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Cafe Veg
Rating Details »
Category: Vegetarian [Edit]
Neighborhood: Harlem2291 7th Ave
(between 134th St & 135th St)
New York, NY 10030
(212) 491-3223
- Nearest Transit:
-
135th St (2, 3)
135th St (B, C)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- None
14 reviews for Cafe Veg
I was here with a friend who was in from Boston and her friend who works on 125th. None of us are vegetarians, but she had heard it was good so we tried it. We all were being boring and got the platter - so we had veggie burgers with fries. The burgers were very good, and the fries were perfectly done. I know it's not that hard to make decent fries but these were awesome - not over- or under-cooked, with the right amount of salt on them. We also ordered the eggplant fritters to share because we were starving. Right after we arrived, 3 other people came in, so the kitchen became quite busy. There was one woman working up front taking orders, and she also was the only one waiting tables. The other employee was manning the juice station. The platter came with natural soda - lemonade, raspberry lemonade, or orange mango. I don't like lemonade, raspberries, or mango, so I ordered the orange-mango. It was basically just mango so I barely touched it. The food took a while to come, but I think it was just because the kitchen was so busy for such a small place. What bothered us was that we got the eggplant fritters at the same time as the rest of the food. Also, they were cooked in sooooooo much olive oil. I could have wrapped an entire paper towel roll around them and squeezed, and these still would've been greasy. My roll for the burger was kinda dry too, so I wound up taking the portion of it that went beyond the edge of the burger and leaving it on my plate.
I gave Cafe Veg 3 stars because of the time and the greasy eggplant fritters. I think if I hadn't ordered them I would've given it 4. I don't know if I'll ever be back because I am never really up in the W Harlem area, but I wouldn't hesitate to try them again. What I saw on other patrons' plates looked delicious.
Also, the review above me said it seemed like her juice was not made fresh. I saw juice being made when I was there. Just wanted to add that.
Disappointing!! I just paid $32 for the following to be delivered through "Harlem to Go" from Cafe Veg:
Mixed Greens/Carrot/Ginger Juice: At least a quarter of the juice was spilled out inside the bag and all over everything, when it arrived. of course, HTG blames Cafe Veg, but I'm not to thrilled about either, especially since it took an hour to get here (15 blocks) and they didn't give me the original receipt. My sense, from the cloudiness, is that it wasn't made fresh - probably the carrot was pre-juiced and refrigerated - defeats the point of fresh juice...
Veggie Roti: menu says "served with one side" so I ordered mac n cheese - they put the mac INSIDE the roti! Um...hello? really? I thought I was getting veggies and some soy mac n cheese on the side... where Entrees are listed, it says "served with 2 sides" - i don't think they "become" the entree...and what makes it worse is I asked HTG over the phone if I was choosing what goes into the Roti...and was told "no".
Side of Collard Greens: Very good.
Chocolate Strawberry Short Cake: Stale - may have had potential, were it not...
The delivery charge is $3.99, and with tax and tip that was $32... I am now going back to re-add everything and be sure about that - meanwhile, that was "meh" as some of you say, because I was hungry, grocery-less and less than inclined to move out of my seat to solve it.
Would I order from either spot, again? Doubtful...
But SOMEONE should create another Harlem delivery service with more restaurant choices, and a better handle on handling beverages...
(I say they take credit cards because Harlem to Go does - not sure if Cafe Veg does.
I love this place. I discovered Cafe Veg while subletting a friend's apartment in Harlem. She's a vegetarian and I thankfully discovered a Cafe Veg menu in her kitchen. To my delight, Cafe Veg was not only tasty, but also inexpensive (for $10 I can make dinner last to lunch the next day)! I visited at least six times in my three weeks in Harlem.
I will say some of the sides were disappointing. I enjoyed the collard greens, cabbage and broccoli, but wasn't a fan of the yams or mac and cheese. The curry "chicken" and BBQ "ribs" are yummy! Tonight I think I'll try one of the wraps....
