us) my nachos app was delivered to the party that had just seated. That party started getting a bit loud for us, and since we didn’t have any food yet we decided to slide further away. I asked the hostess again if this would be okay letting him know that we had already ordered and again he kindly said that could be fine and accompanied me to where we were moving so he could make adjustments. Shortly after that one of our party’s entrées had an attempted delivery to the larger party we moved away from, I saw this and motioned to the server and let him know that we had moved. When it arrived at our table we were surprised to see that it wasn’t the nachos order and instead was just one of our party’s entrées. I mentioned my nachos to the server and he said he’d check. A bit later the entrées ordered together for two others in our party arrived. I went up to find the original host to see if he could check that our table number was or could be updated. I did not find him but checked with another person behind the counter and they said they’d take care of it. A while after this my entrée arrived. This is where the one flaw with our meals happened, the fries were just a step warmer than cold and the burger was also cool. Still no nachos and my drink was also not delivered with my meal. I had to find a server again to ask about my drink. The nachos arrived. My drink arrived. We had a similar albeit easier experience getting our deserts. Conclusion: I know what you may be thinking, that our shifting of tables was obviously responsible for all of our issues. I agree that this was likely the trigger that instigated most of the issues other than the original order of nachos being delivered to the wrong table when we were still right there and the table that should have got them was the empty table between us and the larger party. But… This experience exposes flaws in the order from mobile with minimal server assistance. In a traditional scenario we would have had a server assigned to us that would have know of our moves and followed along with us. We would have had someone check in on us, see if there was anything they could help with or ask how our meals were. This never happened so we were forced to go locate someone for help with our missing orders and I ended up eating cold fries and burger with no thought of enduring the process of trying to correct the situation. The other issue is pre-payment, including tip. The staff and effort toward service within the system was great, other than never being checked on we were very happy with the staff and service. The food was great too, other than my cold meal, everyone else loved their meals and mine was yummy albeit cold. Other than the fries, those are never good cold. Had I not already ordered and paid for the nachos I definitely would have canceled them once entree’s started arriving. The tip thing is tricky, because the food and service was great and we shouldn’t be subjecting servers to whims of an array of customers and moods to get a living wage. Asking for it ahead of time may cause other diners to tip cautiously without having yet received service. Thanks for the great service and food. I hope this...

I did an online order as it was easier then setting up an account to make a reservation to sit down and eat.

The order was placed and advised me it will be ready in 20 minutes.

I ordered three things as a to go order: I am Cute (GF Pancakes) $8 I am Fun (GF Noodles w/red sauce) $8 I am Cheesy with (GF) Cashew Mozzarella $8 I also ordered a I am Wholesome (Tuscan Apple Cake) (GF) $8 once I arrived to pick up my order. I was so impressed with all that is made with plant products and the Apple Cake was mouth water so I ordered it. However for 7.95 a slice its a bit steep on the price. Yes, the cake melts in your mouth but the flavors and the pallet need to match that price.

When I walked in I was greeted by a younger man to the right at the hostess table. I advised I had a pickup order and he showed me to the pick up counter. As I made my way along to the counter I could not overlook all the sweet treats that were made in a way that I could eat them!

So I ordered I am Wholesome (Tuscan Apple Cake) while I waited for my order to be ready .I was seated at the bar so I could eat my Cake while I waited.

I arrived on time to the calculation of the food to have been completed however they had yet to start on my food. I was supplied a craft of water while I waited as well which was refreshing to say the least.

While I finished the last bite or two of my cake the manager came over to let me know they were out of pancakes and asked if I wanted to replace it with the Acai bowl. I started to ask questions as to whether they had it and they advised they did. I said okay thinking that it would be a swap from one dish to another. The manager then said I am going to get a credit for the original and she just needed to recharge for the correct price WithOUT telling me that the bowl cost $17.95.

