5 Excellent Vegan Restaurants in New York City

There's just something special about eating out as opposed to making your own meals. The combination of the ambience, the social aspect, the assortment of flavors, and not having to do any of the cooking yourself add up to an experience like no other.

However, finding healthy restaurants isn't always easy, and finding restaurants that fit a particular diet can be even more difficult.  Luckily, there is no shortage of great restaurants of all shapes and sizes in New York City. That means, unlike some other smaller cities, there's plenty of vegan options while eating out in the Big Apple. 

Everyone's tastes and preferences are different, so it's a bit difficult to label any one vegan eatery at "the best", but rest assured, you can easily label the cream of the crop as "worth it". That's exactly what you'll find here. 

Without further ado, here are some absolutely fantastic must try vegan eateries in NYC. 

Ladybird in located in the East Village. It offers simple yet elegant vegan dishes during the day and has a fantastic late night menu for after you've had a few adult beverages. And speaking of adult beverages, you're more than welcome to have a couple at your favorite gathering place before your meal, or you can take advantage of the well-rounded drinks menu while dining at Ladybird.

If you decide to give this NYC vegan restaurant a go, some fan favorites you might want to try are the eggplant and mushroom & onion fondue. 

Ladybird
111 East 7th St
New York, NY 10009
(917) 261-5524

Superiority Burger is also located in the East Village area of the city. It's technically a vegetarian restaurant where the menu is full of vegan options as well. They claim that it's more of an accident than by design, but at the end of the day does it really matter?

If the name doesn't give it away, Superiority Burger's menu is sandwich heavy. They do have great salads and desserts though too, so make sure to give them a try even if a vegetarian burger isn't your favorite meal. 

When you swing by consider trying what many regulars recommend: the burnt broccoli salad.

Superiority Burger
430 E 9th St
New York, NY 10009
(212) 256-1192

XYST is the brain child of award winning American chef Matthew Kenney. Located in Chelsea, XYST offers a plant-based menu inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. If you want to bring a non-vegan to a vegan restaurant, this is the first one that should come to mind.

XYST offers three different menus - brunch, lunch, and dinner. There are ample options on all three however, so don't feel you are missing out of you don't go for dinner. 

As far as what you absolutely must try...everything.

XYST
44 West 17th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 727-2979

Beyond Sushi is, as you can guess, a sushi restaurant. It's not just any sushi spot, it's a vegan sushi mini-chain with six locations currently. And, aside from vegan sushi, they have delicious soups as well as noodle salads and rice bed salads. 

What's amazing with the Beyond Sushi menu is that while it seems fairly simple, the food combinations play off of one another so well you'll be amazed at the textured flavors of each dish.

For your first stop in, you may want to try the fiesta roll. 

Beyond Sushi
229 E 14th St
New York, NY 10003
(646) 861-2889

So far we covered vegan burgers, vegan sushi, complex vegan dishes and simple vegan dishes. What's missing? A Korean vegan restaurant of course. 

Luckily, Hangawi has us covered. 

As soon as you walk you, you can tell it's going to be an enjoyable experience. The ambiance is one of class and their food and service deserves equal praise. 

The menu is very ample, so there's no one item that really stands out. To get the most out of their offerings, you'll want to go with a few friends and try a little of everything. 

Hangawi
12 E 32nd St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-0077

If you are visiting, or better yet live in New York City, you have access to some of the most and some of the best restaurants in the world. That stands for vegan restaurants too. 

If you have yet to try any of the five listed above, you should consider making it a priority. Whether you are vegan or not, you won't be disappointed.