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One of the reasons you move to a city like New York is to be surrounded by the best of the best. The people are interesting, the art is inspiring, and the food? As avid restaurant lovers, we could talk about the food for hours. We’re lucky to live in a city awash with exciting vegan options (here’s looking at you, Ras Plant Based, Superiority Burger, and Dirt Candy); these days, it’s so much more than just a side salad, a basket of fries, or a consolatory pasta.
Even so, to take the most advantage of the best spots, you sometimes want a restaurant that falls outside the “wholly vegan” purview. When you’ve got one vegan friend (or you’re the vegan friend), you need a spot that can satisfy everyone.
So, just for you, we’ve rounded up our favorite spots in the city that aren’t necessarily totally vegan, but have some damn good vegan options. Of course, we won’t tell if you still order just fries.
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Hellbender Ridgewood
Everyone should be running, not walking to Hellbender, even if you live nowhere near Ridgewood. Chef Yara Herrera is killing it with her new school, California twist on Mexican cuisine. You might’ve seen Hellbender’s viral pancakes, or their Jell-o of the week, but the small menu is also filled with sneaky vegan options that you won’t find anywhere else in town. The mushroom tacos are among our favorites; you won’t believe there isn’t meat in them.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Guacamole and chips, charred asparagus, roasted oyster mushroom tacos, green rice, and pickled jicama.
Thai Diner Nolita
Vegan Thai food can be hard to find. The cuisine is known for its liberal use of fish sauce, but luckily the ever-popular Thai Diner crafted their menu to have options for those who don’t eat seafood or its sauces. Many items on the menu aren’t vegan by default, but can easily be made so upon request, and they are all marked on the menu. Thai Diner also has some of the best pancakes in the city, which are secretly vegan.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Coconut pancakes, baan salad, mushroom laab, morning glory fai dang, khao soi, and tapioca pudding.
DubuHaus New York
Korean food can be a notoriously tough genre for vegans, with the use of fish as a common flavoring, or beef used in the preparation of soups, stocks, and stews. Vegans will be happy to find that that’s not the case at DubuHaus, where they’ve gone out of their way to make the menu as vegan-friendly as possible. There are even several banchan options that don’t use animal products.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Acorn jelly salad, mushroom soondubu, vegetable bibimbap, and nutritious kettle pot rice.
Eleven Madison Park Flatiron
If you’re in the mood for a Michelin experience and you have a vegan companion in tow, Eleven Madison Park still delivers. It’s a splurge at $365 for the full experience and $225 for the abridged bar menu, but for a special occasion, you’ll be sampling some of the most innovative plant-based cuisine in the world, with impeccable service, to boot. And now, there’s also the option to add select animal proteins, too. Clemente Bar and Studio, Humm’s more casual cocktail concept, which is located upstairs, also boasts many plant-based dishes, too.
Our favorite vegan dishes: The tasting menu changes frequently, but the bread service is always divine.
Ops – East Village Ukrainian Village
At their East Village outpost, you can get a handful of pies made with vegan mozzarella that’s just as satisfying as the real thing. There are also salads, snacks, and one of the city’s best just-so-happens-to-be vegan desserts, an airy chocolate mousse topped with pistachio and sea salt.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Cianfotta with focaccia, Cicero pizza, classic tavern-style pie, and chocolate mousse.
For All Things Good – Bed Stuy Bed-Stuy
This Bed-Stuy Mexican restaurant takes its masa seriously, milling their own in house for the past five years and using it to make tortillas, sopes, and tlayuditas, and it’s a primary reason to visit them any time of day. Start the day with a hearty black bean and avocado tlayuda or eggless chilaquiles and an iced lachata, an espresso-spiked horchata. For dinner, do try the tacos, tostadas, or a classic guacamole with housemade chips.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Black bean and avocado tlayudita, avocado-topped chilaquiles, hibiscus chorizo and potato taco, and any frozen drink they are serving.
