When Jeff & I were in New York City for the world-wide release of our feature-length film Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things I made sure we stopped at some of the paleo-friendly restaurants I had on my list.
SIDE NOTE: You can currently pre-order Minimalism and receive 20 additional videos with over 6 hours of bonus content.
Take a trip down memory lane with me as I recount all the glorious paleo food we had while in The Big Apple. And don’t forget, you can pin this article to come back to the next time you’re visiting New York City.
There are so many restaurant options in the dense and unique place that is New York City. Everything you could possibly think of, and then some, is available. I don’t know about you, but I get a pretty heavy case of FOMO while trying to decide where to go.
If you’re looking for paleo options there are more and more choices popping up, wherever you look. Here are some of our favorite places we went this time around.
Brodo
Our Experience: If you don’t listen to a word I say in this entire article, I highly recommend you go to Brodo! Brodo is not a restaurant you go to sit and eat. It is only a walk up window. You walk up, order and they serve several different flavors of bone broth. Think Soup Nazi from Seinfeld except everyone is happy you’re there. Then once you have your cup (or cups in our case) you can continue on with your day.
Prior to leaving for NYC I had been brainstorming ideas for the summer, one of which was to sell my bone broth at the farmer’s market in our area.
I was inspired by the walk window at Brodo and I couldn’t wait to try ALL THE BROTH. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. I enjoyed all of what we tried (and we tried them all) and I was excited that all their broths tasted on par with my own. :)
I think the vegetarian broth (mushroom & seaweed) was the most exotic and noteworthy. If after you go, you discover you love the flavors of Brodo’s bone broth and you want to make Marco Canora’s recipes (that’s the chef behind Brodo) from home, you can look for his bone broth cookbook, by the same name as the restaurant.
We were lucky to be there just as Marco was arriving. If there wasn’t a line of people waiting to get their cups of bone broth, I would have loved to talk to him more. Funny enough he was flying to Chicago the following day to present at the James Beard Awards.
Location: 1st Avenue at 12th Street, New York, NY 10009
Website: http://brodo.com/
Tu-lu’s Gluten Free Bakery
Our Experience: Only a block away from Brodo is this cute little gluten-free bakery. We stepped in to see if there was any dairy-free options and the donuts looked delicious. The woman behind the counter presented us with a book to see all the ingredients in each item, which was super handy. What I thought was awesome about Tu-Lu’s was that they didn’t prepare donuts as big as your face! They actually use the same donut pan I have and they’re baked too!
Location: 338 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003
Website: https://www.tu-lusbakery.com/
Bareburger
Our Experience: After playing a few board games at the only board game cafe in NYC, The Uncommons, we were pretty hungry and looking for something nearby. Bareburger turned out to be where we wound up. I was pretty sure we had been there before but when I looked at the menu I knew we had not. This restaurant is the most allergen-friendly place I think we have ever stepped foot in. The staff are so on point and aware of any allergies you may have, the notepad they use (or ipad in this case, actually) to make sure they are on point with your personal needs is absolutely amazing. It felt like we had stepped into the future.
Location: There are locations in New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, New Jersey, Connecticut & Ohio. We ate at the location near Washington Square Park.
Website: http://www.bareburger.com/
Bluestone Lane
Our Experience: Bluestone Lane was recommended to us by a friend of ours who grew up in New Zealand and worked in Australia before moving to NYC. He was surprised that we had not yet tried Australian coffee and recommended we check out Bluestone Lane.
If you are a coffee aficionado, you should definitely try their Australian coffee and gluten-free banana bread!
We went to two different locations while in NYC. For our first stop, we ate brunch at the West Village Collective Café (55 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014 (corner of Perry Street)), which is a slightly more expanded location than their typical cafés.
And a couple days later, while we were taking a stroll through Central Park, we stopped at their most unique and interesting location, located inside the Church of the Heavenly Rest on the Upper East Side (2 E 90th St, New York, NY 10128).
Location: There are several different locations located throughout New York (and one in Philadelphia). You’ll find cafés in the Financial District, Midtown East, Bryant Park, Noho & Astor Place. Click the locations link above to find where they have locations with an expanded menu, serving food.
Website: https://www.bluestonelaneny.com/
Foragers Table
Our Experience: On Sunday May 1st, 2016 our film debuted at the SVA Theater in New York City to a sold out crowd.
Prior to heading to the theatrical release, all of the Minimalism Film team (except Matt) went to brunch together. I chose Foragers Table because there were options for everyones dietary needs.
This restaurant isn’t your typical Farm to Table place. Sure they source locally, sustainably and ethically but they also have their own farm in upstate New York and source from farmers and producers they know. Attached to the restaurant is a market where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, etc.
Location: 300 W 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011
Website: https://foragersmarket.com/restaurant/
Fresh & Co.
Our Experience: After eating at Pokéworks we were looking for someplace to sit and talk for a while and wound up at Fresh & Co. As I was walking around I was surprised to spot in the refrigerated section, a package labeled “paleo”.
We had just eaten so I did not even look at the menu but I felt the need to support this restaurant, and have dessert, as we munched on the Paleo Coconut Macaroons.
Location: There are currently 15 locations in Manhattan.
Website: http://freshandconyc.com/
Zona Rosa Brooklyn: Taqueria Tradicional en Williamsburg
Our Experience: For the first half of our trip we stayed in Brooklyn and down the street was this Mexican restaurant that paid respects to authentic Mexican cuisine. They just happened to be open until 1am Thursday-Saturday nights and one night as we were heading home, and not quite ready to call it a night, we stopped in for some late-night snacks (taco platter, elotes & churros). I wasn’t too hungry but I did do a little taste-testing of their Horchata & Aguas Frescas to compare flavors to our recipes in Paleo MX.
Location: 571 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Website: http://www.zonarosabrooklyn.com/
Pokéworks
Our Experience: My last paleo restaurant recommendation is for a place I’ve been wanting to go to for MONTHS. The sushi burrito is a thing. It exists. And it is delicious. Pokéworks makes this beautiful concoction. Think Chipotle except all the options are of the sushi variety.
Snarky Note: Before you get your panties all up in a bunch because this recommendation has white rice in it, maybe just forget I recommended it. Some people include rice in their paleo diet and some do not. We are in the camp of the some who do.
Location: There are locations in California, Boston and Seattle. The only location in NYC is at 63 W 37th Street, New York, NY 10018.
Website: http://www.pokeworks.com/
Are you interested in more Paleo friendly restaurants? Have a recommendation of someplace we should check out? Let us know!
