Natural Selection

This is seriously my third time coming here. I’ve been coming every other day for lunch with my mom. It’s healthy and I feel so energized after my meal rather feeling lethargic when you eat a large meal during your work lunch breaks. This is a healthy alternative for those seeking a healthier lifestyle or becoming vegetarian like I am. The male owner is very helpful and nice to explain my first time experience. I have yet to try the breakfast options!

This place is hard to find without google maps telling me where to go. As soon as you walk in you get a very unpleasant smell. They barley give you any salad with barley any dressing. The berry lean smoothie had no sweetness to it and clearly made with rotten berries. The only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 is for their adequate pesto chicken sandwich. Definitely had a better experience in the Downtown LA location.
Also, a women respectfully waited outside with her dogs so someone would take her order. They said they’d come help her and she patiently waited for over 30minutes but they paid no attention to her.

I’ve come here twice already and definitely plan on coming back if I’m ever in the area and want something healthy.
I’ve had their green juice– don’t remember too much about it because it was so long ago but I do remember that I liked it.
From my most recent visit, I came with my cousin for lunch. She got the Chipotle Bowl and I got the Mediterranean Bowl– both half brown rice and half salad. Each bowls come with a side of either fruit, salad, or soup. Portion wise, I thought they gave a good amount for the price (less than ~10). As for the taste, I thought my bowl was alright– nothing too special about the flavors + I wished they gave me a little bit more lettuce. I didn’t get to try my cousin’s bowl but she said she really liked it.
What really blew me away though was their Natural Muscle Shake. I was at the gym for a session that lasted over an hour so I was really looking forward to fueling up afterwards. I got the shake with chocolate protein and soy milk and really loved it. The shake had a nice creamy texture to it and you can really taste the chocolate and peanut butter. It also didn’t feel too heavy for a creamy shake (I had this after I ate my bowl and didn’t feel that uncomfortable feeling from eating too much at all but then again I did work out for a while beforehand so that might be why lol).
The people there are also pretty nice. I checked in on Unilocal after I paid for my bowl and saw how they have their check-​in deal ($ 1 off shake with any breakfast). When I went to order my shake after my bowl, I asked if they could make an exception since I ordered a meal. They asked for my receipt (which I didn’t have because I clicked on «No Receipt» but saw how I already ate my meal and gave me the deal anyways.
As for the place itself, it’s pretty cute and casual. It’s also a great and comfortable place if you are eating by yourself or if you want to just catch up with friends.

I really, really like this place! I’ve never regretted coming here for lunch nor left feeling guilty.
They’re very flexible with their choices. There’s about a dozen or so flavors, and you can enjoy them in a wrap, salad, rice bowl, or half salad half bowl! Also comes with the soup of the day!
I’m smitten by their mandarin chicken. I like it in a wrap or a half/​half bowl. The dressing is just delicious and the slices of oranges just really make the dish I could keep eating.

It’s ok. It’s clean and the food is fresh. Smoothies were ok as well. I think I can make a better wrap and smoothie at home. I tried the sesame chicken wrap and my fiancé tried the mediterrean wrap. We both got the soup of the day which was the Tortilla, and it was very bland. It tasted like tomato soup with bits of carrots in it. We spent about $ 34 dollars for the wraps and smoothies. For something as pricey, I was hoping for something more yummy.
I will be back for the breakfast. Hopefully, that is more promising.

Eat healthy and stay fit. These guys follow that approach to the letter.
The food here is organic and simple. So expect only the taste of the food to present itself. No sauces or fusion. Just simple organic food.
My ranking is a bit high, but I appreciate their effort and support small businesses.