Koi New York Bryant Park
Decades after it first made a splash in New York, Koi’s precise blend of sushi bar meets Japanese steakhouse and sleek design keeps it a fan favorite. In addition to their sushi and dinner menus, they also have a fully vegan menu, complete with plant-based iterations of classics like their signature Koi crispy rice (made with truffle avocado).
Our favorite vegan dishes: Koi crispy rice, chef’s tempura selection, vegan dragon roll, miso grilled eggplant, and charred Brussels sprouts.
Loring Place Greenwich Village
It’s rare to find a classic American restaurant with many vegetarian options, let alone vegan ones. There might be pasta, a veggie burger, or if you’re lucky, maybe some market-inspired sides. At chef Dan Kluger’s Loring Place, vegetables have always assumed a starring role. It might be because he was once the chef at vegetarian Mecca, abcV by Jean-Georges, or maybe he’s just inspired by the nearby Union Square Greenmarket. The menu changes frequently, but there are always five to eight options, including an entree.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Wood-grilled broccoli, beet salad, and spice-roasted cauliflower.
GupShup Gramercy
GupShup is Indian food that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s why we love it. Chef Gurpreet Singh cooked in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and his native India before moving to New York. The menu is all classics with a modern twist and more local ingredients. Indulge in the biryani, masala fries, garlic naan, and the extensive Indian whiskey list.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Crispy okra and guacamole, Himalayan morels, curried chickpeas, and magic masala fries.
Via Carota West Village
This perennially packed West Village staple is also secretly vegan-friendly. Since Italian food tends to be cooked primarily in olive oil rather than butter, it’s easy to ask for the cheese to be omitted and, to be honest, you probably won’t even miss that finishing grate of pecorino. The menu changes seasonally, but always contains a robust vegetable section of at least 12-15 items. Do note, however, that all their pastas are made with egg and are therefore not vegan.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Insalata verde, cannellini e spinachi, anything with artichokes (when in season), and risotto, sans cheese.
Golden Diner Chinatown/LES
Golden Diner is what would happen if our platonic ideal of a diner left its small hometown, moved to the big city, and discovered really cool bands. Yeah, there are (truly incredible, viral) pancakes and a club sandwich (improved upon with the addition of katsu), but there are also vegetarian mushroom reuben quesadillas, a vegan hero with charred yuba, and some excellent vegan nachos. It’s cheffy without being stuffy — something we all should strive toward. Top it off with a pitcher of beer (at a very reasonable $30) or a soju cocktail.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Nachos, grilled cheese, Caesar, the vegetalian hero, the chile crisp wedge salad, and pistachio rice pudding.
Chama Mama Chelsea Chelsea
Most of Chama Mama’s salads and appetizers lean vegan and these aren’t the run-of-the-mill mostly lettuce compositions, either. The pkhali section is filled with dips, made from ingredients like eggplant, beets, and walnuts that are best eaten with any of their fantastic Georgian-style breads. For mains, the cauliflower is a standout option that comes in rich walnut sauce and with grits. They even have a vegan dessert with their sweet grape pudding.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Any of the pkhali, corn bread, lobiani, and cauliflower.
Kellogg's Diner Williamsburg
Photo by Carissa Diaz, courtesy of Kellogg’s Diner
Sometimes you need a late-night bite, and there aren’t usually many vegan options at the local slice joint. Thankfully, there’s Kellogg’s Diner. Its menu features updated classics with a slight Tex-Mex slant, since chef Jackie Carnesi hails from the Lone Star state. It also happens to be open 24/7, making it a great stop for those in-between hours.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Cashew queso, veggie enchiladas, veggie burger, southwest salad, and collard greens.
Photo by Carissa Diaz, courtesy of Kellogg’s Diner
Kings Co Imperial – Lower East Side Lower East Side
Another Chinese option, this one in the Chinese American vein: It’s fun, dimly lit, and a great place to sit at the bar if you’re dining solo or as a twosome. The restaurant feels like it’s been around for fifty years, which is the idea — think lazy Susans on the table. There’s also a Williamsburg location with a back garden for all your seasonal outdoor dining needs. There are a dozen or so vegan options on the menu, so grab a group and order a spread.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Weeping tiger salad, mock eel, sizzling Sichuan cauliflower, salt and pepper tofu, and dry pot tater tots.
