Vegan

[Terry]

Where is the best place to get vegan food in NYC?

[Kerry]

There's a wealth of it! What kind are you looking for, Indian, Chinese, "health", gourmet, etc.?

[jerusha]

angelica kitchen in the east village!

or, desserts at candle cafe on the upper east side.

[Caseophile]

Just to clarify a little, Candle Cafe (on the Upper East Side) has a full menu, not just dessert. There's a also a nice little juice/smoothie bar in the front. Everything they serve is vegan. I like it there a lot, although I must admit that, as a carnivore, I've most often just stopped in for a fresh smoothie, and I can't compare it to other vegan options. But I definitely like everything I've tried.

[jerusha]

yes, they do indeed have a full menu, but somehow i find it uninspired, and touch and go in terms of quality. the desserts, however, are always exceptional.

[sondra]

my favorite vegan restaurant in the city is red bamboo, on w. 4th st. they have lots of delicious fake meat dishes, as well as fresh juices. really small, nice setting.

Link: http://www.sondraslair.com/restaurant...

[MrKen]

This isn't in Manhattan, but The Greens, 128 Montague St. @ Henry in Brooklyn Heights 718-246-1288 is only one or two stops into brooklyn depending on the line you take. It's the closest thing to Vegetarian Heaven (late of Columbus Circle -- I actually heard a rumor that the owner is the same) left in NYC. Most dishes are under $10 and this is what places like Zen Palate and Zenith should taste like. (Plus it's Kosher.) You might also try Veg City Diner 14th St. at 6th Ave. It's not 100% vegan, but it's all vegetarian and plenty of it's vegan. Also, I wonder if Helianthus (48 MacDougal St., [phone] or [phone]. All-vegan, Chinese/Japanese.) is still open.

[jlgarret]

TeaNY in the Lower East Side!!!!

[erin07nyc]

I love Teany!

In general, I'd say the east village is where to go. But, I live in the west village and can comment on what I'm familiar with...

and I think Gobo on 6th ave (near waverly or 4th?) is supposed to be vegan.

Red Bamboo on w4th serves vegan versions of American comfort food. I found it to be bland, but worth trying.

Zen Palate was always mentioned by my friends as the place to try, but I found it to be amazingly bland (I don't know how they do it).

I'd suggest finding great Chinese, Indian and Thai places and ordering vegan options.

[zorgclyde]

There are several places that comes to my mind.
Indian: my favorite if I eat vegan regularly. My new obsession is Saranvaas.
Chinese: Veg Dim sum house in manhattan and Buddha bodai in queens (haven't been to one in manhattan) are both good with dim sum. Their main dishese aren't as refined. My fav at latter is the char shao bao and turnip cake.
Pukk - a veg thai place - is also great. I think they're all vegan, but you should ask.
If you like american vegan food, Caravan of Dreams has a nice cozy atmosphere. I don't usually like american vegan, so I can't comment on how satisfactory it is (I find the stuff a little bland). The stuff is fresh though.
I like red bamboo, I don't find it bland. But they often either over/underseason the sauce, plus they're slow. Still, the apps are addicting.

And avoid Zen palate. Just don't go there.

[geeda]

This blog is a great resource: http://veganfriendlynyc.blogspot.com/

[lgss]

What can folks tell me about Cafe Veg in Harlem? Looks like lots of fake meat? We're vegan and I'm gluten-free. TIA

[katchan]

Blossom in Chelsea is great. The desserts are a little lacking but otherwise the food is delicious. They even have a fast food shop across the street called Blossom du Jour where I order lunch from every single day. They make fresh juices everyday and the Chickpea Quinoa salad is fabulous with the tahini dressing.

[Wilfrid]

Pure Food & Wine is by far the best vegan restaurant in the city (it's raw too), but it's elegant and more expensive than other options in the thread. Blossom is another good choice.

Veganism comes at all kinds of levels of strictness, but it is possible to eat very well in no meat/fish/dairy style at restaurants which don't even claim to be vegan - Otto, Lupa, Devi and many others.

I would like to confirm that Zen Palate is grossly bad.

[RGR]

I totally agree with you, Wilfred, about Zen Palate. Though we are not vegan, we tried the flagship in the W. 40's, and the food was horrible!

Our main reason for going to Pure Food & Wine is to enjoy the gorgeous garden during the warm weather months. Unfortunately, they've made some changes to the signature lasagne. The first time we had it several years ago, it blew us away. When we had it this past summer, it wasn't nearly as wonderful. The salads, however, are very tasty.

Pure Food & Wine photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157624257624485/

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[hcbk0702]

Among restaurants that overtly advertise their veganism, sure.

Otherwise, Kajitsu is far and away the best choice in NYC (and the costliest).

[scotty27]

I'm so glad you mentioned Kajitsu. I was there on Saturday night. Man, that is really delicious food. Love the setting, too. I'm in Japan often and Kajitsu is the real thing. OK, it cost about $105 per person, but: That was with sake, beer, tax, and tip. And: It's about 50% less than what it would cost in Tokyo (small compensation, but worth noting, I think). I am not a vegetarian, except in temperament, and I left extremely satisfied and eager to return ASAP.

www.,shrinkinthekitchen.com

[MyRedSandals]

Go to http://supervegan.com/restaurants.php and check out everything lsted there. Candle 79 (#3) on that list, is great.

[susje]

Agreed that Angelica Kitchen in the East Village is great. (Or is it Angelika?) Anyway. Also a fan of the vegan food at Halyards in Gowanus on Thursdays -- only once a week there, but good vegan bar food.