Long Beach has a vegan Italian place now, and it is stellar. After the loss of Seabirds (which was my favorite restaurant AND walking distance from my house), the arrival of Mangiafoglie has filled a much-needed high-quality-vegan-food-within-walking-distance gap.

I’d done takeout for lunch a couple times (usually a sandwich and side) and had their early-morning pastries, but I hadn’t been for dinner yet. Fortunately Bronwyn was in town for work, so it was the perfect excuse (that’s the lasagna picture at the start of this post).

I’ve since been for brunch with my dad (this is his entree with vegan caviar), so all I’m missing is to try their pizzas. I asked the waiter about the pizzas once, and he was paralyzed at the idea of picking a favorite–they were all so good. Vegan or not, Mangiafoglie is one of the best places to eat around here.