As much of Long Island gradually moves toward eating healthier, more natural fare in favor of greasy junk food, we have seen an ever-increasing growth of natural and organic health food stores and supermarkets available for your shopping. But if you want to avoid the hassle of preparing your own healthy meals all week or sometimes spending exorbitant prices on items simply because they are part of the current fad to eat healthier, then try dining out at one of Long Island’s many vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants.
TIGER LILY CAFE (631) 476-7080 156 E Main St Port Jefferson, NY 11777
Cuisine – Sandwiches, Vegetarian
Port Jefferson is home to some wonderful restaurants, but many of them tend to lean towards higher-priced fare. Do yourself a favor and stop into the Tiger Lily Café. The mood here is fun and energetic, and the food is ultimately healthy as well as delicious. A blend of mostly vegetarian dishes along with non-vegetarian but still particularly healthy fare graces the menu, featuring dishes as uniquely creative as the décor, a melding of intriguing art and music. Using fresh ingredients and always adding lots of new favorites to the menu, you’ll find a slew of wraps and sandwiches, salads, energy shakes and refreshing smoothies from the juice bar. The fresh food will revitalize and energize you, perfect for a walk around town afterwards.
Ariana is not your typical Huntington bistro. Utilizing a flavorful blend of spices and cuisines from the Mideast, blended with dishes from the West, this quaint eatery has achieved great status as one of the most delicious sources of Mid-eastern fare on Long Island. The menu features a slew of cultural dishes, the main portion of them being vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian entrees such as Vegetable Ravioli, potato and leek turnovers, and Vegetarian Kechri share the menu with other Afghani specialties. The warming décor is further complimented when your meal arrives, filling you with a warm, hearty feeling, wholly satisfying. The pungent smells and enticing flavors make Ariana a great option for vegetarians seeking something a little different than traditional vegetarian fare. There are plenty of non-vegetarian options to choose from as well, giving patrons a full range of cultural cuisines to choose from.
Call for hours
Average price per person: $30 (plus tax and gratuity)
PROVISIONS (631) 725-3636 Bay and Division Streets Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Cuisine – Organic, Vegetarian, Healthy
The East end of Long Island is dotted with small picturesque villages. Sag Harbor is one such village, and while shopping in the charming boutiques or browsing around the variety of eclectic shops, you might want to stop into Provisions, a delightful little café serving up wonderful organic and vegetarian dishes, breads, and pastries. The refreshing smoothies at provisions are a great healthy treat on a bright summer day, and the fresh sandwiches, burritos, and warm muffins are perfect when there is a bit of a chill in the air. Delicious wraps are light but filling. Provisions uses fresh, organic ingredients with a focus on healthy eating. Provisions also sells an assortment of organic groceries, books, cosmetics, and other items.
Breakfast and Lunch Monday – Friday - 8:30am – 4:00pm
Average price per person: $15 (plus tax and gratuity)
HOUSE OF DOSAS (516) 938-7517 416 S Broadway Hicksville, NY 11801
Cuisine - Indian
The House of Dosas is but one of several Indian restaurants located in the Hicksville, but it proudly stands apart from the rest in terms of excellence and authentic South Indian cuisine. The specialty of House of Dosas is of course the dosas themselves, Indian crepes with flaky pastry crusts. House of Dosas offers a very large variety of dosas with intriguing sides and sauces, along with traditional Indian fare such as curries and rice dishes. A vegetarian paradise of culinary delight is what you’ll find within this 60-seat restaurant, where the flavorful dosas and other healthy dishes are also reasonably priced. Using only quality Indian spices and ingredients, and pure vegetable oil, minus any artificial ingredients, the menu is full of enticingly delicious items.
Monday - Sunday 11:30am - 10:00pm
Average price per person: $20 (plus tax and gratuity)
ZEN PALATE (516) 333-8686 477 Old Country Rd Westbury, NY 11590
Cuisine – Pan-Asian, Vegetarian
The Zen Palate restaurant, located in Westbury, NY, is a strict vegetarian restaurant, and highly popular, as it strives to enlighten its customers with its exquisitely delicious menu of balanced vegetarian meals. Initially started by Buddhist vegetarians, the success of Zen Palate has continued to grow thanks to its diverse selection of West meets East fusion meals comprised of ingredients that are mostly produced fresh on-site. With most of their foods consisting only of Vegan ingredients (except for some desserts), and considered Kosher since there have never been any meat ingredients of any sort allowed in the restaurant or its kitchen, Zen Palate can appeal to a large clientele, consisting of vegans, the Jewish community, and those simply savoring a good, healthy meal.
