Pura Vita sign lights up the restaurant above the bar. Pura Vita’s locations are in West Hollywood and Redondo Beach. (Photo Credit: Lily Kaplan)

This past year, my kitchen experienced two major diet changes: my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease, making her gluten-free, but my dad, who used to love all meats, went primarily vegan.

My dad promised that his going vegan did not mean I had to, but I often try the dishes he makes out of curiosity. Being an excellent cook, it was no surprise that even his plant-based dishes were delicious.

To celebrate his birthday this year, we went to Pura Vita. This vegan restaurant in West Hollywood mainly focuses on Italian dishes. The restaurant has a casual bar-type setting, and it opened in 2018 as the first 100% plant-based Italian restaurant and wine bar in the United States according to Abillion. Pura Vita, which has another location in Redondo Beach, prides itself on its sustainable, clean and organic ingredients.

Reading the menu, I noticed that most of their dishes had gluten-free options, giving this restaurant extra points for my family. As you can imagine, my sister was very excited to find this large-scale diet accommodation.

For one of our appetizers, we ordered the gluten-free bruschetta. The first bite burst with flavor from the juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes. Though gluten-free, the ciabatta bread was light and spongy, topped with garlic and cashew aioli. The bruschetta was also slightly grilled, leaving a nice and smokey aftertaste. I would highly recommend.

To explore the appetizers’ vegetable side, we also ordered the broccoli rabe. Rabe is known for its bitter taste, which I could discern in this dish along with a strong presence of garlic. To top it off, the chef added some chili pepper, which gave the rabe a little kick. While this was a unique dish because of its acrid flavor, I would probably not order it again.

The first entrée we ordered was the eggplant parmesan. I’ve always disliked eggplant, but this dish was an exception. The eggplant was crisp, and the tangy flavor was strong, leaving me wanting more. The cheese was vegan and made out of macadamia nuts, but I could not tell the difference between this nutty cheese and real parmesan.

When I took the first bite of the Margherita pizza, I wasn’t impressed. The cheese was not what I was used to — it was soft and lacked flavor, leaving the tomato sauce to dominate the dish. The thin gluten-free crust was also not as delectable as I had hoped. If I were to come back in the future, I would order one of their more unique pizzas like the Capricciosa with artichoke, mushroom and bacon.

We also ordered the carbonara, which substituted eggs with avocado. Normally, I like avocado, but the aftertaste of this dish was too tangy. After taking a couple of bites, I felt full because of how thick and creamy the pasta was. This had to be one of my least favorites from the night.

On the other hand, one of my favorite dishes of the night was the cacio e pepe. It was creamy, and the bucatini pasta shape fit nicely with the dish. I tasted a hint of lemon, which balanced out the nutty cheese substitute. However, it was still too thick for a cacio e pepe, which is normally very light. Though I enjoyed it, this pasta was closer to an alfredo.

To conclude our traditional Italian dining experience, we pulled out the dessert menu and ordered their pistachio gelato. While delicious, it was also extremely sweet. Eating a full scoop on your own might risk a stomach ache, so I recommend sharing this dessert with the people at your table.

We also ordered their house-made fried Italian dough called Zeppole, which were similar to large donut holes covered in powdered sugar and best dipped in Nutella. I can’t even begin to explain the joy these donuts brought to my stomach.

Overall, I thought all the food had fantastic flavor, but the nuts used as a cheese substitute made many dishes overly rich. Additionally, the lighting was already quite dark when we walked in, and halfway through, they dimmed the lights more —  ultimately forcing us to use a flashlight to read the dessert menu. The service was also way too fast, with each dish piling up quickly after the other and crowding our table. This made the meal feel unnecessarily rushed.

I may visit Pura Vita again in the future to try more options, but I don’t feel the need to return soon. I do, however, recommend it to non-vegans willing to try something out of their comfort zone and, of course, to vegans who are looking to experience veganism in style.