Thai Vegan calls itself a “kiosk on main st.,” and I would certainly have to agree.  Don’t let this tiny food operation fool you, though, because it boosts a large menu.  I spend a lot of time in Santa Monica, so when I heard about this new vegan place, I had to try it.  I liked the look of the menu, because it focuses on tofu as the protein and not the fake meats ubiquitous to thai vegan places in LA.

The Tofu Satay ($5) was delicious.  Five hearty chunks of marinated tofu with a wonderful peanut sauce.  It also comes with a small portion of cucumber salad.  Since I’m not a huge fan of cucumbers, I didn’t eat this.   But I will definitely be back to eat the tofu and sauce!

My vegan guy started off with some Dumplings ($5).  I think he really likes these little guys, because he’s been back on his own to get them a few times.  You can see from the picture they are nicely browned on one side.  It gives them a nice, crisp texture (or so my vegan guy tells me).

My entree was the Pad Thai ($7).  I love the price point and how easy it now is to get pad thai without specifying “no egg, no meat, no fish sauce, yadda yadda yadda” in Santa Monica, but here is where the “but” comes in.  I didn’t really like the flavor.  It was decent – and I would certainly order it again if I was in the area and needed a quick pad thai fix – but it sure wasn’t as good as Bulan or even the other vegan Thai joints.

My vegan guy went for the Chowmein ($7).  Again – he didn’t really like it that much and preferred the appetizer.  I had a bite and agreed.  I’d like to try some of their other items, but if they don’t live up to my flavor desires, I think I’ll stick with the tofu satay.

 

Here is the little window you need to order from.  There are only a few seats, so be prepared to picnic elsewhere or bring your food home.

2400 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA
310-581-4255

Monday – Sunday 11 am – 10 pm