Really liked this place because the food is really healthy and delicious at the same time. You can create your own meal by choosing a salad, bowl, or wrap. Then you choose which types of toppings you would like (chipotle, sesame, mediterranean, teriyaki, or pesto). Lastly, you choose your protein — chicken, avocado, veggie chorizo, and veggie patty! All options come with either fruit or salad. It definitely came with more rice than veggies though. Kinda of wished they gave me more veggies and less rice.
I got the pesto bowl with chicken and avocado with half rice and half lettuce for $ 9.95. You can taste that they don’t use too much oil on anything since it is very healthy while very flavorful at the same time. One portion gets you pretty full but not that disgusting kind of full feeling when you eat something really oily. They also are very generous in the avocado as well! I got the fruit to accompany my meal — it came with strawberries, oranges, and pineapples. All very fresh and sweet.
I also got the cleanse juice which consists of carrot, apple, spinach, and bell pepper for $ 5.95 for the smallest size. Not too sure if i would order this again. Definitely would come here for the food again or maybe another type of juice or smoothie but this one kind of tasted like nail polish!
The restaurant is located in a really random spot near some commercial buildings and they close very early so be sure to check the hours!

When my friend told me he was heading to Natural Selection to eat a meal by himself for the second time that month, I had to look up just what Natural Selection had to offer. Natural Selection is known for having healthier options, especially for the more athletic individual — seeing the location of this place. It’s located right next to a rock climbing gym, and in fact shares the bathroom and corridor with the gym. If you walk through, you’re able to see rock climbers. It’s also across the street from REI. Definitely attracting the healthy lifestyle eaters. The location IS pretty tough to find. If you’re driving down Santa Anita away from Temple City, the restaurant is located on a corner to your left. If you turn into the lot, you can find a good amount of parking spaces.
The restaurant itself is pretty nice. There’s plenty of tables inside, but they have a very quaint outdoor patio area filled with greenery. It’s definitely a good place to sit, relax, drink some healthy smoothie before heading back into the real world. Immediately upon walking in, I got a vibe that this place focuses a lot on healthy choices — maybe it’s the ambience and color, but it’s pretty amazing how the look of the restaurant was able to do that for me.
Their menu is not the most simple — you pick from a wrap, bowl, or a salad (and each option comes with different sides that you select). Then you pick your «flavor». So if you’re craving something more sweet and tangy, you could go with Sesame, which comes with a list of set ingredients. After you choose the flavor, you pick the protein that you want to go into your wrap, bowl or salad (they do have vegetarian options if you don’t want meat). If you want to go for something different, they offer breakfast burritos and sandwiches (served until a certain time on weekdays and all day Saturdays) or grill sandwiches. There’s additional sides, soups, coffee, smoothies if you want to order more.
One of my friends went with the Mediterranean Salad and a fruit cup on the side since she wanted to go for something healthier than what my other friend and I tried. The ingredients in the Mediterranean are definitely what it sounds like — feta cheese, cucumbers, hummus, etc. and she had a veggie patty instead of meat. She said it tasted pretty good — but for me, I didn’t like it. It reminded me of a savory yogurt on salad. The vegetarian patty was okay, but the other ingredients were not something I enjoyed. Fruit bowl came with kiwis, grapes, and cantaloupe slices. I really liked the fact that they had fresh kiwi! Normally don’t see that in fruit bowls, but these are probably seasonal.
My other friend ordered a pesto sandwich and traded half of her sandwich for my sesame chicken wrap. The pesto sandwich was off of the grill menu, and she had the Soup of the Day paired with it — a tortilla soup. I’m a big fan of pesto and I do agree that the pesto chicken was tasty, but it did taste super, super healthy. Healthy in that there wasn’t much flavor to it. I thought the bread was a bit too dry, and while the ingredients tasted good together, this wasn’t the best pesto sandwich I have ever had. The tortilla soup was incredibly salty and despite it having a good amount of ingredients inside, we couldn’t finish it all because it was so salty.
I definitely think the sesame chicken wrap was the best thing out of our meal — at least in my opinion. This comes with mandarin oranges, cilantro, almonds, carrots, onions, and sesame dressing — all of which went really well together. Chicken was more juicy than the pesto sandwich, and I liked the sweetness of the oranges, the crispness that the cilantro gave, and the savory-​ness of the chicken. Went super well together and was a super good size. It came with a fresh spring salad with a vinaigrette. Nothing special, but it wasn’t bad either.
–They do have free Wi-​Fi, and I saw several students just studying here after eating lunch.
–Complimentary self-​serve water cups.
–If you like them on IG, you get a discount on your check.
–Pretty secluded place that doesn’t seem to get too noisy. Definitely a good place if you want to just hideout for awhile and study or relax.
tl;dr — I think foodwise, I’d have to give them a 3.5, but I really liked the restaurant and the whole healthy vibe they have going on. The workers are also incredibly nice and helpful. We had a ton of questions and they were super patient! I wouldn’t mind coming back and trying something different or one of their popular smoothies, which I’ve heard was really good. But definitely would recommend the sesame chicken wrap if you’re looking for something to order!

