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    El Cocinero

    4.7 (907 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Vegan
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    El Cocinero Photos

    Business Info

    EL COCINERO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Cocinero

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    Reviews With Photos

    Gohar K.

    First time eating vegan Mexican food. I gotta say the flavors were very good. I came with my brother's family and we got a few different things to try. We got burritos, nachos and tacos. They all tasted the same, cause they all have the same ingredients. It was busy here so I'm assuming vegans love this place. Clean restaurant and friendly service. A good spot to check out if you are vegan.

    Travis W.

    My Forever Favorite -- Vegan Mexican Magic Let's be clear--El Cocinero is him. I've been pulling up here for years and the love is still real. Everything about this place just hits: the flavor, the vibes, the service. It's the kind of spot that makes you feel like family from the jump. Seasoning? On point. Portions? Always generous. The kind of comfort food that wraps you up and feeds your soul. Whether I'm posted up alone or bringing friends for the first time, it's always a win. Now if you really know, you know--my go-to cheat code is adding rice on top of the fries or the nachos. Game. Changer. Vegan or not, this place delivers every single time. Real ones know: El Cocinero been that guy.

    Al Pastor Nachos
    Melissa L.

    The absolute best Vegan Mexican food I've ever had! I've been following them since they were doing little pop-ups as Vegatinos and I'm glad to see they're still going strong. I love their al pastor, especially on nachos. In the couple of times I've visited their restaurant, I've had a good experience and friendly service. It has a very classic Mexican restaurant feel with a good amount of seating for dining in. Their nachos really can't be beat and I'd say it's well worth the drive and price.

    Hetal P.

    I visited this place coz it came as a recommendation from a friend. So while we ordered jackfruit taco and corn on the cob we ask the person how much for guacamole and chips and he says $4 then when the order arrives there is no chips. So we ask for chips and they say it's an extra $2.70 which is really annoying since we asked the guy the price for both chips and guacamole then we order. Do they think we just want to eat a bowl of guacamole by itself. Was annoyed how they gave no chips and charged more for simple chips. Jackfruit was too salty. Corn on cob was boiled with cheese and mayo. They need to make some changes. I wouldn't recommend it yet.

    Loaded fries asada

    Holy f'n smokes. This spot hit we have vegan spots back home but not like this . That's delicious

    Seating area
    Ashley M.

    Yum!! My favorite vegan Mexican food! The loaded fries and my favorite!! Even my meat loving husband always need to get some! When I came in there was loads of parking available and seating tables

    Their Ceviche!!!
    Quintin E.

    Bienvenidos! To over 5 years of El Cocinero. No puedo decir y I still can't say enough great things about this Van Oaks gem. Located in Van Nuys/ just above the Sherman Oaks border, this Sepulveda Boulevard must is the best 100% vegan Mexican food in California as well as Los Angeles. They have dine-in seating with tables and chairs throughout, but it's very limited and if you've been, you know they stay busy from the moment they open at 11am until close at 8pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Their service is flawless con un equipo perfecto (a perfect team) managing the flow from the moment you order to the moment you pick up for dine-in, takeout and/or delivery. For comidas, you should absolutely devour the entire menu: All the tacos Al's/Alex Super Burrito (3 "meat" proteins) - massive Breakfast Burrito (I always ask for ketchup inside) Burrito Bowl Ceviche Elote aka Street Style Corn Mulitas Papas a la Bestie (Beast Fries) Quesabirria Tacos v Sopes Super Nachos Tortas The plant based meat is insanely good, all and I do mean all my vegan, vegetarian and non-vegan peoples love it all. The Al Pastor, Asada, Birria, Chicarron, ChikN, Jackfruit Carnitas, "Shrimp" and Soyrizo. Additionally they have incredible Flan, Agua frescas, Jamaica,Horchata and Natural Sodas like Mexican Coke and/or Diet Coke, Topo Chico Mineral Water as well as Alkaline Water. Love coming here to support them as much as possible with bae and/or the squad. My friends Mike and Derrick eat here a lot as well as order out and they're not vegan, but have been incorporating more plant-based meals into their life over the years. El Cocinero is also gluten friendly with loaded of gluten free options like their nachos, bowls, and majority of their proteins. The sides are stellar as well from the beans to the rice, chips and salsa, so many great things. They greet you and thank you every time and are all welcoming. Enjoy a tailgate/car meal, cool off inside when seats open up or bring it all back home for a fun feast. Easy parking in a shared plaza lot behind the old CVS (now a Spirit Halloween) at Sepulveda Blvd/Erwin Street. El Cocinero has some great catering meals a few of which I'm considering for the holidays and/or my big milestone birthday (40), also around the holidays. 25 platter of tacos, half tray of nachos and five tray burritos (cut in half) all are calling my name, but you don't need a special occasion to enjoy the magica de El Cocinero, six days a semana/week.

    Same burrito last week.
    Kainani H.

