The Best Vegan Restaurants in NYC
I’ll be honest and admit it: I’m a meat eater to the bone. I love me some ribs, chicken, and steak. Meat is delicious, but you know what? In large quantities, it’s really not good for you. Too much meat can increase cholesterol, put you at risk for heart disease, and also increase chances of weight gain. Going meatless (and dairy-less), even for one day, can help improve your health and also keep the environment in a better shape.
I might not be vegan, but I still can appreciate vegan cuisine as much as the next guy. As someone who has a lot of vegetarian and vegan friends, I know that there are a LOT of great restaurants in New York City that offer up vegetarian goodies. If you’re ready to take your tastebuds on an Earth-friendly trip, these would be my top picks.
Anyone who’s tried to seek out a good vegan joint will tell you that many restaurants can be pretty unaffordable—especially when you factor in other lifestyle costs like rent. Sol Sips’s founders got that message loud and clear and started up this restaurant with the goal of making healthy vegan food affordable for everyone.
The food is mouthwatering and tempting, not to mention inexpensive. By creating a sliding scale pricing system, Sol Sips added inclusivity to the menu. The end result is feel good food for everyone.
I’m going to point out something: vegan burgers can be amazing. Yes, I know, coming from a meat eater, it sounds crazy. Hear me out! This modern burger joint serves vegan burgers that are insanely satisfying and savory.
Adding to the cool factor of Superiority Burger is the fact that it’s founded by epic punk rock drummer Brooks Headley. All things considered, it’s a very chic place to go when you want to flex your veggie love.
Chinatown has a lot of eateries that serve up vegan dishes, but there aren’t many restaurants that are exclusively vegan in this area. Buddha Bodai is an oasis for vegan foodies that adore flavorful Asian cuisine. Here, every single menu item is vegan.
What makes this place amazing is how meaty their dishes really are. Their Peking duck could easily be mistaken for the real deal, and every single menu item tastes like a party in your mouth.
Do you ever have the urge to just chow down on gastropub food after a night of clubbing? If you do and you’re vegan, then you already know the struggle is real. Like, very real. Thankfully, Ladybird is smack-dab in the center of the East Village’s epic nightlife areas and they serve up an all-veggie menu.
The highlight of the menu is a Chardonnay-based fondue that serves up to three people. Their fondues? Oh, they will keep you and your carnivorous friends coming back for more.
The name says it all, doesn’t it? This is the restaurant that you go to when you want to eat all the tasty vegan food. The menu has a little bit of everything, ranging from tasty vegan tacos to soul food treats, to super tasty sliders.
Their top treats include a very filling Soul Bowl, as well as their notoriously tasty tacos. No matter what you pick on this menu, you really can’t go wrong.
Public Records, Gowanus
Public Records is a music lover’s vegan Shangri-La, plain and simple. The music-themed bar offers amazing tunes, epic performances, and a menu that is all vegan-friendly. Though the venue has a music theme to it, the actual interior itself is one that stands out as an upscale environment.
The cafe doesn’t have too many options, but their bites are all vegan and all delicious. It’s their nod to the venue’s former life as an ASPCA headquarters.
Let’s say that you have a vegan friend that you really want to impress, or that you want to kick your Instagram food game up a notch while keeping it meat-free. We’ve all been there; I understand it.
When it comes to sophisticated vegan food served up in a breathtakingly pretty setting, you really can’t get better than Avant Garden. The food here doesn’t insist on trying to mimic meat. Rather, it lets the dishes speak for themselves as the true works of art they are.
Cover image via HappyCow