Cena Vegan - Whittier — Restaurant in Whittier

I love this whole building, but it is great to see a vegan spot offering...dare I say it?...actually GOOD FOOD. Not a 'vegan equivalent', but honestly really good food made by people who learned to cook from their grandmothers, and are just trying to do the right thing as best as they can, while providing tasty vegan options.

There ARE multiple options, but I am that weirdo who recognizes that most meat substitutes are actually more cancerous, artificial, and unhealthy than actual meat [I'm looking at THEE, impossible burgers and soyrizo!!!]. For that, they have a Mushroom Guisado, which is all natural and sans fillers.

This place made me happy. Also, the Whittier Brewing Company 'lemonade stand' is literally 6 steps away. And...beer is vegan, right?

Yeast is a living creature, but we feed it sugar and it poops out CO2 and alcohol. Is getting inebriated off of another living creature's farts still vegan?

Anway, Check out Cena. They're kind, and they seem to have their hearts in the...

Though the menu offers an exciting number of vegan proteins, there appears to be an issue with quality control.

What went well: Made to order corn tortillas: pliable and tasty. Incredibly spicy salsa option. Customer service and explanation of the menu. Guacamole. Ambiance as part of the brewery lineup. Tacos were absolutely loaded with protein.

What missed the mark: The barbacoa and birria, two of their gluten-free soy options, had the consistency of very thin pad Thai and tasted off, sour and lacking salt. It unfortunately smelled like canned tuna, which is not what I want to smell in a reimagined beef taco. I could not get past one bite of either. Asada was leagues better, but still wouldn’t come back for it, as it was dry. This was a wheat-soy option.

Was hoping to have a fun vegan option since I’m no longer near a Veggie Grill, but the protein recipes need work in both taste...

They need a lot of work on their Uber orders. At this point I feel like they exclude our add ons on purpose. Every single time we order through Uber eats (frequently) we never get any tortillas that are supposed to come with the order or the extra side of tortillas that we PAID FOR. No salsa whatsoever that we have requested on the side. Not even utensils when asked. But when we order for pick up in person we never have this issue. Made the mistake of ordering it for our wedding and, like when we always order through Uber, we didn’t receive any tortillas, salsas, or utensils. It almost seems like they’re doing it intentionally, for whatever reason, refusing to acknowledge any of our requests for add ons that were selected and noted. Do better Cena Vegan, please. we enjoy your food, but not...