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With over fifty purely vegetarian restaurants in Manhattan alone, New York City is a great place to be a vegetarian. Combine this with cuisines such as Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian which typically have vegetarian dishes, and it is difficult to be more than a couple of blocks from a place which serves vegetarian food.

Since it is impossible to list them all, let alone describe them all, I am focusing on a few of the restaurants that serve dishes that are rarely made for the vegetarian's diet.

On the Upper East Side, Candle 79 serves innovative elegant food. After perusing their Thanksgiving dinner menu I was ready to jump onto a plane and spend my holiday there. Candle 79 is located at 154 East 79th Street.

Inexpensive by New York City standards is Angelica Kitchen. Dedicated to supporting the small farmer, it serves only local fresh ingredients. With quirky names such as Sacre-Coueur Basmatica in Paris, their dishes mix unique combinations of ingredients without overwhelming the imagination. They are located in the East Village at 300 East 12th Street.

Also located in the East Village is the mostly organic, Kosher certified, raw foods oriented, 100% vegan Caravan of Dreams. Touching all the bases, this relatively inexpensive restaurant appeals to the strictest of vegetarian diets. For late risers, brunch is served until 5 p.m. Be sure and leave yourself time for the yoga classes

In Midtown is The Great American Health Bar. Serving mostly simple foods, you won't find much to eat here if you don't eat cheese, though they do have a few vegan dishes. Open for lunch and dinner only, all dishes are available to go. Located at 35 West 57th Street.

Located in the West Village is Sacred Chow, which specializes in soups, sandwiches, beverages and desserts. Vegan and kosher, they also offer several gluten-free options. If you thought sinful desserts and vegan was an oxymoron, you haven't tried their Sinner Bar, made of coconut caramel dipped in chocolate. They are located at 227 Sullivan Street.

In addition to its vast number of vegetarian restaurants, New York City also has an extensive array of natural food stores, many of which sell prepared foods. These include the Better Health Food and Juice Bar at 389 Third Avenue, and Food Liberation at 1349 Lexington Avenue.

If none of these fit the bill there are small markets on virtually every block selling fresh fruit and healthy beverages. New York City is considered one of the top cities for vegetarians and vegans and it is easy to understand why. For a comprehensive listing of vegetarian restaurants in New York, go to www.vegetarian-restaurants.net

Learn more about this author, Frances Simon.
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