    This used to be my favorite place for a burrito until they hit us with shrinkflation. The price for Al's Special Burrito went up $2 while the size decreased by about 50% (see photos taken just two weeks apart). I was fine with previous price increases since costs have gone up everywhere and the portions stayed the same. But charging more while serving half the portion isn't a price adjustment, it's a downgrade. Paying more for significantly less just isn't worth it, especially with an hour round trip. There are closer options for me, like Cena Vegan, that still offer generous portions.

    Eli T.

    We ordered nachos with al pastor and some tacos with al pastor, birria, and asada. Nachos - Beans, sauce, guacamole, and tortilla chips were good. Al pastor meat was good but overtly seasoned that it hurt my stomach. I might just have a sensitive stomach so would definitely aim for something more gentle next time even though it was tasty at first. Tacos - the tortilla is not great quality, or made in house. In addition, there was no place to add toppings for your tacos. I like mine with mexican pickles, radish, lime juice, onions, salsa and cilantro. When you make the order they ask if you want all ingredients (cilantro & onion) yet they are minimal on the taco. I would invite them to have a taco topping bar! The birria was good, asada a bit dry (hence the need for lime on the side), and al pastor was overtly seasoned. The space was nicely lit, and a lot of seating available.

    Cole J.

    I wanted to love this place but they overloaded my tacos with onions and I had indigestion afterward. I tried one of each of the fake meat options. The staff seemed friendly but the extra onions made me think maybe they don't want my business due to my demographic or whatever. Generally most vegan spots are inclusive so not sure what's up here. They are out of the way for me and I had been wanting to check out this place for over 1yr. I won't go out of my way for this place but if I'm in the area I'll give them one more chance. I think I liked the fake chikn and jackfruit the best. My partner liked the pastor. We both thought the asada was eh but it wasn't bad. I wish I had gotten a burrito and the menu has other interesting choices I just did a sort of sampler plate as an introduction. They could also up the wow factor by having some better salsas but that's just me a good salsa can have me hooked on a place.

    My All time favorite Mexican / Vegan restaurant , Birria Tacos  & consome & Vegan flan for dessert!! Definitely recommend 10/10
    Kimberly M.

    My all time favorite Mexican / Vegan food Their Birria tacos with consome is to die for and their Flan and Horchata is the best ! The Cashier who helped me " Pedro " is super kind and has amazing customer service , Definitely coming back !

    Burrito!
    Sharona M.

    I've been coming here for a while and really enjoy their food! I like that they continue to offer new items. I appreciate that they now provide water upon request! This is a sweet family business and the mother has been decorating seasonally! My go to is the 3 meat burrito which must include some form of jackfruit and the nachos with fries instead of chips. I crave these things like once a week! Their serve good size portions! I always leave stuffed. They have a few tables and stools for dine in. It's a rather casual atmosphere where you order and grab your food from the cashier.

    Linet K.

    Carne Asada Sope was delicious!!! I want to come back to try other things. Service was friendly!

    Al pastor burrito

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    El Cocinero Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - El Cocinero

    Will El Cocinero be offering vegan tamales for the Holidays?

    One can hope! I know they offer great catering meals and packages.

    Do they cater?

    They do have catering on their site now

    What is the horchata made of?

    Rice!

    Do you guys just have a phone for decoration? Or do you actually answer it?

    Every time I've been there they've honestly been so busy, they don't have time to answer the phone. There's usually a line out the door. With all the worker shortages, a lot of restaurants aren't able to answer the phone.

    Is there indoor dining yet?

    No.

    Do they take cash?

    Yes, they do. :)

    Do they have trays available too? Interested for upcoming small family gathering .

    Yes they do. You can order them through the Clover app.

    Do they take over the phone orders?

    I don't think they use phone service at all. The number has been taken down, possibly due to an overwhelm of calls. They only offer take-out for the for seeable future, but might update in the new year and as things improve with health restrictions.

    Is indoor dining open yet?

    Still no indoor dinning at the moment, believe there will not be until the pandemic is completely over.

    What are the birria tacos made of?

    Mostly jackfruit.

    What is the asada made of?

    The asada is made from soy and/or Iseitan/wheat. Most of all the other plant proteins are gluten-free.

    Has anyone been successful using Ritual for online ordering? It never works when I've tried.

    I believe they don't do online orders on the weekends. Only walk-ins.

    Why is there no number to call?

    Here you go it's on there IG page. (818) 386-8419

    What are the meat substitutes made of?

    They use mushrooms in some of their items, jackfruit, chikin (unsure if that is soy based) cashews and nut based flan.

    Do they offer catering?

    They sure do! Slide into their DMs or drop by.

    Do they have gift cards/certificates?

    I believe they do, I saw a sign for them a few months ago. Not sure if anything's changed with all the restrictions.

    What on your menu is gluten free?

    I think the super nachos, papas a la bestia and possibly the tacos are gf... I pretty sure the tacos are corn based tortillas. I'm not sure if all or if just some of the plant based meat is gf.

    Will you ever consider using delivery services?

    YES

    How do you order delivery from here?

    Uber Eats/Postmates

    Around how long is the wait at about 4pm?

    The wait is about 10 to 15 mins.

    View All 40 Questions

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    Photos
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    Donna Jean
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    El Cocinero - mexican - Updated May 2026

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