Cena Vegan

When it comes to vegan Mexican food, Cena Vegan is the best. I’ve been enjoying Cena’s food since they started a pop up in Highland Park in 2016/2017. I’m now a regular at their pick up location in Lincoln Heights. Cena consistently makes the most flavorful tacos, burritos, and posole - everything is fresh, flavorful, and authentic. Vegans and non-vegans alike: Cena is a must try! For first timers: Everything is 100% vegan and so flavorful. I highly recommend the taco trio for your first visit! The Carne Asada and Pollo Asada tacos are my favorite. The tortillas are always made fresh and taste/ smell fantastic. I also highly recommend their posole (100%), ceviche, and horchata. All delicious. The Cena staff is always super friendly and kind. I’m grateful to have such a delicious vegan Mexican restaurant in my area! Thank you, Cena.

Cena Vegan is a hidden gem in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. This vegan Mexican restaurant serves up delicious Mexican. The tortas, burritos, and tacos are especially good. The prices are also very reasonable, and the service is friendly and attentive when you call in your order or pick up your food. My only complaint is that there is no physical location for dine in, so you can only order for takeout or delivery. However, the food is so good that it's worth the inconvenience. I highly recommend Cena Vegan to anyone looking for a great vegan Mexican meal.

Oh man, this was a brilliant fine. I came across it I think on some delivery Channel like Uber eats or something. The food was awesome I really enjoyed the quality of everything and I thought maybe the tacos didn't have enough vegetables in them but I guess that's the point it's supposed to be kind of like a alternative meat taco. The taco shells themselves are a little bit thick but they're still pretty tasty it just makes the taco a lot more filling which might be a good thing. The prices were really good and the pickup was super easy we just ordered it and then we just drove up there and we got the food. The tacos are not greasy at all and obviously not excessively spicy which is super good so I definitely enjoyed a lot.

If you’re a local vegan foodie, you must know Cena Vegan. Truly, the food is always amazing from the bowls to the tacos and so much more… I first discovered Cena at a Vegan Pop Up and I am always looking forward to eating and sharing with their food! I recommend Cena Vegan for all you non-vegan food eaters. You definitely would not be disappointed and will be happy to try Cena Vegan!!!

This place is fantastic! We passed through LA and stopped for a quick meal. Some of the best Mexican I've had. Its better than most real meat Mexican I've had. Tortillas seemed homemade, the spicy salsa is actually spicy and really flavorful. Prices are cheap and portions are large. We tried each meat and they were all great, especially the carne asada and Al pastor. Flan is excellent too! I'd come back a million times and it's so impressive it's vegan too. Honestly, this is probably one of my top places to eat in all of California and I will 100% be back next time I'm in LA

I ordered the taco trio and had two barbacoa tacos and one carnitas including a birria taco a la carte. OMG best vegan taco and first since no longer eating meat. It was so satisfying. The portions are hearty and flavorful. I couldn't have asked for a better taco Friday. Will be ordering again soon. In the past I had nachos with asada and I didn't like the asada meat but I love the shredded meats.

I loved this food! I am from Arizona and I have always wanted to try Cena Vegan when traveling but the timing never worked out. Yesterday I was passing through LA and they were open 5p to 10p so I ordered! My husband (not vegan) and I both got burritos, they are huge and so good, we ate them for breakfast the next day. I'll be dreaming about this until I come back.

You guys: I have been vegan for 27 years and I love Mexican food. This place is absolutely fantastic! I just had my first delivery from there while traveling for work and I will be doing it again and again and again and again. The flavors were fantastic. I texted my family back home "my mouth is burning and my heart is full." Thank you so much, Cena Vegan!

Cena Vegan is the fastest vegan takeout place ever. I live down the street and when I decide to order, (Carne Asada Burrito, for sure) I literally place the order and immediately walk down to my car immediately. It’s ready by the time I get there (10 min or so), someone brings the food outside, and I’m home in 20 min or less with great vegan Mexican food and I save a ton on delivery fees and all the other expenses from getting Postmates, Grubhub and others.