Leo Williamsburg
When it comes to group dining, pizza is always a crowd-pleaser, especially at a pizza place with a great wine list and excellent cocktails. Little do many diners know, Williamsburg’s Leo is actually super vegan friendly. Not only do they have a great marinara pie, but they also have lots of antipasti and sides to round out the meal. If you’re lucky, they’ll have the soft serve machine going and a sorbet in rotation. It’s one of the best vegan desserts in the city.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Marinara pizza, chopped salad (ask for it vegan), marinated greens, butter beans, and soft serve sorbet.
Sawa Park Slope
Middle Eastern food is usually a safe bet for a group of those who like meat and those who aren’t so into it. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option for Lebanese in the city beyond Park Slope’s Sawa. The food is hearty, nourishing, and bountiful, even for vegans. There will be no need to grab a bodega veggie sandwich or bag of chips on your way home.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Dips (minus the labneh), tabbouleh, little gem salad, batata hara (crispy potato), and freekeh.
Semma West Village
Photo courtesy of Semma
If you’ve been living under a rock and somehow haven’t heard about Semma yet, let us enlighten you. It’s a critically acclaimed, creative, delicious southern Indian restaurant from Unapologetic Foods, the same team that brought you Dhamaka and Adda. We dream of the gunpowder dosas and mulaikattiya thaniyam (sprouted mung beans). Of course, with so much fame comes setbacks, like the fact that it’s a famously tough reservation to snag. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered with Notify, and this handy guide.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Mulaikattiya thaniyam (sprouted mung beans, coconut, smoked chile), gutti vankaya (roasted baby eggplant with ground peanut and sesame) and coconut rice. Vegan options are always marked with a “v” on the seasonally changing menu.
Photo courtesy of Semma
Superiority Burger East Village
One of the best things to happen to plant-based dining in the city over the past few years was the reopening of Brooks Headley’s Superiority Burger. This temple to veggie burgers began as a tiny shoebox of a storefront on 9th Street in 2015, but it closed in 2021. In 2023, Headley opened a larger space around the corner with a full bar and many, many more seats. You can never go wrong with the namesake burger, but keep an eye out for local produce-centric specials, too. Oh, and make sure to look at the pastry case — desserts are a must here.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Burnt broccoli salad, the Superiority burger, yuba verde, gelato, and any and all cakes.
Public Display of Affection (PDA) Park Slope
Vegan pizza (beyond the requisite plain marinara pie) can be hard to track down, but Park Slope’s Public Display of Affection makes it easy. It’s a great option for a group of omnivores and herbivores; start with the arancini, potatoes, and shishitos, then go in for the pizza.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Roasted broccoli, shishito peppers, red pizza, and white pizza.
Birds of a Feather Williamsburg
With large portions and entire menu sections devoted to vegetables, Chinese restaurants offer some of the most vegan-friendly, but not exclusively vegan, menus. Birds of a Feather is one of our favorites, and it comes from the founders behind Midtown Manhattan’s Cafe China. The food leans Sichuan, but it’s not traditional with a capital T. The cold appetizer section boasts more innovative plant-based options.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Wood ear mushrooms, eggplant with chile, celtuce, Sichuan cold noodles, and mung bean noodles.
Mission Chinese Food Chinatown
Photo by Nathan Harsh for Resy
Mission Chinese Food, in all its iterations, has always been vegan friendly. Chef Danny Bowien even penned a vegan cookbook. Of course, if you’re into things like ultra-spicy chicken wings or kung pao pastrami, by all means, order those (they are iconic for a reason), but for any vegan friends, there are plenty of rice, noodle, and vegetable dishes to choose from as well.
Our favorite vegan dishes: Addictive cabbage salad, smashed cucumbers, shiso fried rice, pea leaves, and Jacky’s Sprite noodles.
Photo by Nathan Harsh for Resy
