Dining Out NYC: Top 20 Vegan Eats. Simply the Best!

As my Vegan Dining Series NYC comes to a close, I am leaving you with my Top 20 list of what I think are the Best Vegan Restaurants in New York City.

These are my must-try, Vegan Eats NYC favorites. A few desserts, a few veggie burgers, a few exotic cuisines and a few all-American yummies.

And the Winner is… And yes, I have even bitten my nails and twiddled my thumbs as I made the exhausting decision to rank this list. I used a four category scoring system of awarding points. Find out my Top 20, including my #1 NYC Vegan pick(s)…

*Updated* Added my fave food item at each spot! See list below…

About my Ratings System:
*All categories get a score form 1-5, 5 being the best*
Food: Taste, quality and overall sensory enjoyment.
Atmosphere: Design, store interior, vibe and cleanliness.
Consistency: How consistent the food quality is.
Branding/Staff: Staff friendliness, knowledge, smoothness of operation and how the public perceives the branding of the establishment.

I added up the points and voila, my Top 20 NYC Vegan Eats/Dining Spots List was born….

#20 Quantum Leap
TOTAL SCORE: 12.5 – Food: 3.5 Atmosphere: 2.5 Consistency: 3.5 Branding/Staff: 3 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Walnut Vegan Burger. Soups great too.

#19 Spring Street Natural
TOTAL SCORE: 12.5 – Food 3.5 Atmosphere: 3.5 Consistency: 2.5 Branding/Staff: 3 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Brown Rice n Veggies Stir-Fry. Pumpkin Bread is also amazing. Hubby loved the Almond Burger.

#18 Red Bamboo
TOTAL SCORE: 12.5 – Food: 3.5 Atmosphere: 2.5 Consistency: 3.5 Branding/Staff: 3 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Amazing Vegan desserts… “fake meat” is awesome if your into that sort of thing…

#17 Pala Pizza
TOTAL SCORE: 14 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 4 Branding/Staff: 3
Fave Item(s): Daiya Cheese Mushroom Pizza on Spelt Crust.

#16 Viva Herbal Pizzeria
TOTAL SCORE: 14.5 – Food: 4.5 Atmosphere: 2 Consistency: 4 Branding/Staff: 4
Fave Item(s): Canja Hemp Pizza…sooooo good!! Zen Pizza and vegan desserts also awesome. Peanut Butter Pie: yum!

#15 Teany
TOTAL SCORE: 15 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3.5 Consistency: 3.5 Branding/Staff: 4 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Tempeh “BLT” Sandwich. Chai Soy Tea. Desserts are all amazing.

#14 Counter
TOTAL SCORE: 15 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 3.5 Branding/Staff: 4.5 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Cauliflower Risotto, Spiced Quinoa.

#13 Josie’s West
TOTAL SCORE: 15 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 4.5 Branding/Staff: 3.5 note: three-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Classic Grilled Tofu Salad, Fruity Sangria and their vegan meatloaf (grains and legumes I believe). Also love their Berry Crisp/Pie vegan dessert.

#12 Caravan of Dreams
TOTAL SCORE: 15.5 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 4.5 Branding/Staff: 4 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Avo-Coco raw soup is my version of liquid heaven. Also adore the Tofu Pesto Sandwich, Angel’s Delight Juice, Spanish Rice and Raw Almond Hummus. Coconut water is refreshing too. Oh and the raw Brazil Nut balls are amazing!

#11 Lula’s Sweet Apathecary
TOTAL SCORE: 15.5 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 1.5 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 4 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Honestly, it’s all good. Try a Banana Split *vegan* for an indulgent treat!

#10 Stogo
TOTAL SCORE: 16 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Consistency: 4 Branding/Staff: 3
Fave Item(s): Again, all amazing. My fave flavor is the Pure Vanilla made with a Coconut Milk base. I also adore the Salted Nut Caramel flavor.