Didn’t know this was a pick up only spot but it was close to our hotel so we gave it a go. It was PHENOMENAL! We got the burrito & cookie and they gave us a free horchata for still deciding to try it out after finding out it was pick up only. Super sweet employee!!! The burrito was MASSIVE and amazing and I would definitely come back!

Flavorful vegan Mexican food with fast and friendly service. We ordered while we parked outside and the food came out in less than 10 minutes. We tried the carne asada burrito and the al pastor, mushroom, mole poblano, and pollo asado tacos. Everything was super tasty, though the pollo asado needed some assistance from the lime, crema, and salsas. Overall some of the best vegan food I’ve ever had!

Cena Vegan is my go-to spot when I’m craving Vegan Mexican food. I have tried their tacos, bowls, burritos, nachos, menudo, potato tacos and more - I recommend them all! By the way, it’s only take-out.

It’s not a traditional sit-down restaurant, but you can order in person if you stop by, and by phone for delivery or takeout. The food is delicious, capturing traditional Mexican flavors that bring back childhood memories. This isn’t just good vegan food—it’s amazing Mexican food that just happens to be vegan. When you order catering, they make sure you’re well taken care of, with generous portions that leave everyone asking, “Are you sure this is vegan?” Followed quickly by, “Wow, this is good!”

Note that it is just an order pickup station for online/phone orders. Seating or manual order taking NOT available. Seriously large portions.

Absolutely hands down the best Vegan Mexican Restaurant ever! Each corn tortilla is made fresh per order and their faux meats are top notch!! Thank you Cena Vegan!!! You guy's are a blessing to our community <3

Really great take out vegan Mexican food! A variety of different “meats” with all different flavors! Medium spicy was pretty spicy! Sauces on the tostada are so good!

So much flavor! We've tried all the vegan meats except the chicken. Definitely recommend the Carne Asada and the Al Pastor, but for sure get the potato taquitos. Also, the hot salsa is one of the spiciest salsas I've ever had. It's amazing.

Had the birria burrito with pico de gallo, onions and cilantro, and the spicy birria sauce. Very impressed with the imitation birria! Although while I love spicy food admittedly I’ll have to go with the medium salsa next time because that was powerfully spicy 😅. Nice sized burrito for $10! I’ll definitely come back and try one of the other proteins.

hope chu

Flavorful vegan Mexican food with fast and friendly service. We ordered while we parked outside and the food came out in less than 10 minutes. We tried the carne asada burrito and the al pastor, mushroom, mole poblano, and pollo asado tacos. Everything was super tasty, though the pollo asado needed some assistance from the lime, crema, and salsas. Overall some of the best vegan food I’ve ever had!

Danielle Gross

Didn’t know this was a pick up only spot but it was close to our hotel so we gave it a go. It was PHENOMENAL! We got the burrito & cookie and they gave us a free horchata for still deciding to try it out after finding out it was pick up only. Super sweet employee!!! The burrito was MASSIVE and amazing and I would definitely come back!

Cindy Villasenor

Cena Vegan is my go-to spot when I’m craving Vegan Mexican food. I have tried their tacos, bowls, burritos, nachos, menudo, potato tacos and more - I recommend them all! By the way, it’s only take-out.

Daniel Castillo

It’s not a traditional sit-down restaurant, but you can order in person if you stop by, and by phone for delivery or takeout. The food is delicious, capturing traditional Mexican flavors that bring back childhood memories. This isn’t just good vegan food—it’s amazing Mexican food that just happens to be vegan. When you order catering, they make sure you’re well taken care of, with generous portions that leave everyone asking, “Are you sure this is vegan?” Followed quickly by, “Wow, this is good!”

Nadira Jenkins-El

Absolutely hands down the best Vegan Mexican Restaurant ever! Each corn tortilla is made fresh per order and their faux meats are top notch!! Thank you Cena Vegan!!! You guy's are a blessing to our community <3

Lauren Dana Boynton

Really great take out vegan Mexican food! A variety of different “meats” with all different flavors! Medium spicy was pretty spicy! Sauces on the tostada are so good!

