La Vegana Mexicana

My sister and I went here for the first time yesterday! The service was lovely. The man that helped us at the counter was patient and kind while we looked over the menu. The food was DELICIOUS. My sister and I tried their tamales, tacos, burrito, and horchata. We loved them all! You can tell it was made by people that love what they do. It has that home made feel/taste to it. I would definitely come back here again, and recommend anyone that loves great vegan mexican food to come here ASAP!

Can’t believe I hadn’t come here sooner, you cannot skip this place! We came for a lunch and returned to get our holiday tamales and we were blown away. The queso tacos are freaking incredible. The Pambazo was epic. The tamales for the holidays were so good. I recommend the jalapeño and cheese tamale, the nopal and the green parrot (which may be limited for the holidays). The owner, Loreta is so kind and puts love into her customers just like she does in her food. We are blessed to have them in OC. Don’t waste any time, and go grab some delicious food today.

Stopped by this place to find a bite to eat . It’s inside this cafeteria with a lot of food vendors - but this was the only vegan spot we found . The service was great ! We ordered a burrito with jackfruit asada . The jackfruit didn’t have much flavor but it was an okay burrito . 🌯 giving it more stars for service and the sauce was good 👍

I've loved everything I've ever ordered from here, which I don't think one can say about most places 😇 Prices are fair and the food is all so, so good, as are the drinks and desserts. Please don't think you have to be vegan to eat here — I'm not, and I'm always wondering when I can come back :0) Loreta and the staff are the sweetest, too.

201 W 4th St is such a fun place to come have food and tell your friends to meet there. Once I found out there is a vegan Mexican food in this plaza, I had to go. I've been wanting Mexican food and this really hit the spot. I decided to try their tames and was impressed with both. The jalapeño and cheese tamale was really good, but I truly enjoyed the mushrooms with red sauce. I was not used to the texture and still enjoyed it all. The sauce added just enough spicy heat to add to the flavor and experience. Being Vegan has not been as hard as I thought it'd be once I found gems like this place. Vegan or not, it's great food, and a great spot.

Had a great first experience at la vegana. The pambazo torta was tasty, especially with the habanero and crema on the side for a little more flavor. Looking forward to going back and trying the quesotacos. Friendly and fast service as well

Delicious tamal made with hongos & chile guajillo 🍄🌶🌮🌯 . Tacos were pretty good too, especially the al pastor! They had a nice selection of items. The food is nourishing & authentic. Cute atmosphere at 4th St Marketplace. Parking is tricky with construction on 4th St, but worth the effort. Kid friendly. Thanks for using minimal plastic 🌏

Bad location. Edit: It is in a difficult to locate, out of the way location. The burrito was super tasty, very fresh and organic. Tacos were okay. Cheese and Jalapeño tamale was fine.

Got two quesatacos (pastor mushroom & chorizo potato) as well as two tamales (cactus in green salsa & jalapeno with cheese). Apparently the tamales are the most popular but we found them to be a little dry. The cactus in green salsa one was particularly dry and unflavorful. At least the masa was a little less dry in the jalapeno with cheese. I think the cheese helped with that. We enjoyed the tacos much more. The corn tortilla was delicious and both fillings were so yummy! We would get these again and try more flavors but probably skip the tamales next time. Plenty of seating in the food court with outdoor shaded seating too.

Horrible food Horrible taste Horrible ingredients Don't waste your money or health

BEST VEGAN MEXICAN FOOD IN OC! The tamales, tacos, and pambazo were all very tasty, fresh, and authentic. Brought my non vegan relatives along and everyone loved it! Now, the food? AMAZING! the service? EVEN BETTER! The owners go above and beyond and will provide exemplary customer service time and time again. You can tell they love what they do and they will continue to provide good value items. This restaurant is located in the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana. Great place to walk and try very different establishments. Plenty of seating indoor and outdoor. Located in the heart of downtown Santa Ana Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Ambiance: 10/10

I had a vegan ceviche tostada which was surprisingly very similar to fish ceviche. I also had a queso taco with pastor which I ate before I could take a picture of it. Very good. Great vegan option great taste great qualityq mmm I

