Equelecua Cuban Vegan Cafe

A different type of vegetarian experience for diners that don’t normally get Cuban dishes because of how heavy they are on meat-based items. The place is quite small and the dining is all outdoors. There is no restroom for diners, so just be cognizant of that. We enjoyed the food there and the items were pretty tasty. The best thing that I had were the wings, which came in the fire agave sauce. They use plantain chips as a replacement for tortilla chips, so also be aware of that in the nachos. Overall, a good experience at a unique restaurant.

This place was a total vegan food win! The dishes are creative and flavorful. The yucca fries are a new favorite of mine. The only downside was that it was a little chili being outside and there wasn't much room inside. Plus there were no customer bathrooms. It has easy parking though, which is a plus near LA. It's a perfectly delicious take out option.

Landed at LAX and after a $19 taxi ride over we're harshly told that it was against the law to bring our luggage in! It was about 2 pm and the place was nearly empty and the hostess (owner) was so rude and brisk with us it was shocking. Had we not been starving and with our own car, we certainly would have left immediately. There was plenty of space to either slide the bags up against the building or simply move some chairs away from the table to allow our bags to sit underneath and out of the way. We ended up crammed in the waiting area at a very narrow counter and on uncomfortable stools ... with our luggage tucked under the counter. In my whole life I've never been treated so badly at a restaurant especially a vegan one that promotes kindness and compassion. I wish I could say that food was fantastic and it made up for the horrible service, and yet I cannot. We were in the greater LA area for 2 weeks and ate exclusively at vegan places and this was absolutely the worst we were served. Greasy, bland and mushy would be my overall impression with nothing green, fresh or crunchy at all. We were so excited to try vegan cuban as they brag that they are the only one on the country ... perhaps the mediocre food and terrible service hasn't inspired any competition for this place. With so many great vegan options in LA, do yourself a favor and skip Equelecua Cuban Cafe. As a dedicated vegan, it makes me very sad to write this review. I should have read the many other 1 star reviews complaining about the incredibly rude owner. They simply do not deserve your business and they act like the don't want it.

I'm not going to lie to you, I walked in and wanted to walk right out. I'm a vegan foodie so if there's a vegan restaurant anywhere within the range of 1 to 300 miles I'm there. It is for this reason that I stayed here and had a meal at Equelecua (and also because our waitress, Diana gave us such a sweet and welcoming greeting I couldn't walk out). I am so glad I didn't leave. At first I was turned off because my first impression was that I was going to be having a meal on uncomfortable patio furniture in a small unimpressive box of a restaurant near a busy highway but after the first bite of my appetizer I felt like such a fool. DO NOT let the look of this place turn you away. DO NOT be foolish like me. Not only is this place a fully veganized Cuban restaurant but the food is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I was blown away by the quality and flavor of 5 of the five dishes that I had the honor of trying here at this humble and beautiful little eatery. If you are in the area give this place a go, vegan or not you'd be lying if you said that the food here is not worthy of your taste buds. Great service, clean bathroom, excellent Cuban vegan menu.

Update: Relocated to Pasadena If your a new customer please try the food. Its made fresh and hot. You will not be disappointed. Order for pick up or sit and eat. The food is worth the ride. The owner came out to say hello. The customer service is great and open until 10pm. I always order the Fire Agava Wings. I made it my mission to try different Vegan Wings in LA, Silverlake and Inglewood these are the best. They are spicy but delicious. The customer service is great. You will be greeted by the cashier/ hostess or host and feel at home. The food is cooked perfectly, always hot and fresh.

Best food I’ve ever had in this price range hands down, and this includes all of the restaurants I’ve been to before I went vegan two years ago. I’ve wanted to try a Cuban sandwich for years now, but after making the change to plant-based eating, I thought I never would. When I found myself in Los Angeles for an afternoon and discovered that this place existed, I rushed over. Equelecua Cuban Cafe lived up to 5 years of hyping up a sandwich and more. I’m really bummed I don’t live in LA; if I could, I’d eat there every week. Small restaurant, limited seating inside. We were helped by a young man throughout lunch, and he was great at managing multiple clients at once while giving everyone plenty of attention; not many people can do that, so props to him. They’ve got a nice compact setup on colorful tables out back. Not sure about a restroom as nobody needed to use one. People are complaining about the small-scale aspect of this restaurant, but in my opinion, it’s exactly what makes it special. If it was big and open it would lose it’s friendly atmosphere. That said, I hope the owners are successful enough to expand—the world needs more Equelecua Cuban Cafes!!!

Super interesting. I have no reference for Cuban food but I enjoyed trying some new things! The hot wings were good, the mustard wings won crowd favorite. We got too kuch and have yet to try it all.

Excellent vegan Cuban food. Wish I could remember the name of the sandwich I had because I adored it. Waiting for the next time I'm near the airport so I can go back. My bf loved the vegan shrimp too! And the plantain chips! Server was very helpful, definitely recommend!

Wow! Amazing food. This is a pick up place only. We ordered five dishes- Ropa Viejo, Mojo Chicken, Picadillo, garlic chicken wings and free empanadas. I love the Ropa Viejo and the garlic chicken (I didn't try the other dishes). Mind blown as to how they can infused so much flavors in the Ropa! I can't wait to come back!!!!! I've been vegan for 8 years and have not had Cuban food since and loved Habana in OC (the Lab). We used to go there often and stopped after we went vegan. I've never found a Cuban place that tasted this great!!! This should be a full on restaurant!

I love everything about this place!! I literally squealed out loud when I discovered that they were open again, and in my neighborhood The food is so incredibly tasty, I could eat all flavors of the wings everyday. And those nachos, OMG!! Thank you for bringing this amazing (vegan) food into the world!!!

I've never had vegan Cuban food, and the Cuban food in LA just isn't as good as it is in Miami. But this place!!! Even if you're not vegan, it is phenomenal!! This is a must try Vieja was divine. Shout out to the chef(s) you deserve it.

First timer here and OMG food was flavorful and delicious!! I ordered the ropa vieja 10/10 more on the sweet side compared to the Picadillo which was also 10/10 just not as sweet but again so much flavor!