- - - - - - - - - -[ eateries ]- - - - - - - - - - Here are some of our favorite freak-friendly eateries, in no particular order. They range from cheap to luxurious and from diners to theme restaurants. In actuality, there are just far too many cool choices to even pretend to be comprehensive here; furthermore, tastes vary and "cool" is subjective. These are, however, a good place to begin.
Yaffa Cafe Much of Yaffa's appeal lies in its unique decor: animal prints, kitschy lamps, fountains, plastic fruit, and a garden out back. The menu is comprised of mostly inexpensive continental dishes with a few pseudo-Asian and Mediterranean items for variety. The vegetarian selection is very broad. The crepes, chicken and pasta dishes, Middle Eastern dips, and salads are especially excellent. Alternative Music (including Gothic) celebrities are occasionally found at Yaffa. The staff is freak-friendly, the music is usually good, and they'll even give you a Yaffa condom on the way out. Yes, that's where we got the idea from. 97 Saint Marks Place
at: Between Avenue A and First Avenue.
tel: (212) 674-9302
24 hours
Entrees $4-$10
Cafe 7A 7A has simple decor, bathrooms with purple doors, and a great menu. There are quite a few vegetarian choices from Italian, continental, diner, and Mexican-style fare. They also serve breakfast and brunch, including some excellent and inexpensive omelets. The bar is well-stocked, with a nice selection of specialty drinks. 109 Avenue A
at: 7th Street
tel: (212) 673-6583
24 Hours
Entrees $7-$16,
Breakfast $2-$8
Cafe Mogador Mogador has a Moroccan theme to its food and features the East Village's ubiquitous black-clad hipster waiters. Specialties include couscous and vegetables, and the ambience is excellent for dessert and coffee in the evening. 101 Saint. Marks Place
at: Between First Avenue and Avenue A.
tel: (212) 677-2226
Sunday - Thursday 9AM-12:30AM;
Friday - Saturday 9AM-1:30AM
Appetizers
$2.75-$5, Entrees $7-$15 Sidewalk Cafe Sidewalk is made up of four parts: the restaurant, the back-room performance space, the bar, and a downstairs pool room. Bands and artists perform nightly beginning around 7PM. The food is simple, but cheap and filling. 94 Avenue A
at: 6th Street
tel: (212) 473-7373
Sun-Thu 8AM-5AM; Sat-Sun 24hrs.
Meals $5-$12 Lucky Cheng's Pan-Asian fare, drag queens, and karaoke... what could be more quintessentially New York City? Lucky Cheng's "girls" serve you and sing. 24 1st Ave
(Between 1st and 2nd streets)
Fri - Sat 5:00PM - 4:00AM
Sun - Thu 5:00PM - 2:00AM
Tel: (212) 473-0516
A complete dinner (appetizer and entree)
Runs in the $20-$30 range.
Citysearch Profile Maison de Sade Located in Chelsea, on the same block as the notorious Chelsea Hotel, La Maison de Sade is an S/M-themed restaurant where you can be whipped before dinner and then served by your dominatrix. Note: there is a $14 minimum. 206 W 23rd St
New York, NY 10011
Daily 4:00PM- 4:00AM
Tel: (212) 727-8642
Appetizers $5-10, Entrees $14-20
Citysearch Profile La Nouvelle Justine La Nouvelle Justine bills itself as "The Original S&M Cafe". Tucked away in the East Village, it features live shows with dinner, and Sunday nights are "Forever Fetish", a weekly event by the Baroness, New York's
own designer of latex fetishwear. The food is served by their fetish staff, and customers can participate in scenes. 101 E 2nd St
New York, NY 10009
Fri -Sat 6:00pm- 4:00am
Sun -Thu 6:00pm- 1:00am
Tel: (212) 673-8908
Appetizers and salads are between
$6 and $12, entrees between $15 and $20
Citysearch Profile Jekyll and Hyde There are three options upon entering: a bar to the left, a dining area straight ahead, and another dining area upstairs. The restaurant is decorated to resemble the rooms of a Victorian mad scientist— complete with bookshelves which contain "secret" doors to the restrooms. The downstairs is called the study, with televisions showing old horror movies, and a talking tiki mask. Upstairs is the cannibal lounge with strange "specimens" and skeletons decorating the walls and ceiling. And if all this weren't enough, Jekyll and Hyde has one of the largest selections of beer in Manhattan. Each table is covered by a list of all international and domestic beers available. 91 Seventh Avenue South
at: Between Barrow and West Fourth Streets.