Joseph Lee

So much flavor! We've tried all the vegan meats except the chicken. Definitely recommend the Carne Asada and the Al Pastor, but for sure get the potato taquitos. Also, the hot salsa is one of the spiciest salsas I've ever had. It's amazing.

High quality vegan food. I always get the vegan asada torta and the french fries. I love their horchata too. The food is always packaged neatly and I have never had a bad meal here. Cena vegan is the BEST vegan Mex food in Los Angeles hands down.

This place has the best Mexican vegan food in the city. In addition they give you healthy portions of food full of flavor. I definitely recommend you checked them out!

One of the vegan OGs in Los Angeles. Had the Big Vegan Burrito and Big Vegan Torta. They're not kidding about the size. Portions are probably the most generous of any vegan restaurant I've been to. They don't skimp on the meat either. For reference, the burrito is a tad bit bigger than a Chipotle burrito and the torta completely fills the inside of a half-size takeout container. You get to choose from 6 meat options for the filling. I got al pastor. It was decent. It also comes with pineapple chunks, so if you're someone who's repulsed by pineapple on pizza, be warned that this has the same taste. Highly recommend, 10/10. The fact that this restaurant has been standing for almost a decade says a lot.

Danny Choi

One of the vegan OGs in Los Angeles. Had the Big Vegan Burrito and Big Vegan Torta. They're not kidding about the size. Portions are probably the most generous of any vegan restaurant I've been to. They don't skimp on the meat either. For reference, the burrito is a tad bit bigger than a Chipotle burrito and the torta completely fills the inside of a half-size takeout container. You get to choose from 6 meat options for the filling. I got al pastor. It was decent. It also comes with pineapple chunks, so if you're someone who's repulsed by pineapple on pizza, be warned that this has the same taste. Highly recommend, 10/10. The fact that this restaurant has been standing for almost a decade says a lot.

D G

High quality vegan food. I always get the vegan asada torta and the french fries. I love their horchata too. The food is always packaged neatly and I have never had a bad meal here. Cena vegan is the BEST vegan Mex food in Los Angeles hands down.

Charles Trotter

This place has the best Mexican vegan food in the city. In addition they give you healthy portions of food full of flavor. I definitely recommend you checked them out!

Edgar Fabián Frías

Seriously hands down the BEST vegan Mexican food in Los Angeles! I usually get their massive vegan burrito but I’ve also tried their tortas, tacos, tamales, and their horchata and they were all super authentic tasting, flavorful, with GENEROUS portions! Please bring your meat & vegan eating friends here! They will not be disappointed! Also btw this spot is PICK UP ONLY!

Eden Mills

Absolutely delish! I would eat Cena everyday if I could. My favorite is the barbacoa burrito - the bowls are also awesome as well. Their customer service is amazing - especially Marcy! Had a cookie for the first time and it was so good! Also, actually affordable vegan food in LA is basically unheard of - I can’t recommend this place enough. ✨

Food was pretty good and good portions. It's like a ghost kitchen. Order your food & text when you pull up. They just open the door, hand you the bag & dip. Its like a traphouse for vegan food lol

I was one of their very early customers when they first opened their original stand in highland park. Used to go there almost every week and brought lots of friends. Within a year or two of opening they always had a line around the block. It’s the best vegan Mexican food in LA and would probably rank close to the top of a global list for vegan Mexican food if anyone made one. Now that they have a brick and mortar, I can have it delivered to my house. It’s awesome. The food is very fresh and healthy. I love their tacos and burritos. The salsas are also so fresh and delicious! Even the rice and beans are amazing. It’s great how high protein this is for a vegan place. My favorite of the “meats” are carne asada, al pastor and barbacoa. Cena will always have a special place in my heart. edit: i am taking away one star because im disappointed they are now charging extra for more than one salsa on postmates. most mexican restaurants provide a few salsas for free. honestly most provide a side of chips for free as well with every order. i dont like that they are trying to charge for every little thing that is usually a common courtesy. if you want to keep your loyal customers, dont do that.

I ordered nachos from here and I was really excited except the bowl was 90% meat and just a few chips so I ended up with a bowl of slop. Nachos should really be layered. There was so much meat and so few chips. All the chips are gone now and I have a bowl full of ingredients. So now I'm at home frying up tortillas myself to remake the nachos. I feel like it's so simple... balance out the chips with the ingredients so there's enough chips to finish dish.

