NYC is getting its first-ever vegan food hall.
Details for the upcoming all-vegan venue were revealed at last month’s Vegan Mac Throwdown, a dairy-free macaroni and cheese competition. The event took place at the Manhattan-based location of The V-Spot, a kosher and plant-based Latin comfort food restaurant.
“We at 12 St. Mark’s Place are super excited to change this location into a vegan Mecca of sorts in the middle of Manhattan by creating this concept of a St. Mark’s vegan food court,” it was announced at the event.
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Manhattan-based vegan fast food joint Marty’s V Burger is the only confirmed vendor at the moment. Founded by former pilot Marty Krutolow, the restaurant’s dairy-free mac and cheese was the winner of the competition that night. The popular restaurant, which serves housemade burgers as well as the popular Beyond and Impossible Burgers, recently became the first vegan vendor at Citi Field, the home park for the Mets.
NYC, particularly Manhattan, is a great destination for vegan food. The city was named the best destination for vegan food in the U.S. last October based on how many residents were ordering plant-based, the number of festivals, and vegan meet-ups.
It’s the home base to a wide variety of cuisines, including Beyond Sushi, a vegan sushi chain that landed $1.5 million on “Shark Tank” to expand to LA and Seasoned Vegan, a mother-and-son-run restaurant in Harlem that specializes in animal-free soul food. There’s also vegan fine French dining via former vegetarian restaurant Delice & Sarrasin; Confectionary!, a purveyor of dairy-free chocolates and macarons; the all-vegan deli and mini-mart Orchard Grocer; vegan Korean food at Hangawi; and mainstays like Peacefood on the Upper West Side and downtown, sandwiched between East and Greenwich Village, to name just a few options.
Food halls are an increasingly popular concept in NYC, from Essex Market on the Lower East Side and Hell’s Kitchen’s Gotham West Market, to Columbus Circle’s underground Turnstyle. While vegan options can be found throughout, there has yet to be a completely plant-based destination to satisfy foodies.
An opening date for the NYC vegan food hall has not yet been announced.