tel: (212) 989-7701
Sun-Thu 12pm-2AM; Fri-Sat 12PM-4AM. Veselka There are quite a few Ukrainian diners in the East Village area (see Kiev and Odessa), but Veselka is at the top of the list. A local landmark since the 1950s, Veselka is open 24 hours and serves hearty traditional Eastern European cooking. The menu was created with cartoons and drawings submitted by customers, and a large, vaguely cubist mural which depicts Veselka regulars covers two walls of the dining room. The latke (potato pancakes) are amazing, as well as the
pierogies (potstickers with various fillings). Breakfast is served all day; however, during brunch only, they serve wonderful waffles with a fresh raspberry sauce. 144 Second Avenue
at: 9th Street.
tel: (212) 228-9682
24 hours
Meals $5-10 Panna Panna embodies the typical New York City Indian restaurant experience: low ceilings, shiny decorations from any and all holidays, and rows and rows of red Christmas lights. From the exterior, it is barely noticeable amidst the other restaurants of Little India. Yet it distinguishes itself as having some of the best food for the lowest prices in Manhattan. Look for specials— they often have a complete dinner available, with a choice of appetizer, soup, entree, and drink for $10-$15. The ambiance is quite unique, so if you'd prefer a more soothing environment, try turning the corner at 6th Street and look for Windows on India (see below). 93 First Avenue
at: Between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
tel: (212) 598-4610
Mon-Sun 12PM-12AM.
$6-$12, Entrees. Windows on India Windows on India is one of the many restaurants lining the section of 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues— an area colloquially known as "Indian Restaurant Row". However, while most of these restaurants are completed by flashing "hot chili" lights strung across the ceiling, Windows on India is a classy, yet still inexpensive alternative. Perhaps because of the competition which is created when an entire street is lined with Indian restaurants, the food is always good quality, and usually more than enough for one person. For a simple vegetarian dish, the biryani is wonderful. 344 East 6th Street
at: Between First and Second Avenues.
tel:
(212) 477-5956 Black-eyed Suzie's Serving a large selection of all-vegetarian and vegan dishes, Suzie's is one of the few restaurants in New York with ambiance that could be described as "homey" or "comforting". Antique quilts hang on the yellow-toned walls, and the furniture is a collection of antique tables, chairs, and benches. A full carafe of water remains on the table throughout the meal, and dinner is served with amazing whole wheat bread and a spicy black bean spread. Even self-proclaimed "meat-eaters" find the food here tasty and satisfying. 128 East 7th Street
(212) 388-0707 Kiev The Kiev serves hearty Ukrainian food all day and night long. It is something of a post-nightclub bohemian legend, going back decades. The long thin space looks out onto 7th Street from its atmospherically dingy cafeteria-like dining room. This is the authentic East Village: pierogies and borsch served all night. 117 Second Avenue
at: Seventh Street.
tel: (212) 674-4040
24 hours
Orders: $3-10 Odessa Odessa is yet another Ukrainian Diner. Just off Tompkin's Square Park, the clientele ranges from elderly locals to teenage punks. The interior could be that of nearly any diner, but there is a large smoking section in the back, and the portions (which include diner favorites like mozzarella sticks and hamburgers) are large. 119 Avenue A
at: Between 7th Street
and St. Marks Place.
tel: (212) 253-1470
24 hours
Orders: $2-$10 Life Cafe Life Cafe owes its recent tourist clientele to the musical "Rent", though it remains a favorite for the breadth of the menu, particularly vegetarian and Mexican
dishes. The walls and tables are decorated with images from old "Life" magazines (hence the name) and they are happy to accommodate moderately sized groups. Life has a full bar, including great blended margaritas and Cider Jack on tap. 343 East 10th Street
(Between Aves. A & B)
Fri -Sat 11:00AM- 3:00AM
Sun -Thu 11:00AM- 1:00AM
Tel: (212) 477-8791
Food served until 2:00AM Fri-Sat
Food served until Midnight Sun-Thu
Appetizers $5-$9, entrees $6-$10,
Also breakfast and brunch $3-10
Citysearch Profile Pommes Frites Hand-made Belgian french fries is all they do, and they do them well. A huge paper cone full of fries will set you back $2-$3, with a choice of over 25 sauces. Pick some up and share them as you wander down St. Mark's Place. 123 Second Avenue
at: Between 7th Street and St. Mark's Place.
tel: (212) 674-1234
Sun-Thu 11:30AM-12AM; Fri-Sat 11:30AM-1AM Supplementary Vegetarian Listings No matter what your dietary restrictions or preferences, New York City can provide you a wide array of options. This brief listing of roughly ninety vegetarian (or highly vegetarian-friendly) Manhattan restaurants may be useful for vegetarians, vegans and really anyone who enjoys good food. Veggie
Scale:
V = copious vegetarian entrees
V V = about half of the entrees are vegetarian
V V V = strictly vegetarian
V V V V = largely or entirely vegan Prices:
$ = entrees under $10
$$ = entrees around $10
$$$ = entrees around $15
$$$$ = entrees $20 and above  | 
