118 Degrees LA – Raw Foods Vegan Restaurant

Editor’s Note: 118 Degrees LA in Tarzana is closed.

Vegan restaurants where the cuisine is entirely plant-based, made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & sprouted grains are plentiful on the Westside, Hollywood & LA region. So it’s about time that the Valley gets one of our own! 118 Degrees LA, located in the Village Walk shopping center of Tarzana, features raw foods that are thoughtfully prepared & locally sourced. The restaurant’s name “118 Degrees” is in reference to the fact that all foods are prepared at 118° or lower to preserve valuable nutrients.

When I first walked into the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it is inside. My mom & I really loved the tables, which I found out from the restaurant manager are Amish-made wooden tables. Restaurant owners, Chef Jenny Ross, Sharyn Wynters & Annie Carradine all went antique shopping for the mirrors that decorate the space. I just love the greenery found on the walls & the bench seating, don’t you?!

After perusing the drink menu, my mom ordered the Masala Black Chai Tea with a side of raw agave to sweeten the tea. I ordered the very popular Yogi Juice which contains fresh squeezed orange juice, berry juice, bee pollen & lemon juice.

For our starter, we tried the Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms. These are cremini mushrooms that are stuffed with a walnut pesto. It was a delicious way to kick off our lunch!

Next up was the Marinated Kale Salad with olives, avocado, walnuts & tossed with a creamy garlic dressing. I’m not exactly sure what was in that dressing (which is made in-house), but I literally wanted to get a mason jar or bottle of it to take home with me!

Our main entrée was the Living Lasagna & the Fried Avocado Rolled Taco. The lasagna “noodles” were made up of thinly sliced layers of zucchini & yellow squash. The cheese inside this dish is actually made up of macadamia nuts that are ground up & mixed with other items to make the “ricotta.”

All of the wraps are made in-house. For the Fried Avocado Rolled Taco, they use a flax wrap tortilla, fill it with pieces of fried avocado, greens, tahini cheese & topped with tomatillo salsa!

Lastly, we were treated to a trio of desserts that consisted of cheesecake, truffle & cobbler. To end our meal, we were treated to a trio of desserts! We sampled chocolate truffles, fresh apple cobbler & a slice of chocolate cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries.

The nice thing about the small dessert bites is that now I know what full-sized dessert I’ll order the next time I come in. Doesn’t this look heavenly?!

The food at 118 Degrees LA is delicious, healthy & very tasty! It’s a great place for lunch or dinner, especially for those who don’t feel like cooking on Meatless Mondays. 🙂 They have even expanded to a breakfast menu, which is perfect for those who want to drop by following a YogaWorks session which is right next door. I know that I’ll be hitting up 118 Degrees following my spin class at Beatbike (also next door)!

Want to try out 118 Degrees LA? This weekend (Friday through Sunday) they are hosting a grand opening event, where they will be serving free tasting samples. Details are on their Facebook page.

Thank you Chef Jenny Ross for the yummy meal! Speaking of Chef Jenny, she wrote “Healing with Raw Foods” a book that includes 107 healing recipes. There are a few recipes in the book of food that are served at 118 Degrees LA.

If you’d like to check out their menu or get more info on the restaurant, check out their website here.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary meal which helped facilitate this review. All images are my own unless otherwise noted. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.