For many foodies, New York City’s restaurant scene is a dream come true. The city boasts thousands of options for every diet and any craving. For vegans, the options are almost endless, but luckily this list contains a few of the city’s very best fully vegan restaurants for any plant-based cravings.
Urban Vegan Kitchen
A black-owned soul food restaurant in Greenwich Village, Urban Vegan Kitchen serves up a wide variety of rich comfort foods, including Korean bbq seitan, hearty po’boys, and creamy mac n’ cheese. The restaurant is cozy, service is quick and the food is flavorful and great for vegans and non-vegan skeptics alike.
Spicy Moon
Spicy Moon is a Szechuan restaurant located both in the East and West Village, serving up a wide variety of dishes for vegan spice lovers.
Jerrell’s Better Burger
It’d be easy to miss the small yellow building in the Soho area that is Jerrell’s Better Burger — it’s nothing large or fancy, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in flavor. Jerrell’s serves what are potentially the best vegan burgers in Manhattan. It has a small menu (only 6 food items!) and the burgers are juicy and loaded with toppings and sauce. Grab a burger and a side of chili, waffle fries, or a shake!
Orchard Grocer
Orchard Grocer is a completely vegan grocery store and deli in the Lower East Side. They sell a variety of fresh-made sandwiches, salads and pastries daily, as well as specialty soft-serve ice cream flavors that rotate regularly (they’ve had rose, lavender, peanut butter, mint and snickerdoodle in the past month or so). You can also pick up all sorts of vegan groceries and goods you might not be able to find anywhere else. While the groceries are definitely pricey, you can find unique items like salmon filets, liquid mozzarella, artisanal cheeses, easter candy and steaks (all vegan!!!), which are hard to come by anywhere else. Check their Instagram @orchardgrocer to see their special of the day!
Seitan’s Helper
True to its name, house-made seitan is the star of every sandwich on this menu. Seitan’s Helper prides itself on its homemade small-batch seitan and its menu is creative in how it uses this popular meat substitute. Try the seitan lunch meat in a classic loaded turkey sandwich, or order the Crabby Daddy, where the seitan is cooked to taste like a crab salad. For lovers of gluten-based protein, this sandwich shop near Bushwick may be the spot for you.
Toad Style
This small vegan joint in Brooklyn serves up a large menu of sandwiches and sides, ranging from burgers, salads, sides and brunch classics. The lunch special (served Mon-Fri before 5 pm) is a good deal and you can get a large burger and a side salad for $11. Their merch is so cute too, so snag a Toad Style tote bag if you’re in the market for a new one!
Beyond Sushi
While vegan sushi may sound scary to some, Beyond Sushi will put minds and mouths at ease immediately. There’s something for everyone at Beyond Sushi with a variety of foods including sushi, bao buns, dumplings and soup.
Slutty Vegan
Slutty Vegan is an Atlanta-based chain of vegan burgers that recently just opened its first New York location in Brooklyn. Voted the best vegan burger in the United States by VegNews in 2022, this restaurant is absolutely worth the hype. These burgers are loaded with toppings and sauce, and the restaurant also sells sweet treats and a variety of sides. Definitely come ready to eat, because these burgers are large and filling and there are soooo many options to choose from.
Cadence
Cadence has a small menu, but what it lacks in options it makes up for in flavor. Here you can find all sorts of southern classics, like cornbread, collared greens, fried green tomatoes, grits, and biscuits and gravy. Prices are on the higher end, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for delicious southern comfort food, vegan style. The interior is gorgeous and the reviews online are staggeringly positive, so go check out Cadence for yourself this week!