Top 6 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Havens to Explore in Ukrainian Village, New York

Valentina Thaysa Lucas

This place was out beyond words. The risotto was the best I’ve ever had. It’s been a few weeks and my husband and I are still talking about it. Their bread is also amazing and it was gluten and dairy free. Highly recommend making a reservation. We didn’t know, and we got lucky we were squeezed in, but had to wait over an hour. We didn’t know it then, but it was totally worth the wait. Glad we decided to wait.

cassie james

mac and cheese is fantastic

Maria Hadjichristoforou

Happened to pass by this adorable gluten-free crepe shop and was surprised to find the best crepe I’ve ever had! (And I’m not even gluten-free.) Definitely a must try when visiting the East Village!

Lex Decker

Gluten free bagels from eat original sunshine! They can prep carefully to make it celiac safe if you don’t get it toasted!

Siena Leone-Getten

I’ve been hunting for great gluten free places around NYC- this is the cutest little shop! The banana bread was moist and delicious and tasted just like regular banana bread. Great warm drinks too!

Kathryn Meyer

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.

Sushmitha Krishnamoorthy

Love the place. Only time I was surprised was when I ordered vegan lasagna and it also turned out to be gluten free. But that's my fault for not reading the menu correctly.

Alexis Bee

Great glutenfree Pizza and beer, our server was super nice

Mythreyi Ramesh

A small ramen store located on the LES that has some of the best ramen I have had in a long time. Their menu is very vegan/ vegetarian friendly and 99% of their menu is all gluten free. Definitely come and check this place out if you are on this side of town

iyanna the model

Last night, I was ate at Caravan of Dreams. It had been my third time at the restaurant and yet AGAIN, it is still my favorite. I was introduced to the restaurant by Scott Burnhard and it has become one of my most priced vegan eateries ever since. On this special Sunday, my roommate Azali and I were fortunate enough to meet the owners. An older couple, Mercedes & Angel, DEDICATED to health and clean eating! When asking questions about the creation of the menu, Angel is the orchestrator behind it all! He gives the chefs and cooks the concepts, and they create the genius masterpieces. And by gawd, that menu IS GENIUS! Completely creative and exceptionally innovative. If you LOVE plant based food, this is a PLANT BASED HEAVEN! I quoted Angel on something that he said, that truly touched me. “[We] make food for the sick & the healthy,” he mentioned. “This food makes sick people healthy, and it keeps the healthy people healthy.” I LOVE that concept. It’s truly commitment to sustenance and healing. His wife, Mercedes, was amazing as well, when talking about the best, most optimal way to receive food, she wisely told us, “I used to think we are what we eat, now I understand we are what we absorb.” Preparation on how to receive the BEST nutrients from food is even more important than the food itself! But let’s get into the DETAILS! There is LIVE Music Daily at 7:30pm, so please come to dinner and catch a vibe. Our waiter, Christian, was AMAZING!! He first served us the Seitan Nachos, which were savory, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. Easily one of my favorite appetizers. The owner, Angel also insisted that we try the Warm Hummus & Pesto Zattar. TO DIE FOR! We were offered the Peanut Sesame Noodles which are, Gluten Free, Organic Noodles made from Quinoa! I thought that was so cool! There is of course peanut butter, made in-house and topped with sesame seeds. I’d describe this dish as very subtle! So, not my favorite, since I prefer food packed with flavor. It is a light peanut sauce, served warm and has a very very slight sweetness. There is a complimentary side Salad that comes with EVERY Entrée. And my roommate ordered the RAW Pizzetta, while I ordered the Huitlacoche and Chorizo Quesadilla. Azali said the Pizzetta was BOMB! She described the dough as a happy medium between chewy and crunchy. She described the taste of the pizza sauce as creamy with a bit of a tangy flavor. The Huitlacoche and Chorizo Quesadilla was INCREDIBLE! It was super spicy, which was a shock to me, and it’s served with a vinaigrette micro green salad, fresh diced mango, and a dipping sauce. The flavors were literally a perfect balance and the dish was BIG and incredibly filling. SO GOOD OMG! For drinks, I ordered the Hibiscus Iced Tea, of which I added a lot of agave — it comes unsweetened. And Azali ordered the Organic Piña Colada. She said it was delicious. For dessert, we chose to share the Warm Brownie Sundae which came with coconut cream based icecream & coconut whipped cream atop baked, rich dark chocolate brownies and fresh, sliced, strawberries. Angel also offered us Pancakes. Which are the most tasty Gluten Free, Sugar Free, and Dairy Free treats you will ever taste. They came with blueberries inside. And he requested a scoop of both house made strawberry & chocolate icecream, with two small mounds of coconut whipped cream. Literally so good! And that STAWBERRY ICE CREAM?! I don’t even like strawberry flavors like that… delicious. The last of a long night of treats & sweets, was their Creamy Macchiato. Their Macchiato is a health powerhouse. It’s Gluten Free, Coffee Free, Caffeine Free, and made with an array of ingredients including Chicory Root & Roasted Dandelion Root, which gives it the taste of coffee. It was a subtle sweetness from the Coconut Cream so if you want it more Dulce, request added agave. I cannot express enough how MAGICAL the night was! Third time is the CHARM! And I will be back!

