Bites Nearby: Native Foods

The first Native Foods restaurant was founded by executive chef Tanya Petrovna in Palm Springs in 1994. This popular, gourmet vegan restaurant now operates in several locations throughout Southern California.

Petrovna knows how to create tasty dishes that appeal to both vegetarians and meat eaters, using many fresh, local and organic ingredients. Seitan and tempeh are made in-house from scratch daily.

The chain's closest location to Mar Vista is in downtown Culver City, across from Trader Joe’s. The restaurant is large and inviting, with plenty of seating inside and a lovely outdoor patio.

On a recent trip, I ordered the Native chicken wings (crispy battered), served with Ranch dressing, which were a big hit with my kids. They also loved the thin and crispy Native seasoned fries.

I also ordered the mama mia pizza, but when it arrived it didn’t exactly look like a pizza. It had a thick wheat crust that seemed a bit underdone in places. The large, black pieces of portobello mushrooms were a bit off-putting visually. I would have liked them to be diced up into smaller pieces. I did like the smaller chunks of sausage seitan and caramelized onions, but the pesto was a little heavy-handed. The side of "Parmesan" cheese made from cashews and nutritional yeast was interesting.

The twister wrap is a good choice and stuffed with salad greens, fresh avocado and cucumber salsa, creamy chipotle sauce and blackened Native chicken, rolled in an organic whole wheat wrap. It was fresh with quite a spicy bite to it.

If you feel like ordering a salad I recommend two: the spring kale and the ensalada Azteca. In the first one, the crunchy kale, shredded cabbage, apples and avocado are tossed with a maple orange dressing and topped with currants, almonds and creamy tahini sauce. The creaminess of the tahini goes well with the citrus-flavored dressing and crunchiness of the nuts.

Romaine is the basis of the Azteca, with quinoa, avocado, cucumber and jicama salsa, drizzled with mango lime vinaigrette and topped with currants, toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro. This tropical salad is well-balanced. The crispness of the jicama and cucumber marries well with the soft avocado, and the fruit and seeds are a nice addition to this Mexican-inspired salad.

You can quench your thirst with three very refreshing drinks: lavender lemonade, watermelon agua fresca and organic hibiscus and wild berry tea (I like to mix them together).

If you’re tempted by a dessert behind the glass display case, try the cardamom rose cupcake. The cardamom spice is often used in Indian and Persian dishes. It has a complex flavor with floral notes, citrus, clove and cinnamon. The cupcake is soy and dairy-free with rose water in the frosting and topped with a few edible dried rose petals. 

Happy Hour: Half-off all appetizers, wine and beer from 3-6 p.m. every Friday.

Native Foods, 9343 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, 310- 559-3601

Hours: Mon. – Sun. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

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