Viva Herbal Pizzeria

Viva serves kosher vegetarian and vegan food including salads, soups, pizza, sandwiches, and pasta. They also have a selection of Vegan Treats dessert such as cake, brownies, cheesecake, cookies, and whoopie pies. They offer between 6-8 vegan options on three different types of crust; cornmeal, spelt, and whole wheat. You can also add Chicago Soy Teese for an extra $1.50. The pizza slices at Viva are equivalent to two slices, therefore I usually ask the nice people behind the counter to cut them in half. Below are some of the slices I've tried. (Rating on a scale of 1 to 4 Stars)

Picante Slice ****

Whole Wheat crust with soy sausage, roasted red peppers, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes. This is by far my favorite slice. I love anything spicy, so this pizza is right up my alley.

Zen Slice ***1/2

Spelt crust with green tea herbed miso tofu, green tea basil pesto, shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, sundried tomato, roasted garlic. There is a lot going on with the Zen, but amazingly enough, it was actually quite tasty.

Santa Cruz Slice ***

Spelt crust with fresh tomato, broccoli, mushrooms, red onion, and tomato sauce. I love the combination of broccoli and mushrooms, but the tomato slices were just okay.

Santa Cruz with Teese ***

I've never tried Teese until now. I have to say that it was alright. I had high expectations for this vegan cheese product, but it didn't blow me away. I'll give it another try soon because we all need second chances right?

In the photo you will find Viva's address and phone number. To view their menu click here. Definitely give this place the next time you visit NY.

Pukk Thai Restaurant

Tofu Coconut Soup

(Tofu, mushroom, scallion, cilantro, coconut milk)

The East Village neighborhood provides a lot of options for vegetarian/vegans.  Some of the restaurants in the area include Angelica Kitchen (see post here), Viva Herbal Pizzeria (see post), John's, Bad Burger (hit or miss...Separate veggie kitchen...they also have a location in Williamsburg...24/7 at both locations), Organic Grill, Quintessence, Caravan of Dreams (see post), and the list goes on.  Pukk is an all vegetarian (mostly vegan) Thai restaurant located between 4th and 5th st. on 1st avenue.  Don't miss out on their lunch specials. For $6.50, you can get a soup, appetizer, and an entree.  Unfortunately, I missed out....OOPS, but ordered from their regular menu.  Everything was great....the only complaint...the summer rolls.  I'm pretty sure they pre-make their rolls. I can tell because the texture of the rice paper is somewhat firm and chewy.   Not my idea of a "fresh" summer roll. Favorite dish would have to be the coconut soup.  If you haven't been to Pukk, stop in for lunch sometime or just order takeout.  They'll come in a matter of minutes!

Mini Smorgasbord

"Fresh" Summer Rolls

(Rice paper, carrots, tofu, lettuce, red peppers served with hoisin sauce)

Vegetarian Duck Basil

(Onion, bell peppers with chili basil sauce)

Vegetable Pad Thai (No Egg)

(Smoked tofu, radish, zucchini, carrots, bean sprouts, peanuts, and scallions)

Steamed Veggies

(Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, spinach, bok choy)

The Spread

Pukk
Vegetarian Thai Cuisine
71 1st Avenue
New York, NY. 10003

212-253-2742
Website: http://www.pukknyc.com/