Nature’s Way Cafe

Sad to say after Veggie Grill opened across the street this restaurant started losing customers eventually closing down. There is a sign that says «Brazilian restaurant» posted though. Looking forward to that.

Loved this place. The breakfast burritos were delicious. Great veg options! So sad they closed!

I came by a couple times when I was a vegan and new to the area. It’s a quaint joint that immediately charmed me with its mom-​and-​pop feel. The awning is weathered and the wood wall paneling is a few decades old, but I felt like I was in good hands. I got recommendations from a couple of college-​age regulars and the girl behind the counter, but ultimately was not impressed with the food.
Air Fries: Really, really bad. Tasted like fried nothing. I kept eating more, thinking that eventually it would «hit» me, but no. My guess is that it’s fried yucca, but it looked and tasted neither yummy nor healthy.
Tofuyaki: If you don’t like tofu, you won’t like this. I like tofu and eat it often, but even I thought that these thick strips were too chewy. The soy chicken was not bad and the rice was standard brown rice with teriyaki sauce. The veggies were undercooked. For being the top recommendation from the girl at the register, it sure left a lot to be desired.
Nature Burger: This was a little better but still not good. The vegan patty was very dry and crumbly and the bun wasn’t impressive. There are plenty of better vegan burger options in the area including Veggie Grill across the street and Native Foods around the corner.
Los Angeles is a wonderful place to be a vegan, and while Nature’s Way attempts to cater to that market’s needs, it does not meet the standards that its competitors have set in quality and taste. That being said, it would be a fantastic place to study if I were a student at UCLA.

I walked in with a friend and decided to order Sweet Potato Air Fries.
I asked the lady why they were called «Air Fries» and she told me that it’s because they’re baked. Nice! I love baked foods, and it’s healthier! I love healthy!
So our sweet potato «air» fries came out, and I had a bite. MEH. Was not good at all. It was barely even sweet.
Tasted like air -.- (…the real reason they’re called «air» fries…)
THEY WERE FRIED. -.- (Baked? yeah right)
Ketchup was regular, cold, meh ketchup.
From the service to the fries, everything was meh. Maybe I’ll come back one day to try their actual food, but… maybe not.

This is the best breakfast burrito in town. The food is fresh and tasty and homemade to order! I highly recommend the turkey bacon breakfast burrito and the tuna sandwich is tasty too!

Really inexpensive vegetarian options!
I got the Tofuyaki (grilled organic tofu and soy and soy chicken served with steamed veggies with brown rice). It was more tofu than soy chicken but both were really delightful when paired together. The two textures were intriguing. Tofu being firm but still that chewiness while the soy chicken was extra firm with more crispness to it.
The steamed veggies were nothing to rave about but the brown rice was well prepared and as always tasty.
I love that its really inexpensive kind of small with loads of options! Something for everyone vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
I would certainly return to try more of their menu.
PLUS its really fast so perfect for lunch when you may not have hrs to kill.

An affordable, decent meal in a family run restaurant.
This is a nice spot in Westwood when you’re tired of dishing out $ 20 for jack.
I come here a lot, but usually get the breakfast burrito (even for lunch). Make sure you call it in or get it by 11:50am because they stop making them!

I think the taste of the food was actually not bad. The veggie burger I had was with right sauces, but the pad tasted like taco… The soy chicken was better.
But food came in lukewarm, which is a bummer. The bun seemed had been grilled, but it was not hot nor crispy. The patty was not hot either. The didn’t come in right away, but it was not hot? So it takes time to make it lukewarm?
Service is zero. The lady standing behind the cashier looked so serious and seemed like I owed her money. So lame.
They have a lot on the menu. And I was originally asking for the mushroom one, she said they don’t sell that one. Then why don’t you take that off the menu? Even they have more items that I wanted to try, I don’t think I wanna come back again.

Grabbed lunch from here during work one day. The veggie burger was fine, but the french fries were awful.

Wow, I am SO surprised at how good this place is, mostly because they serve meat too! I got the yakisoba noodles that come with grilled chicken, and I definitely tasted the freshness of all the ingredients. I was actually able to finish my whole meal without feeling like I was going to have major food coma, so I was happy. The sweet potato air fries and regular air fries are pretty good. They taste just like normal fries, but I guess there’s an added health benefit since they’re oven baked.
I can’t wait to try their other entrees (burgers, breakfast burritos, etc). Guess I have another go-​to place for lunch now!

Just one block north of Westwood and Wilshire is this hidden gem. It’s not just a vegetarian place: it’s great for vegans who are always on the hunt for good food. If you go there between 12 – 1, it’s VERY crowded. Order ahead and get it to go. Problem solved.
Contrary to what you’ve read, their portions are NOT puny. If you can get there before 11:50 am, get a vegan burrito/​wrap (whatever you want to call it): tofu, soysage, salsa, and avocado. Killer good, perfect size.
My favorite lunch is the tempeh with golden noodle, although I love the veggie burgers. If you don’t like what you ordered, try something else, like the air fries. Yes, the burgers are handmade. I’ve watched them make the burgers by hand. I don’t recall ever seeing them serve a puny salad and they never charged me extra for alfalfa sprouts: they usually include it them on the salad, unless you don’t want them.
NO ONE is rude at Nature’s Way. They’re a small mom & pop store and VERY busy. The line is out the door at lunch. Why? Because the food is good. I’ve been coming here since they opened. Mike and Jenny are wonderful people. Before you get ripped off at Veggie Grill or, worse still, Native Foods, stop here.
Obviously, some people don’t know little treasures when they find them.

