Organic Restaurants in New York City

Posted by laurel 26 March, 2010

This post is the first in a new series: Organic Restaurants. I’ll be covering a few big cities over the next few weeks, and will be giving you a taste of a few drool-worthy organic restaurants in each area. If you plan to travel this Spring or Summer, you can go check them out! I know I plan to hit up each of the following spots in NYC. Enjoy!

Gust Organics (West Village) – This restaurant and bar was one of the first spots I went to when I moved to New York. It’s actually the only certified organic restaurant in the city and the first certified organic bar in the world! Gust serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Standout fare: Grilled Piadinas (flatbread sandwiches), gluten-free stews, Risotto Buenos Aires (with grass-fed beef), and Gus’s Huevos Rancheros. Gust also offers special green juices that look delicious! Details: 519 6th Ave. Open daily, 8am-11pm. Catering and delivery available.

Angelica Kitchen (East Village) - Angelica Kitchen is an affordable vegan spot that uses lots of organic and local ingredients. They proudly offer all their food free of refined sugars, preservatives, dairy, eggs, or animal products. Standout fare: Curried Cashew Spread, Mixed Sprout Salad, open face tempeh sandwiches, Dragon Bowls, and a special drink named Cranberté (cranberry juice, kukicha tea, apple cider, & orange). If you love the food, you can buy the Angelica Kitchen cookbook for $30. Details: 300 E. 12th St. Open daily, 11:30am-10:30pm. Cash only, first-come/first-serve.

Counter (East Village) – Counter uses organic and local ingredients for dinner, brunch, desserts, and cocktails and features raw food on Tuesday nights. Standout fare: Wild Mushroom Tofu Scramble, Red Quinoa Salad (small plate), Pear Chocolate Semolina Cake, and the East-Side Burger made with mushrooms, herbs, and pommes frites. Details: 105 1st Ave. Open Mon-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri 5pm-1am, Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-12am. Kids menu now available.

Josie’s West (Upper West Side) – All the appetizers and main courses at Josie’s are dairy free but there are both vegetarian and meat-lover dishes (with organic and free range meats). Standout fare: Spicy Organic Black Bean Dumplings, Organic Angel Hair with Turkey Meatballs, and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup w/organic pumpkin seed basil pesto. Details: 300 Amsterdam Ave. Open Mon–Thu 12pm–11pm, Fri 12pm–12am, Sat 11am–12am, Sun 11am–10:30pm. Catering and delivery available.

Quintessence NYC (East Village) – This raw, vegan, and all organic restaurant is frequented by celebs Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler. The website shares 5 recipes to try on your own, and I read a ton of good reviews on this one. Standout fare: pecan pie, mushroom ravioli, mediterranean-style nachos, and shepherds pie. Details: 263 E. 10th St. Open daily 11:30am-11pm. Delivery and catering available.

Pure Food & Wine (Gramercy/Flatiron) - Pure is another raw and vegan restaurant with lots of organic ingredients. It’s a higher end spot with gorgeous presentation and an extensive wine list. Standout fare: King Oyster Mushroom Scallops, Zucchini and Local Hothouse Tomato Lasagna, Chocolate Passion Fruit Tart. Be sure to make reservations. Or, you can get take-away food and juices for lunch or dinner over at it’s baby sister store, One Lucky Duck, around the corner on 17th St. The coconut macaroons are DIVINE. Details: 53 Irving Place. Open Sun-Mon 5:30pm–10pm, Tue–Sat 5:30pm–11pm.

Note: I featured a limited number of restaurants above for space and time consideration. There’s no way I could include everything in this list, so if you have a favorite organic spot in the city, please leave a comment and let me know!