Joi Café

Though it isn’t hard to find vegan restaurants in the Los Angeles area, the real challenge is finding a vegan restaurant that is both affordable and delicious.

Worry no more: Joi Café has got you covered.

When one hears the word ‘joy,’ happiness comes to mind — and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Joi Café, a relatively new vegan lifestyle café in Westlake Village, right off Agoura Road. Entering the bright, cheery cafe, you will most likely be greeted by one of the staff members or the delightful owners, Joi and Nick.

Joi Café’s website boasts that the cafe will provide patrons with “choices that take the work out of eating healthy,” and this becomes apparent with their large selection of pre-prepared and made-to-order dishes.

After hearing rave reviews about Joi Café’s bowls, I selected the Latin Love Bowl, and quickly realized I would not regret it. Though vegan, it tasted as if I were eating beef — and that’s coming from a meat eater.

However, if a bowl is not your preference, Joi serves breakfast, salads, smoothies, “on a bun,” sides and deserts, as well as amazing house chai and other assorted drinks such as Kombucha, which washed down my Latin Love Bowl perfectly.

For desert, I highly recommend one of their chocolate whoopee pies.

All in all, Joi Café will please even the pickiest carnivores, vegans and vegetarians. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Smashburger

Though I’m a native of Boston, I believe the West Coast has the best selection of burger joints around, and one of the best burger joints in Ventura County is Smashburger.

Located off of Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, this fast food-esque burger chain has burgers like you’ve never had before. The restaurant makes their patties to order — the patties smashed on the griddle, have mustard baked into them and are topped with the condiments of your choice. Those who prefer poultry can order chicken patties. I highly recommend sweet potato fries on the side.

The standard selection of soft drinks is available along with various ice cream shakes. If you are more of an herbivore, Smashburger also makes salads.

Sure to satisfy anyone who appreciates a good burger, Smashburger should definitely be on your list the next time you just can’t decide where to eat.

The Rabbit Hole

This funky little vegan cafe is anything but ordinary. Calling itself “your neighborhood cafe with a conscience,” the
Rabbit Hole sources local produce to use in their deliciously healthy vegan dishes. They even provide a list of suppliers so you can verify that you are eating only the purest of pure ingredients.

When stepping into this (Lewis) Carrollian, literary-themed hub, one instantly realizes that, if Alice were an environmentally conscious foodie, she would have definitely gotten her grub here. With black and white tiles, prints of pages from both “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass,” quirky, Victorian-esque lounging couches, a selection of board games and puzzles to entertain the little ones and free Wi-Fi to entertain the big ones, the Rabbit Hole Cafe clearly strives to be a warm little niche filled with friendly staff and equally personable customers — a goal which it surpasses.

Although I would recommend virtually any dish on the menu — none of which will alter your height — my first time at the Rabbit Hole I ordered the Rabbit Hole Burger: a mouthwatering vegan patty with lettuce and tomato and served on ciabatta bread, and it has continued to be my favorite dish there. As a side note for the more carnivorous customers: do not be swayed by the little V symbols, as these dishes pack a punch and will surely satisfy any cravings you may have.