When a restaurant has been around for decades and becomes an institution, there’s a tendency to kick back and become a fossilized version of what they were when they opened. Such museums that serve food usually offer a lifeless version of what once made them famous. The Spot has bucked that trend, still offering some of the things that were groundbreaking when they opened over 40 years ago but crafting them as though the ideas are new. This is plant-based dining with enthusiasm and heart, simultaneously classic and vigorous. You can get a decent vegetarian or vegan meal at most restaurants these days, but there’s only one place in all of Los Angeles to see what the fuss was about when the Beach Boys were singing about the benefits of eating your vegetables.
The Spot
110 2nd St., Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-2355
worldfamousspot.com
Runner-up: Green Temple
1700 S. Catalina Ave., #103, Redondo Beach
(310) 944-4525
greentemple.net