I'm not a vegan but I saw good reviews of La Vegana Mexicana and was willing to try it. Their food is not only vegan (so dairy-free obviously), but soy-free and mostly gluten-free. They are located in the 4th Street Market food hall and don't open until noon. Food is made to order, so it may take longer than you might expect. I ordered a couple of their quesitacos ($5.50) with asada mushrooms and pastor mushrooms (which included Violife cheese for a $1 extra vs. their normal tacos), with salsa, cilantro and onions on corn tortillas. The tacos were drizzled with sauce and definitely needed to be eaten with a knife and fork because they would be too messy to pick up and eat with your hands. They were both very flavorful, though I was a little disappointed to not see any pineapple bits in my pastor taco. The chorizo burrito was pretty bland. Since they do not use soy or any fake meat products (which I admire), they had their own "chorizo" with garbanzo beans, which was not sufficiently spiced. It came with a teeny cup of salsas (though they did say they would provide more if needed). Sorry I didn't get to try their tamales. I had my eye on the black bean and mole one but was unable to try it due to an almond allergy. If you have any food allergies, the staff is very nice and will double check ingredients for you. Free two hour parking in the public parking structures off Spurgeon.

Vegan food was amazing. It was such a nice surprise for a Thanksgiving meal. #GoVeganForLife. I will definitely be visiting this location more often !!!!

Delicious food here! Stopped in for lunch and had the Pambazo with a Jamaica to wash it down. Pambazo was full of flavor with chickpeas as a filler. Warning. Will need a knife and fork! Enough to keep you full and fuel through the rest of the work day. The Jamaica was delicious, it wasn't over powering or too sweet. Service was extremely friendly, was with a coworker but they even offered to find me outside. A+ my man. Market was full of people but had plenty of seating. Seemed like a ton of food trucks but settled in a market. I will return to run through this menu as it was impossible to decide what meal to have.

Finally got to try this place for lunch today after many years. For reference, I went to the OC Vegan Fest recently and this tasted better than anything I had there. The guy at the register was really nice and answered some of my questions about recommendations. I ended up ordering the mushroom asada al pastor quesitacos and added the arroz con leche for a sweet snack. The quesitacos hit the spot! They were definitely hot and a little messy, but the flavor was bomb. I had the arroz con leche for an afternoon snack and the flavor of that was perfect. It didn't taste like regular rice pudding, more like a creamy horchata and it wasn't overly sweet at all which was perfect. If you want to eat a little bit healthier or make better food choices La Vegana will help you accomplish this. I thought my meal was filling, very flavorful and I left feeling better than I would had I eaten at a regular fast food place.

I'm not vegan, but frequently dine with vegans...which sometimes can be a bummer for me if things don't taste "right" - this is without question my new go to where everyone can order things and I know it will be phenomenal. La Vegana Mexicana has hands down the absolute best vegan food I have tasted - so much so that I found myself running back to order more as soon as I finished. The tamales were nice sized and the masa to filling ratio was perfect. Just writing about my visit today is making my mouth water!

I went expecting what I remembered from La Vegana Mexicana from a vegan festival a number of years ago because I was in the area. After ordering and eating, I looked them up because the food was not what I expected and learned they recently changed owners. I understand transition but my frustration was if you continue to use the same name the food should reflect the same and unfortunately that was not my experience. The tamale was beautifully wrapped but smelled burnt. I opened it and the top was charred. I ate around it and found the bean tamale completely flavorless to the point I could not finish it. I also got two jackfruit tacos.. my tacos were better because of the salsa and lime that gave it a boost, but taco base was still bland and were a potato chickpea base and not the jackfruit I ordered. Suffice to say I really hope they improve as they find their footing but as much as this cost I was very disappointed and hungry and have to give this as a point of caution to future patrons.

Been wanting to try this spot after following them on Instagram for some time now. They're located in a food court in downtown Santa Ana, so you can guess it... it's loud. Two hour free parking when you park in the structure. I was sad to hear that that the person in front of me ordered the last of their specialty nopales and their Al pastor. The owner told me that they typically run out of their specialties around lunch time and haven't gotten around to order some more for the afternoons. I ordered their bean/cheese burrito, seafood ceviche tostada, and quesataco with chorizo con papas. The quesataco was my favorite. Perfectly seasoned and the sauce made it perfect. Bean and cheese burrito was amazing with their green salsa. I was not a fan of their seafood ceviche. The cauliflower was no marinaded enough and it just tasted bland. Would come back again so I can try their specialities.

