Pura Vita - Table reservation

I've been loving this restaurant for years. I come here semi-regularly, but I had a really negative experience here last night. Me (a brown person) and my (white passing) friend came here, and our server, Penny, was especially rude to me. She was very blatantly racist towards me. She would only make eye contact with my friend and look at them when asking what we wanted to eat. I was very polite, and yet every time I spoke to her to make an order or ask a question, she kept looking shocked I was even speaking to her. She kept asking me to repeat what I was saying, even though I spoke very clearly and loudly. My friend found this behavior unsettling as well. Every time Penny came back around, she would ask my friend what they wanted to eat, if they wanted another drink, etc... My friend wasn't even hungry enough to have a whole meal, and so I had been doing the main ordering all night, and yet she would still never look directly at me while asking for anything we wanted. It was quite frankly, very dehumanizing. The only time our server really looked at me was while complimenting my friend and hoping I would agree with her. (which I totally do because my friend is amazing, but that's besides the point). In the past, everyone who works here has been very kind, polite, normal, and helpful, so I was deeply disappointed to have this experience with this person. I don't think this type of behavior is acceptable. This isn't the 1950s, and I don't know how such a racist person has a job in this otherwise wonderful establishment. I noticed a couple more reviews about this server being racist towards others as well. I really hope management does something about this waitress because it's quite disgusting how a prejudiced bigot has been holding a job here for months. It's really easy to ignore the experiences of POCs when you might not be seeing it firsthand, but she probably does this to far more people than who have written reviews about it, but hopefully the restaurant will make it a safer space for all kinds of people at Pura Vita, which I don't think will be possible if Penny is still working there.

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My #thankyouthursday review is late but, for Pura Vita, it was worth the wait because it is also a Thanksgiving review! Truly special! We came here for the Thanksgiving Feast special. The plate contains maplewood smoked jackfruit, porcino mushroom gravy, sage apple ciabatta stuffing, roasted garlic whipped potatoes, candied Brussels sprouts, and cranberry sauce. It is vegan comfort food on a plate! So good! The Thanksgiving feast is an annual special on the menu that starts the week before Thanksgiving and is available until the day before Thanksgiving Day. (They are closed on Thanksgiving Day). The items on the plate are also available for catering. Highly suggest! For dessert we got the equally delicious and special pumpkin cheesecake. It's so moist and delicious. If I didn't know it was vegan, I wouldn't know! We had so much fun having an early Thanksgiving feast here. It's my fave foodie holiday so this was a special treat. Service is always friendly. Our server, Calvin, was the best waiter! Everything was perfect. THANK YOU PURA VITA! Thank you for bringing wonderful, delicious vegan Italian food to LA!! Thank you for having festive specials around the holidays! Thank you for always playing great music at a level where I can both enjoy the tunes and hear my neighbor. Thank you for being a wonderful upscale destination for lunch/dinner with my friends or for date night. Voted Best Italian Restaurant and Best Vegan Pizzeria (Vegnews Restaurant Awards). The Chef and owner, Tara Punzone, was also voted Chef of the Year at the Vegout Awards 2023! Located on Santa Monica Blvd. between Sweetzer and Harper. Metered parking on the street.

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Consider me IMPRESSED! My coworker took me here and I was blown away. My favorite was probably the bread and the pizza. Hands down the best vegan food I've ever tried. Their drinks are also soooo good. I love the vibe inside as well; nice but not too upscale. Our waiter was the sweetest thing and put a lot of love into serving us. Such a great place with great food, and a really good date spot for sure.

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Greek goddess salad is one of the best salads in LA. But for a wine bar/ fine dining experience, the music is often too loud. Also, the bruschetta was dry, burnt tasting not in a good way, and the warm tomatoes on it were an odd surprise for me. Still, a good place to bring anyone for a filling dinner.

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Finally, a perfect vegan Italian restaurant! The most fresh and scrumptious menu, impeccable service, and a cozy, yet lively, vibe.

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