New York City Gets Its First Vegan Dining Month

As Veganuary gets set for another year, New York City is launching its first Vegan Dining Month.

Veganuary, the U.K.-based campaign that encourages people to go vegan for the month of January, now entering its ninth year, will see more options stateside.

New York City, which is governed by the mostly-vegan mayor Eric Adams, is celebrating its first Vegan Dining Month in January. The program is created by the vegan travel and food website, Vegans Baby, and supported by the Veganuary campaign.

New York’s Vegan Dining Month

New York City is home to a number of vegan restaurants including the three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park. The Vegan Dining Month campaign says it currently has more than 20 restaurants signed on to participate in the month-long program, including the popular Lower East Side spot, Caravan of Dreams, as well as Organic Grill, Lekka Burger, Soda Club, Rabbit, and Raiz, among others. The French bakery Ladureé, which offers a fully plant-based menu developed by chef Matthew Kenney at its Beverly Hills location in Los Angeles, will add a vegan ham omelet to its Soho menu for the month.

“I signed up [to participate in NYC Vegan Dining Month] because it was a no-brainer,” says Raiz owner Nick Johnson. “It’s what the people want. The plant-based wave is not just a trend, it’s the future and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Restaurants will offer special menu items throughout the month-long event.

“I am so excited to launch Vegan Dining Month in NYC after running it for six years in Las Vegas,” Diana Edelman, Vegans, Baby’s founder, said in a statement. “The city has such a dynamic vegan dining scene and I am thrilled to create an event here that encourages people to dine out during the month and give restaurants – both vegan and vegan-friendly – a try for a good cause.”

NYC embraces vegan nutrition

The vegan dining month follows a recent announcement by the city aimed at bringing plant-based nutrition training to its healthcare workers. The city earmarked $44 million as part of an American College of Lifestyle Medicine initiative — the largest in the world — that will train 200,000 of the city’s healthcare practitioners including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and dietitians on the evidence-based benefits of plant-based diets.

Proceeds from New York’s Vegan Dining Month will support the popular vegan charity, Support + Feed. The nonprofit was founded by Maggie Baird, mother to Billie Eilish and Finneas. The charity provides free plant-based meals to underserved communities.

The city is encouraging New Yorkers to try some of the vegan meals around town during Vegan Dining Month even if they’re not committing to the whole month of Veganuary.

“Hundreds of thousands of people take the Veganuary challenge every year and this event helps them see they can dine out around the city and find amazing vegan food and hopefully encourage them to stick with being vegan after the month,” Edelman says. “It also introduces new spots to vegans who dine out and showcases the diversity around the city.”