It’s no secret that we are foodies and we’ve been looking forward to New York City in order to get our hands on some incredible food! We didn’t expect to be blown away, meal after meal, by eating some of the best food we’ve had in our travels. New York has so many great vegan options spread out all across the city, so this is definitely not an exhaustive list, but here are 7 vegan restaurants you have to try in New York City.

Cienfuegos

For our first night, we elected to try Cuban food and found a nice little restaurant called Cienfuegos. If you go there on a Monday night they have live music from the Urban Latin Jazz Ensemble playing during dinner. Everything we ordered turned out to be incredible, but you absolutely must try the albondigas. Not only was this the best dish we had that night, but it may be one of the best dishes we’ve had on our entire adventure! The meatballs are divine and the sauce that they come in when combined with the cheese that they are topped with, create such an incredible combination of flavors that will leave you scraping the sides of the dish wanting more. The other dishes we ordered included tamales, croquetas, cauliflower tacos and don’t miss out on the churros! It was super dark inside the restaurant and candlelit food photos aren’t the best, but we could not leave out this incredible restaurant. It’s the first place we’re going the next time we’re in town. Another reason to support this restaurant is because of the owner, Ravi DeRossi, who owns many bars and restaurants in NYC and is converting them ALL to vegan! Some of his other establishments that we want to check out include; Mother of Pearl, Avant Garden, and Lady Bird.

Dirt Candy

If you’re looking for a great dining experience, then look no further than Dirt Candy. This isn’t your traditional restaurant, but instead, you are treated to a 9-course dining extravaganza which spanned a couple of hours. Each of the courses had their own theme behind the dish and were plated and prepared in exciting ways. One of our favorites of the night was the Korean Fried Broccoli which was smothered in a delicious and slightly spicy sauce. We also got to grill our own snap peas to make tiny little tacos, which was so fun! The menu does change from time to time and they do offer a smaller version of their tasting menu, but we highly recommend going for the full tasting special. Even though the portions look tiny, you definitely don’t leave hungry!

Hangawi

As soon as we learned that Hangawi was a traditional Korean restaurant, we knew we had to check it out. We removed our shoes at the entrance to the dining area and were escorted to our table, complete with traditional style seating. We started off with appetizers such as gyozas and combination pancakes while sipping on fantastic soju cocktails before dining on avocado and todok stone bowl dishes. All of the food was incredible, the drinks were great, and the culture is astounding.

PS Kitchen

We went to see Hamilton on Broadway (which was absolutely fabulous!) and wanted to grab something to eat afterward. Being in Times Square, we weren’t sure there would be many vegan options, but we pulled up Happy Cow and found PS Kitchen a few blocks away. We were pretty excited to see that they had the Beyond Burger on their menu and ordered that along with their orzo alfredo dish. They also offer a chef’s menu that is ideal to split between two people that you can get with a wine pairing. Everything was delicious and hit the spot. Plus, they’re open late!

Urban Vegan Kitchen

Urban Vegan Kitchen is part of the Blossom family of restaurants and serves up sophisticated comfort food. We had the opportunity to meet up with a friend while visiting and shared plates of fried okra and mac and cheese appetizers. The main dishes, however, were the stars of the show as the seitan and gravy dish reminded us of an inviting Thanksgiving meal and the Happy Shrimp Po Boy is everything you would want out of a southern style sandwich.

Cinnamon Snail

Cinnamon Snail is known for their cinnamon rolls, but they also have a pretty extensive menu of incredible options. Not only did we get a cinnamon roll, but we also got two different sandwiches that were jam-packed with flavor and sides of mac and cheese and kimchi tater tots. There’s nothing really healthy or wholesome on the menu, but you’re going to get good, hearty, stick to your ribs, kind of food that will leave you full for hours. Top it off with a chocolate cheesecake brownie and you’ll be glad you’re walking some of it off in the city!

Terri

Terri is known for being a quick grab and go restaurant but we had a chance to sit down and dine in while we were exploring the financial district. We caught them right before they stopped serving breakfast, so we were able to grab one of their bacon egg and cheese biscuits which turned out to be fantastic. Up next we split a buffalo chicken sandwich and a chicken bacon cheddar ranch sandwich that were both stuffed to the edges with flavor, but didn’t leave you feeling like you ate heavy greasy food. If you’re in the area of one of their three locations, you have to give them a try.

New York City has won our hearts and has definitely earned our title of “Best Vegan Food City” since we’ve started our travels. We know there are a lot of restaurants that we didn’t get to try and are looking forward to coming back. Let us know which ones are your favorite and we’ll add it to our list!

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