Dining at Zephyr is like hanging out in your cool aunt’s sponge-painted kitchen: the pea-soup green walls are often decorated with eclectic art from local visionaries and the staff seems to care little for time constraints. For those looking to enjoy a hearty meal, there’s the requisite overflowing bowl mixtures, such as the garden tempeh bowl, filled with veggies, tempeh, beans and other goodies. Or there’s the tofu steak plate, which, true to its name, is a plate lined with bricks of flame-broiled tofu. But the best and most cost-efficient discovery is the Vietnamese spring rolls, which can double as a meal or appetizer and are giant in size.

ZEPHYR 340 E FOURTH ST | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.435.7113 | OPEN TUES-SAT 11AM-4PM | FOOD FOR TWO, $15-20

Tags: cafe, dinner, Long Beach, lunch, vegetarian