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When the pandemic first hit we were all cooking up a storm as our beloved restaurants temporarily shut down. We baked bread, tried new recipes, and cooked our way through the unknown. Thank goodness things have opened back up and we can once again taste the delicious foods we once devoured. I am one who has yet to step foot in a restaurant since COVID started. I truly miss having brunch with friends and dinners that are followed by drinks well into the evening. My social life may be on pause but my tastebuds are at least satisfied.
On the days I do not feel like cooking I order through one of the many online food services NYC has to offer. I have go-to restaurants that I order from weekly, and some that I sporadically have. One thing they all have in common- they are healthy. Sure I order all of the delicious foods that are deemed bad for you; ice cream, fries, burritos. But I also really love healthy foods. I love eating my go-to healthy take out food while I snuggle up with a blanket on the couch. If you didn’t know, I have an intolerance to gluten. Every restaurant that I share will have gluten-free options. Here are some of my favorite healthy take out restaurants to try.
Butchers Daughter
One of my favorite restaurants for both brunch and dinner here in the city. Butcher’s Daughter is all plant-based, but shhh… I add chicken to their pasta at home. I used to religiously order the zucchini pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms, cashew ricotta, and walnut pesto sauce. Ugh, so good I miss it- they took it off the menu a few months ago. Now I order the cauliflower pizza, which is gluten-free. For brunch, I get the Butcher’s pancakes made with rice flour and almond milk with a berry sauce. Very good! If none of these appeals to you, they have burgers, salads, toast, juices, yogurt, and a variety of styled eggs.
Honeybrains
I recently had Honeybrains for the first time and have truly been missing out. So far I have only had the cobb salad. I wanted to play it safe with something familiar, plus I wanted a salad. Now I am drooling over this BLT egg sandwich (pictured above) and also want to try the HB PB&J sandwich. They have gluten-free bread options. Most of their menu is salads, sandwiches, bowls, and toast. On weekends they closed at 4:30 pm, which is a bummer. The origin of Honeybrains is interesting; how three siblings started the restaurant using foods that help benefit your brain. One sibling is a neurologist. Pretty cool if you ask me!
The Little Beet
The Little Beet is my favorite restaurant to order from. Pretty sure I alone am keeping them going through COVID. I order it weekly, sometimes twice. I always create my own plate and usually get the same thing: chicken, greens, charred broccoli (sometimes switched out for sweet potatoes or rainbow carrots), shaved Brussel sprouts, and super seeds (hemp, pumpkins, sunflower). I do add beet hummus dip, but mostly I put my own vegan pesto on it that I get from Whole Foods…. sometimes I mixed it together. I have had their salmon before which is delicious, but I cook salmon a lot for myself during the week so rarely choose it. They also serve pork, falafel, and tofu. If creating your own plate seems overwhelming, they do have chef made plates to choose from.
Lean Harvest
Lean Harvest is another favorite of mine. I somehow can not find a website, and their location on each food service point to a different restaurant… but I get it almost every week. Maybe someone is making it out of their basement. I don’t care, it’s delicious! I always get the Brussel sprout sweet potato bowl with chicken and greens. Sometimes I add rice if I am wanting to have more carbs, but usually I stick with greens. I do want to try their Brussel sprout beet bowl, maybe with Japchae noodles. I do believe Lean Harvest is a Korean restaurant based on the food they serve: kimchi, bok choy, soju cocktails.
&pizza
You are probably thinking Mags pizza isn’t a healthy option. Sure there are healthier restaurants out there, but a girl can’t give up her za. Sorry Joe’s and Prince Street groupies, &pizza is my favorite. And the last time I checked, neither Joe’s nor Prince Street have gluten-free options. &pizza has gluten-free dough, as well as a variety of vegetables to choose from. Plus vegan cheese, if that is your thing. I love that I get to create my own pizza with healthy options and not feel guilty. I do wish they had cauliflower crust pizza because I think they would do a good job. Maybe someday!