LA West Elite Event at Fala Bar

This was my very first Unilocal Elite Event and the (Fala) Bar was set pretty high! I had no idea that the night was going to include yummy vegetarian delights, wine, swag & ICE CREAM! Wow, you guys definitely know how to make one Unilocaler very happy.
The best thing I ate tonight was the sweet potato fries. They tasted like the healthiest, most simple, sweet potato fries that I had ever tried. My next favorite was the tacos. Honestly for a few minutes there, I completely forgot that I wasn’t eating meat! It was sooo great. I definitely want to bring back my husband because I know he would love ‘em.
The manager was so welcoming and very proactive when it came to making sure that no one was left hungry and that everyone was having a great time.
I will definitely be back with friends! Thanks again for putting together such an enjoyable event.

Besides amazing food, the owner was very courteous and knowledgeable. Probably the best part of the evening was getting to know other Unilocalers that are as excited about trying new food as I am. I loved how people were from other states, different backgrounds, and almost everyone seems so… chill, and legit. I had a terrific time with the crew at a place where we can all mingle and talk about good food. The turnaround for the food was quick and there was virtually no hassle. I can’t wait for the next event to meet more Unilocal enthusiasts!

This was my first Unilocal Elite Event and it far exceeded expectations. The owner and staff were so friendly and accommodating. Both myself and my +1 are far from being vegetarian but we enjoyed the food here and left feeling incredibly satisfied and surprised that these vegetarian options could be so creative and flavorful. I tried the following:
+Kale Burger: favorite of the night. It’s extremely hearty and flavorful with the thousand island dressing tying everything together really well.
+Sweet Potato Fries: seasoned really well and a delicious complement to any of the burgers.
+Sriracha Bowl: big bowl of quinoa, salad/​salsa type of mixture (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lemon, etc.), taco «meat,» avocado and topped with a very generous amount of sriracha. Personally I love sriracha and put it on everything but the Fala Bar folks clearly love it more!
+Tacos: simple tacos with falafel taco «meat» and avocado. Well seasoned with a spicy kick.
Loved that they had stackable wine and all the free Unilocal loot! The free scoop of ice cream from Salt & Straw was the perfect way to end the night.

First Elite event of the year for me and it started off with a bang!
I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian but I was super excited for this event because I was looking forward to trying something new.
The restaurant is small but easy to spot with its neon green signage. Staff was super friendly and the owner had a great variety for us to try.
My favorite was the «taco». I think it was just seasoned falafel with salsa and avocado but it was delicious! Next I tried the kale burger — WOW! This «burger» was so tasty and filling that you don’t miss the meat at all. And the best part is that there was no weird texture or aftertaste like I’ve normally experienced with other veggie products designed to emulate meat. Nope this was crunchy, flavorful goodness that I can even bring my hubby to (a meat and potatoes guy from down south) and he’d be satisfied!
I also nibbled on the sweet potato fries, hummus and their snack packs that are topped with a sweet potato falafel. Everything I tried was surprisingly delicious and not at all how I expected vegan food to taste. Will definitely be returning.
⁷⁄₁₀₀ — 2016 Unilocal 100 Challenge

First Unilocal Elite Event ever for me and wow, it surpassed all of my expectations. It was well-​planned, loved the food, service, new friends made= overall one of the greatest experiences I’ve had eating out.
I was lucky enough to bring my Fiancé with me as my +1 and we both walked to this location and enjoyed getting to know this new neighborhood walking up Abbot Kinney (location is great for this owner to hit on his clientele and more being in this area).
Was able to enjoy the Taco, Great American Burger, sweet potato fries, Kale Burger, my goodness– I was stuffed but my stomach was really happy with all those choices. All the extra perks/​swag was a complete added bonus to the night as everyone has mentioned from the Wines and the Free ice cream. It was a great event and major thanks to Brittany and Mike (Manager/​owner?), he was of great help always making us feel comfortable and making sure everyone was well fed.
Since that night, I have told everyone at my job in Culver City to head there for great Vegan/​Mediterranean food and everyone definitely sounded excited and willing to check it out. Some even planning to attend this weekend for a date night and hang out. My fiancé has also told her co-​workers and they are pretty much on the same boat.
Glad to have this location near my place, definitely going to be visiting back soon for more delicious food!

Wow! My first elite event. It was great! The setup was good with small groups of people coming at different set times. (The location is small so this is for the best). We were in the last group and there was still plenty of food. We were greeted at the front with single serving wines. Then we went inside where they had a number of plates:
— The all American burger
— The Kale burger
— Tacos and
— Sweet potato fries
All items were organic, vegan, soy free and nut free. I enjoyed everything but particularly the all American burger. They had paired up with Kensington ketchup and mustard which was organic too. Although the restaurant is small (no indoor seating except for 2 bar stools I think), they had a couple picnic benches with umbrellas set up in back so we ate there with the other Unilocalers.
The event also gifted us with s coupon for a free come over at the new salt and straw ice cream shop down the street. Great way to end the night!
One more thought: lots of people tend to get a little gassy (sorry) from vegan food, but this place left you feeling light and great. Not greasy or heavy at all. Will definitely come again when I’m in the area.