Monday –Sunday - 11:30am-10:30pm
Average price per person: $20 (plus tax and gratuity)
PLANET BLISS (631) 749-0053 23N Ferry Rd Shelter Island, NY 11964
Cuisine – Healthy, Vegetarian
If you don’t reside in the area, then traveling to Shelter Island for a vegetarian meal may seem a bit of long distance, but when you combine the eclectic atmosphere and healthy indulgence of Planet Bliss with the peaceful allure of a nature-drenched island, you’ve got a winning combination. Planet Bliss resides in a converted Victorian home painted vibrantly, signaling to all that the restaurant is far from snobbish and refined, as one might tend to expect from many East End eateries. Planet Bliss serves a large assortment of healthy and vegetarian cuisine, including delicious fruit smoothies and tasty tapas. Planet Bliss transforms into quite the island hotspot in the evenings and on weekends, partly because it’s a central focal point on the island, but mainly because it’s a great place to get healthy vegetarian food at a good price in a relaxing location.
Call for seasonal hours
Average price per person: $20 (plus tax and gratuity)
BABETTES (631) 329-5377 66 Newtown Ln East Hampton, NY 11937
Cuisine – American, Fusion, Vegetarian, Healthy
Serving mostly organic food, Babette's first welcomes you into its luxurious green atmosphere, a cafe-like hotspot rich with various plants and trees. With a menu featuring a large selection of vegetarian food as well as fresh, organic poultry and seafood, you'll have no problem finding a healthy, flavorful meal to suit your liking. While the restaurant isn’t completely vegetarian, at least one third of the dishes featured on the menu cater to vegetarians, and the remainder is equally as healthy, as well as thoughtfully creative. You'll find food from other cultures adequately represented, and you may find your mouth watering before you've managed to decide on a particular dish. Babette's is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the evening hours, the restaurant serenades the diners with casual jazz music and dim-lit ambience.
Call for seasonal hours, closed Wednesdays
Average price per person: $30 (plus tax and gratuity)
AKBAR (516) 357-8300 2 South St Garden City, NY 11530
Cuisine – Northern Indian
The sign may be a bit overbearing, as well as the décor which hinges somewhere between theme park and gaudiness, but put your reservations aside, because this large restaurant serves up some of the finer and tastier Indian and ethnic cuisine on Long Island. As with most Indian restaurants, a large number of menu options are vegetarian friendly, with an extensive menu of vegetable specialties. Akbar’s focus is Northern Indian cuisine, using authentic Indian recipes, spices and ingredients. Patrons are treated with the utmost respect by attentive staff who are eager to please, and will consider requests for items not featured on the menu. Akbars will also cater special events, and their website features an assortment of interesting recipes and tips.
Average price per person: $25 (plus tax and gratuity)
TULA KITCHEN (631) 539-7183 41 E Main St Bay Shore, NY 11706
Cuisine – American, Vegetarian
Tula Kitchen’s focus is on healthy living and healthy eating, as well as enjoying what you eat, and so here you’ll find a wonderful menu of creative, delicious food catering mainly to the vegetarian crowd but also featuring a host of non-vegetarian recipes for those simply looking for a good, healthy meal. The décor is reminiscent of Mediterranean paradise, and once you taste the food, you’ll truly savor the experience. The owner and chefs of Tula Kitchen live for their food, and so take great pride in offering only the freshest and finest. Gourmet vegetarian dishes read like poetry on the menu, and your meal will truly feel like a work of art, not to mention how good you’ll feel after eating it.
Green Melody (516) 681-5715 519 N. Broadway Jericho, NY 11753
Cuisine – Kosher, Chinese, Vegetarian
Green Melody transcends the vegetarian experience beyond simple dishes, and features a menu full of creatively daring yet ultimately delicious healthy salads, soups and entrees certain to make your mouth water and you bellies rumble, whether you are vegetarian or not. The staff is all devoted vegetarians, and while the menu may feature beef, chicken or pork, it is actually soy foods you’ll be getting, expertly flavored yet much healthier than the real thing. Fresh juice drinks further compliment your meal, and even if you aren’t vegetarian, you may find yourself choosing these authentic vegetarian Chinese specialties over the less healthier, fattening and cholesterol-laden Chinese meals you’re used to.
The Top List of Veggie Restaurants - Long Island, NY