I had my first vegan meal at Cafe Veg and I have been back 3 times this month.
It is an unassuming place on 7th Ave and 135th St. I have never had soy products in place of meat, but it is good. I usually get the Veg Curried Duck with Chickpeas and rice and beans and Collard Greens. It is a mild curry not super powerful.
Everything is around 8-10 bucks and the portions are large. I'll miss this place when I move out of Harlem to the East Village.
They also have fresh juice bar inside which is nice.
It is a clean nice place to go eat and they deliver!!!
GO NOW.
No really, go to this wonderful, unassuming little cafe off 135th and your body will thank you.
If you have never had true ital (from 'vital'--pure and organic) cuisine or think that you would rather stuff fistfuls of sand down your throat than eat vegetarian--run don't walk to Cafe Veg and get your preconceived notions blown away.
For those who have time constraints, I suggest ordering to-go because sit-down service is euphemistically 'unrushed' .
The food is simply marvelous ranging from roti to homemade soups and salads to full entrees with southern staples like BBQ Chicken, Backed Mac and Cheese, Mustard Greens and Yams--all ital, all vegan (i know! alarming yet interesting!!)
When you go you just might see me pop in to get my veggie fix :D
This is my go-to place in the neighborhood! Cafe Veg, like Uptown Juice Bar is totally awesome vegan food. It's a nice little cafe and very clean. I have yet to try the juice bar, but the food is delicious. I've had the BBQ chicken, Sesame chicken, veggie burger and curry chicken for entrees which usually come with two sides. I usually stick with steamed broccoli and fried plantains.
I subtracted one star because there are a few downsides to Cafe Veg. Sometimes the service can be slow and usually they are out of a lot of items listed on the menu, which can be disappointing. Also, I'm just not a fan of vegan mac n cheese. But I'm not vegan, so I can enjoy the real thing!
These are all pretty minor problems in my opinion. It's so great to have a healthy, inexpensive place like this so close to home.
Great little vegetarian place in Harlem. I've only been once, but my experience was excellent. I had the tofu stir fry special which came with two sides and the portions were huge. I also had a carrot juice and my total bill was just over $11.00. You can't beat that, and the food was perfect. The collard greens were wonderful and the tofu was perfect. The staff was friendly and sure to ask me how i liked everything. I might become a regular.
I have never been to Cafe Veg, but I order delivery frequently. The food is always hot, fresh, and incredibly delicious. They use a delivery service: Harlem To-Go, so you have to call or order through the website. They charge a delivery fee, so delivery can get a bit pricey- but it's totally worth it.
My favorite dish is the Teriyaki Chicken & Brown Rice. (I'm actually eating it right now mmmm!) They have fabulous vegan desserts too; the carrot cake is sublime. My favorite delivery food. Ever.
This past week, I was in from Chicago and staying at the Harlem YMCA. Was I stoked to find this place just around the corner! Large menu with lots of non-meat "meat" items, from chicken nuggets/strips to turkey to fish to veggie burgers and other assorted tofu concoctions. And it's not just sandwiches and wraps (which they do have); they do entrees ranging from baked yams and potatoes with soy chicken to BBQ chicken/beef with mashed potatoes to pasta and cold salads. Like some other places around, they also do freshly-made juices and smoothies.
I was only in for a couple days, and of those only was able to stop in once. I got the veggie chicken wrap for carry-out. So good. I plowed through that thing by the time I was down to 127th. Warm, fresh, full of big chunks of chicken, lots of tomatoes and lettuce, and their "goddess dressing," which is a nice smooth tanini/garlic/lemon-ish blend that really brought the whole thing together. And the wrap was an amazingly soft and warm corn tortilla. Mmm. (Not being vegan, I did get it with cheese... although I'm not sure if it was dairy or not. Didn't think to ask.)
Clean little dining area; just a couple rows of tables stretching back. Brick walls, glass front, simple lights. Looks like it would be a nice place to sit down and eat.
