Top Four Vegan Restaurants in New York City

Being one of the busiest and most popular cities in America, one could imagine how many vegan restaurants there are in New York City.

However, I managed to narrow down four places which I find to be the most creative and health-conscious.

Here is a preview of Blossom Vegan Restaurant & Café, Counter Vegetable Bistro & Organic Bar, Candle 79 and The Organic Grill.

1. Blossom Vegan Restaurant & Café
Located: 197 9^th Avenue, New York, NY

Blossom Vegan Restaurant and Café is an organic vegan cuisine restaurant that's open for dinner daily at 5PM and for lunch Friday-Sunday from 12-2:45. (There is also an uptown location on 466 Columbus Avenue.)

While Blossom is on the pricey side, this is a great place to splurge if you're looking for upscale, delectable cuisine.

Their daytime menu consists of starters like Ravioli in Cashew Cream, Seitan Skewers or Black-Eyed Pea Cake, while for sandwiches they offer the Soy Bacon Cheeseburger, Soy Philly Sandwich or Tuscan Portobello Sandwich. They also offer breakfast options, salads, sides and entrees, which include the Phyllo Roulade for $15, which is French lentils and root vegetables baked in a phyllo crust, or the Blossom Burrito for $13, which is black beans, rice, avocado and vegan cheese, served with greens.

Entrees on the dinner menu get even more exquisite, with Seitan Scaloppini for $21, which is Seitan cutlets in a white wine, lemon and caper sauce, Blossom Risotto for $20, which is shallots, green peas and porcini mushrooms with artichokes, or the Hickory Basted Tempeh over Horseradish Crème Fraiche for $18, which is served with roasted fingerling potatoes and collard greens.

2. Counter Vegetable Bistro & Organic Bar
Located: 105 First Ave., New York, NY

Counter Vegetable Bistro & Organic Bar is a trendy New York vegan bistro, as well as an organic wine and martini bar. They are open Monday-Thursday from 5PM-12AM, Friday from 5PM-1AM, Saturday from 11AM-1AM and Sunday from 11AM-12AM. Their motto is "Local. Sustainable. Organic."

Counter is a great place to go out with friends, co-workers, or virtually any group of people. They're one of the few places that serve organic martinis, beer and wine, and their "large plates" are great to split among friends.

On the "Small Plates" menu, try the Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with spiced cream and ginger snap crumb for $8, the Baby Brussels Sprout with spiced pecans for $8 or the Grilled Eggplant with pomegranate, cilantro and cumin for $7. Large Plates include the Fall Vegetable Pot Pie for $17, the Farmhouse Panini for $14 or the East Side Burger for $14.

They also serve delicious and healthy flatbread pizzas, such as the Smoked Mozzarella, Caper & Oregano for $12, the Local Mushroom for $14, the Roasted Yukon Gold, Bartlett Pear and Spy Apple for $12 or the Crispy Artichoke and Green Olive for $12.

3. Candle 79
Located: 154 East 79th Street, New York, NY

Candle 79 is a vegan, eat-in restaurant located in New York City. They are open Monday-Saturday from 12PM-3PM for lunch and 5:30PM-10:30PM for dinner, as well as on Sundays for brunch from 12PM-4PM and dinner from 5PM-10PM.

Although Candle is somewhat upscale, it was worth every penny. They offer vegan, raw, organic and gluten-free food options, as well as a juice bar.

If you're headed there for brunch, try the French toast, cannolis, tempeh bacon, crepe and polenta fries. For dinner or lunch food, try the porcini-crusted tofu, the wild mushroom salad, the seitan starter or the seitan main dish. If you're not drinking, I recommend the house-made ginger ale, and for dessert, try the brownie sundae.

4. The Organic Grill
Located: 123 First Ave., New York, NY

The Organic Grill is a food, drink, pastry and dessert shop that's open daily from 12PM-10PM for breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and dinner. If you choose to pay with credit card, there is a $15 minimum.

This place is awesome to go for breakfast. Try the Organic Grill House Made Granola with Nuts for $4 or the infamous Tofu Scramble for $9 (seasoned tofu with shitake mushrooms, onions, veggies, tempeh bacon and your choice of toast.)

If you're there for lunch, I'd try the Rock-a-Guacamole with Chips for $9.25, the Arame Salad for $9.95, or the Organic Grille's Quesadillas for $10.25. My favorite dish happens to be the $13.95 Vegan Pierogies, which are made with potato, onion and tofu, and served in creamy, cashew sour cream sauce.

The Organic Grill is a great place to go to eat real, healthy food, and to feel full, but not bloated. You can both see and taste the vegetables and fruits in your food, while also enjoying the food's light texture.

http://www.blossomnyc.com/site/

http://www.counternyc.com/

http://www.theorganicgrill.com/