I love that this place always offers the option of a side of fresh seasonal fruits. I usually order the the Chicken Mediterranean Wrap without cheese, onions and olives, and dressing on the side. Fresh cucumbers and generous amount of spring greens makes such a big difference and that’s why I love their wraps! Instead of chicken, I wanted to try their other proteins, like the veggie patty, but I realize that’s it’s only veggie and not vegan. Would be really cool if there was a vegan meat option:)

Meh. I was excited because I eat chicken everyday at home and don’t think I’m a great cook. So I went here to still be healthy and eat out at the same time. I guess I thought this place could cook the chicken super yummy since they do it all day??? Mehhhhhh. I was super disappointed because the chicken tasted the way I make it at home. Dry. Rubbery. Not exciting.
Basically wasted $ 9 to eat something I was gonna make at home anyways.

This used to be one of my favorite places, but service has really been sliding during my last few visits. This week alone– I ate at Natural Selection 3 times.
They don’t bring your food to your table anymore, table service is gone. Also, they used to have water available with cups on the side. No longer are cups placed there, I saw people having to ask for a cup.
Also, during one of my visits. the wait for my food was 20 minutes for a burger. Understandable, because there was 1 lady before me and 1 guy ordered AFTER me. The guy arrived and placed his order on the spot probably ten minutes after my order… but strangely, he got his food FIRST! Even BEFORE the lady in front of me– who ordered the SAME thing as him! She said out loud, «Why did he get his food first when I ordered the same thing??» The people around us who heard were all perplexed.
Today, I returned for the same order. From the time I placed my order, it took 25 minutes to finish making me a burger! I also saw people who arrived AFTER me and placed their order in store, receive their order BEFORE me. Exactly what happened to the woman standing in front of me the day before. It is pretty much my understanding at this point that whatever method they are using to serve guests is not working, and upsetting many guests. I hope the owner/​manager is reading this. Both times this happened, there were no more than 4 – 5 guests in the restaurant TOTAL, including myself. What takes so long to make the food? I hope you can understand from my perspective, 25 minutes might seem like not a lot of time, but to me that is like watching a whole show without the commercials.
Today when my food took so long. I had to go up and ask why. In my experience, if I wait 25 minutes and the food is not there yet, i always ask, because in my own personal experience, half the time, they forget to put in your order and just forgot about you. I wanted to make sure I was not forgotten. I think a good restaurant policy, is to approach guests and let them know personally if their meal is going to take longer than 15 minutes. That would be great customer service.
Finally– this is how the red tray that served me food came out today– with CRUMBS on it! From someone’s LAST meal who used the tray! Someone did not wash my tray before serving my food on it! :(