My only complaint: I was getting up and around for my day and was thinking their tofu scramble for breakfast. Said they opened at 8, but calling at 8.30, I got no answer...
Come on the right day and you'll see Janet Jackson sipping anti-oxidant beet juice! Delicious smoothies and cleansing cocktails at this surprisingly large dining room in Harlem. The veggie burgers are small but so good you'll want three. Yum and healthy.
I went in on a rainy Saturday afternoon with a friend. I had to wait a bit for my friend, but the waitress and other staff were quite nice and let me sit. She even chatted a bit with me. They have a large flat screen tv, which is a bit wierd. But it wasn't even playing the Mets game. And they said they couldn't change it until the manager got there.
It was my friend's second time there, and she was quite pleased. Their sides are the most yummy looking things on the menu. Each meal comes with 3 included sides. I'm not a fan of fake meat, so I was pleased that they had some other things on the menu. I don't even remember what I ordered, but the collard greans and chick peas were yummy sides. The mac-n-cheese wasn't that great though.
The waitress has a good mind for names and faces though, because she recognized my friend from the last time she was in there. She also randomly recognized me on the street today, from her car! I think she should get extra stars because of that!
Vegan friendly!
What's the craziest move you've done whilst crushing on a girl? How about becoming vegan?
Welcome to Cafe Veg, Harlem's coolest all vegan spot! While I work a block away and had heard so many good things about this place I've never possessed much interest in vegan/vegetarian cuisine. Omnivore to the core I say! However, a lunch outing among colleagues provided the impetus to "turn the corner" on Cafe Veg in both a metaphorical and literal sense. In figuring out where to eat someone threw out "Cafe Veg!" I was going for my ace-in-the-hole lunch spot Miss Maude's Spoonbread (see my review). However, seeing everyone's excitement about eating lunch somewhere new I quietly agreed. The place itself is carved out of the ground level of a brownstone. When you walk in you are greeted by a beautiful hostess in a long black dress. First thing that hits you is how beautiful the place is. The juice bar is flushed to your left. Oak wood & brick all around and a flat screen mounted in the back. Cozy but never tight. Our waitress was the beautiful Simone from Guyana. She passed around the menus and began to tell us about the specials for the day.
Simone: "Today we have sesame chicken with brown rice, and your choice of two sides. We also have.... "
Hugo: "I"LL HAVE THAT..." (He interjects with an excitement level that is clearly disproportionate to the exoticness of the meal just uttered)
What can I say. She was that good at convincing me. I chose the aforementioned meal with pumpkin stew and curry potatoes as my sides. Everyone else around the table placed their orders. We were given Phlouries which are fried rounds made of cornbread and chickpeas served with a dipping sauce. These were the starters. Delish! While most of my congnitive skills were focused on watching lovely Simone walk to and fro about the restaurant I did notice the good food we ate. We were served on beautiful, white, art deco plates. The "sesame chicken" was awesome! I'm not a tofu dude, but this stuff could've passed the Perdue Test of Quality Foul. The seasoning was not overdone. The brown rice might have well been white. It was cooked to such perfection I couldn't tell the difference.The sides were quite large in portion. I sampled other peoples' plates. The collard greens were flawless. The eggplant fillet was a bit soggy for my taste. I topped it off with an orange-mango natural soda. AHHHH!
The Kicker!? The prices in here are almost offensively low given the professionalism, portion size, and sheer excellence of the food. My bill with drink and all came up to $10! This place obviously is keeping the working class and community in mind with their prices. And for that I am ever grateful. While Simone was definitely the bait, the food grabbed my loyalty all on its own. I'll be back next week!
Now open, this sister restaurant to the Uptown Juice Bar is located near 135th and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. It has quickly become a favorite of the Meet Up Vegetarian group and is gaining popularity with local vegetarians for their meatless options like vegetarian ribs and other soy alternatives.
Decent if boring food. I'm not a big fan of meat-replacement meals, not being vegetarian myself. There are plenty of delicious meatless dishes in this world, why go this route with the entire menu? Nice interior, nice staff.
