John's of 12th Street

staff were very helpful and accommodating. great selection of vegan and gluten free options and were super great with allergies. busy but wouldn’t notice at all because the service was spot on! would recommend!

Discovered John’s of 12th Street in one of the gluten free NYC groups that I’m in and added it to my “must visit” because someone mentioned that they have gluten free and vegan cannolis. On my last trip to NYC, we stopped in several locations in Little Italy to ask if they had gluten and dairy free cannolis and while we were able to find gluten free shells, the vegan or dairy free filling proved impossible to find. Thus, you can imagine my surprise/excitement to read that John’s of 12th Street was offering this and had a separate vegan menu as well! I arrived on a Saturday evening without a reservation and they were kind enough to fit me in because I was by myself (I don’t recommend coming without a reservation; the restaurant was super busy!). The waitstaff was extremely friendly and welcoming and knowledgeable about gluten free and vegan options. I was ready to order the gluten free pasta with marinara when it occurred to me to ask what was in the marinara. Surprisingly, there is butter. I’m dairy free in addition to gluten free, so the server guided me to the vegan option which does not contain butter. The pasta arrived very quickly, and with it a container of Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan which I felt was a very thoughtful touch as I can’t remember the last time I was able to have parmesan with my pasta at a restaurant (also shows how vegan friendly this restaurant is!). The sauce itself was not what I had envisioned with marinara sauce, it was really heavy on the garlic and had green onions in it. It was okay, but I would probably try a different sauce if I went back again. Then the time came for the gluten free, vegan cannoli. Relatively pricey at ~10/cannoli, it arrived and I immediately was confused. The shell is not what I would expect for a cannoli… it was a pizzelle (a waffle cookie) rolled into the shape of a cannoli shell. The filling was also not what I expected—it wasn’t traditional, but had a mix of spices that were reminiscent of fall and pumpkin pie. It wasn’t my favorite, especially at the price point, but I have to give them major kudos for catering to a gluten free and vegan community and offering an abundance of options, including a dessert option which is so rare to find. If ever back in NYC, I would consider eating here again as it felt like a safe place to eat for someone who is gluten and dairy free like myself.

Fantastic! Offer vegan, gluten free and dairy free pasta with delicious sauces. Serves were super conscious of making sure food was right for my gluten free/ dairy free friend. She even ordered dessert - a vegan chocolate canoli - which she said was the best thing she had the entire time we were in NYC!!! Staff was lovely. Considerate and attentive. I'm not vegan or gluten free, and my traditional pasta was wonderful!