Ras Plant Based is one of the few places in the city that specializes in plant-based Ethiopian food, such as tender mushroom ribs and meatless comforters. From puff pastry sambusa and crispy cauliflower wings to huge plates of classic Ethiopian dishes, such as kitfo made with pea protein, every dish at this Crown Heights restaurant is memorable. Bring an appointment or stop by for a casual weeknight meal. The colorful murals will make you feel like you're in a multi-sensory art exhibition.
This place is like many of the restaurants in the East Village, as it's small, dark, crowded, and quite loud. But Ladybird stands out for its completely plant-based menu, making this place a popular destination for vegans who want to have a fun night out. The kitchen prepares creamy and cheesy dishes very well. They serve the best vegan macaroni and cheese we've ever tasted, and it's a real achievement if you can stop eating the coconut crème brûlée topped with fresh raspberries before it's all over.
Increasingly, New York restaurant owners are focusing their attention on vegan and vegetarian food, regardless of whether they themselves follow a meatless diet. There's vegan food that tastes great for vegan food and then there's good food that turns out to be vegan. While the restaurant has some meat dishes, they also serve some of the tastiest vegan and vegetarian sandwiches in the city. There are plenty of restaurants in the city that come up with creative ways to prepare great-tasting food without using any animal products, and these are the best.
Most restaurants with a tasting menu don't easily accommodate vegan diners, and that's partly what makes this vegetable-focused restaurant at LES incredibly unique. Amanda Cohen has been at the forefront of fun, experimental vegan dining here in New York for more than a decade (long before the Eleven Madison Park team tried it). Delice %26 Sarrasin is a vegan French restaurant in the West Village where the dishes look exactly the same as the dishes that come out of a kitchen in Paris. The HAGS vegan tasting menu isn't just one of the best vegan options on the New York dining scene, it's one of the best options, period.
