Why We Recommend This

This restaurant has a nice, quaint feel. It’s right on Thompson Street and has a bohemian-esque, cafe atmosphere. Their vegan plates are great. We split their vegetarian burrito and veggie dumplings. Both were super tasty and definitely filling. Their menu options overall are also nice – they have a diverse selection of plates, but still offer the classic, feel-good food that everyone likes to eat. The pricing is solid. The waitstaff was also sweet and accommodating.

Why We Recommend This

Avant Garden is seriously rising the bar on fine dining when it comes to a vegan and vegetarian cuisine. Their plates are stunning, simple and taste incredible. We split a few of the plates under the “Toast” section on their menu. All were delicious, but we recommend the mushroom onion marmalade on toast. The interior of the restaurant is equally stunning and complements well the elegant feel of the plating. The pricing is also rather fair in our opinion – some of the salads are a bit pricey, but overall the food is affordable.

Why We Recommend This

We absolutely love dirtcandy’s approach to elevating vegetables through letting the raw, fresh taste of the ingredients come through – for example, their plates will be centered around a single vegetable (we had the “Kale” and “Mushroom” plates), but will use fresh grains and fruits to complement the focal vegetable. Their sides are also awesome and incorporate the same ingredient philosophy of letting the natural taste of the vegetable speak for itself. Their restaurant is quaint and comfortable, and everyone was very friendly. The prices are also super affordable and fair.

Why We Recommend This

So you may have already of Angelica Kitchen – they’re pretty popular with the vegan & vegetarian New York City crowd. We split their vegetable wrap and Dragon Bowl. Both were absolutely excellent. The vegetables were cooked very well; they tasted fresh and had a good crunch to them. No single ingredient was over-powering. Overall, it was a very good experience. The atmosphere also felt like a cozy cafe. The pricing is a bit on the expensive side, but it’s well worth it.

Why We Recommend This

Let us start out by saying that you should set aside a couple hours of your day to go here – they’re super popular and usually have a line out the door. If you plan or call before-hand, though, to get a gist of how full they are, you should be good. Nevertheless, the food was excellent. We ended up getting their kale Caesar salad and the guacamole burger – again, seriously good. The kale salad is a pretty standard plate, but it delivered in taste – and the guacamole burger was awesome. The burger is vegan and has a black bean and quinoa base. Great source of protein. The service was fine, a bit slow because of the traffic, and the atmosphere felt a little rushed, but if you find a good time I’m sure it’ll feel better. In our opinion, the pricing is very fair and affordable.

Why We Recommend This

Candle 79 is another vegetarian and vegan restaurant that brings fine dining to the plant-based cuisine scene. We went there for brunch – so we could only try plates from their brunch menu – and ordered the Strawberry French Toast with fresh strawberries and the Mixed Grain Waffles with gingered maple syrup. It was sublime! We are big fans of brunch (who isn’t?!), and Candle 79 definitely didn’t less us down. They have some options on their menu that are more expensive then others, but overall our brunch was fairly priced, 15 dollars and under. The waitstaff was also professional and accommodating.

Why We Recommend This

This place brings the best of vegetarian comfort food and merges it seamlessly with the speed of a fast-food joint. We split their “Superiority” veggie burger – and were definite fans. We tend to not be huge fans of burgers, even if they are veggie burgers, but we did like this one. It wasn’t too greasy and the taste of the ingredients in the burger each came through. That is, it wasn’t just a hodgepodge of ingredients as a burger. The interior of the restaurant is super cozy and it feels like you’re dining with a little community. The prices are also very affordable – the “Superiority Burger” was seven dollars and some change when we went.

Why We Recommend This

We love the food here! We’ve eaten here a bunch before and it’s usually our ‘go-to’ place to eat when we have vegan or vegetarian friends to come in and visit. We haven’t been let down yet by any of their plates. Our favorites are their mushroom pizza (no cheese) and their daily vegetable soups. We have yet to have a bad food experience. The service is a bit slow and there’s usually a bit of a wait around dinner time. The pricing is slightly more expensive than some of our other selections, but the food is very good. If it helps, the portions are certainly fair – a good bang for your buck.

Why We Recommend This

Hangawi blends classic Korean cuisine with healthy, vegetarian ingredients. Their philsophy on food is predicated on the concept of balance. They say, “A healthy vegetarian diet should be a balance of um (ying) foods such as green vegetables and fruits, and yang foods such as roots, radishes, carrots, and potatoes. An imbalance will cause bad health. At HanGawi, we provide our guests with balanced vegetarian meals that are nourishing and most ideal in achieving a healthy diet.” We split their vegetable dumplings and their vegetable rice. Incredibly tasty! The food is a bit on the expensive side, with average plates costing around $20-25, but it was well worth it.

Why We Recommend This

Again, one of our favorites on the list! Their brunch options, pizzas and tofu salads are among our favorite plates on the menu. We seriously recommend going here for brunch! Their french toast is also out of this world and the quinoa pancakes are surprisingly tasty. The restaurant is on the nicer side, so the pricing is a bit higher than your average vegan restaurant, but the service and atmosphere are great – if it’s any consolation.