The Brite Spot is a small diner located practically walking distance from my in laws’ home. While visiting one weekend, Eric’s mom suggested we visit the establishment for dinner. We sat on their cute little patio off of Sunset Boulevard.
I was very pleased to see that there were vegan-friendly items on the menu and then noticed the ever so exciting “vegan menu available upon request” line at the bottom of the menu. The vegan menu isn’t too shabby; including oatmeal, granola, fries, vegetable soup, vegan chili, nachos (strangely, without vegan cheese), 4 salads, a veggie ciabatta, 2 burgers, pasta, and enchiladas.
I noticed that the standard menu listed a Veggie Club Sandwich with soy chicken, veggie bacon, soy swiss, and house made veganaise. I was surprised to see that the club wasn’t on the vegan menu, so I inquired… the soy cheese is lactose free, but not completely vegan.
I ended up ordering the Bagel Burger, which is a flame grilled soy patty (kind of a sausage consistency), lettuce, tomato, red onion, vegan cream cheese, and chipotle veganaise, on a toasted bagel with a side of Vegan Potato Salad.
I loved the sandwich, but it was on the dry side. The chipotle veganaise was good, but I think they may have been out of vegan cream cheese because I didn’t see or taste any.
The Vegan Potato Salad tasted incredibly fresh and yummy. I was never a fan of potato salad, but I loved this vegan version with its mix of chunky potato pieces with more mashed potatoes, fresh dill and mustard flavors. I would order it again for sure.
I also had a french fry or two from my husband’s meal. We both commented that they seemed double fried because they were crunchy without being overcooked.
If I were to give one suggestion to The Brite Spot, it would be to offer a vegan cheese option as well to add cheese to their vegan nachos as well as make a vegan club sandwich. I mean, since when do nachos not have cheese? And what is the point of a soy cheese that isn’t vegan?
The Brite Spot has been at this location longer than I have been familiar with the area. Our waitress informed us that the restaurant had not changed ownership, but the owners had made significant changes to their menu. The bottom line is that this diner is a great place for dining with omnivores. There are more than a handful of vegan options and everyone leaves pleased. I would definitely recommend it.
A Vegan in Progress 