Meatless Mondays with Metro: KindKreme & Sage Organic Vegan Bistro

Take a little more transit and eat a little less meat — two things you can do to reduce your environmental footprint. In this installment of Meatless Mondays with Metro, we visit a dairy-free ice cream shop that also serves pretty tasty café fare.

The thing about the KindKreme located in Pasadena is that you wouldn’t expect it to be a place that serves actual food. When you walk in the first thing you see is the “ice kreme” counter and the vibe you get isn’t the one of a bustling café. But since the owner of KindKreme opened Sage Organic Vegan Bistro, it’s become a place where you can pop in for an icy treat to-go, or sit down for a full meal.

I don’t normally visit KindKreme for meals, so I haven’t been able to really explore their food menu yet. So far I’ve tried the molé bowl and jackfruit nachos, both of which are a bit on the spicy side. They are good and filling though, unless you hate pickled cabbage.

I have, however, tried many of their “ice kreme” flavors, and they are actually great ice cream substitutes. The flavors are subtle but linger on the tongue, and the smooth texture is comparable to gelato. The “kremes” are made with almond or coconut milk and I’m a fan of the mint cacao nib…although occasionally I will splurge and get a kombucha float.

(And yes, typing all of this makes me feel like a terribly pretentious, ridiculous person, but believe me when I say I eat my share of gross, cheap junk.)

The Pasadena location is mainly a KindKreme with 24 flavors and an abbreviated bistro menu, while the Echo Park location is mainly Sage Bistro with 12 KindKreme flavors. The newest Sage/KindKreme location in Culver City is the biggest, and offers the most extensive menu.

To get to the Pasadena location, take the Gold Line to Del Mar Station. To get to the Echo Park location, take Metro Bus 2/302Bus 4 or Rapid 704 to Sunset/Echo Park. To get to the Culver City location, take Culver City Bus 6 to Sepulveda/Washington.

Got other recommendations for vegan/veggie restaurants? Let me know in the comments!