gracias madre west hollywood

we visited gracias madre to celebrate my sister's birthday. walked in at around 9 pm. the place was totally packed, which is why they initially seated us at the bar. in about 15-20 mins, we had a nice table for 4, somewhere in the middle.
the place has a very different vibe going on. modern yet a little classic rustic, indoor but outdoor - that kind of feel. the few tall plants scattered about the huge place gave it that connection to nature. loved it!
gracias madre is a vegan + veggie only restaurant. they serve organic food and specialise in mexican cuisine. it felt like a perfect pick for a bunch of vegetarians. we had already decided our order at the bar, so in no time we had ordered:

gorditas - potato mash cakes
guacamole con tortillas
coliflor frito
tamal - squash sauteed
sopes con mango - potato masa cakes with mango salsa

boozy popsicle

gorditas were essentially 2 big potato mash patties topped with a cream sauce, lettuce, corriander and all that other good stuff. they were absolutely delicious - a crunchy outer covering with a soft, buttery potato mash inside. a very enjoyable dish.
guac and tortillas is a no brainer when choosing mexican food. as always, loved it.
coliflor frito was an all cauliflower dish with pieces sauteed in a yummy sauce. it's hard to find cauliflower that tastes so good.
for mains we called for dishes that were slightly offbeat as per us - squash and mango based. tamal, which was a sauteed squash dish came wrapped up in plant leaves (indians will be able to relate it to panki) with black bean sauce and veggies at the side. i was very unsure about this dish, but to my surprise i rather enjoyed it. i didn't love it, but it wasn't bad at all. others really liked it.
sopes con mango - i was completely against ordering this, cuz mango in food? a no no for me. but this dish was the hero of the night. it was so delicious and it looked super tempting on the plate too. this place had us taste mexican food like never before and we loved it.

the only cocktail drink weorderedwas boozy popsicle and iorderedit more for the name than anything else. it was a fantastic looking drink, so playful. a fruit (mostly pineapple) based popsicle lolly drowned in a glass of liquor. can't remember if it was tequila or vodka, but i do remember that the drink was super strong, almost too strong for my liking. however when the popsicle was dipped in the drink and bitten into, it gave us the best of both worlds. we finished the lolly, but a lot of the drink remained unfinished. i was just very happy we had this!

food - 4/5
drinks - 3.5/5
service - 4.5/5
ambiance - 4.5/5
value for money - 3.5/5

gracias madre was overall a great dining experience for us - very authentic yet very modern and lux. loved it. something i was more delighted about was how packed with people, a veggie restaurant could be! turns out that it's just great food that draws customers out, not the fact that it is vegetarian or non vegetarian. and this place was just that.
definitely recommended :)

this is where the cool westside ladies like to lunch. they sit outside on the beautiful patio sipping rose' wine or a margarita while nibbling on chips with guacamole before digging into a organic grains with vegetables bowl.

it's 100% organic, plant-based vegan mexican cuisine. some dishes may have a little honey, so tell your server if you are strict vegan.

speaking of server, max is the best. raised in napa, he moved down to so cal and loves it! he's got a great smile and is eager to please.

iordereda chef's tasting lunch for $20. unlike a vegan restaurant over the hill in studio city, not everyone has to order a tasting menu to enjoy this multi-course meal. others at the table can order a la carte.

my starter was a potato-masa gordita - its a fried cake with a warm onion salsa verde, half an avocado, a lot of cilantro and cashew cream.

my next course, i got to select two entree items ranging from an escabeche tostada, tamale, flaunts de camote or two of three taco options. iorderedthe flauta rolled with sweet potato and fried (like a taquito). it was too dense and hard to cut with a fork and knife, so i picked it up after dipping it in guacamole and the cashew nacho cheese. again a lot of cilantro on this dish.

my second entree selection was a grilled squash with salsa verde. it was good, however i probably should haveorderedthe flash-fried cauliflower taco or mushrooms with mole.

dessert was a petite, yet satisfying mexican wedding cookie dusted with powder sugar and a bowl of chocolate coconut ice cream with chocolate sauce and toasted pecans. it was ideal to share and had the flavors of mexican hot chocolate with an essence of cinnamon.

my daughterorderedone of the three bowls. the ladies next to usorderedthe uno bowl as if they do this at least once a week. my daughterorderedthe dos bowl with braised lentils, peanut sauce, spinach, coconut rice, poco de gallo, pineapple salsa and pumpkin seeds. it was overwhelming with different flavor profiles.

ladies across from usorderedgrilled peach salads, ensalada de caesar and a btla wrap with coconut bacon. they sipped boozy strawberry purée popsicles served in a clear glass with tequila blanco.

there are lot's of cocktails, snowcones, slurpees, micheladas and build you own old fashioned the way you want it.

park on the street, in a nearby public lot or valet.

terrible. given i was very .... terrible.
given i was very specific about an onion allergy i had the waitress being an onion free allergy menu. iorderedfrom it being very clear about the allergy. my meal had a hidden layer of raw onion tucked away under the greens on top. after feeling symptoms i alerted the waitress who barely apologized and brought a new one out. with even more onion in it. i'm appalled. i have been unwell since. never again.

comparing to other mexican food restaurants, this one is the fancy version of a vegan mexican restaurant with its beautiful and modern interior design. the food weorderedtasted all right, not surprisingly good or bad, but the drink was fantastic. their service was a bit slow but i guessed it always happens when the re