Background:
There are ample options for vegetarians in NYC, and the number is steadily growing thanks to the increasing inclination towards veganism here. The difficulty of finding these restaurants that offer scrumptious, mouth-watering options for us though is at its ever high peak. Crawling through the infinite websites and ancient blog articles to figure out options for vegetarian plates is excruciatingly painful, and put that together with an annoying, hungry omnivorous friend screaming ‘you take too long to decide’ in your ear, and you’re more likely than not going to choose the first restaurant that has one vegetarian dish – probably ending up in an expensive meal of greens, fries or a watery excuse for ramen with more mushrooms than you’d ever want floating around in the broth. After innumerable such experiences, here’s my small attempt at making the journey a little simpler for you and the next vegetarian with my Vegetarian Walks- a series of curated lists of restaurants that can satisfy your craving for a flavorsome plate without getting you broke.
Ramen:
This staple dish from the land of mochi and sake is mouthwatering, and yet at too many ramen restaurants we end up staring down a bowl of a watery broth with a few vegetables sticking out. Don’t give up though, the city currently possesses bowls of vegetarian ramen with the perfect amount of heat, thickness, ingredients and flavor to make the bowl memorable as you walk back home with a content stomach.
Upper West:
Jin (82nd and Amsterdam):
(Price: $$)*
I cannot begin to describe how much I love their Vegetable Japanese Curry Ramen. It is a shame that this dish isn’t served in the West Harlem branch. One look at the bowl should give you an idea of the wide diaspora of flavors we are dealing with here!The carrots, broccoli and corn add so many layers of texture to the steaming hearty bowl of ramen. I personally love the red pickled onions which somehow bring an Indian flavor to this bowl. Add the lime for a bit of zest and you have in front of you an immensely rich dish to enjoy.
Jin Ramen West Harlem (125th and Broadway):
(Price: $$)*
Vegetable Ramen: Since this is the bowl that convinced me that vegetarian ramen could be delightful, I might have some inherent bias. That said, I love this gigantic portion of piping hot ramen with its miso broth. They also have a choice of Shoyu broth that I’ve never tried owing to my love for the former. It’s a disappointment with the soft boiled egg since they’re all seasoned in pork stock, but the poached egg add-on is good too. The edamame here isn’t the best I’ve tried, but overall it is a solid option when you’re craving a tummyfull of the ramen heat. It is an enormous bowl, so there’s never a need for any side or dessert after! They also offer another bowl of vegan coconut based ramen which I’ve never ventured into, but it’s touted to be really good!
Additional Pro: Located right below the 125th Broadway 1 train stop: Makes your commute to your ramen experiment more comfortable!
Rai Rai Ken (132nd and Amsterdam):
(Price: $$)**
If you’re a fan of soy sauce, the Vegetable Miso Ramen would serve you brilliantly. It’s thick and flavorful with crunchy vegetables and corn added into the mix. It’s thick and flavorful with crunchy vegetables and corn added into the mix. Another bowl you could order is the vegetable Yakisoba (Japanese Stir Fry noodles) that packs a punch! Once again, do be wary of the overdose of soy sauce and garlic that make and break the dish.
They also serve excellent vegetarian gyoza, so don’t forget to order the side when you’re here. Edamame, shishito peppers, their picked vegetable fried rice and sake are other sides you could happily look at ordering. Packs quite a good deal for vegetarians!
Naruto Ramen (100 and Broadway):
(Price: $$)*
Once again, they do have ample options for vegetarians between their Miso and Shoyu vegetarian ramen specialties and the vegetable gyoza, fried rice and the regular shishito peppers and spicy edamame. The miso broth is quite light and thin, which for me needed quite a lot of chilli and garlic seasoning on top. It definitely is a solid option for a vegetarian if you’re in the area and the vegetable gyozas are a delight. I’ve also heard raving reviews for their meat based ramen so if your friends drag you to a ramen here, fear not- you do have a dependable bowl of ramen waiting.
Happy Slurping!
– Swathi Chandrasekaran
* Price picked from collective Google map reviews
** Price estimated from menu and comparable restaurants
Perplexed Potatoes 