This was not something I agreed to at all. In the restaurant business if you do not have an item and it's already paid for and the establishment offers a replacement that does not mean an upcharge especially without letting the patron know.

A waitress came over and asked if everything was okay and I advised her that I was not advised of such a price increase for the replacement item.

My food just came out and I was looking at my original ticket of $26.28 then a charge of $36.96 which was not at all what I was looking to spend not for no Acai bowl and some noodles. The manager then came back and apologized for not informing me and took the charge off and I walked away with just the I am Cheesy and I am Fun nothing to replace the third item which was really devastating that a restaurant would do this to its customers. That covers my experience of the restaurant.

As far as the food goes, the cake was delicious however it would be better served warm, as well as the apples where a bit overcooked. There was not one apple that was not extremely soft when biting into the cake; it was more mushy than cakey. I LOVED that I am Cheesy (cashew mozzarella) was the best thing that I purchased from Cafe Gratitude!!!! It was creamy and oh so good! I am Fun was my actual least favorite out of all three items. The sauce lacked flavor and spice. Also the noodles were not cooked as long, they were a bit tougher. It could have also been older as the I am Cheesy tasted fresh as the I am Fun tasted like three day old spaghetti.

Overall the cleanliness was incredible however the service was lacking as well as the food quality was not as to be expected if you're paying a minimum of $8 per dish.

The reason for 3 stars is a combination of...

Been to Cafe Gratitude in Venice numerous times. Had the "I am Worthy" juice drink with freshly juiced apple, celery, kale, beet and ginger juice.  Instead of using a juicer which breaks up and mashes, Cafe Gratitude uses a special juice press which doesn't break up the heat-sensitive vitamins and anti-oxidants (unlike most juicer machines). Of the savory dishes, I like the ”I AM ELATED" raw enchiladas.  During my 1st visit, the raw enchiladas were filled with spicy corn, mango and came with red pepper sunflower seed pate, raw cacao mole, and cashew queso fresco on live spinach flax tortillas served with Mexican coleslaw.  For another visit, the raw enchilada was filled with seasoned raw mushrooms instead of the corn and mango filling.  Still raw yumminess.

I went to Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco a lot (before they eventually closed) and I do miss a few things which they don't seem to offer on a regular basis such as "I am Bliss" raw chocolate hazelnut mousse torte (the richness comes from raw hazelnut milk, coconut butter and raw cacao and cashew -- a godsend for someone like me who's lactose intolerant).  KUDOS to Cafe Gratitude for offering the raw Flaxseed chips and Buckwheat crackers -- best I've ever come across in either a restaurant or a natural foods store.

PRICING IS VERY REASONABLE considering the ultra freshness of ingredients and labor intensive preparation.  Kitchen preparation and execution isn't that far off from "regular" dining establishments; and they pay attention to visual details when it comes to plating. Also, this restaurant doesn't adhere to the "no-substitutions policy"-- they're pretty humble and want to make the customer happy.  One time, I ordered the I AM LOCAL winter greens salad with roasted beets, maple toasted walnuts, diced apple and red onion tossed in a fig balsamic vinaigrette.  At my request, they served the cashew mozzarella on the vegan flaxseed crackers instead of wheat bread crostini (I'm allergic to wheat and gluten).

Some raw vegan purists complain that Cafe Gratitude isn't real raw vegan because they offer cooked items as well, but I'd rather take Cafe Gratitude's moderate approach unlike another place where they insisted I start my meal with dessert first.

RAW DESSERTS - Be sure to try their RAW CHEESECAKES, PIES and TIRAMISU. I'm lactose intolerant and I had just about given up on ever having a creamy dessert without stomach upset (even Lactaid enzymes don't help me).  After having Cafe Gratitude's raw desserts, I actually don't miss dairy desserts.  If you want to gild the lily, go A LA MODE with their CASHEW COCONUT VANILLA ICE CREAM when you try their cakes and pies.

Tip for those with sensitive ears:  Sit in outside patio area because it's hella noisy in...