Setting/​Parking: Natural Selection is located on the southwest corner of St. Joseph Street and Santa Anita Avenue. It’s right by Arcadia Rock Climbing gym and the Small Animal Hospital and near REI. It’s a relatively small restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. They have a small parking lot in the front but there is a larger parking lot in the back which you can enter from either Joseph Street or Santa Anita Street.
Food: They advertise that everything here is 100% organic which is awesome! They offer wraps, breakfast dishes (wrap, sandwich, burrito), burgers, sandwiches, burritos, soup and have various drinks such as juice, smoothies, shakes, tea, espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Wraps are $ 9.95, breakfast dishes are $ 8.95 and burgers/​sandwich /​burrito are $ 9.95. The drinks range from $ 2.25-$ 7.95 and come in 16 oz or 24 oz. I decided to get their pesto sandwich which consist of grilled chicken breast, or avocado, spring mix, tomatoes, onions, parmesan cheese, with yogurt based mayo and their signature pesto sauce. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my sandwich. The sandwich felt like there was nothing in it. The chicken was cut in slices which I thought was a bit weird since they usually come in a whole piece. Even with the spring mix and tomatoes and onion, it felt very empty. I didn’t really like the bread also; it was very soft and doughy and I felt like I was eating more bread than a sandwich since it was pretty big and kind of took over the whole meal. I expected more from a meal that was over $ 10 (with tax). I feel like Natural Selection is more known for their healthy drinks than food but their juices, smoothies and shakes are pretty pricey.
Overall, I love the organic concept but not the food. Whenever I come back, I would probably get another meal or try their healthy drinks.

This place is on Santa Anita across from some animal hospital! At first I couldn’t find it because it’s not near any big stores or businesses. It’s in a small lot and there were several parking spaces in the front. It’s a pretty hipster looking place. The environment inside gave a casual home like vibe. The tables were wooden & there were string lights hung on the ceiling. It was cute!
I love how this place is so healthy & clean! The selection they have here is flexible because they allow you to choose if you want a wrap, salad or bowl. Then you choose if you want a side of fruit or soup of the day. They also have burgers, burritos, smoothies, shakes, juices, etc!
I got the Mediterranean rice bowl which was ½ brown rice ½ salad, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, onions, feta cheese, oregano, mint and a beautiful slab of hummus on top :) The dressing it came with was homemade mediterranean dressing and it complemented the taste of the whole bowl perfectly. I also added avocado into my bowl so it made it 10x better! They gave a very generous amount of avocado. It was probably ½ of an avocado which is a lot more than what other places would give.
After taking my order, the girl repeated the whole order back to me which I always appreciate at any restaurant just to prevent any miscommunication or mistakes before they make the food. Great job on that!
I was going to get a protein shake but I didn’t. Next time I will try one for sure because they all sound really really good!
My first visit and I would definitely be coming back! :) Prices are also great for the amount you get!

I’ve enjoyed meals from this business three times, and each has been pretty good. The «pretty good» qualifier is shorthand for «pretty good for items that obviously taste like health food, thanks to withholding salt, fats, sweeteners, and processed ingredients, then charges an extra couple of bucks for it.»
Last time, I enjoyed the teriyaki turkey burger. Is it as good as Island’s Hawaiian burger? Not even close. Is it better for you than Islands or the Habit or Smashburger or In n Out or … Probably.
The grilled chicken wraps contain meat that tastes like I grilled it at home with attention to minimizing salt and oil. It’s not like eating KFC or Church’s… But remember, you’re here because it’s healthier right?
As a younger man, I had the metabolism of a Jack Russell Terrier, and could eat anything, anytime. Nowadays, the small sacrifices of eating slightly healthier options, and sacrificing things like ordering three packets of extra spread for my Animal Fries is a necessity to stay young. My laser eye vision may be 20 – 15, but may age is decidedly 20+20.
Speaking of twenties, you’ll need about that — maybe a bit more– to feeds a couple of people here. Cheaper to make your own healthy lunch, but a good spot in a pinch.

We tried this place today for lunch. It had pretty good reviews and was close to work. You can get about 4 choices of either wraps, bowls or salads — all within the same theme. We were recommended to order anything Mediterranean, and I got the bowl. The nice thing about it was the option to get 50% brown rice and 50% greens, except that the «greens» was just lettuce and not very much of it. The grilled chicken in my bowl was a little too dry to my liking, and the dressing a little too vinegary. My two colleagues who got the Mediterranean wrap and the chipotle wrap were not super overwhelmed either. For the $ 8.99 we thought we could find something happier for our tommies…

I like this spot. Quiet, somewhat secluded, and very small location that offers a variety of fairly healthy foods. I really like their protein shakes (can’t go wrong with strawberry-​bananannana), and the boyfey likes his omelettes. I’ve heard the wraps are gigantic and very fulfilling as well. Seriously, very decent/​above average food and shakes which make for a great post-​workout meal :) Check it out!

