Leonor's Vegetarian Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I found this restaurant on groupon and thought I'd hit the jackpot. I'm vegan and my best friend is very thoroughly not, but we both share a love of divey mexican spots. This seemed like the perfect place - I'd be able to order a lot more off the menu than usual, and I wouldn't have to listen to him complain about yet another cookie cutter Asian vegan menu.

It's got exactly the atmosphere I was looking for - an adorable little hole in the wall (and clean!). The only thing it was missing was the smell - it didn't smell like mexican food. It didn't even smell like food. I wrote it off as we'd shown up a bit early, but it was the first sign of things to come.

A gruffly polite older woman took our order. I got the flax seed tea (recommended in some online reviews - it was delicious!) shrimp tostada with a side of chicken nuggets (my rationale being if the tostada sucked I would at least have the consolation of something deep fried to dip in my salsa) and my friend ordered the Doug's Delight burrito because, well, if it's named after someone it has to be good right? Right? Also it promised a drenching in "Bolivian sauce" which sounded pretty epic. The meal started out good. Our surly waitress brought out my flax tea which was delicious as promised. My friend's burrito came with a giant plate of cabbage salad which was bland to my taste but exactly the sort of cabbage salad he likes. We were excited for the main course.

My tostada came out absolutely COVERED in cabbage. I love cabbage, don't get me wrong, but I thought maybe they'd brought out another salad before I pushed the cabbage around a bit to find the store bought, soggy tostada shell. I took a bite of the cabbage. The menu promises oil and vinegar dressing. Not even a hint of vinegar, and I'm pretty sure that cabbage was where all the oil that should have gone into frying my chicken nuggets went. I have never felt like I gargled with vegetable oil until visiting this restaraunt. New experiences, yay! Oh, the chicken nuggets. I'm pretty sure they were morningstar farms (my bad, I should have asked as this is a vegetarian restaraunt not vegan) and they looked so sad and dry on their little plate. Not a drop of oil had touched them. I feel like this was an attempt to serve something healthy that was negated by the gallon of grease on my cabbage salad/tostada.

Oh, but don't forget the burrito. The "Bolivian sauce" that held so much promise tasted like canned marinara with a bit of chili powder. It hid an uninspired whole wheat tortilla stuffed with "healthy" tasting brown rice and pinto beans along with non vegan soy cheese (seriously, why not just use real cheese at that point? That cheap soy stuff is nasty, yo). This is the first time I've seen my friend not finish a burrito, and we've had a lot of questionable mexican food. I feel like there is probably something good on the menu. The potential is there. I will not, however, be going back to try again. Ever. I really, really, REALLY want this place to be good, but the truth is it's not.

TL;DR : Pre-made, bland food that tries to be "healthy" with processed veg meats and too much oil in all the wrong places. That flax seed tea though. If all the other restaurants in the area are on fire and you have to eat or your stomach will implode into a black hole that destroys the universe, at least...

It's always exciting, as a vegetarian, to be able to go to a restaurant that caters completely to you. It had been years since I'd been to Leonor's (either location, even though they were separately owned and operated) so I was excited to give it a try. It was much the way I remembered it from my last visit years ago, with plenty of options, but an overall vibe that it happened really progressed anywhere.

They still have the flaxseed tea which I remembered from a years previously, though it didn't taste quite as sweet as I remembered it.

The decor looked like it hadn't been updated in a while, perhaps ever, and I got the feeling that I was entering a previous decade in the San Fernando Valley. So how about the food? Did it make up for a sort of lack of modernism in the space? Unfortunately not really.

I had shrimp and beef enchiladas. (As a reminder all of this is vegetarian) the shrimp had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. The beef was really tasty on its own, but there wasn't that much flavor in the sauce they served it with.

While I was thinking about this lack of flavor the cook stopped by the table and asked if we had been to the restaurant before. We mentioned it had been a while, and she wanted to orient us to the fact that they don't actually use any salt in the food for health reasons. Well it was good to know that the food was healthy, but they sure should consider using some kind of spices or flavors for taste reasons.

Our kid had a “chicken” mushroom pizza. It wasn't bad… But honestly it wasn't so great either. Not a lot of flavor on top and the whole wheat crust which was cooked perfectly didn't taste like much. A couple points for crust texture.

We also got a side of steamed veggies. It was a large, very generous portion, but definitely a lack of flavor going on.

Everything in the restaurant is vegan so, again, you don't have to worry about your dietary restriction if you are a vegan eater. But there are plenty of vegan joints popping up with a much more modern flair for cooking and flavor that I would try, or head back to, before I went back to Leonor’s.

I just want to note that the staff, including our server and the cook who made a point of stopping by the table, were both very, very nice, and despite the fact that we didn't really find ourselves too overwhelmed by the food, we at least felt welcome and were...

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Leonor’s Restaurant multiple times, and each experience just gets better. The empanadas filled with mushrooms, spinach, and cheese are absolutely delicious — honestly, they’re some of the best I’ve ever had. The food tastes fresh and you can really feel the love and care that goes into every dish.

The staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming — shoutout to Elizabeth, who was so sweet and made the experience even more enjoyable. The vibe here is casual and inviting, making it a perfect spot to relax and enjoy a healthy, flavorful meal.

I especially recommend trying their “chicken” sandwich, “chicken” salad, and enchiladas — everything I’ve tried has been consistently great. Don’t miss their iced tea, which is a nice, caffeine-free refreshment.

What really stands out is their passion and commitment. From the attentive customer service to the attention to detail in every bite, Leonor’s shines as a top-tier dining experience. Whether you’re craving traditional Mexican comfort food or creative, plant-based dishes, this place never disappoints.

No wonder it’s my favorite restaurant — it delivers bold flavors and warmth every...