We tried mushroom, onion and cheese quesadillas, pambazo, vegan el pastor tacos, and vegan burrito, all of them were good, I wish they had vegan ceviche they did not have pineapple, cauliflower will visit again to try more options if all the ingredients are available. Overall very good food, and healthy too

Who knew doing Yoga would build up such a appetite. I just attended the free yoga class at the plaza right Next door on the corner. Let's get something healthy to eat. After all this great body work . There's a vegan place right next-door. I'm definitely not vegan but I know that vegan food is a lot of hard work to make. That's exactly what my body deserves right now. Quality ingredient food. It's the extra effort, and care of that goes in to making vegan food for me ! Right away, I was greeted by a very friendly Alejandro. All three of us just kind of stood there, talking about our dietary needs. All of us trying to be vegan at one time or another. Today I stand here a pescatarian, and that's OK. My friends always get mad at me because I will not eat Mexican food. First of all, my mom makes it at home for free and better . Then there's the lard thing . So tasty yet , not on my list of things to digest . So really the only Mexican restaurant I can trust would be a vegan one. My food was Delectable! I threw my etiquette rules to the wind and cleaned my whole plate ! I'm dying for them to make Hibiscus Street tacos. It Looks like I'm gonna be returning to the Saturday yoga classes and I would love to have them afterwards. Vegan people deserve street tacos too ! Attention management, please consider making hibiscus flowers or jackfruit street tacos pretty pretty please. Love your new favorite customer Crystal #5Stars #ThankYouAlejandro #Delicious #WeLoveVeganFood

If you're going to do vegan & call it Mexican Food, this is how it should be done, IMHO anyway. Great sized portions & great flavored food. Get a couple of different things to share with someone. That chorizo is FANTASTICAL!

201 W 4th St is such a fun place to come have food and tell your friends to meet there. Once I found out there is a vegan Mexican food in this plaza, I had to go. I've been wanting Mexican food and this really hit the spot. I decided to try their tames and was impressed with both. The jalapeño and cheese tamale mmm really good, but I truly enjoyed the mushrooms with red sauce as well. I am not used to the texture which I'm sure is due to not using lard, but i still enjoyed it all and i can get used to it. The sauce added just enough spicy heat to add to the flavor and experience. Being Vegan has not been as hard as I thought it'd be once I found gems like this place. Vegan or not, it's great food, fair prices, and a great spot. Tell them Frankie sent you... probably won't get you anything, but I love supporting small businesses who have great product and service, which every community needs a lot more of...

Amazing Jackfruit burrito!!! So very delicious!! Staff was so nice and helpful.. great service and suggestions. They said they were known for their tamales.. I will have to try that next time! Vegan now, but they said now will be incorporating meat and looks like changing name to Callejon Del Beso if I am reading their sign correctly.. but will still have great food! Love trying new foods at 4th Street Market!

Cozy little kitchen inside of 4SM. Staff was prompt and courteous. I had the PAMBAZO sandwich! It was really good. The bread was soft and crunchy in the right places. The filling and sauces were tasty. The portion was nearly decent for inflation prices. Could definitely include a side. To drink, the agua fresca de Jamaica was tart but not sweet enough for my taste. Overall very solid spot but leaves much to desire. I hope they read and consider the feedback. Gracias!

I don't usually hang out in downtown Santa Ana and when I do I eat before going there because I didn't know of any place to get vegan food. That has all changed. I went to La Vegana Mexicana today and I have to highly recommend this place. It's in the food court so not a restaurant situation but the food was so good, outrageously delicious. The staff was very helpful in steering me away from stuff that I'm allergic to, I can't eat pineapple. But there was a great selection of food that was pineapple free so I was really happy. Also, they have horchata! So delicious. It's a bit loud but it's a good court so if your looking for a quiet place to eat your fabulous feast take it to go. I go to the Frida often and now that I have found this place I will be sure to stop and get something to eat here.

