Vegan Restaurant Opens in Former Real Food Daily Space

Los Angeles continues to welcome new plant-based options with newly opened Erven in Santa Monica.


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Los Angeles chef Nick Erven has partnered with Midcourse Hospitality Group and several other chefs—including Jim Hustead, James Moon, and Eric Greenspan—to open eponymously named Erven restaurant. Erven occupies the former space of longstanding vegan restaurant Real Food Daily, which closed its Santa Monica flagship location in April. While chef Erven is not vegan, he believes in the sustainability of a vegan diet and hopes the menu at his eatery will entice vegans and meat-eaters alike. The restaurant currently serves composed salads, sandwiches, and pasries, with plans to launch an upscale shared plates dinner menu with dishes such as Black Garlic-Chickpea Fritters with Yuzu and Togarashi, Lime Pickled Dates with Sumatran Curry, and Beer Battered Tofu Sandwich, plus a large selection of organic and biodynamic beer and wine. “It’s exciting to me in the sense of the technique and product,” Erven said, “while it celebrates the history of the space we are taking over.”

Photo courtesy of Wonho Frank Lee