This was my first Unilocal elite event to attend. Both my husband & I really enjoyed the food. The staff at the Fala bar were very friendly & nice. We immediately connected with the owner, Mike. He is very sweet & friendly. We were fortunate to try the following:
–Sweet potato fries
–All American falafel burger
–The original falafel with hummus on the side
–Sriracha bowl (this was the winner for me. It had quinoa, cucumber, tomato, arugula, avocado & some crunchy taco mix in the middle with Sriracha sauce on top of it all). Definitely my favorite dish!
–Caprese sandwich
We grabbed our food in the front of Fala bar & went in the back of the Restuarant where they have seating area. It was small, cozy & very cute. Sat about 6 – 8 people cozily I would say. We loved the food overall. It’s vegan, non GMO, organic, kosher. I was definitely in heaven & loving every bite. We will definitely going back here to indulge :)
After our dinner, we went around the block to Salt & Straw ice cream shop. A new ice cream shop in the area that just barely opened only 3 days ago! We basically tried every flavor, lol. All were very delicious & unique, definitely not a usual ice cream flavor. They had so many staff working there, they were all friendly & nice. I ended up getting the chocolate goey ice cream & my husband got the pecan shortcake ice cream. I also really liked the salted caramel ice cream, definitely getting it next time :)

YUM!
This was an awesome event; the food was incredible (so much delicious falafel!) and the staff was so friendly. The food highlights were the tacos, the burgers, the sweet potato fries– so good! And I loved that I didn’t have to feel guilty eating it; it was so light! The staff was also awesome– at one point I stubbornly picked up WAY TOO MUCH food and one of the very kind cooks helped me carry stuff out. And someone else kept coming around to make sure we were OK and offer us delicious hummus and pita and other things. All in all, a fantastic experience led by Brittany!
I will definitely be back to this place.

Another place to add to our list of dining options around the area! The best falafel I’ve had in LA is way over in SFV, never was able to find a good falafel on the Westside until now! Finally I can get my falafel fix not far from home! The home run of the night for me was the Kale Burger — layers of flavor and textures — you forget you’re not eating meat! The falafel stayed crisp while snugly tucked in between a cabbage topping and bread. Taco was delicious, crunchy, and creamy thanks to the avocado love. Totally felt like I did my body some good by eating at Fala Bar!
Afterwards, we were treated to Salt and Straw ice cream. Apparently they just opened a few days ago and there was definitely a crowd inside on a drizzly night. Salt and Straw had a long list of flavors and probably the most difficult decision of the night was which to sample and which to ultimately pick. One scoop can be split into 2 flavors. Ultimately went with the Coconut Marionberry flavor and the Strawberry & White Chocolate flavor. Amazing. Creamy. Heaven.
Thank you Brittany for the great spots!

My first LA West Elite Event!
I had been to a couple LA East Elite Events as a plus one, but this was the first time I got to attend one of my own and bring a plus one.
Let’s preface this with the fact, that in general we are both opposed to excluding meat from a meal. But this was an exception, that was well worth the try!
We ate the following, ranked by our taste preferences:
— Kale Burger (in general, we each strongly dislike kale and cabbage but this was the clear winner in our book)
— Tacos (falafel added a nice little crunchy texture to the taco)
— Hummus and Pita
— Sweet Potato Fries
— Caprese Sandwich
— All American Falafel Burger
The venue was intimate and cozy, with a couple of picnic tables in the back. The owner was great! He was friendly and attentive and made sure we had enough food. Bringing out more tacos and hummus and warm pita. We had a great variety of sampling from this place. A great place to hit up when I’m out with my vegan friends. I’ll definitely go back for that Kale Burger!
Of course after the event, we took our vouchers down the street for dessert at Salt & Straw. A great ice cream shop that I had been to once at the Larchmont location. Nice to know there’s one closer. We had the Happy Birthday Elvis! and the Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie. Both delicious in there own way. The Happy Birthday Elvis was a take on his famous bacon banana peanut butter sandwich, while the Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Both were delicious and a must try! We’ll be back to this spot!
A great event altogether, and I look forward to the next! Thank you!

