The Best of Ithaca’s Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants
📝 Mikayla Stock
Updated 4/20/2024
Earth Day is upon us, but focusing on the health of our planet is undoubtedly a year-round affair. Food choices are an excellent avenue for change-making on an individual level, and research shows that vegan and vegetarian diets have a smaller carbon footprint than those that are animal-based. In the spirit of preserving our home and its livelihood, here’s a list of six of my favorite Ithaca restaurants serving up vegan and vegetarian options for Earth Day and beyond.
Angelhearts Diner
Located on the outskirts of the Commons, Angelhearts Diner is a 100% vegan restaurant in a retro setting. If you’re in the mood for enjoying diner classics and saving the planet, this is the place to be.
Moosewood
Down in the Commons, Moosewood is a cozy, world-renowned restaurant known for its exclusively vegetarian/vegan dishes and cookbooks. Some may say Moosewood is responsible for making vegetarian cooking cool. Check out Crème’s review.
Thompson and Bleecker
Thompson and Bleecker is a classic Commons restaurant known for its Neapolitan pizza and homemade pastas. They offer a vegan cheese to substitute on any pizza, and their pomodorino is one of many great vegetarian options.
Hawi Ethiopian Cuisine
Hawi is a popular spot in the Commons serving authentic Ethiopian dishes. They offer an entirely vegan platter with seven different veggies and unlimited injera (a slightly sour Ethiopian pancake-like flatbread) on the side.
Bickering Twins
Located in the Commons, Bickering Twins offers fantastic Mexican and Latin American food and bevs. Their potato poblano tacos are one of many delicious vegetarian options. All of their sides along with some of their tacos are vegan, plus they have a winter squash enchilada that can be made with vegan cheese.
HaKaCha
HaKaCha is a staple Ithaca restaurant serving Japanese-Thai-Italian fusion dishes in a warm atmosphere. They offer an array of vegetarian options ranging from salads to ramen to pasta.
Seasonal Delicacies at L’AbenFant in Dijon
This November, I visited Dijon, France. About 180 miles southeast of Paris, the city seems like a quaint village compared to the French capital’s cosmic size. For lunch, we stopped by a popular restaurant called L’AbenFant. This restaurant specializes in vegetarian cuisine and changes its menu every day, so we were in for a real delicious treat.
Café Culture—a True Parisian Experience
Sssss, schwoop! I gazed down as the pastry chef finished preparing my strawberry tart and moved over to package it in a pretty, blue box with a ribbon. However, this dessert shop is not like a typical pâtisserie you would find in Paris—in fact, my little tart is completely inedible! This weekend, I visited the JellyCat Pâtisserie, a pop-up shop in the Galeries Lafayette that sells exclusive French pastries in a plush format. You can choose from six options for the Pâtisserie Experience: Collette the tarte au citron, Brigitte the brioche, Fleurette the tarte aux fraises, and three multi-colored macarons: Mia, Max, and Mona. Aside from the Paris-exclusive designs, you can also find hundreds of plush éclairs, mille-feuilles, and madeleines for sale in the store, each one sporting a cute smile and a pair of miniature, animated legs.
Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl
Hidden in the maze of Anabel Taylor Hall lies the key to celebrating Earth Day on campus—Anabel’s Grocery. As I walked the dim halls, encouraging signs guided me toward the back of the building. I knew I was nearing the store when I heard the hustle and bustle of students shopping for groceries after class.