Take a little more transit and eat a little less meat — two things you can do to reduce your impact on the environment. In this installment of Meatless Mondays with Metro, take a break from all of the 4^th of July BBQ and let’s check out The Grain Cafe.

Photo by Alysha N. via Yelp

The Grain Café serves traditional Mexican-inspired cuisine that is all-natural, organic and contains zero animal based products. The nachos are amongst one of the more popular orders – it includes cheese, black beans, ranchero sauce, guacamole, sour cream and the option to add vegan chicken or bacon. Although the dish is considered an appetizer, I usually make a meal out of it.

Photo by Mel S. via Yelp

If you have a large appetite, I’d recommend giving the wet burrito a try. It’s packed with black beans, brown rice, guacamole, cheese, red bell pepper, caramelized onions and lettuce with your choice of chicken, tempeh or burger patty topped with red or green salsa and melted cheese – you will leave satisfied, and maybe with leftovers.

Quick tip: ask if there are any special menu items available. One ongoing special they have is a tamale plate – filled with Portobello mushroom and red salsa or filled with vegetables and mole sauce – served with salad.

The Grain Café has two locations: Long Beach and Mid City. To get to the Mid City location, take Metro Bus 30, 210 or Metro Rapid 710 to Crenshaw/Pico. To get to the Long Beach location, take Long Beach Transit bus 151 to 4^th/Ximeno.

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