As the vegan diet becomes increasingly popular, more and more vegan restaurants are opening up and current restaurants are beginning to make vegan options available on their menus.
If you're vegan and planning on visiting Long Island — and are worried that the only food you'll find is seafood — you have no need to worry. There are many restaurants on the island that are making it easier to eat vegan when going out to eat with your family and friends
1. LT Burger
It's probably weird to put a burger joint on a list of vegan options, but LT Burger in Sag Harbor has the best veggie burger I've ever had. It does come with cheese, but it tastes just as good without.
For all you avocado lovers out there, they are generous enough to slam an entire half of one on this burger. You're welcome.
2. Provisions Market & Cafe
Not feeling a burger? No problem. Sag Harbor's half market, half cafe has plenty of vegan options on their menu. From sandwiches to salads, curries to quesadillas, and soups to scrambled tofu, this place can please anyone. And be sure to stop in their market on the way out and pick up some vegan snacks for the ride home.
3. Buddha Berry
If you're still hanging around Sag Harbor, stop by Buddha Berry frozen yogurt for dessert. They always have dairy-free yogurts that taste just as great as their dairy-filled cousins.
They also have a huge topping bar with toppings like maca powder, toasted quinoa, hemp seeds, peanut butter-filled pretzels, toasted coconut, cereal, candy bars, fruit—basically anything you can imagine, you can put it on your yogurt.
If you're not in a frozen yogurt mood, they also have Belgian waffles, crepes, smoothies, shakes, and a full Italian coffee bar.
4. Tiger Lily Cafe
Moving out of Sag Harbor, here's an adorable little cafe in Port Jefferson. Tiger Lily has an entire menu dedicated to vegan options or vegetarian options that can easily be made vegan. If you're also gluten-free, you can ask for any sandwich to be made as a salad.
Menu items include veggie burgers, a delicious sesame tofu wrap with peanut sauce, soups (my favorite is the carrot ginger soup), smoothies, juices, wheatgrass shots, roasted veggies, and raw desserts.
5. Crazy Beans
This cafe is super cute and super fun. Think polka dot plates (like this one), mason jars, checkered ceilings, and decadent lattes. Not everything on their menu is vegan-friendly, but a lot of dishes can be made to be.
My favorite is their veggie wrap (ordered without cheese) with chickpea salad and red pepper pesto. They also have tofu omelettes, salads, and quesadillas.
6. Whole Foods Market
Besides having delicious vegan recipes on their website, Whole Foods serves plenty of freshly-made vegan meals that can be eaten in-store or taken home. Think roasted veggies, salads, sandwiches, and whole grains. No need to worry about shopping hungry here.
7. Cornucopia Natural Foods
Just like Provisions, there's a whole natural foods market in the front of the store, and a small cafe located in the back.
They have sandwiches, salads, veggie burgers, smoothies, and desserts. Even better, all of their ingredients are 100% organic and 100% non-GMO.8. Legend's
If you're coming into Long Island from the Orient ferry, stop by Legends for an ocean view and good food. They may not have many vegan options, but the ones they have are done perfectly.
When I first went, I had lentil meatballs with black bean spaghetti. Although they've since changed their menu, they still make vegan options available. Right now, they have a seasonal winter curry made with vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes.
9. Tula Kitchen
At Tula Kitchen, the vegan options are endless for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals include baked oatmeal, quinoa breakfast bowls, lentil burgers, a tempeh reuben, and a lentil mushroom loaf.
10. Toast Coffeehouse
Considered one of the top ten best places to get brunch or breakfast on Long Island, Toast's menu includes oatmeal, avocado toast, scrambled tofu, vegan french toast (made without eggs and dipped in coconut milk), a veggie burger, and a portobello panini.
11. Gourmet Burger Bistro
While I personally can't say their veggie burger is better than LT Burger's, it's still pretty darn good. Pairing it with a side of roasted fingerling potatoes is like putting (dairy-free) icing on the (vegan) cake.
The best vegan options here are the build-a-burger or the build-a-burger salad, where you can put a veggie burger on top of the salad of your choosing instead of a bun.
No need to go to California for vegan eats. Long Island might be known for it's fresh seafood, cheesy New York style pizza, doughy bagels, and old-fashioned diners, but there's plenty more than that here.