The Green Temple: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

The Green Temple is a vegetarian restaurant in Redondo Beach that has served the South Bay for more than 20 years. We read the menu and found no meat or fish. You will find eggs and cheddar on a good part of the menu, and the owners mark the vegan dishes with a V, so a vegan can eat here too.

What to order

Start with the Blue Plate ($22). The cooks top a homemade veggie burger patty with sautéed mushrooms and onions, add mushroom gravy, and serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. The owners mark it gluten free and vegan. For Shepherd’s Gold ($22, or $19 for a junior portion), the cooks top a baked Yukon gold potato with the garden vegetable mix, crumbled veggie burger, and gravy. The owners give it the same gluten-free and vegan marks.

Pasta and baked dishes come with eggs and cheese. The cooks make the White Lasagna ($24.50) with spinach fettuccine, garden vegetables, organic tofu, eggs, and cheddar, and serve it with steamed broccoli and tofu sauce. For the Walnut Loaf ($24.50), they bake brown rice, mushrooms, walnuts, cheddar, and eggs into a loaf, then add mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. The Asparagus and Mushroom Linguini is $24, and the cooks top it with parmesan and roasted pistachios. The Babamut ($23, or $19.50 junior) is whole wheat pasta with broccoli, corn, white cheddar, and tofu sauce.

The Mexican dishes run cheaper. Tacos cost $18.50, or $15.50 for a junior portion, and the cooks fill soft corn tortillas with a homemade crumbled veggie burger or tempeh. The Garden Wrap is $19. From the salad list, the Sproutada ($23) gets you a baked tortilla, beans, and cheddar under a sprout salad. A plain Cheese Quesadilla costs $14, and the Organic Hummus is $13.50. The owners mark the Burger ($18) vegan, but the walnut bread contains honey, so vegans should order it on the whole-wheat bun.

Drinks and dessert

The cooks press juice to order, and a Carrot Beet Celery Parsley costs $10. Cheesecake slices cost $10.50. The Pistachio Lime Cheesecake is vegan, gluten free, and soy free. Flavors also include Strawberry and Roasted Blackberry.

The kitchen

The owners say 85 percent of their ingredients are organic and half of the raw produce comes from local farms. Apart from the tortillas, pita, and whole-wheat buns, the cooks make every item in house. Eggs and dairy share the kitchen with the vegan dishes, so strict vegans should tell the server. The owners put a GF mark on gluten-free items, and you can get the hummus without pita.

Practical notes

Budget $22 to $24.50 for an entrée, or $13.50 to $19 for an appetizer, the tacos, or a wrap. The Green Temple sits at 1700 South Catalina Avenue and closes Mondays. Tuesday through Thursday it runs 11:30 am to 8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm, and Sunday 9:30 am to 8:30 pm. On Sunday mornings, the owners also run a breakfast menu with scrambled eggs and a scrambled tofu plate. Call (310) 944-4525, order pickup on the site, or use the delivery link.

Go for the Blue Plate and a slice of the Pistachio Lime Cheesecake, then split the Cornadilla if you want a starter.