Digital Transformation

I normally do not eat gluten free, vegan, or vegetarian, but this place was just amazing! The food is exquisite, every dish was just right, best spring roll I've had since my grandma's, the peanut sauce was so light yet full bodied, the salad dressings brought out the flavors rather than cover them.... My friend booked the place for her birthday party, the wine selection was really nice, the owner was attentive to our requests and we had a wonderful time. The place is not big but offers a cozy and warm setting, which was perfect for our small party. I used to avoid dining out in vegan places, I thought the food was weird and tasted strange, this place totally changed that, so i will definitely bring my fussy vegan and vegetarian friends here going forward, and would recommend this restaurant to everyone for nice meal with friends or a small dinner party! Thanks Jonathan, for make this event fun and memorable.

Barbara Chin

The food wasn't bad - I like that there are plenty of vegan proteins to choose from and lots of them could be gluten-free. I got the Just Egg omelette with some vegan cheese and veggies. (Forgot to tell them that I didn't want toast but I just didn't eat it.) Nice and filling, tasted decent (though could have used more seasoning or even just a bit of salt). Then I saw MOUSE run across the base of the wall. Yes, I get that it's probably difficult to avoid rodents in these older buildings even if you're not a restaurant. But it's made me hesitate wanting to go back.

Margaret Zell

This gluten-free bagel is one of the best I've ever had! It was so good, I thought it was a regular bagel. I ordered the tofu walnut raisin cream cheese and it was delicious, it didn't even taste vegan. My friend ordered a bagel with egg whites and spinach and it was also amazing. I highly recommend this place!

Zacharie Chentouf

This is one of my favorite places to dine at in NYC. The food is great and very unique. We got the dry pot and the rice noodles with veggies, and the Brussels sprouts as a starter. Everything was sauced very well, and there were a lot of gluten-free, spicy, and non-spicy options. The starter options are also all very unique, although a little pricier

Maria Al Haddad

Food was delicious. We tried the avocado, the cremini mushroom, the tamal and the spaghetti. All very flavorful and beautifully presented. The ambiance was very cozy. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert so maybe next time. The dessert special was a gluten free chocolate molten lava cake. It was our anniversary so we got complementary Prosecco on the house. Great service. Great food.

Nancy Smith

Walked in and was happy to see gluten free on the menu, asked server about gluten free sauces and they had no clue whether any of the listed sauces were gluten free. List on your computer, and train your staff!

Allison Kaplan (Celiac)

All the pho is gluten free!! & delicious

Emy Moore

Great GF Thai food

Lior Seidel

E L

Suuuch great food! Every option is great, all vegetarian too ofc. I always get the large rice platter w 3 veg curries, “small” bag pakora, chai, and kheer (rice pudding) and it is all under $20. Incredible. Everything is great- highly suggest the pakora, a “small” bag is actually huge portion for just $3.50, and gluten free as far as I know! (Chickpea flour) *will say, I love my chai with strong flavor and this isn’t really- it but is still a nice warm drink.

Lior Seidel

Ionelee Brogna

As someone who is both celiac and dairy intolerant I’ve been going to confectionery for years and they never disappoint! The macaroons, chocolate and cookies are all fantastic!