#9 Liquiteria
TOTAL SCORE: 16.5 – Food: 4 Atmosphere: 3.5 Consistency: 4.5 Branding/Staff: 4.5
Fave Item(s): Papaya Paradise with Spirulina and a Grasshopper Juice to go. Love The KillerXX too. Their Chipotle Sweet Potato soup is pure comfort food bliss.

#8 Taim
TOTAL SCORE: 17 Food: 5 Atmosphere: 2 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 5
Fave Item(s): Order the basic: a pita with tabhouli and hummus. Try the falafel sampler, order a smoothie or some amazing homemade iced tea. Also get a few side salads. I love the vegan cabbage salad and carrots.

#7 Angelica Kitchen
TOTAL SCORE: 17.5 – Food: 4.5 Atmosphere: 4 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 4 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Simple items are my faves at AK. I love the macro bowls filled with rice, veggies and simple flavors. Their daily specials always excite me too.

#6 Gobo
TOTAL SCORE: 17.5 – Food: 4.5 Atmosphere: 4 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 4 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Seitan Skewers, Seitan Skewers, Seitan Skewers. Also love their Butternut Squash Risotto, Wonton Soup, Kale/Beet Salad, Chocolate Cake and amazing juices and smoothies.

#5 Babycakes
TOTAL SCORE: 18 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 5 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): I love the jam-filled biscuits, vegan doughnuts, muffins, brownies and those sweet frosted cupcakes. I swoon over their cinnamon toastie. My fave.

#4 Candle 79
TOTAL SCORE: 18 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 3 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 5 note: two-way tie at this score.
Fave Item(s): Gourmet flavors served every day and night. Order some form of seitan and you will be pleased. Everything is amazing. Desserts, wine, entrees are fabulous.

#3 Blossom
TOTAL SCORE: 18.5 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 4.5 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 4
Fave Item(s): Seitan something is cravable. Best seitan in the city in my opinion. Love the mushroom flutes/cigars too. Again, all is awesome!

* two-way tie for first place*

#1 Pure Food and Wine
TOTAL SCORE: 19 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Consistency: 4 Branding/Staff: 5
Fave Item(s): Falafel salad, Signature raw Lasagna, DrCow cheeses, Raw noodles, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake, Mallomar, Bunny Brew or Swan Greens Juices, seasonal specials are always delightful. Order any salad – the high quality will blow you away. So unique and so breathtakingly delicious and inspiring. To drink try a Master Cleanse Tini or some light and fruity Sangria.

#1 Dirt Candy
TOTAL SCORE: 19 – Food: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Consistency: 5 Branding/Staff: 5 note: two-way tie for first place!
Fave Item(s): Love Chef Cohen’s soups, love her salads, love her entrees. The menu changes seasonally so order what turns your taste buds on. My husband swears by the Grits. The hushpuppies are pure fun. The sparkling rose is always divine. Everything is amazing. Really, everything.

NOTES:
**Yes, there were a few tie scores.
**If your favorite restaurant isn’t listed in my top 20, there may be a few reasons for this:
1. I’ve never been there, but will be glad to give it a try if you give me a recommendation to!
2. Not Worthy. I simply didn’t think it was worthy of my top 20 picks.
3. It’s not a truly vegan-friendly dining spot. My Top 20 list includes only restaurants that have a veg or vegan philosophy to their menu. I could easily put a Jean Georges restaurant on my list for an amazing vegan meal dining spot (they will make one for you!) but since it’s not veg-themed, it didn’t make the cut.
4. It’s a chain. I really tried to stay away from chain restaurants like Le Pain Quotidien, Think and even Two Boots. I love these chains – but since they vary by location, I decided to leave them out.
5. No sit-down options. If there are no spots to ‘sit’ or no physical address, I didn’t include it. Greenmarket, Food Trucks, Street Food and Chefs w/o a sit-down location were not included in this list.

Logo Slideshow: ***Kathy’s Top 20 List of the Best Vegan Eats in NYC***

Bonus! As a bonus top ten list, I asked MrHHL to contribute his own scores for Vegan Eats (ranked by a non-vegan).