It takes more than a plate of leafy greens to please the palate of a discerning vegetarian. These Top 10 Restaurants for Vegetarians in New York, presented in alphabetical order, are masters in making meatless meals memorable.
It takes more than a plate of leafy greens to please the palate of a discerning vegetarian. These Top 10 Restaurants for Vegetarians in New York, presented i... more
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1
Angelica Kitchen
300 E. 12th St., New York, NY 10003 / 212-228-2909
Fresh, wholesome vegetarian food is served in this peaceful East Village setting. Everything is organic and the seasonal menu is carefully prepared. Eclectic vegan fare includes “Thai Mee Up,” a raw delicacy of daikon radish strands, butternut squash and carrot dressed with Thai tahini sauce and garnished with garlic-lemon-marinated kale and onion-dill glaze. Or try the three-bean chili made with homemade seitan, kidney and pinto beans, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes and a blend of chilies---all topped with lime-jalapeño tofu sour cream and served with fluffy Southern-style cornbread and butternut squash-red onion salsa. For dessert, go for the chocolate mousse sundae with banana cream and almond praline. Whether you're a serious macrobiotic or simply want a healthy meal, Angelica Kitchen will surely hit the spot.
2
Bliss
191 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211 / 718-599-2547
Veg-heads flock to this Williamsburg mainstay on a well-trafficked stretch of Bedford Avenue. The menu is “nearly vegan,” so that means the food focuses more on the basics than approximating the non-vegetarian versions of most dishes. Detractors say that makes for bland grub, but the hordes packing the tiny space come weekends would appear to disagree. We recommend the tofu scramble served with home-fries and whole-wheat toast or bagel, a seitan steak sandwich with caramelized onions and cheese on a whole-wheat roll with vegan mayo, or the spicy black-bean burrito stuffed with sweet potato, portobello mushroom and organic brown rice and topped with pico de gallo and sour cream, served with a side salad.
3
Candle Café
1307 Third Ave., New York, NY 10021 / 212-472-0970
Candle Café ensures that no animal or animal products were used in the preparation of their inventive and tasty veggie-friendly cuisine. Light appetizers include hummus, flavorful salads made from tangy sea vegetables, and entrées are based on imaginative uses of tofu, tempeh and seitan (try the barbeque seitan sandwich). A chic design and friendly staff complement this upscale vegetarian-vegan paradise, but the decadent desserts definitely complete the experience.
4
Candle 79
154 E. 79th St., New York, NY 10075 / 212-537-7179
Gourmet vegan cuisine is the mantra at Candle 79, offering a romantic two-level setting for attractively prepared and, most of the time, successful combinations of organic vegetables, seitan, tempeh and tofu. A wide beverage list ranging from fresh squeezed juices to smoothies and organic wines and cocktails complements the menu. On any given day there is some kind of soup special such as watermelon or puréed squash, or a lasagna of vegetables reflecting the bounty of the season. Invention is the word here and you may forget that you ever craved a piece of meat as you enjoy flavors bursting with freshness. A tomato-avocado tartare offers a mix of poblano dressing, ripe tomatoes, and brown rice crackers. Pad thai has no noodles but inventively uses vegetables, mushrooms and spicy cashews, all scented with lemon grass and tamarind. Seitan dishes are most similar to meat and are prepared in a variety of ways such as the pumpkin-encrusted summer version served with collard greens, plantains and avocado mousse.
5
Caravan of Dreams
405 E. 6th St., New York, NY 10009 / 212-254-1613
This retro establishment fulfills all of your veggie---and tofu---dreams. Drop by after your yoga class for some healthy eats, like a tempeh Reuben made of grilled tempeh and onions, vegan Russian dressing, tomato, and organic sauerkraut on sprouted-grain toast. For brunch, stock up with a breakfast burrito filled with tofu scramble, grilled vegetables, black beans, guacamole, salsa and vegan sour cream. Highly recommended is the peanut butter-fudge shake. Tasty vegan delights---and they’re kosher too.
6
Counter
105 First Ave., New York, NY 10003 / 212-982-5870
The raw, organic fare at this Lower East Side vegetarian eatery will even enthrall those with more carnivorous appetites. Nosh on corn beignets with rémoulade sauce and the East Side burger, a blend of wild mushroom pâté, house-made seitan and fresh herbs served with pommes frites. Additionally, proprietor Deborah Gavito’s selection of organic wines is specifically chosen to match Counter's unique menu.
7
Gobo
401 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10014 / 212-255-3902
You'd be forgiven if you mistook Gobo for a place to get a quick healthy bite to eat. Located on a stretch of Sixth Avenue that's littered with rundown-looking fast food joints and slowly crumbling apartment buildings, Gobo seems to get lost in the shuffle. But step inside and you'll quickly find that this veggie restaurant is more haute than haphazard. The elegant main dining room, flanked by a long cozy banquette on one side and an open kitchen on the other, is subdued, minimalist and befittingly colored in earth tones. The long soy- and seitan-filled menu travels the globe, taking some long layovers in Asia. While there are some unappetizing-sounding bits (protein nuggets, for example), the menu boasts slow-cooked Malaysian curry stew, ginger-glazed shiitake, and barbecued eggplant that are ambitiously prepared and presented, but miss the mark ever so slightly. Still, even the most ardent carnivore will be satisfied---at least for a few hours.
8
Hangawi
12 E. 32nd St., New York, NY 10016 / 212-213-0077
Talk about an exotic New York experience: Slip off your shoes and step into this serene, Zen-like setting, which serves the temple food of Buddhist monks---all vegetarian, all simply and beautifully prepared. Tasting menus will lead you down a magical path, where bowls of food containing all sorts of pickles, exotic vegetables and ethereal bean curd are presented in a seemingly never-ending succession. Though not all that filling, even die-hard carnivores have been known to rave about a meal here.
9
Tsampa
212 E. Ninth St., New York, NY 10003 / 212-614-3226
Among the few Tibetan restaurants in New York, Tsampa stands out as much for its soothing atmosphere as for the innovative, healthy cuisine that borrows from neighboring India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Japan. Most ingredients are organic, and with choices like tender chicken curry in tangy yogurt-and-onion sauce and grilled whole trout with crispy, gingered skin, you’ll hardly notice that red meat is missing from the menu. Warm up with a pot of Tibetan tea---either nutty barley or traditional bocha---made with butter and salt.
10
Vatan
409 Third Ave., New York, NY 10016 / 212-689-5666
Vegetarian Indian fare from the Gujarat region is offered in a comfortable space.
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