We got delivery from here. I would say the food does the job. We got tacos and a burrito. There was little flavor to the protein and likely can't stand on its own but adding salsa and topping made it better but felt more like a filler meal then something I would look forward to. All the menu items seem to the the exact same thing with a different base but maybe that is all mexican basics.

Ordered through DoorDash and came well packaged! The tacos were pretty good.

Dhruv Batra

Ordered through DoorDash and came well packaged! The tacos were pretty good.

Great tacos and easy pick up. However, as a vegan, I would love it if the tacos could include some lettuce, veggies like mushrooms,bell peppers etc. It would def take it to another level.

Aakansha Maheshwari

Great tacos and easy pick up. However, as a vegan, I would love it if the tacos could include some lettuce, veggies like mushrooms,bell peppers etc. It would def take it to another level.

By far the most expensive tamales I have ever paid for. I must admit they were good, but way OVERLY priced. This felt like a gentrified gouge. I found their entire menu is expensive. I heard their potato taquitos were good but I haven't tried.. Their chicken and carnitas tacos were delicious, but al pastor was very disappointing.

I drove almost 2 hours to eat their delicious tacos, two of carnitas and two of asada and only the carnitas had fresh tortillas, the two asada had old tortillas like from another day, hard and dry. They ruined my satisfaction of eating the perfect tacos. and since it is only to pick up the food there is no trusted contact. with its closed metal doors that you knock and no one opens for you. And another thing four months ago I went and they had about three tables and umbrellas and they already removed them. Apparently they don't care about the comfort of their clients. I love their tacos but there is no good service and it is not worth coming back to eat in my car.

I wish they had jackfruit as an option for meat, bc the meat they use now is not good. The meats leave an unpleasant aftertaste. The service is…not the best. When you text the number to say that you’re there, it can be a hit or miss of them coming out and to give you your food. I’ve texted and sometimes they don’t come out. One time, I ordered around 9 pm so it was dark. I get there to pick up my food and I’m maybe a car length away from the door, parked behind another car that was in front of the door, sitting in my car for curb side pickup when the owner comes out with my food and just stares at my car until I figure out that she’s waiting for me to drive the 20ft to the yellow curb. When I roll down my window she said it’s not a safe area and she won’t go where the streetlight doesn’t hit. I would understand that if I had been parked like by the next door building but I was literally 20ft from the door. It was a very strange interaction. If you don’t feel safe to walk more than 20ft from the door, then don’t offer curbside pickup past sunset.

This place is great if you want to order vegan takeout. Ordering from a kitchen with no restaurant seating. I got the Nacho Boat (legit boat). The food was good and plentiful with many different plant based protein options.

Isiko AnKi OM

This place is great if you want to order vegan takeout. Ordering from a kitchen with no restaurant seating. I got the Nacho Boat (legit boat). The food was good and plentiful with many different plant based protein options.

Place used to be good when it was a pop up in highland park. Went today with the last time being years ago on york. Tasted not so fresh this time and i didnt get the salsas i asked for. The guy wss quick to run back in before i could ask for my salsas. Pretty expensive now too.

Miguel Aldana

Place used to be good when it was a pop up in highland park. Went today with the last time being years ago on york. Tasted not so fresh this time and i didnt get the salsas i asked for. The guy wss quick to run back in before i could ask for my salsas. Pretty expensive now too.

The directions were confusing and place was difficult to find. Not a place to sit down and eat, no patio. I believe it's a ghost kitchen and you just park on the main street and take your food to go. Ordered one of each taco. Some of the "meats" had a funky/musky/gummy, almost sweet taste. Other "meats" were bland and tasted like microwaved meat alernatives. The mushroom taco was average. One type of taco with a red sauce was the best of them all and I would give that one an 8/10. The tortillas are handmade and this is a plus. Too bad the fillings were less than average. The salsas were good, not great. The horchata was delicious. The people who took my order and brought out my food were very sweet. Still, not looking foward to returning.