3.5/5 parking was easy because we got here pretty early. it is located in a food hall so plenty of seating for everyone also a ton of options for non-vegans & vegans. we came just for tamales & horchata. we ordered 1 black bean & mole, 1 cheese & jalapeño, 1 cheese & red salsa, and 1 mushrooms & guajillo sauce. the cheese & jalapeño tamale was my favorite because it was the most filled one. the black bean and mole was pretty tasty, i would love to try a mole plate from them because their mole was chocolatey and smokey in all the best ways! the other two were, unfortunately, missing most of the filling. it was disappointing because the masa was dry in the red sauce tamales :( the horchata was not sweet at all, it was missing some cinnamon sugar. all of the tamales were a little overpriced for what they were. overall, the staff was kind and friendly. the dish presentation was cute since the ribbons helped identify the flavors.

Delicious quesatacos!! I've never had them before. I recommend the chorizo potato and the al pastor mushroom ones. I also tried the Pambazo but it was not as delicious. Only two things that could make a huge difference: Offer at least one hot sauce, theirs are mild at most. Offer delivery!!!!! I would order from this place regularly if I could.

Last time I came, I drove 30 minutes out of the way to try the mole enchilada, but it turned out that was from an older menu. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed that there was no more mole, but I went with a cactus and el pastor burrito. The second I had my first bite, the disappointment disappeared because it was legit the best burrito I've ever had (and the first vegan burrito I had). So, I drove an hour to come stop by today, and to my elated surprise, they had mole!!! I ended up getting the burrito, but was able to add mole to it, and OMG it was soooooooo good. Honestly, better than the Michelin Started restaurants I've been to over the last few years. Excited to drive out again for another meal! Worth the drive. If you're debating, don't, come here! Thank me later.

I finally checked this place out with my sister and was not disappointed. We ordered: tamal de nopales, tamal de mole, quesataco "al pastor" tostada de "ceviche," and tostada de "chorizo" with two sodas for a total of $34. I think the price is fair for the amount of food we ordered. The quesataco al pastor is made out of mushrooms, my sister loved it, I liked it. To me it was more the consistency of the mushroom I did not like, it was soft, but the flavors were delicious. Tamal de nopales was delicious! Freaking bomb. Masa was perfect and ratio of filling and masa was perfecto. Tamal de mole was one of our favorites! The mole flavor was out of this world, great chocolate-Ty flavor. I'll definitely be back for this one. The "ceviche" tostada was my favorite!!! It was made out of cauliflower with avocado, great consistency and flavors. I shared with my sister but ate most of it. The tostada de "chorizo" was good, not bad, but again ceviche tostada and mole tamal was my favorite; however, I enjoyed every thing we ordered. Service was awesome, the lady was so sweet she carried our trays to our table and suggested what we should order. I think the price was reasonable. Cool place to visit. I think it's great to have Mexican vegan plates available because when I think vegan I usually think tofu! So the fact that there's Mexican dishes available in vegan style is pretty cool. I'm trying to be more conscious about what I eat and this place was a great start. I recommend.

I literally only come to the fourth Street market for this place all the time. I love the pambazo, it's as authentic and traditional as it gets. The salsa for the telera, the papas/chorizo for the filling, and the lettuce tomato and queso Cotija taste like home!!! I also really enjoyed your cauliflower ceviche and the salsa that comes with it!! 100% family owned and operated - you can taste the love they put in everything they make! All from scratch!

Loved finding a vegan Mexican restaurant. I had bean and mole tamales and so tasty. Great service, too. We will be back!

I am a big DTSA fan and this spot is now in my artillery of good to restaurants. Located inside 4th street market, this spot is very cute and friendly. The staff was amazing and helped me with my decisions. First, I had the Jamaica which was delicious. It's not sweetened so if you're looking something tart, I highly recommend. I loved it. I decided to have the chorizo and potato tostada (comes with 2) and I would highly recommend ordering!! The flavors were great and it was the perfect portion size. I also had a few bites of the ceviche tostada with Valentina and it was AMAZING!! I put some Valentina on my chorizo tostada to get a little more kick. I can't wait to go back and try the pambazo!

My husband and I recently gave up meat for 21 days. We came across this place because I was craving tacos, and it did not disappoint! It tasted very similar to real beef, and the flavor was so good. The service was quick, and the employees were friendly! I had questions that they did not hesitate to ask. Definitely recommend!

