DTLA Food Hall Santee Passage Lands Vegan Restaurant, Coffee Concept

Downtown Los Angeles’ up-and-coming food hall Santee Passage is set to debut a vegan concept called Vegan Hooligans in mid-August and a coffee shop, called Virtu, coming soon thereafter. Vegan Hooligans and Virtu are the first-known tenants for the project since it was first announced in 2018.

The coffee shop will be located at 718 S. Los Angeles Street and will open in approximately two months, according to Nam Trang, portfolio manager at Essex Property Trust, the developer behind Santee Passage which is part of the larger Santee Court apartments project.

Vegan Hooligans is a plant-based eatery that was established in 2018. The menu items often riff on fast food hits like Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap and McDonald’s McRib.

Located at the corner of Los Angeles Street and 7th Street, Santee Passage comprises two historic buildings and a wide pedestrian alleyway. The 23,000-square-foot food destination will include a park-like courtyard with a raised stage for pop-ups, food festivals, performances, and other events. The development has enough stalls for up to 19 vendors. It was originally targeted for a late-2019 delivery. Trang told What Now Los Angeles that the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted these plans.