12 BEST PLANT

12 Best Plant-Based Eating Options in Westchester and Dutchess

by Marilee Burrell

Eating out while staying healthy is easy when you know where to go. We’ve put together a handy list of local restaurants, shops and cafés with vegan, organic and gluten-free fare. Whether you take out or eat in, have fun discovering these plant-based eating options in our area.

Aba’s Falafel 54 East Market St., Rhinebeck, NY 845.876.2324 • AbasFalafel.com Small all-vegan Middle Eastern restaurant serving falafel, salads, hummus, soups and specials. Everything is made fresh to order using organic chickpeas and locally sourced food when possible. There are gluten-free options. Take out or eat in. Spicy condiments available for those with a hot palate.

Bewies zucchini lasagna

Aba’s Falafel

BeWies Holistic Market 430 Bedford Rd., Armonk, NY 914.273.9437 • BeWies.com Mother and daughter Amy Berman and Julie Wiesen own this market, which offers a full menu of organic and fresh-made options for a healthy meal or snack, including juices, smoothies, salads, wraps and sandwiches, acai bowls, and fresh-baked treats that are gluten free, nut free and vegan. Take out or eat in. Seats 10.

Avocado Toast at Nella’s Nutri-Bar

Chakra Bowl at Chakra Bowl Café

Chakra Bowls Café 33 Arlington Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 845.849.0399 • ChakraBowlsCafe.com Beautiful and healthy smoothie bowls, super-food smoothies, rice and quinoa bowls, healthy toasts (gluten free available), and house-made soups. Online orders available. Serves Laughing Gut kombucha on tap and organic cold brew from North River Rosters Coffee.

Good Choice Kitchen Vegan Café & Culinary Center 147 Main St., Ossining, NY 914.930.1591 • GoodChoiceKitchen.com Chef and owner Laurie Gershgorn has designed a diverse menu from ingredients that are vegan, organic, bio-farmed, seasonal, local, non-GMO, fair trade, (mostly)

Good Choice Kitchen Lentil Loaf

gluten free, veg-centric, peanut free and plant based. Serves breakfast, soup, salads, savory bowls, sandwiches, wraps, burritos and pizza. Build your own plates from healthy side dishes and daily specials. Also serves fresh juices and smoothies, New York craft beers, and sustainable local wines and hard ciders.

Nella’s Nutri-Bar 2 Maple St., Croton On Hudson, NY 914.259.2296 • NellasNutribar.com Founded in 2020 by owner Nella Servedio, this smoothie shop serves nutritious, vegan-friendly food in a family-friendly environment. Menu features smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads, toasts and yogurt parfaits. Seats 20.

Humble Garden 179 Rectory St., Port Chester, NY 914.935.7499 NYFullKitchen.com/humble-garden-menu Offers a selection of vegan entrées, including tacos, burgers and build-your-own bowls. Vegan concept by the people behind Senora. Take out and delivery only.

Jolo’s Kitchen & Vegan Restaurant Take out: 412 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY Eat in: 49 Lawton St,. New Rochelle, NY 914.355.2527 • Instagram: JoloKitchen Jolo’s Kitchen opened in 2008 at 412 North Avenue, New Rochelle, as a vegan, buffetstyle, take-out café with a juice bar. It recently opened a second, eat-in location less than a mile away, at 49 Lawton Street. Both locations offer vegan, gluten-free and raw menu items with signature island flavors from owner and chef Marc “Jolo” Moise.

Masala Kraft Café 206 E Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, NY MasalaKraftCafe.com • 914.722.4300 Indian café with many gluten-free and vegan options created by chef and owner Jasumati Vaghji. Serves lunch, dinner and coffee. Offers catering and delivery. Reservations and walk-ins welcome. Nourish Quinoa Bowl

Nourish 8 E. Market St., Red Hook, NY 845.835.8402 • NourishJuiceRedHook.com Certified holistic health coach Jeni Wrightson bought the former Get Juice and reimagined it as Nourish—serving coldpressed organic juices, toasts, smoothies, smoothie bowls and salads with a focus on local, organic ingredients and zero food waste.

Pureganic Café

The Pureganic Café 46 Purchase St, Rye, NY 914.967.2332 • Pureganic-Cafe.com Formerly Andy’s, now owned and operated by Moshira Solimon, The Pureganic Café offers customizable meal plans, baked goods and cleanses. Everything, including catered options, is made fresh daily in the café’s organic, vegan, gluten-free, kosher kitchen. Zucchini rollatini at Skinny Buddha

Skinny Buddha Organic Kitchen 159 Lexington Ave., Mount Kisco, NY 914.358.1666 • MySkinnyBuddha.com Elyce Jacobson, head chef and co-owner of Skinny Buddha, keeps a large selection of organic, vegan and gluten-free meals in the restaurant’s deli cases, including BBQ vegan meatloaf, zucchini rollatini, and brown rice penne Bolognese with housemade “meatballs” (base is butternut squash and navy beans). Other offerings include soups, salads, smoothies, acai bowls and plant-based, gluten-free baked goods.

Végétalien dishes

Végétalien 504 Main St., Beacon, NY VegetalienBeacon.com Végétalien—a locally sourced, 100% plantbased café and juice bar—opened two years ago in the heart of Beacon. Menu includes salads, Buddha bowls, juices, sandwiches (with gluten-free options) and baked goods. Seats 20.