“Healthy food for a happy world. That’s the simple, soul-satisfying mission of Flower Child, where you can enjoy farm-fresh, fast casual food everyday. Flower Child is bringing healthy dining to the mainstream with an enlightened menu that radiates positively delicious vibes.”

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If you’re in Los Angeles, the reality is that you’re just a short walk away from a lunch spot that offers healthy food with fresh ingredients from a local farmers market. For example, Flower Child is one of my favorite places to go to when I want either a quick and healthy bite, and not only are there multiple locations, but the one in Santa Monica is a block from the beach, so grab your healthy and delicious bowl and go watch the sunset while eating it. 

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History

Restaurateur Sam Fox first opened Flower Child in 2014, his company, Fox Restaurant Concepts manages over 100 other restaurants spanning over California, Arizona, Vegas, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. He’s also one of the major owners of True Food Kitchen, which is another extremely popular farm-to-table restaurant.

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After feeling out the health market with the successful casual concept True Food Kitchen, Fox decided to take another swing at limited service, this time with Flower Child. “We were really educating ourselves about healthy eating and how people want to eat,” Fox says of the development of True Food. “So we applied all the knowledge to open up Flower Child.” The concept is his answer to customers’ desire for healthy, high-quality food that can be tailored to meet dietary restrictions like dairy-free, vegan, or gluten-free.

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Sustainability

At Flower Child, everything is made from scratch and with fresh ingredients. Additionally, they offer options for every diet possible. Whether you’re vegan, paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free, they’ve got you covered. 

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At Flower Child, the menu is broken into grain plates, house-made wraps, salads, and kids meals. All ingredients are sustainably sourced, organic, GMO-free and customizable, making it a simple and easy experience for anybody with dietary restrictions. 

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"I felt there was a void in healthy fast casual," Fox said. "It seems like every day you read this or hear that food is good or bad; one day caffeine is good for you, the next it's bad. We're not taking a medicinal approach here, it is fresh food every day,” says Fox.

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If you want to build yourself a bowl, you have numerous options ranging from red chile-glazed sweet potatoes to grilled asparagus and snap pea soba noodles. You can add different types of proteins like sustainable salmon, all-natural, grass-fed steak or non-GMO tofu. If you’re not into bowls, their wraps are made in-house using whole wheat, chia seeds, and flaxseed. 

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In 2019, Fox decided to make an active effort in eliminating the use of plastic straws across all locations, offering eco-friendly and compostable straws and other options as well. 

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“We do not profess to be experts in Sustainability, but we will always do whatever we can to eliminate any kind of waste. This is not only a sound business move as it will reduce supply cost, but it will have a positive impact on the environment and serve the wants of our guests.” – Sam Fox, CEO of Fox Restaurant Concepts. 

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The Experience

In addition to the amazing food, the decor of the restaurant is full of color and vibrancy. 

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There’s no soda served at Flower Child, but you can get kombucha, iced tea or lemonade, and there’s also local beer and wine at the Santa Monica location. I opted for a kombucha as it was on tap and decided to go with a plate. You can get chicken, salmon, tofu, shrimp or steak. I ordered steak which was served medium. For the sides, you have a few options, and the vegetables rotate seasonally. 

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There’s cauliflower risotto, gluten free mac and cheese, smashed golden potatoes, organic brown rice, and various vegetables such as yuzu grilled asparagus, roasted broccoli, bbq heirloom carrots, and red chile glazed sweet potatoes which I know are extremely popular. 

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I opted for steak with smashed gold potatoes and roasted broccoli. Their wraps all sounded incredible too, the Bird Is The Word with grilled chicken, poblano peppers, broccoli, peppadew, melted pepper jack cheese and charred onion sounds delicious, and The Rebel with grilled steak, charred onion, port salut cheese, arugula and horseradish yogurt sounds amazing as well. 

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In terms of bowls, the Mother Earth made with ancient grains, sweet potato, portobello mushroom, avocado, cucumber, broccoli pesto, charred onion and topped with leafy greens and a red pepper miso vinaigrette is on my “to try next” list. 

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If you want to end your meal off on a sweet note, all of the desserts are gluten-free and dairy free. 

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Details 

There are 3 locations in California, one in Del Mar, one in Newport Beach and one in Santa Monica. You’ll find several parking garages near the location in Santa Monica, and as mentioned before, it’s a block away from the beach so treat this spot as the perfect place to grab food from when you want to catch a sunset, or even just to get a quick, and healthy lunch from. 

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