Welcome to our new monthly series, City Spotlight, where we feature green goodness in cities across the nation and globe.

Here you’ll find ideas for great vegan and veg restaurants, cool eco-sites and shops, and other worthy attractions for when you venture beyond Philly – and the Jersey Shore 😉

My recent and upcoming travels have prompted me to share some of my favorite haunts, and we hope you’ll share yours as well whether in the comments or via email.

Today let’s talk about NYC – the city where you can get anything you want anytime of day. And, that includes off the charts vegan dining options. I enjoy a lot of vegan restaurants when I’m in Manhattan including Blossom, Peacefood Cafe, Pure Food & Wine (all raw!) and v-note.

However, my first choice go-to picks are sister restaurants Candle 79 & Candle Cafe. They focus on local, seasonal vegan fare and use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Candle Cafe is the more casual of the two with walk-in dining or takeout & delivery available . But, the options are far superior than the grub at your typical cafe. The atmosphere is cozy, and there is a selection of organic wine & beers AND a great juice bar. Pick your poison, friends.

What to order at Candle Cafe? I can’t get enough of the soba noodle salad, the wasabi dressing it’s served with is to-die-for. The summer rolls, cajun seitan sandwhich and tuscan seitan parmesan sandwhich are also stand outs.

They now have locations on the upper east side and upper west side.

Candle 79  located on the upper east side is Candle Cafe’s more sophisticated sister. It’s a bit more of a special occasion place in that reservations are definitely recommended. The vibe is warm and inviting and the menu pretty expansive. I’ve taken many meat eating friends here and they remarked it wasn’t nearly as “earthy” as one would imagine a vegan restaurant might be. More importantly they loved the food.

What to order at Candle 79? There’s so many options but I enjoy the saffron-“lobster” mushroom ravioli, the garlicky smoked hummus, the seitan piccata and the kale salad.

Don’t forget to get dessert! If you’re a chocolate lover the chocolate-peanut butter bliss is aptly named – go for it. For my fellow Italians the cannoli is a yummy treat (sans all the usual cream and nasty animal products.)

Next time you’re in NYC pay one or both of these two vegan mecca’s a visit. Even the carnivorous will enjoy the fare! Or, if you’re interested in testing out Candle 79 recipes at home, they have this amazing cookbook!

Photo credit: Candle 79

*This page contains an affiliate link.

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Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari