JAJAJA

Sometimes, I like to walk into restaurants without doing any research and seeing what happens. The first thing I said to my girlfriend as we sat down in JaJaJa (Spanish for HaHaHa) is that I could see Bruno Mars kicking back in a place like this. From the potted cacti, to the beaded hanging curtains, to the colorful shabby chic vibe it feels has that "somehow it works" feel. Now, remember, I knew nothing about this restaurant. 

It's a vegan Mexican restaurant and I am not vegan. What I liked about this restaurant is that it doesn't rely on tofu and seitan, instead, it uses plant based ingredients to create playful textures that at times play homage to meat dishes—like their Our Chorizo Tacos which are made using numeric tortilla, radish, micro cilantro, red pepper, onion and sour cream—and at other times celebrate the vegetable—like the Sweet Chile Relleno which is a poblano chili pepper stuffed with quinoa, dukkah, nogada, and topped with pomegranate. 

This is one of those restaurants that if you're vegan you should give a try and if you're not, you won't be upset to have let your vegan friend pick where you're lunching today.