By 
Since I wrote the article about Monty’s Good Burgers in 2018, LA’s vegan burger scene has skyrocketed. There are now more vegan burger joints than there have ever been, serving burgers that will make you question how on earth something vegan could taste so good.
With all the stiff competition there is now, how can a vegan burger joint stand out from the crowd? When a new vegan place opens, it doesn’t have the same groundbreaking effect it had years ago.
In February 2022, Mr. Charlie’s opened on La Brea Avenue. With its bright red and yellow colors and striking resemblance to McDonalds, Mr. Charlie’s quickly became a viral sensation on TikTok, shared by celebrities like Lizzo.
The founders, Charlie and Taylor, wanted to break the barriers of traditional vegan food. On Mr. Charlie’s opening day, Fox LA interviewed them: “How are we going to make this fun? The reality of the restaurant business is a lot of risk and not fun.” said Charlie.
Although most people refer to Mr. Charlie’s as the vegan McDonalds, Charlie and Taylor want Mr. Charlie’s to be its own brand and have an ubiquitous presence.
Another thing that makes Mr. Charlie’s stand out, besides making fun vegan burgers, is the mission.
They have partnered with the Dream Center, an organization that provides support to people who have been incarcerated, or that are struggling with homelessness and drug addiction. All of Mr. Charlie’s employees are hired out of the Dream Center foundation: “Everyone deserves a second chance, and we are proud to be that bridge,” they say on the website.
I found Mr. Charlie’s while I was casually driving back from work. I took the long route home up La Brea Avenue, and trust me, it was hard not to miss the red and yellow storefront among the furniture businesses that abound in this area. Is it a pop-up? An exhibition? I did a quick Google search while I was in the car and came back the following day, which fell on a Friday. If you want to beat the crowd and long lines, going on a weekday is the best option.
Upon walking in, everyone greeted me. The first thing they asked me was if it was my first time. When I said yes, Andrew, the employee at the cash register, gave me a breakdown of everything.
I asked Andrew what he liked the most about working there, and he said: “I like working here because there’s a lot of opportunities. It’s a brand new restaurant, it’s starting fresh. To be a part of it while it’s in the beginning phases is a beautiful thing.”
The interior was full of cheeky references to McDonalds, especially the Marilyn Monroe picture with clown makeup on, poking fun at McDonald’s iconic clown mascot, Ronald McDonald.
Since Mr. Charlie’s is so new to the game, they’re still working out the kinks. There wasn’t tap water or bottled water available, nor did they offer vegan shakes or soft serve ice cream. “We’re working on them,” said Andrew. This article was written in June 2022, so if you go there in a few months, their options may have expanded. As of right now, if you go and you don’t drink soda, bring your own water.
There’s no indoor seating either, and the outdoor seating consists of benches attached to the storefront. Mr. Charlie’s is currently in the process of expanding: “We want to be everywhere,” Charlie and Taylor said to Fox LA.
Andrew said their most popular menu item was their Frowny Meal, which comes with a burger called Not A Hamburger, four nuggets, fries and a drink of your choice. The patty they use is the Impossible Burger, and the cheese they use is Follow Your Heart. If you don’t feel like ordering a regular vegan cheeseburger, the menu also offers a chicken sandwich.
I decided to order the Frowny Meal with the single patty. When you place your order through the touchpad screen, a receipt with your order number is printed.
When Andrew called my number and handed me the Frowny box, it was impossible to not get a little nostalgic and think about the Happy Meals my mom used to get me at McDonalds when I was a kid.
The burger was delicious. The ketchup and the mustard were an excellent complement to the pickles. It tasted so close to McDonald’s regular Cheeseburger, but with better and fresher ingredients. The cheese was also really good.
I was especially impressed by the chicken nuggets. I usually buy soy-based chicken nuggets from Whole Foods. They are good, but these were so tender and perfectly crispy on the outside, that I couldn’t tell they were vegan. 10/10. While most vegan joints in LA have good fries, I wasn’t particularly blown away by these, but I certainly was by the ketchup sauce!
After I had my meal, I walked back inside. “Do you feel sluggish or do you feel good?” asked Billy, another employee. When I said I felt good, everyone smiled in unison. Mr.Charlie’s mission was accomplished.
I went back a second time before this post went live and ordered the Frowny Meal, but with the Double Not Burger, which comes with a double patty. The size doesn’t vary that much from the Not A Hamburger, which is the one I previously ordered and comes with a single patty. This time, they put different sauces, not the ketchup sauce. I ate it at home and I was lucky to have ketchup in the refrigerator. It obviously wasn’t as good as theirs, but it did the job. Just make sure you remind them to add a few packets to your box.
All in all, I highly recommend checking out Mr. Charlie’s! Eating vegan burgers out of a red box with an upside down yellow smile has never been so much fun! For me, the whole experience was filled with nostalgia. I had fun reminiscing about being a kid and how simpler life used to be.
Mr. Charlie’s is available through the food delivery app DoorDash.
Address: 612 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Instagram @MrCharliesLA
Website Mrcharlies.Co
