Healthy NYC Guide

Why haven’t I written this one yet? I guess my favorite healthy NYC spots feel so familiar that I forgot to put together a guide….but it’s about time.

I’ve lived in NYC for about 5 1/2 years. My first year here, I was more concerned with finding the best pizza (Di Fara’s), falafel (Taim) and beer (Alphabet City Beer Co) than I was with finding green juice and kale salads. Ah, how times have changed! The past 4 years or so I’ve been hitting up every healthy spot I could find, and now it’s time I share some of my favorites with you.

These are mostly in Manhattan or Williamsburg, Brooklyn since that’s where I’ve lived, so if you have any other favorites feel free to let me know in the comments. NYC restaurants open and close at a lightening fast pace, so you never know when a great gem will pop up!

Fresh juice:

Liquiteria – 11th st and 2nd ave
The Juice Press – various locations
Organic Avenue – various locations

Vegetarian/Vegan/Raw Food:

Caravan of Dreams – 6th st and 1st ave — Great for smoothies + salads.
Quintessence (raw) – 10th st btwn 1st and A – I love the Buddha Bowl + coconut water.
Candle Cafe – 75th st and 3rd ave – Great vegan food, casual atmosphere. Candle 79 is their fancier place.
Pure Food & Wine / One Lucky Duck (raw)- 17th and Irving – Pure is a nice, sit down restaurant – One Lucky Duck is their casual take out place. Raw taco salad, Mean Greens juice, mint sundae.
Organic Avenue (raw) – various locations – Juices and raw food/snacks.
Juice Press (raw) – various locations – Juices and raw food/snacks.
Jivamuktea Cafe – Broadway btwn 13th and 14th – Great for sitting with your laptop and getting a salad, juice or smoothie. Free wifi.
Blossom – various locations  – Worth trying if you’re vegan, although I can’t remember any stand-out dishes.
Gobo – 2 locations – Butternut squash risotto for the win.
Peacefood Cafe – 82nd and Amsterdam – Lots of fun stuff here…like chickpea fries.
‘sNice – various locations – I like the quinoa salad. Free wifi, good for doing work.
Bliss – Bedford Ave, Williamsburg – I like the BBQ tempeh, harvest plate and Bliss salad.
Sun in Bloom – Bergen St, Park Slope – I’ve only been here once, but they have a great vegan + raw menu.
Pala – Houston and Allen – This isn’t a vegan place but they have vegan + gluten-free pizza options.
Hummus Place – various locations – I love hummus, so this place totally rules.
Pukk -4th st and 1st ave – Vegetarian thai food.
Stogo Ice Cream – 10th st and 2nd ave – Awesome dairy free ice cream.
Babycakes Bakery – Broome and Ludlow – The place to go for vegan baked goods.

Macrobiotic:

Souen – various locations – One of my favorite restaurants! Kabocha squash + tahini dill dressing = amazing.
Angelica Kitchen – 11th st and 2nd ave  – I remember the chili + cornbread being good.

Meat & Veggie Friendly:

Westville – various locations – Another favorite — the salmon salad is awesome, and the seasonal market vegetables are out-of-this-world.
Fat Radish – Seasonal, fresh ingredients — try the Fat Radish plate of seasonal vegetables.
Northern Spy – Locally grown, seasonal food – check out the brunch kale salad!
ABC Kitchen – A more upscale place that uses local, organic ingredients and focuses on sustainability.
Spring Street Natural – Spring & Lafayette – A good place to go when you have both meat and veggie lovers to entertain.
Grey Dog Cafe – various locations – Super casual, New Yorky place. I like the hummus sandwich and veggie burger.
Birch – 27th btwn Park/Madison – The eggplant sandwich here rocks my world + they use lots of local, sustainable, organic ingredients.
Mooncake Foods – various locations  – The avocado watercress salad is my favorite.
Lodge – Havemeyer & Grand, Williamsburg – Always good meat + veggie options here. I especially love their brunch.
Cubana Social – N6th btwn Wythe & Kent, Williamsburg – Kale + avocado salad is out of this world. Great brunch options too, for meat eaters and vegetarians.
Eat – Meserole Ave, Greenpoint – This place is such a great find. They use only the freshest, in season ingredients. Cutest place.

Health Food Stores & Farmer’s Markets:

Commodities – 11th st and 1st ave
Lifethyme – 6th ave and 9th st
Whole Foods – various
Integral Yoga Natural Foods – 13th btwn 7th & Greenwich
Westerly – 54th st and 8th ave
Union Square Greenmarket – Union Square
McCarren Park Greenmarket – McCarren Park, Williamsburg

As you can see, finding healthy food in New York City is a piece of (vegan, gluten-free) cake.

What’s your favorite healthy NYC spot? What’s missing from this list?