After living, working, and being vegan in New York City for so many years, every visit back east these days is a race to pack in as much quality socializing, face-to-face client meetings, and carefully thought-out planning of each meal, striving to hit established favorites while also exploring newer offerings.
In the latter category, we visited The Fat Radish in the lower east side this most recent visit, a vegetable-centric (but far from vegan) pub-like café in a beautifully designed, airy, light-filled space.
The concept for the menus is genuinely intriguing—local, rich, seasonal vegetables infusing and redefining traditional hearty British fare—and there’s plenty for vegans to avoid on the menu, but there are also a number of great animal-friendly options at this omnivorous hotspot, including some inventive vegetable sides, salads, a portobello sandwich, and a tofu quinoa bowl.
We opted for the restaurant’s namesake Fat Radish Bowl though—a beautifully done, substantial dish featuring rotating seasonal vegetables, beans, seaweed, greens, and optional tofu over brown rice, served with tahini, a ginger-carrot sauce, and pickled greens.
We’d highly recommend stopping by for a nice lunch or boozy snack next time you’re in the LES.
The Fat Radish is located at 17 Orchard Street and is closed Mondays. Because who likes Mondays? Full hours of operation on the restaurant’s site.