**edit** to add that their daily soups and fresh juices are incredible! The mediterranean wrap is now my favorite… also great customer service :)
Happy happy joy joy!
How thrilled I am that this healthy delicious joint is literally walking distance from the new job! I’ve had both the chicken burrito and the pesto wrap — both delicious so far. I’ve yet to be disappointed. Thursdays is barley and spinach soup — so light and flavorful and a good complement to my wrap. Also a very good unsweetened passion iced tea. Everything organic. Breakfast served 7 – 12 weekdays and all day on weekends. I can’t wait to try their breakfast burritos.
Coworkers got pesto sandwich and Mediterranean wraps and both were satisfied with their orders. Fresh fruit changes daily. Today was pineapple watermelon and strawberries.
They also sell kombucha bottles here! So close to work I’ll update as I try to conquer the menu :)

Marco is the MAN… I’m happy they got to open a second location in Los Angeles; but now I don’t get to chat with the master anymore.
Regardless, you’re here for the food. It’s healthy, it’s fresh, it’s simple, it’s delicious!
They have a menu full of rice bowls, wraps, soups n salads. They even have a fresh squeezed juice and smoothie bar. This is probably a gem for the ARC members next door!
Kristofer’s Bottom Line:
Add chicken to anything to make it extra awesome. Come back for their chorizo burrito.
Try the soup. Just do it.
Oh and the Green Power Juice is astonishing and refreshing.
If you’re in a hurry, call ahead! But do have patience, there is only one phone!

My updated review is SOLELY for their Mediterranean Wrap ($ 8.95). It has grilled chicken breast, feta cheese, black olives, organic baby greens, cucumbers, hummus, and homemade Mediterranean dressing. I usually ask for «no olives».
The Mediterranean Wrap is seriously addicting! When I first came here, I didn’t totally enjoy my meal, but the 2^nd time around I came with my friends from work and ordered the Mediterranean Wrap. Every time I come now, it’s the only thing I want to order… (I’ve tried some of the other wraps which are very bland to me.) I think it’s the combination of the feta with hummus and dressing which makes it flavorful. This is one of the wraps that doesn’t «leak» onto your plate so much like the Pesto wrap.
Wraps are served with a side and you can choose from soup, salad or fruit. Their daily fruit selection is written on the chalk board next to the register. It’s usually a combination of strawberries, kiwi, grapes, melon, pineapple or orange. They have a different kind of soup every day. So far I’ve tried the Potato, Vegetable, Lentil, and Broccoli soups. I guess I need to come on Thursday and Saturday to try the Barley & Spinach and Tortilla soups.
I’ve tried some of their drinks too, but just usually order water now.
Again, the parking situation is not good and they do get busy during peak lunch time so just keep that in mind.
⁵²⁄₁₀₀ Reviews for 2015

This is a great concept that emphasizes quality ingredients (natural and organic) into its wraps, bowls, salads, sandwiches and burgers. Plenty of stuff on the menu for any health or non health nut.
Always crowded and always good and friendly. Walk up counter service then they bring your food to you (don’t forget to buss your own plates). Simple and clean with indoor and patio seating. Great place for takeout. Small parking lot but plenty of nearby parking.
This was my second visit here — first time was the chicken teriyaki bowl which was the bomb. The chicken was so tender and sauce not sugary but of great quality. This time I went with the Mediterranean chicken wrap which was fantastic! The wrap, the chicken, the hummus and the leafy vegetables all had great flavor of real food! Their brewed iced tea is also one of the best.
You have a choice of a small salad, fruit or soup of the day with their wraps and sandwiches. Everything around you looks great and the best «tasty». You wouldn’t even know how good this way of eating is for you with such great flavors!
Note they close in the early afternoon and have a great breakfast selection as well. Also fresh brewed organic coffee. This is one gem of a find. I think there is another in down town LA. Kudos to the people who took the chance on great healthy eating at great prices and that is sooo delicious!