The very young lady that answers the phone has no idea what she's doing. Nothing but attitude. If you can't handle the stress you shouldn't be working there. I called to ask a question and she hang up the phone on me 3 times. I wish they can have an adult who knows customer service handling the phones. The food is good but customer service is zero.

I got asada fries at a Chappell Roan concert. The fries were very dry and gross. The asada also wasn't flavorful. $20 for easy shit

Was very excited about this restaurant but I ordered a burrito with all my sauces on the side and did not receive a single one. Kinda ruined the experience since it was basically just beans and rice without any of the extra stuff I wanted. Food was pretty cold when I got it. Horchata came with nearly all the ice melted so it was very watery. Guac tasted funky was not worth the extra money. Very disappointing. Grossed me out. Couldn’t even get a refund.

Just got a long disgusting hair in my food and I took a bite and had half of it in my mouth and the rest still on the taco i threw everything away! I am sooooo mad!!! Food doesn’t even taste fresh like if they reuse stuff from the beginning of the week that they don’t sell and on top of all this it’s pretty pricy at $6 a taco just to get low quality ingredients and a touch of hair! Never eating here again!!!!

No wonder this place never grew out of the hole in the wall behind closed doors!Food was somewhat okay in the beginning of 2017 ,now ordered recently,turns out to be total waste of money FOOD 0/10 DRY,OLD , TASTELESS! This people well aware of what they are doing serving 3 days + old food ...If you are really driving from far away or looking for vegan Mexican food go to EL COCINERO in the Valley they always have fresh and tasty ingredients!

C V

Just got a long disgusting hair in my food and I took a bite and had half of it in my mouth and the rest still on the taco i threw everything away! I am sooooo mad!!! Food doesn’t even taste fresh like if they reuse stuff from the beginning of the week that they don’t sell and on top of all this it’s pretty pricy at $6 a taco just to get low quality ingredients and a touch of hair! Never eating here again!!!!

Alisha Dorrance

No wonder this place never grew out of the hole in the wall behind closed doors!Food was somewhat okay in the beginning of 2017 ,now ordered recently,turns out to be total waste of money FOOD 0/10 DRY,OLD , TASTELESS! This people well aware of what they are doing serving 3 days + old food ...If you are really driving from far away or looking for vegan Mexican food go to EL COCINERO in the Valley they always have fresh and tasty ingredients!

Had the absolute worst horchata I’ve ever had. Tasted like expired oatmeal and it was chunky. How hard was it to put cinnnakon and vanilla in rice milk? Why do vegan restaurants always have to put weird twist to shlt that doesn’t need it?

I've let it slide a couple of times that the food wasn't up to par because this place did have "ok" food but this time, the food we received was almost inedible. I ordered tortas and rice and beans but the meats were dried out and chewy like it was reheated leftovers and the beans were, no joke, rancid and abnormally sour. I almost fed my 1 year old the food but I had decided to taste it first and thank goodness I did because I would hate to think what that would've done to his tummy. I tried calling to see if I could possibly get fresh food or credit because we spent over $40 but they hung up on me mid sentence. When I called back, they let it go to voicemail. What a horrible way to treat repeat customers who try to help local restaurants. Forget the food poisoning and go somewhere else.

Otoniel Duarte

Had the absolute worst horchata I’ve ever had. Tasted like expired oatmeal and it was chunky. How hard was it to put cinnnakon and vanilla in rice milk? Why do vegan restaurants always have to put weird twist to shlt that doesn’t need it?

Rachel “MissVeg”

I've let it slide a couple of times that the food wasn't up to par because this place did have "ok" food but this time, the food we received was almost inedible. I ordered tortas and rice and beans but the meats were dried out and chewy like it was reheated leftovers and the beans were, no joke, rancid and abnormally sour. I almost fed my 1 year old the food but I had decided to taste it first and thank goodness I did because I would hate to think what that would've done to his tummy. I tried calling to see if I could possibly get fresh food or credit because we spent over $40 but they hung up on me mid sentence. When I called back, they let it go to voicemail. What a horrible way to treat repeat customers who try to help local restaurants. Forget the food poisoning and go somewhere else.