Really wanted to like this place because it's one of the only few all vegan Mexican restaurants but I was extremely disappointed. What I got was overpriced and bland food. I spent around $50-60 (plus tip) on a bowl of menudo, pambazo, and 2 tamales. Detailed breakdown: - menudo: 1/5. this was almost $15 and I received a watery bowl of a few pieces of mushroom and hominey with a tiny side of toppings (onions, oregano, chili flakes, and lime) and some tough corn tortillas. - pambazo: 2/5. around $13. this dish looked really good when it came out but was a pile of unappealing mushy meat and potato topped with cabbage and overly sour sauces. - tamales: 2/5. About $6-8 each. they're surprising large but don't let appearances fool you; they're 99% masa and 1% filling with 1/2 in layer of masa. Could barely taste the filling because of this. Came with a side of overly sour salsas. El Vegana Mexicana struggles to hold a candle to the vegan options at traditional mom and pop Mexican restaurants. Bummed that one of the only few vegan Mexican restaurants provides such disappointing food. Would not come back again.

Cool healthy twist on traditional Mexican food. This place is delicious and you feel healthy eating it. Only kicker is the price is higher, but that's to be expected with any vegan restaurant.

This was literally the worst vegan Mexican food I've ever had in my life. I got the burrito and to start off. They use white rice and black beans that have no seasoning whatsoever, which is a big absolute disgrace to Mexican food. I got the quesadilla and the Asada mushrooms Were not Asada at all, but they were cooked mushrooms that had zero seasoning on them whatsoever and the whole meal tasted bland and disgraceful to some of the really good vegan Mexican food restaurants there are around. Don't bring anybody to this place who hasn't already had good vegan Mexican food.it's truly an absolute disgrace. Thirdly with all the food so bad as it is the cost of my meal for a burrito and a quesadilla was up at $35. Very disappointed I highly recommend nobody goes here. I don't see how they're still in business.

Love the variety in this menu! Located in the heart of DTSA, there is plenty to do and see after enjoying your food. I got a mix of Café de Olla and Pumpkin Spice Horchata, a concha, one cheese and red salsa tamale, and one pastor mushroom taco, and I loved every bite! Service was quick and polite as well.

There's no nice way to put it, their "Al pastor" taco is the nastiest I've ever had in my life, vegan or not. It was slimy and tasted mostly like the mushroom (shiitake) with very little al pastor flavor. The potato chorizo taco was edible but also flavorless. I have literally made better at home. Service was also lackluster, we stood at the counter being ignored for a couple minutes and the lady who took our order seemed like we bothered her by being there. Do your self a favor and only order the tamales if you HAVE to go here. The mushroom one was pretty good but they need to put the same effort into their tacos as they do their tamales. Finally, they either forgot to include or don't offer any salsa with their burrito which is super strange to me. I didn't eat it but my boyfriend said it was bland as well. Maybe some salsa would've helped.

I would like to give a more complete review of my experience with this restaurant and share the response I received soon after my visit which has continued to bother me periodically (attached). I just find her statement about 3 star reviews hurting our small business to be rather off-putting. Not planning to return. I have 47 reviews written and this will now be my third 2 star review.

I am not vegan but I recently hosted a birthday party of nothing but Vegan people. I was really nervous about what I was going to serve and after some extended research I decided to go with La Vegana Mexicana. Thank you - La Vegana, you gave my guest a lot to talk about during dinner and we can happily say Party was a complete success. Gracias

So delicious is their food, and although a little tiny when you are ravenous i could eat there every day and not get tired of the food!!The service was good although the chairs are a tad uncomfortable.... Being Vegan this is a good place for me. I will definitely come back when I can.

Had the tostada and it was delicious. Never had a tostada since going vegan. Definitely recommended.

VEGAN REVIEWER! So I'm not the most knowledgeable about Mexican food, so I can't claim authencity. My experience here was really nice, the cashier with bomb hair is super sweet and educated me about the menu. I settled for the black bean and mole tamales and hot chocolate. It was really good! My thing is the tamales seem to have more dough/husk/grain than filling. It was dry sometimes, but still very delicious! The chocolate was sooo good. I'm not sure what spice is in it but I really liked it. Definitely would come again if I'm in the area!

The owners talked to us about their restaurant and how they started, the food was delicious and in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana! Love that they didn't compromise on flavors just because it's vegan. Vegan vegetarian food can be tasty and loved by all!!

