LA Burger was a minor mid-city landmark and a relic of my childhood. I still remember clear as day when the cook invited me behind the counter to make my own sandwich, at an age when my shoulders were barely level with the cutting boards. It was a different time and a different LA. Today the vintage signage limps on as a concession to local preservationists, but an apartment complex clumsily aping its Googie style now squats in its place.
Across the street rests Green Table, an oasis of potted plants and string lighting. A medley of benches, cafe tables and rattan chairs hug the wall under rolled bamboo overhangs, partitioned from the sidewalk by planters overflowing with hibiscus and succulents. A closer look at the hibiscus near the entryway reveals fresh espresso pucks clustered around the base of the trunks. Through the tall windows around their recessed dining nooks, you can make out their mission statement on the back wall – – “Love what you do / Do it with love”.
Inside, the decor makes an immediate impression. Pendant lamps hang from exposed beams to illuminate clear counter cases. Like the outside seating, there’s an inviting assortment of ways to settle down to a meal with a partner or mingle with a group of friends. They offer brass and velvet chairs and cushioned benches, long wood picnic tables and compact faux-marble cafe tables.
The non-dairy milks and cheeses in their dishes, and the brilliant almond yogurt they sell to-go, are all made in-house along with the baked goods and jaw-dropping desserts. This is a spot that could easily be your go-to hub for craft vegan snacks, treats and perishables for the fridge. And yet, there are countless other contexts jockeying for your attention.
For leg days, the fill-me-up smoothie is a popular menu item with the fitness crowd as well as our toddler. The three inches or so that he takes off the top before signing “all done” is an excellent excuse for us to order it mostly for ourselves. For brunch, their ‘sausage and egg’ burrito delivers a lovely tofu scramble, roasted potatoes, onions and zucchini in a sometimes green and sometimes not-green tortilla wrap. Vegan Italian sausage adds a pleasant kick of fennel. A pocket of ketchup keeps things real. The burrito’s profile skews toward elevated hangover food. In other words, peak breakfast – – with honest-to-god veggies and a high-protein centerpiece.
For a late lunch or early dinner with a partner they offer multiple varieties of lasagna, and for dessert lemon meringue pie and dark cherry crostata. You could be more than satisfied by an almond butter-filled and chocolate-covered date if you haven’t left enough room for their other desserts, but their pies and crostatas should not be missed.
What to make of all this? They serve up classic Italian flavors with health-conscious intentions, while leaning into the curiosity and invention of modern plant-based dining. The energetic owner might be spotted huddling at a table with friends and regulars, or manning the register and espresso bar simultaneously like a synth rocker with two keyboards. The decor is modern glam but the attitude is down to earth. The offerings are casual, but the DIY ethos gives their menu a clear vocabulary and a palpable quality that are unusual in a cafe in this price range. There’s no definitive dish I would recommend to a new patron, but their range would make Meryl Streep blush.
The developers who replaced their historic neighbor with a look-alike apartment complex had an extraordinarily myopic view of what made that spot and that time special, but they’re not the first and they won’t be the last to see our city’s history through such a facile lens. LA is changing, and it makes me feel all the more grateful when I find a joint that fosters a sense of community not unlike the city I grew up in. Green Table tends to their space, their craft and their patrons with genuine love. They are for real, and they would very much like to be one of your new favorite spots.