A hidden gem in Westwood for a healthy lunch. I typically get their tuna melty that comes with avocado on nicely toasted bread. The air fries are also really good and make you feel less guilty eating something like that.

I am never ever coming here ever again!
I paid $ 9 on a puny salad that had a little bit of turkey and tiny bits of avocado and lettuce with nothing else!!! the menu said it included Alfalfa sprouts and cucumbers, etc, but when i asked for alfafa sprouts they said it was extra!
How can they even think of selling a salad like that for $ 9?! And the nerve to say it was extra for alfafa sprouts?!
Wtf. I am never coming here ever again.

Nature’s Way has a super simple menu that only consists of vegetarian plates, chicken plates, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and breakfast wraps. The plates are well rounded; you got your protein, which is either tofu, chicken, fake meats, etc, your carbs, either noodles or brown rice, and your veggies. I got the veggie supreme, which included stir-​fried veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, celery, sprouts, cabbage), tofu, seitan, and brown rice. Simple, quality food and lots of it too! I also tried the air sweet potato fries, which pretty much just tasted like normal sweet potato fries. You can’t really go wrong with stir-​fried veggies and sweet potato fries. The employees were all very friendly too.

I looove a good veggie patty, and after reading the praise reviewers had for Nature’s Way patty, I had to come try it! My roommate and I both got the Avocado Burger (their veggie patty, avocado, tomato, and romaine on a bun); she got the regular fries and I got the sweet potato air fries.
As soon as we got our orders, I pushed the top bun off to examine the patty. It definitely looked hearty with all the grains and seeds in it. When I finally took a bite, though, I was really disappointed :(. I didn’t really taste any flavor besides a faint note of barbecue sauce. It was also unappealingly dry, which didn’t mesh well with the bun. I ended up ditching the bun, opting to balance things out with the avocado and ketchup.
I did like the sweet potato air fries, though! Not only were they seasoned well, they were cut to the perfect thickness so they were just slightly crispy around the edges and soft and lush inside.
While I don’t plan on coming back for any burgers, I’ll probably come again if I have sweet potato fry cravings. They have a pretty extensive list of rice/​veggie bowls so I’ll check those out too.

In all honesty, Nature’s Way Café was the first time I tried a veggie patty (specifically the Nature’s Burger), and it was the place to make me never want to try a veggie patty ever, ever again. I thought it was disgusting, but I’m going to attribute this to my meat-​loving ways since the vegetarians that have reviewed Nature’s Way seem to love it and think it’s the best veggie burger in the world. What was I thinking ordering a veggie burger??? I’m not quite sure. I just like to give things a chance.
The thing I will rave about are their air fries & SERVICE. Their air fries are super light, crispy, healthy… I really like them and often times think of stopping by when I’m in Westwood just to get a to-​go order of them to munch on while I walk back to my apartment. Oh, and to see the cashier! She is super friendly and when the place isn’t busy, she will strike up a conversation with you while you wait for your order to be ready. I don’t know if she’s the only cashier that works there since she’s the only one I ever see, but that’s not a problem… I’m sure it’s because she does such a great job and that A+ customer service smile of her’s :)!

I love Nature’s Way. I’m not vegan, but their burgers are delicious. I’ll eat one here and there for its health benefits. So far, I’ve tried their Native Burger, and Portabello Mushroom burger… they’re the bomb.
Fortunately, not every thing here is vegetarian/​vegan, their chicken burger is a must have.
NWC is reasonably priced. All burgers will run you about $ 7 and some change, and they come with sides.
Don’t take my word for it!!!

The Avocado Burger is FANTASTIC and lives up to the hype. I believe they use BBQ sauce in the mix for their vegan patty along with all the nuts and grains. Wonderful touch!
The vegan mayo was a bit weird tasting so you may want to consider getting that on the side.
Otherwise fantastic VEGAN BURGER!
— Tamara Cross

Bacon Chesseburger!!!

This place is a really simple, no frills joint right across the street from Jamba Juice and Noah’s Bagels. They have a few tables outside and some in their dimly lit interior — definitely not a fancy place
But this quick lunch spot has 3 great things going for it: 1) tasty, healthy food (try the veggie burger, which tastes a lot like a black bean burger — also get some air cooked sweet potato fries); 2) reasonable prices in the heart of westwood; and 3) quick and efficient service.
Note: no fountain drinks

when UCLA finals week rolls around & you need a QUICK BITE, Nature’s Way doesn’t disappoint (we were in and out of there in just 30 minutes)!
the nondescript café, overshadowed by the Yogurtland crowd, serves run of the mill vegetarian AND meat-​eater sandwiches, burgers, and salads so don’t be scared if you are fiending for some protein!
—-avocado burger (nature’s way burger minus cheese plus avocado): a decent veggie burger w/​an enjoyable light hint of bbq sauce! & it comes with your choice of one side!
—-AIR FRIES: crunchy baked not fried fries! definitely tasted healthy but at least I felt better eating them!
—-turkey & avocado melt: my friend ordered this thinking it’d be more substantial than my veggie burger due to the meat WRONG. it was a tad overpriced for its size… also came w/​a side!
—-tofu salad: kind of bland
order at the counter & they call your number! SELF SERVE water as you wait!