The Resy Guide to Vegetable-Forward Dining in New York — Resy | Right This Way

Published: Jan. 13, 2021

Whether you’ve resolved to start eating more healthfully in 2021 (or not at all — no judgments), the truth is we could all benefit from consuming more vegetables when we dine out.

Many of the city’s best restaurants — even the ones not necessarily known for vegetarian or vegan cuisine — are showcasing vegetable-centric cooking on their menus today, and we’re the luckier for it. Here are 16 of our favorite New York restaurants offering standout vegetarian and vegan dishes that we can all savor.

Restaurant Listing

Ras Plant Based

Location: Crown Heights
Everything on the menu at Romeo and Milka Regalli’s Ras Plant Based is vegan, and all of it delicious. One dish not to be missed is the Mama’s Tofu. It was inspired by a photograph that Romeo’s mother sent to him, of a dinner she’d prepared for his father, made with tofu cubes slowly simmered with tomatoes, jalapeños, and a mix of spices.

MOKYO

Location: East Village
So many of chef and owner Kay Hyun’s Asian tapas (or European banchan) are vegetable-centric, from the gochuchang-glazed cauliflower with a surprising raisin labneh, to a corn dumpling with a truffle salsa verde, based on the flavors of Mexican elote.

Sofreh

Location: Prospect Heights
Chef and owner Nasim Alikhani’s interpretations of the Persian dishes of her childhood are masterful. Just try any of the rice dishes — they’re some of the fluffiest rice in town, and vegetarian, too. You could make an entire meal out of Sofreh’s vegetable-forward starters alone (the shallots with housemade yogurt are divine). For mains, don’t sleep on the smoked eggplant with poached eggs.

Aunts et Uncles

Location: Flatbush
Little Caribbean’s newest all-day vegan café is where you’ll find some of the most innovative plant-based fare in Brooklyn, including a smoky baked macaroni and cheese, and a “lobster” roll that uses hearts of palm.

Dirt Candy

Location: Lower East Side
At her Lower East Side restaurant, Amanda Cohen continues to offer some of the city’s most exciting takeout, bar none. Every week, the vegetarian prix-fixe takeout menu promises something new. Past ones have included a Thai-inspired feast with vegan sai oua (Northern-style sausages), a Canadian beer-hall menu complete with ketchup- and dill-pickle-flavored tater tots, and an ode to the French bistro, with a luscious “choke au vin blanc,” with roasted sunchokes and crispy, garlicky artichokes. Don’t sleep on ordering in.

Public Records

Location: Gowanus
At this hi-fi record library-slash-cocktail bar, music fills the air while you drink craft cocktails and dine on vegan bites. The menu includes housemade labneh; maitake and celery-root al pastor tacos; and kelp noodles with charred broccolini. But check the calendar to see if Public Records is hosting any pop-ups, too.

Little Choc Apothecary

Location: Williamsburg
You’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the city doing gluten-free and vegan French-style crepes like Little Choc. The crepes, from sweet to savory, are the big draw (don’t sleep on the “burrito”), but so are the fresh açai bowls, juices, and smoothies, too.

Lekka Burger

Location: Tribeca
Slightly farther downtown, Dirt Candy‘s Cohen also sells seven different all-vegan burgers — none with lab-grown meat, soy, gluten, or dairy — and all packed with flavor. Cohen was inspired by yuguanfei (Chinese meat substitute) to develop her own proprietary recipe for her juicy vegan burger patties, which manage to hold a sear from the grill as well as a regular beef patty.

Spicy Moon West Village

Location: West Village
Even the most carnivorous of eaters won’t miss meat when they dine here. Spicy Moon’s vegan takes on classic and contemporary Sichuan dishes are bright, fiery, and deftly executed, whether you’re feasting on dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, or fried dumplings.

Urban Vegan Kitchen

Location: West Village
From Pamela Elizabeth, founder of some of the city’s most beloved vegan restaurants (Blossom), this Village spot excels at delivering vegan dishes that span the globe in terms of flavors: Think jollof rice, chorizo empanadas, oyster mushroom asada, and a gluten-free lasagna.

BALADE

Location: East Village
This East Village neighborhood gem is a mainstay for a variety of Lebanese homestyle classics, many of them vegetarian. The moudardara (lentils with rice) is perfect for the chillier winter weather, while the fatayir (triangular hand pies filled with spinach and feta) is a must. Whatever you do, don’t leave without ordering the ultra-creamy labne bi toum.

Miss Ada

Location: Fort Greene
At this crowd-pleaser on Dekalb Ave., chef Tomer Blechman extols the compelling flavors and spices of his native Israel through dishes like crispy cauliflower with parsley and silan; halloumi skewers; and both vegetarian and vegan shakshuka.

232 Bleecker

Location: West Village
Chef Suzanne Cupps has an uncanny ability to coax incredible flavors from even the humblest of produce, and that’s on full display at this charming West Village restaurant where you can feast on dishes like koginut squash hummus, a greenmarket bento box, and a curry cauliflower pot pie.

Shuka

Location: Soho
Ayesha Nurdjaja’s masterful use of coaxing out bold flavors is on full display at this West Village Mediterranean spot from the same team behind Vic’s and Cookshop. For brunch or lunch, your strong move is the Mediterranean plate, which features hummus, crudité, falafel, spicy tahini, a hard-boiled egg, and much more. At dinner, the roasted cauliflower with Medjool dates, tahini, and a pistachio carmoula is a must.

Oxomoco

Location: Greenpoint
At this Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant, wood-fired cooking brings out the best flavors in some of your favorite vegetables, from a beet “chorizo” taco, and broccoli tamal, to a kabocha-squash tetela and punta verde Caesar salad. Bonus: Not far away, chef Justin Basdarich has just opened a new restaurant, called Xilonen, that focuses on mostly-vegan Mexican food.

Bolero

Location: Williamsburg
Most versions of bún bò huế are exceptionally meat-centric, but Bolero’s version of the beloved noodle soup is entirely vegetarian, replacing the beef with king oyster mushrooms. Fresh herbs like culantro, scallions, Viet coriander, and Thai basil, plus a lemongrass chile paste, add even more layers of flavor. A number of other vegetarian options round out the menu, like a Vietnamese rice tamale with oyster mushrooms and a papaya salad with pistachio pesto.

baba cool

Location: Fort Greene
Here’s that cozy all-day neighborhood café with something for everyone, including savory bowls featuring roasted vegetables like brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and sweet plantains, plus a satisfying vegetarian breakfast sandwich with the fluffiest white-cheddar scrambled eggs.