Men & Beasts: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Men & Beasts is a fully plant-based Chinese tea house in Echo Park, so a vegetarian or a vegan can order every dish on the menu. The restaurant says its dinner menu and its drinks are 100 percent vegan. Expect handmade dim sum, wok dishes, Californian beer and wine, and loose-leaf tea, with a patio, a tea room, and a bar.

Find it at 2100 W Sunset Blvd. Co-founder Minty Zhu and chef Alex ran an earlier plant-based Chinese restaurant, Minty Z, before they opened this one. Zhu writes on the site that Alex introduced her to a plant-based diet, and she then asked him to rebuild her favorite Chinese dishes without meat.

What to order

Start cold. Smashed cucumber with beancurd and chili oil costs $13, and so does the liangban tofu with chili, peanut, and lime. From the dim sum list, the ‘pork’ and chive dumplings cost $16 for five, the asparagus shumai cost $15 for three, and the cheddar rangoons cost $16 for seven. You get a cup of tomato soup with the rangoons.

Three dishes top the house list of crowd favorites: the monkey buns, the black truffle fried rice, and the kung pao tofu. Monkey buns come four to an order with a char siu-style filling, for $17. At $32, the foraged mushroom and black truffle fried rice is the priciest plate. Kung pao tofu costs $25 with steamed rice. The biang biang noodles cost $20, and the sweetcorn ribs with Szechuan pepper cost $14. Plan to share. The restaurant says it built many of its small plates for the table.

Dessert? Keep it small with bao beignets with black sesame caramel for $12, or a $6 scoop of house ice cream in a flavor that changes regularly.

Brunch

Men & Beasts serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 4 PM. Most of the dim sum carries over. Brunch adds soufflé pancakes with lemon, blueberry, plant butter, and maple syrup, plus a triple chocolate trifle with orange, Szechuan pepper, and espresso.

The kitchen

You won’t find meat, fish, dairy, or eggs anywhere on the menu, so we rate cross-contamination 5 of 5. Gluten-free diners have options too. Men & Beasts lists the smashed cucumber and a spicy tofu among its gluten-free dishes. Email ahead about anything else.

Booking and the fine print

Book on OpenTable through the restaurant’s site. Walk-ins get a seat when there’s space, but the restaurant recommends a reservation for weekend dinners. If you run late, you get a 15-minute grace period before the staff may give away the table. Tables run on a clock: 60 minutes for one person, 90 minutes for two to four, and two hours for five or more. Management can charge groups of four or more a $25 per person cancellation fee.

Corkage is $25. Valet parking costs $12 a car from Friday to Sunday. Kids are welcome, and the staff will bring a high chair on request. Order takeout through Toast or delivery through Uber Eats, or call (213) 262-1781.

Bring a crowd. The second-floor event room seats 9 to 20, the tea dining room seats up to 38, and the patio bar seats up to 50. Each space carries a minimum spend plus a 20 percent gratuity, so ask for current terms when you inquire.