Alejandro on the register does a great job these are the type of people I enjoy meeting. He has great energy and the food here is great. I came back 2 days in a row because I wanted to try the entire menu. Have a few more dishes to try but I will get there. Alejandro also likes to make sure everything is nice and clean before they open.

I'm so sad! I had high hopes for this place. Don't let the aesthetic fool you. I had thr pampazo it's basically bread and sauce and really soft potatoes. The cashier took FOREVER to take our order. The menu is sooo small. I will not be coming back.

Since I can't have dairy I have to limit some of my favorites. This place hit the spot!!! I has the quesataco with chorizo. The Horchata was so delicious and sweet! I have to come back! Definitely recommend this place

Real talk. I've tried tamales from Costco, from El Salvadoran places, farmers markets, street food. I pronounce tese art the best.

Your experience here and whether you're even able to get food will depend on who's working when u visit. If you get the short, skinny girl then you'll get good service and food. If it's anyone else, they'll ignore u until u leave and then pull down the shutters. Not joking. They "close" shop at seemingly random times. I've visited this spot about 10 times now at various times throughout the day. Doesn't matter what time it is, if u get specific workers they will just lower the shutters when they see u. It's not just me. I've seen this happen to other customers. They wait for a while, the workers pretend they're not there, and they close the shutters as soon as the customers turn their backs. Very strange. So why am I giving this a 3 star and not a 1? The food is pretty good if you're able to get any! I usually get the chorizo or pastor tacos and burritos. They're vegan so instead of meat you get potatoes and beans, or marinated mushroom. The tamales are fine. Price is fair. $12 for a burrito if I remember correctly. This place would probably be a 5 if the service was more consistent.

Nice place. Super fresh. Guessing everything is home made. Like the younger guy working there, friendly and good vibes.

Rice pudding is to die for. Glad to have it as a dessert option. Potato tacos were the best.

My first time here. I'm not vegan but my grandmother is But Omg this place is Amazing!! Ordered the Napales and Jalapeño and cheese Tamales. Being Mexican were picky about tamales. Have to admit these are one of the best tasting tamales I've ever had!! They're incredibly made.. masa is moist and super flavorful every bite was heaven sent. The salsa had a kick with a touch of sweetness. Also got a pineapple cucumber drink. And we're addicted. Going to recommend this place to everyone. I know Where to order the Christmas tamales from.

The black bean and mole tamal ($4.50) was alright - moist and soft throughout but the filling itself didn't have too much flavor. There was a hint of spice at the ends and was slightly bitter throughout which was concerning. They keep tamales in the steamer so I got mine right after I paid! Glad I tried, but was hoping for more of a flavor punch.

stopped here for lunch while i was in town and i just HAD to try the ceviche. i was genuinely shocked at how much they nailed the texture and flavors. even my seafood obsessed dad had said it was pretty good! the horchata was delicious, the sauces that come with the ceviche reallyyy packed a punch, everything about this meal was absolute 10/10. the guy at the register was polite and quick, and overall the scene at the food hall that afternoon was very casual and relaxed. again i can't recommend the cauliflower ceviche enough it was the perfect lunch!

Tried the mushroom taco and mushroom tamales here. Over priced for a tiny taco size. No it was not street taco size because I ate plenty of tacos off food trucks on the street and vendors on the street to know the street size taco. This was an hors d'oeuvres size taco and filling. So it thought it must be really good for $5 from the look of it. I don't mind paying the price for great food. I would not pay more than $1.50 inflation price for this tiny mushroom taco. I just ordinary white mushroom with taco spice stir fried in oil. Same white mushrooms cooked in red sauce in a tamale for $8.50 which I would pay this for $4 max mostly for the effort and process of making tamales. I don't know how long this tamale was made, but it was cooked in the microwave just like other people's order, so I didn't feel so special there. I washed these 2 items down with the leftover hot salsa from another vegan Mexican restaurant. Street parking in the area is a bitch! So I was told there's a limited hours free parking structure a block down somewhere that I have no will power to go back.

This place is incredible!!! Do not hesitate! The garbanzo chorizo was soooo good. The tamales, especially the bean mole ones were great!! Support a local business and eat some really amazing food!! They're fast too and use high quality ingredients. Give this place a try! I'll be back for sure!