Falalalalllin’ in love with this place.
Tried the kale burger with red cabbage and slaw and it was amazing! As someone eating near by said, it doesn’t even feel like you’re eating healthy or vegan nevertheless. Also had the sweet potato fries that were thick cut and lovely. Really cool owner and staff, and I know they’ll do very well in the Venice scene. Also tried a snack up with hummus and tabouli… lets just say I myself have a middle eastern background and I approve very much :) tried the tacos and they were well seasoned and crispy, but could have benefited from «more meat» to it to make it like a meal.
Also. Let’s not forget the Siracha tahini…

My first Elite event of the year, and well… ever. Mike is the excellent owner and host of Fala Bar tonight. He and his staff whipped up a bevy of dishes, falafel style, for a delicious and fresh vegan feast!
My +1 and I ate the following:
— Kale burger, my favorite of the evening
— Falafel tacos
— Sriracha bowl
— Hummus and pita
— Sweet potato fries
My husband was especially impressed by Mike’s attention to environmentally friendly packaging, including the non-​plastic, wooden spoons. We will definitely return.
Our meal also came with complimentary wine, courtesy of Stack Wine — thank you so much. And for dessert, we rolled down the street to Salt and Straw for a scoop of Stumptown coffee ice cream! OMG I’m still full.
Shout outs to the fellow Elite Unilocalers that attended and made my first event definitely not my last! Harmonie, Caroline, Kelly and others made for great company. Thank you Brittany for a stellar evening :)

A very good place with very good food without meat. Can you believe that? NO MEAT! Awesome!
The food that they’re serving here are magnificently tasty. Tacos plus Avocados, a burger with falafel patie and Sriracha bowl made my day! A really good place for no meat Mondays!
I really loved the place. With out meat on the menu and still they manage to pull out very tasty foods! Wohooo!
Another thing, the staffs were very nice including the manager too! Awesome place.
I really really like this place. I am definitely coming back!

Not a vegan/​vegetarian, but this place proves that you don’t need a hunk of meat to satisfy your appetite and tastebuds. Very flavorful and fresh. The Sriracha bowl was delicious as well as the tacos and capers sandwich. Paired with some Chardonnay and you have a happy camper. Also, being an environmentalist, I approve of this restaurant because their carbon footprint must be very low compared to other meat serving restaurants. I’m not going to give up meat or anything but I would not mind coming here again for dinner!

I am a huge fan of meat and often feel that if there is no meat then it’s not a meal.
Eating here is the exception to my rule. I enjoyed the crunchy tacos full of flavor and topped with fresh avocado and a squeeze of lime and not for a second did I miss or regret not having meat.
The all American Burger is a good-​size falafel pattie served on a soft bun. The sweet potatoe fries are the perfect companion to this meal. (And yes, I did say meal and do consider eating here… A meal).
The store manager is friendly and their staff is super accommodating.
Their sitting area is very limited. This is the type of place to order to go (take back home or your office).
This was a very fun, relaxing and delicious Unilocal Elite event. I enjoyed the additional information regarding the food from the restaurant manager — that we got. And all the little extras … 1) Meeting the rep for the ketchup and mustard that goes into the hamburgers was very cool. Getting little cute samples to take home was a nice treat. 2) stackable wine! 3) hand-​made ice-​cream at the newest «Salt & Straw» location (just opened 4 days ago) — just two blocks down the street
It was all in all a fabulous evening.
Thank You!

My first Elite event in 2016!
So a few weeks ago, my mom says «How come you don’t invite me to Unilocal events?» Way to make me feel guilty for not hanging out with you enough, mom! ;P hahaha jk! This event at Fala Bar was the perfect way to spend some quality time with my mom, especially since this takes place in one of my favorite places in LA and rarely do I get to bring my mom to cool places like Abbot Kinney! Despite the fact that the Meateater BF was jealous that I didn’t invite him, especially since he likes Fala Bar. Sorry Boo, gotta give priority to the mom :)
I’ve been to Fala Bar on Melrose but it’s been a long time. I had no idea that Fala Bar offered the following goodies that we got to feast on:
— Caprese Sandwich
— Kale Burger
— Tacos
— Sweet Potato Fries
My favorites were the Kale Burger made with a kale falafel and the Tacos made with what I think was falafel crumbles in taco seasoning. There was this dude wearing a hat that said «vegan» who may have been the manager or owner of Fala Bar. He kept bringing us all kinds of goodies to taste. Such an awesome host!
Additional freebies include Unilocal earbuds and Unilocal charger:
Made new friends with Unilocalers who were attending their first event. Shoutout to Caroline, Stefani, and Stefani’s husband :)
The night ended with a freebie voucher to redeem down the street at Salt & Straw. Lucky me, they had one vegan flavor which is now my new favorite thing in life: Coconut Marionberry & Pecan Shortbread
This 100% vegan event was the perfect way to start off the new year! Thank you Brittany and Fala Bar for hosting a yummy dinner and Salt & Straw for dessert!