Crystals Soul Cafe

Must-try for vegan soul food lovers~~ Crystals is a lush, misty oasis on the outskirts of LA proper. You should honestly take your non-vegan friends (myself included) here to convert them, the food is that good LOL

We got in around 9 pm to place a takeout order-- would've def dined in if we arrived earlier. This is a whole ass greenhouse. Plus little water features, spirituality books, mood lighting, and crystals curate a serene, bohemian vibe.

TACOS (asada): The "meat" is uncannily meat-like. They have this down to an art. On top are avocado, vegan cheese, and tomato generously laden. At $16 it's a little over $5 each (kinda steep for tacos ngl) but very worth the flavor & quantity

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE: Hmmmmm this tastes like a smoothie ;u; Not much milk-like thickness but still delicious & fruity

My bf basically inhaled his catfish soul plate LMAO. 10/10. The variety is wild (the dessert list....!!). Need to be back to try the rest of their menu.

NOTE: At the time of visiting (Mar 2024), their card reader was down so only taking cash or Venmo.

I love this place.

Wanted some clean and tasty plant based food. No processed stuff, but great tasting food that makes you believe and that's exactly what I found here.

Came all the way to LA from Lake Elsinore for this. The hours on the site were a bit inaccurate-think it said they open at 4pm but they opened at 5pm. The yelp reviews prepared me for the wait so that was no biggie for me, I placed my order online ahead of time.

For quality, whole food made well, I don't mind waiting. Especially if I'm told ahead of time of the wait. Such was the case here. I was told it would take awhile, especially for more food and so I adjusted my expectations accordingly and my food was out on time. It was also nice to hear crew members in the back discussing orders and getting out each customers order.

The place is not huge, but it's all the vibes. There is a table for 2 outside on the patio, two tables for 4 inside and then a few bar stools. Plants everywhere with colored lights and fish tanks and tvs.

If you're claustrophobic, you may want to order to go. The restrooms are small but in my experience they were nice and clean. It also had a diffuser or something in there for a nice touch.

When going out of my way to try a place, I get a bit of everything to make the drive worth it. I got the Lion's Mane Rib plate and the Meatloaf Soul plate-I forgot what the actual names are.

The meatloaf is on point. If they made this out of mushrooms, I'd be hella shocked. The ribs you can tell are mushroom based but still have a great texture to them and were satisfying. Came with fried shrimp in the form of mushrooms that were also satisfying

The mac tastes maybe more like stroganoff which is not an issue, it's a good pasta dish. The corn cakes are moist and in good portions. Greens were good and the mashed potatoes I ate cold but were still good the next day.

Nearly forgot I had the jambalaya. It was amazing. Wish I ordered it to eat there but I'll have it again next time.

Looking forward to trying more and bringing someone special here with me

I wish we had found Crystals sooner because we've been missing out!! The food is truly a delight to the tastebuds. There's so much love and care that goes into every aspect of this family operated business. Upon entering you'll be met by a mesmerizing collection of countless plants and crystal decor. The family operating the business is committed to providing a welcoming and positive experience to their patrons. The food does take time to prepare, but I don't mind waiting for quality. Plus you get updates on when your food is close to being ready.

Vegan or not, there's no way to not be blown away by the flavor of the food. We've had the pleasure of eating at Crystals 6 or 7 times in about 2 months (making our way through the extensive menu!) and are more than satisfied each time. Serving sizes are very generous and there's obviously a lot of thought that goes into not just the preparation of each meal, but also the clean and allergen friendly ingredients (no soy, mostly gluten free, no canola oil, etc). We're definitely spreading the good word about this awesome and delicious gem of a restaurant.

Great food good company. The family is super friendly from the moment you walk in they take great care of you.

I wish I would have took pictures. The wait was well worth it. The food was amazing, flavor On POINT. so much variety. Be sure to tip the friendly staff. I will have pictures next time because we will definitely return. This place is it!!!!

This place is a hidden gem. I will return again. This is soul food. The two plates we ordered made me, my friend, and my brother full.

Each plate comes with two sides.

Lions Mane Rib Soul Plate: This dish is a must. The way they cooked the lions mane is absolutely delicious.

Caribbean Shrimp Soul Plate: This dish is tasty. I found that there was a lot of sauce on the shrimp. It was still very tasty though!

Cajun Lobster Mac: So delicious!

Candied Yams: Best yams I have had as of 8/20/23. It tastes like a heartwarming whole thanksgiving meal.

Corncake: So moist, deliciously sweet.

Collared Greens: Tasted delicious. Definitely not cooked typically like other collared greens. They really know what they are doing.

Placed my order on Grub Hub baby stack oyster rib soul plate, which encludes collard greens, mac n cheese, 2 mushroom ribs and corn cake. I Don't know why but there were some fried oysters also encluded in the bottom right corner of my plate this was a surprise and much appreciated at the time of opening.
1. Was very pleased with how fast my order was delivered to me, but I was not happy seeing that my plate was not sealed for my safety. Anyone could have tampered with it.
2. My greens were gritty, kinda bland this go around, the bbq mushrooms were really good, mac n cheese was really good and my corn cake was delicious, but the mystery fried mushrooms tasted old and re -dipped multiple times inside really old grease, this was horrible. Don't know why this was added to my plate but you could have kept that.
We had a good and bad start on the first review, and I appreciate that this time the greens were cut to perfection. But yet they were gritty as if they were not properly washed. Not sure if I'll order again.

okay where do I start, I saw the LAtryguy video and was determined to try crystals soul cafe, since Saturday the 4th was my birthday I decided to give Crysals a try, so I pull up, got out of my car, and the aroma hit my nose, and yes I got really excited, I walk inside and could not believe my eyes, yes this is what I would like for my house to look like inside plants, plants, plants, plants, and more plants, yes I felt right at home, the service was truly the best, now if you are not willing to wait, all I can say is you can't rush perfection. Lets just say my first bite I look around and thought to myself, somebody put meat on my plate. I would have never thought that lion mane mushroom could ever taste so meaty, the mac and cheese, the green and the corn cake wow, All I can say is hats off to who I am caling the King master chef of vegan foods, the best experince that I have ever had in a veagn restaurant, eveything on my plate surpass my expectation. people eat with there eyes and when she put my plate down in front of me all I could say is WOW, that first bited pure heaven. I enjoyed every bite. Would I go back to Crystals soul cafe? Let just say I would like to be one of the plants there just hanging aound.
lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This place is amazing, freshly cooked alkaline soul food, definitely come here to eat, good vibes and music.

OMG!!! So glad we got to try this place recently, last time we were in LA. We just tried to get it when we were back in town this week, but they were sadly closed. Next time! Crystals made some of the best food we've ever had! Instantly our favorite LA spot. As far as vegan Southern and soul food goes, it's just Crystals and Quickie Too in Tacoma, WA. I've tried other restaurants and pop-up vendors, and nobody compares to these two places.

The mind blowing amount of plants and the little nook created a magical experience. Friendly and accommodating staff. The chef came out and chatted with us. The menu is expansive and huge! It made it difficult to decide with so many great options, especially vegan meats and desserts. Everything was amazing. Great flavors and textures. The gumbo was incredible. Best cornbread ever. Great po'boy. Lobster mac n cheese?! Everything was crazy! We just wish we could have tried everything. We're dying to go back and try more! I love the Southern options and I would love to try the Caribbean, Hawaiian, and curry dishes as well!