Vegan in Manhattan
My mom and I went on a weekend birthday trip to N.Y.C. in November. It was a stellar trip full of amazing food. As a vegan of 4 years, I was very excited to dive into the surprisingly wonderful world of plant-based foods in N.Y.C.! From ice cream to bagels to pastries & more, check out my top eating spots in N.Y.C.!
b r e a k f a s t
Le Pain Quotidien - This was our breakfast spot every morning. I became dangerously obsessed with their vegan blueberry muffins warmed up with jam on top. They have other vegan pastries too, but I’m a creature of habit so I stuck to the muffins. I also ordered avocado toast (delish) and one of their large Americanos with oat milk (their large coffee cup is jumbo-sized; very my style). On top of the amazing food, the staff here is so kind and the service is quick.
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Liberty Bagels - Bagels are one of the most iconic N.Y.C. foods, and Liberty Bagels is incredible. They have a very extensive menu of both regular & plant-based bagel sandwiches, but my favourite is the Mediterranean Bagel on whole wheat; comprised of hummus, avocado, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and red chilli pepper. It’s very flavourful and filling (I usually split one with my mom).
L’OR Porch at Bryant Park - This is a very picturesque patio restaurant in Bryant Park. They have plenty of yummy salads and sandwiches. I love the Vegan Avocado Sandwich; comprised of eggplant, cucumber, tomato, red pepper relish, arugula, and avocado on ciabatta bread. With this I got an order of their French fries which are some of the best French fries I’ve ever eaten; crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside (like classic diner fries).
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Antalia - This is a Turkish restaurant that we discovered on the first night. I ordered this Veggie Burger with a chickpea-based patty. I’m a huge fan of falafel, so this patty was very delicious to me. There was also lettuce, tomato, and tahini. Be sure to request the vegan bun.
Upside Pizza - Pizza is another iconic N.Y.C. food. Upside pizza was a super quick, delicious option to pick up individual slices of pizza or order an entire pizza. I’m not a huge fan of vegan cheese, so I really appreciated that not only did Upside Pizza have a pre-made vegan pizza option, but that it did not have vegan cheese on it. It was a deep dish pizza with extremely well-seasoned marinara sauce. 10/10
d e s s e r t
I want to start off by mentioning that literally every bakery we walked into had vegan pastry options that were superb, but I wanted to focus the dessert section on Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream - This was such a cute, aesthetic ice cream parlour. It’s a chain and we went to the location on 6th Avenue, right beside Radio City Music Hall. It’s open late (until 12am or 1am, depending on location), so after we went to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, we got ice cream. There is an entire vegan menu, and I got the mint chocolate chip flavour in a sugar cone.
