You know those moments when you’re driving around starving, and all you can see for miles are Fatburger/McDonald’s/Astro Burger?  Then the smell of burgers and fries hits your low blood sugar level, and suddenly you’re plotting how you can hide the evidence of fast food from your boyfriend who once worked as a personal trainer and makes tofu shakes for “something sweet.” (Just speaking generally….) 

Don’t worry.  If you live in Los Angeles, we have a guilt-free option for you!  M Café de Chaya is a macrobiotic restaurant that offers healthy food, fast.  With two locations in West Hollywood and Culver City, M Café de Chaya brings contemporary macrobiotic cuisine to the masses – all in a cute bistro setting. 

M Café serves a wide range of healthy salads, soups, sandwiches and sweet things.  And everything is produced without refined sugar, eggs, or dairy.  They offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, a “Grab and Go” option, and a killer bakery.  They even have a small store tucked into the corner selling organic teas, aloe, rice and grains. 

So how’s the food?  We started with the Mint Iced Tea, which was “well-brewed.”  In other words, I had no doubts that I was drinking strong, minty organic tea.  (I am a huge green tea drinker and notice weird things like this.  Trust me.)  We continued with the Cold Sesame Soba Noodles ($7.04 for a medium serving), which was a mix of basic noodles, peppers, and oil.  If you like a lot of oil on your noodles, you will like this. 

Next we tried the organic sushi with a Wild Salmon Cucumber Roll (2 for $2.50).  These were rolled to the brim with cooked salmon, with avocado and cucumber fighting to balance it out.  Anyone who is big on salmon will enjoy this. 

Then came The Big Macro ($11.45).  This was hearty and tasty – a whole grain brown rice and veggie burger with special sauce, soy mozzarella, tomatoes, pickles and sprouts.  This was my favorite of the night, largely because they managed to keep the veggie patty crispy.  (How many times have you had a soggy veggie burger?  Think about it.  A lot, right?)  It also had a grilled taste to it, which I really enjoyed. 

We split the Teriyaki Bowl with tofu ($12.95).  These were basic sautéed veggies with grilled tofu.  This was extremely fresh and delicious.  And the grilled tofu added an almost woodsy flavor to the sweet and sour mix. 

Then came the two “musts” to the M Café.  You must have the organic French fries ($2.95) – lightly seasoned spuds with a macro ketchup.  And you absolutely must leave with a cupcake ($2.95).  If you are obsessed with cupcakes, (Does the cheese stand alone?), you will appreciate this healthy treat.  We sampled the strawberry and chocolate cupcakes, and they were simply outstanding.  Moist, tasty, and not too sweet.  And kind of sublime.

Just how green is M Café de Chaya?  Greenopia gives them a four out of four leaf rating.  

Hector the Manager informed me that they use 90% to 95% of organic produce, derived mostly from local Farmer’s Markets and an organic supplier.  They are about to initiate a composting system, and their to-go containers are made mostly of biodegradable corn starch.   

M Café de Chaya is a great choice if you’re looking for fast, healthy, and hearty.  They have two locations – one at 7119 Melrose Ave and the other at 9343 Culver Blvd.  And they are open seven days a week.

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