Vegetarian-friendly but not exclusively vegetarian restaurants
Hi all,
As a "foodie" who mostly eats vegetarian but isn't much a fan of "vegetarian restaurants," I've been thinking...
What are the best restaurants in NYC that are vegetarian-friendly but NOT exclusively vegetarian? I don't necessarily just mean restaurants that have vegetarian options...I mean restaurants where the vegetarian options are really good, actually showcase the chef's style, and are perhaps even stars of the menu...rather than just being "passable."
The best example of this type of restaurant that I can think of is Scarpetta. Not only do they have a separate vegetarian menu, but two of the most famous dishes - the polenta and the spaghetti tomato basil - are vegetarian. Another example is Alta - so many excellent dishes there happen to be vegetarian.
Some examples of restaurants that are the opposite of this theme - Tertulia (the highlight and specialty of the menu is Iberico ham), The Breslin (again, the specialty is meat). Having eaten at both of these places, my experience is that, as a vegetarian, you largely miss out on what makes the restaurant so special.
So - what can you think of? What are your favorite vegetarian-friendly-but-not-vegetarian restaurants in NYC? What foodie destinations have truly great dishes that happen to be vegetarian?
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I was pleasantly surprised that, like Scarpetta, Buttermilk Channel and Danji have vegetarian menus upon request.
I'm always happy at Cookshop, Edi & the Wolf, Kinshop, Frankies/Prime Meats, and Paulie Gee's (where you can get meat substitutes to top your pie!).
On the lower end, Caracas Arepa Bar can replace the meat in most arepas with their delicious crispy tofu. An Choi has a vegetarian banh mi and a vegetarian pho. And at the very high end, Per Se and EMP were phenomenal.
Almost as bad as the places that outright don't have any vegetarian options are the ones that seem to at first glance but actually DON'T. Empellon is NOT vegetarian-friendly in the slightest. The tortillas have lard in them, meaning the seemingly veggie-friendly tacos, queso fundidos, chips/guac, etc actually aren't. I also steer clear of Seersucker, David Chang places, the Breslin (even the "chips" aren't safe - they are fried in duck fat), and Terroir (it seemed like every menu item I asked about had some sort of undisclosed meat in it).
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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Frankies 17 Spuntino
17 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002Cookshop
156 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Caracas Arepa Bar
93 1/2 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014An Choi
85 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001Kin Shop
469 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011Danji
346 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019Empellon Taqueria
230 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014Edi & the Wolf
102 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009›2 Replies-
re: Kate_N
Momofuko noodle bar actually offers a vegetarian ginger scallion noodles. And they can make their cauliflower dish without chicken stock upon request. Also, milk bar offers a decent veggie bun.
I'm not saying that it meets the requirements of the original poster. But at least there are options.
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Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003 -
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sgordon
Jan 4, 2012 09:41 AM
Dovetail, for sure.
Also Scarpetta has a full vegetarian menu with a half dozen options for antipasti, primi, and secondi - not just a few token pastas.
All of Batali's restaurants, IIRC, participate in the "Meatless Monday" thing where on Mondays there's a full veggie menu in addition to the regular one - so Babbo or Del Posto could be options. Probably not Manzo or Esca, though. And Lupa is always a good choice, even on a non-Monday.
WD-50 generally has a couple of vegetarian apps and one entree - and they've been known to alter dishes when they can for veggies - i.e. I've a kosher friend (well, not STRICTLY kosher, more Upper East Side Kosher - doesn't eat swine or shellfish, basically) who was given an "eggs florentine" in lieu of their "eggs benedict" when he did their tasting menu. Wouldn't hurt to call in advance, see what they've got available - it won't be listed on the website menu.
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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Dovetail
103 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014 -
Spiritchaser
Jan 3, 2012 10:49 AM
Per Se, Picholine, Daniel - all high end fine dining with extensive, deliberate, vegetarian menus.
Eleven Madison Park's menu is designed to easily adapt to vegetarian diets.
Tocqueville features a vegetarian tasting menu.
My GF is a vegetarian and she has been supremely happy at each of the places mentioned.
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Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003Picholine
35 West 64th St., New York, NY 10023›3 Replies-
re: Spiritchaser
StevenCinNYC
Jan 11, 2012 11:42 PM
Eleven Madison Park really deserves special mention here. I went with my mother who has a four-page list of allergies and special dietary requirements, and EMP was not only accommodating, but they went out of their way to make certain that she had an extraordinary meal. We asked them about it, and they said that they were no longer satisfied with providing a few options for people with dietary restrictions. They are now focused on making certain that people can have the same level of excellence and creativity in their meals with dietary restrictions. As an example, my mother said that they served the best gluten-free bread she has ever had, and that was just one of her many superlative comments. To me, this place epitomizes the sort of recent the OP describing in terms of making the experience special for a vegetarian (or vegan or allergic person, etc.).
Danny Meier's other restaurants also make some significant efforts to provide a good experience for people on restrictive diets. I had a very nice meal with a vegan at The Modern.
Lastly, I'd like to mention Hangawi. It's vegetarian so slightly off-topic here, but their entire menu is well suited to vegetarians and omnivores alike, and they do a nice job.
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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019HanGawi
12 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10016-
re: StevenCinNYC
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re: Spiritchaser
StevenCinNYC
Jan 12, 2012 06:42 AM
I stand corrected, both on the ownership and spelling of Danny Meyer's name. That said, "nitpicking" is just one word!
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Kin shop has some great vegetarian options. I don't know if those are their specialties, but they are really good. Parm (Torrisi's new sandwich outpost) has a few vegetarian options. They're famous for their fresh mozzarella, which is vegetarian.
Aldea doesn't have any vegetarian options. Period.
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Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011Kin Shop
469 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011Parm
248 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012 -
Cafe Boulud and Babbo have quite a few vegetarian options. Ciano, Perilla, Lincoln, Balaboosta, Osteria Morini, Lupa and Hearth usually have at least one vegetarian pasta as well as vegetarian sides and appetizers.
I've also had delicious vegetarian entrees at Joseph Leonard, Whitehall, Junoon, Nuela, Empellon, Yerba Buena Perry, and La Silhouette.
For high end, Per Se and Picholine will accommodate vegetarian requests.
In addition to Tertulia and The Breslin, the Momofuku restaurants don't seem to cater to vegetarians.
