If M Cafe de Chaya had a location in Santa Monica, I’d be there every day. I enjoyed one of the most delicious organic macrobiotic meals there last month — the Miso Salmon Macro Lunch. The balanced meal comes with miso marinated organic farmed salmon, brown rice, broccolini, and cauliflower — all for $9.75. For 75 more cents, you can add an organic miso soup.

The Japanese Breakfast Bento’s a bargain too — moist black cod, served with rice, salad, and pickled vegetables for $14.

Macrobiotic dining’s what I generally refer to as “vegan, but with fish,” though I realize serious macro foodies have stricter definitions of the diet. At M Cafe, macrobiotic’s made organic and sustainable too; the restaurants also shun refined sugars.

While the Japanese meals are my favorite so far, M Cafe offers contemporary macrobiotic versions of international fare — from Korean bibimbap to big Californian salads to grilled tuna burgers and fries to baked goodies. Walk into the sunny restaurant on Melrose, and you’ll be tempted by all the prepped salads, wraps, and sushi rolls on display while waiting in line to order.

Order, take a number, then stake out a spot. The Melrose spot has both indoor and outdoor tables — including a communal table, if you’re feeling social. I advise dining extra early or late, since the restaurant can get super busy and crowded during peak meal times.

When I visited again earlier this week, I went for the Wild Salmon Wrap special — a good option for pescatarians who don’t want to eat farmed salmon, even if it is organically farmed. That wrap was pretty good — and the red quinoa salad I got as a side was excellent — but I instantly had salad envy when I saw my friend’s crisp, fresh, M Chopped arrive.

That’s what I’ll be getting when I visit next. I finished off my meal with a comforting soy latte — made with organic, fair trade coffee, though from Starbucks-owned Seattle’s Best — which was a bit too foamy and not quite as good as the food, but decent enough. I loved M Cafe’s Green Day veggie juice though, which I’ll be writing more about later.

Believe it or not, I’ve yet to try any of M Cafe’s baked goods — mainly because I never leave enough room for dessert! Assuming M Cafe’s bid to open a restaurant at LAX goes through, I look forward eating healthier macro cupcakes at the airport in the future. What’s your favorite meal at M Cafe?

M Cafe de Chaya. 7119 Melrose Ave. Hollywood. 323.525.0588. Additional locations in Culver City (9343 Culver Blvd.) and Beverly Hills (9433 Brighton Way).

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