Editor’s note: Fields writes a monthly review of vegan options at local restaurants.

I had Hawaiian tacos outside, on the mainland, in December. We are in Colorado Springs, after all, where it can snow in May and hit 60 degrees at noon in the winter. This month, on an unusually warm day, I returned to La’au’s Taco Shop after a yearlong forced hiatus due to renovations of the building, Colorado College’s Spencer Center. A happy outcome of the revamp, aside from the return of healthy fare on North Tejon, is the exponentially larger outdoor seating area, which we were able to enjoy while eating our lunch with a side of vitamin D, courtesy of the blazing sun.

La’au’s Taco shop (“Inspired by Hawaii. Made in Colorado”) has simplified the already easy to navigate ordering protocol by offering a large menu board outlining the restaurant’s standard offerings: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls and the new lettuce wraps. Alternatively, you can now grab an order ticket and customize a meal, choosing between a taco, burrito, bowl or salad, a filling (meat, fish, vegetables or tofu), a choice of “crunch” (cabbage, green papaya or lettuce) and, finally, one of five salsas, with ingredients ranging from tomatoes to corn to mango to jalapenos.

Enter the restaurant from the back of the building. The casual interior invokes a sense of bright airiness, reminiscent of breezy outdoor cafes on the Big Island, as does the smell of mango, pineapple and papaya, some of the more unusual ingredients found on a taco menu. Join the civilized line – made up of CC students, office workers and downtown shoppers – forming to the left, place your order and take a seat at a high table inside or at a small table or picnic table on the patio; order chips and guacamole ($3.95) or salsa ($3.45) and you’ll have something to munch on while you wait for your meal to be brought to the table. Once the order arrives, pop up to the side bar to add lime, cilantro, roasted jalapenos and other accouterments for added flavor.

The vegan options at La’au’s Taco Shop are easy to identify: The veggie bowl, lettuce wrap tofu, chips, guacamole and all of the salsas are plant-based. But with the new “order it your way” approach, there’s room to experiment. The tofu and all the fixings in the lettuce wrap ($7.95) can be served in a flour or corn tortilla or in a bowl of vegetables, for instance. And that tofu is worth ordering. Oh-so-lightly fried, it’s crunchy, as is the cabbage. The golden cubed soybean blends with the yellow roasted pineapple salsa (new to the menu) for one of my favorite food combos: sweet and savory. They do not skimp – the three tacos were overflowing with the plant-based protein.

The veggie bowl ($6.95) was my favorite menu item a year ago and, though I am delighted by the tofu addition, it remains my top choice. This quintessential vegan dish – beans, grains, and greens – is loaded. The raw cabbage and spicy guacamole add a cool crunch to the creamy pinto beans and grilled vegetables (onion, mushrooms, summer squash and red peppers). The roasted corn salsa, sweet from caramelization, adds the final hue to the large, colorful and extremely filling bowl.

Beverages include tropic-inspired carbonated juices ($2.75), coconut juice ($2.25) and Mexican coke ($2), as well as canned sodas.

Adult beverages include five Bristol Brewing Co. beers ($3.50 or $5 for two), Pabst Blue Ribbon ($1.50) and margaritas ($3.50).

Steps away from CC’s campus and just blocks from the heart of downtown, La’au’s Taco Shop delivers appetizing, hearty and healthy vegan mains and sides packed with dense nutrients and a host of sweet, spicy and smoky flavors, all at a reasonable price.

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La’au’s Taco Shop

830 N. Tejon St., Suite 110, 578-5228, laaustacoshop.com

Rating total: 4.8 out of 5 forks

Food: 5 out of 5 forks

Ambiance: 4.5 out of 5 forks

Service: 5 of 5 forks

Hours: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily

Lunch and dinner: $6.95 – $10.25

Alcohol: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Nonvegan options: Poultry, pork and seafood

Gluten-free options: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Outdoor dining: Yes

What’s online as of Dec. 17:

– 571 check-ins by 332 people on Foursquare

– 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 23 reviews on TripAdvisor

– 88 percent of 219 voters “liked it” on Urban Spoon

– 3 out of 5 stars based on 29 reviews on Yelp

– Active on Facebook

Received one critical violation for mechanical sanitization during a regular inspection by El Paso County Health in October.

La’Au’s Taco Shop “Lettuce Wraps (Available with Tofu) Thursday December 18, 2014. Photo by Jeff Kearney

Jeff Keaerney

La’Au’s Taco Shop “Veggie Bowl” – Fresh grilled Veggies served over Rice, Beans and Napa Cabbage, topped with Pico De Gallo, Hand-Smashed Guacamole and Corn Salsa Thursday December 18, 2014. Photo by Jeff Kearney

Jeff Keaerney