Ever wanted to start the perfect small business with your best friend? (Haven’t we all?) Kacie Carter and Caitlin Sullivan have done just that which is the first of many reasons we love the new Honey Hi in Echo Park. Honey Hi doesn’t strictly adhere to any specific dietary philosophies – the menu isn’t necessarily paleo or vegan or intensely herbal in nature. But the menu is filled with almost entirely local and clean ingredients put together with optimal health (and minimal inflammation) in mind.

After hearing the buzz on this place from a good handful of Eastside L.A. wellness friends over the last two weeks (a lifetime!) we knew we had to get out to Echo Park and try this adorable new cafe for ourselves. Sure enough, the same day we had lunch inside the cute tan and pink wellness space, the ladies of Honey Hi were featured in the pages of the New York Times. We love that the world seems to be tuned in to the food scene here in L.A. more than ever before…

What I Ate: Honey Hi’s grass-fed Moroccan Bowl with zucchini noodles, pastured bone broth with kombu and cassava flour (g/f) chocolate chip cookies.

Why I Ate It: Here’s why you should try place like Honey Hi – not because their ingredients are wacky or hard to pronounce, but because they’re not. The food is cozy and familiar, but sourced from clean, local sources – from pastured chicken to grass-fed beef and lamb, pickled vegetables to grainless granola.

It might not be convenient to admit, but the meat or veggies you’re being served at most conventional restaurants is generally not responsibly sourced. (Pause for reflection.) That’s why we love to see such a variety of “health food” restaurants pop up across the city. It means there are more options for different types of foodies.

Why You Need It: We love supporting new restaurants like Honey Hi that are bridging the gap between hard-core veggies and meat eaters who simply want to eat non-Frankenfoods when they’re eating out. Try Honey Hi for all the buzz. Go back again and again for the trust-worthy lunches and grass-fed butter cookies.