As a proud omnivore, let me just say how much I love vegetables—they easily account for half the space on my dinner plate and usually more than that. But unless I’m dining with one of my herbivore friends (thankfully there are no fruitarians in my circle), I would never choose a restaurant that advertises itself as vegan, vegetarian, or plant–based.
That philosophy may change now that OpenTable released its latest list: The 50 Best Restaurants for Vegetarians in America, which features places that serve delicious plant–forward fare—not the kind of bland and underseasoned seitan–focused meals reminiscent of early ’90s diet food. Instead, the restaurants make use of spices, herbs, marinades, and seasonings to create layers of flavors in meals that deliver an umami–rich kick.
New York topped the OpenTable’s list. Again. (Last month the city emerged with 12 restaurants on the 100 Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers.)
And now for the reservation platform’s newest list, New York City claimed eleven honorees—including Candle 79, ABC Kitchen, The Little Beet Table, Double Zero, and the Michelin-starred Nix.
California comes in second with nine restaurants from all over the state: Gracias Madre and Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, Oliver’s in Santa Barbara, Café Gratitude in San Diego, and more.
Coming in third is the District of Columbia with seven honorees, most of which are under the umbrella of Farmers Restaurant Group: Founding Farmers, Farmers and Distillers, and Farmers Fishers Bakers.
In addition to the top two states and Washington D.C., thirteen others were represented: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington.
And in keeping with OpenTable’s democratic listmaking tradition, it’s all based on verified diner assessments. This list in particular involved 12 million reviews for more than 28,000 restaurants across all 50 sates and Washington D.C.
“With more and more diners craving veggie-centric cuisine, we’re thrilled to provide a list that spotlights restaurants serving standout vegetarian fare across the country,” Caroline Potter, chief dining officer at OpenTable, said in a statement. “Whether you’re an affirmed vegetarian or someone looking to explore a sustainable, meatless diet, you can count on finding delicious vegetable-forward dishes at any of these honorees.”
This year’s roster is not the first time the platform curated recommendations for restaurants that offer vegan and vegetarian dishes. In 2015, OpenTable came up with a list of 52. And the site still maintains an updated landing page for vegetarian and vegan–friendly establishments.
But take note too that OpenTable only assesses the data that it has. How does that affect you? It means that they can only give you information on the restaurants that take reservations and subscribe to the OpenTable platform. So let’s say you’re vegan and headed to New York City. Do your research and you’ll find that there are other stellar vegan and vegetarian restaurants that won’t be on this list.
For instance, By Chloe—an enormously successful group of restaurants helmed by Food Network Cupcake Wars winner, Chloe Coscarelli, and, ESquared Hospitality creative director, Samantha Wasser—would be worth checking out. (But all the branches don’t take reservations.) And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, Van Leeuwen has a rather extensive vegan ice cream menu—as does Morgenstern’s.
Read the full list below or click here.
OPENTABLE’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS FOR VEGETARIANS
ABC Kitchen (New York, New York)
Andina (Portland, Oregon)
Âu Lạc Plant-Based Food & Drink (Los Angeles, California)
Bar Bombón (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Beatrix, River North (Chicago, Illinois)
Bistro Aracosia (Washington, D.C. )
Blackout: Dining in the Dark (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Blind Faith Cafe (Evanston, Illinois)
Blossom (New York, New York and Multiple Locations)
Brewery Bhavana (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Cafe Gratitude (San Diego, California)
Candle 79 (New York, New York)
Catch L.A. (West Hollywood, California)
Charlie Was A Sinner (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Chauhan Ale & Masala House (Nashville, Tennessee)
Delice & Sarrasin (New York, New York)
Departure Restaurant and Lounge (Portland, Oregon)
Dirt Candy (New York, New York)
Divya’s Kitchen (New York, New York)
Double Zero (New York, New York)
Ēma (Chicago, Illinois)
Equinox Restaurant (Washington, D.C.)
Farmer’s Table (Boca Raton, Florida)
Farmers & Distillers (Washington, D.C.)
Farmers Fishers Bakers (Washington, D.C.)
Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens (Corona Del Mar, California)
Founding Farmers (Washington, D.C. and Multiple Locations)
Gracias Madre (San Francisco, California)
Greens Restaurant (San Francisco, California)
Harvest Beat (Seattle, Washington)
The Helmand Restaurant (Baltimore, Maryland)
Irregardless Cafe (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Lila (Sarasota, Florida)
Linger (Denver, Colorado)
The Little Beet Table (New York, New York)
Modern Love (Omaha, Nebraska and Multiple Locations)
Nix (New York, New York)
Oliver’s (Santa Barbara, California)
Plant Food + Wine (Venice, California)
Planta (Miami Beach, Florida)
Rasika (Washington, D.C. and Multiple Locations)
Root Down (Denver, Colorado)
Sage (Culver City, California)
Shaya (New Orleans, Louisiana)
True Food Kitchen (Multiple Locations)
Ulele (Tampa, Florida)
Urban Vegan Kitchen (New York, New York)
XYST NYC (New York, New York)
Zahav (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Zaytinya (Washington, D.C.)
