Maintaining a plant-based diet is crucial in combating the climate crisis and ensuring a sustainable future. However, it is not realistic for everyone to adopt a vegan or vegetarian diet. Knowing about plant-based options nearby Fordham can make eating sustainably much easier for students.
Meat consumption is on the rise across the globe, and the current production of meat causes harm to the environment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, food-related greenhouse gas emissions are caused primarily by land use and agriculture. For example, a significant amount of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when forests are cleared out for farmland. Reducing meat consumption reduces carbon emissions, waste byproducts and water use, among other benefits. Plant-based diets even have the ability to minimize diet-related land use by over 70%.
In honor of Earth Day, here are some delicious and sustainable food options near Fordham Lincoln Center:
Aside from restaurants serving entirely plant-based menus, there are a lot of affordable vegan or vegetarian options on the menus of favorite Fordham lunch spots.
The most obvious sustainable food options are restaurants that serve exclusively plant-based meals. The word “vegan” tends to scare people as it has gained a negative reputation throughout the media and popular culture. Despite the stigma, plant-based restaurants have delicious options, and eating at any of them is a great way to support businesses that serve climate-friendly food without fully committing to a vegan lifestyle. These restaurants’ meals are as tasty and filling as those of their animal-based counterparts.
Le Botaniste is a vegan restaurant located near the corner of Columbus Avenue and 67th Street. This restaurant offers a variety of bowls, soups, salads and more in a casual and warm environment. The Tibetan Mama bowl and the Spicy Chili Sin Carne bowl feature bold flavors and are perfect for people who like a little spice.
P.S. Kitchen is a sit-down vegan restaurant about a 20-minute walk from campus. They serve a wide selection of vegan options for brunch, lunch and dinner, including the Beyond burrito and Thai chicken sandwich.
Aside from restaurants serving entirely plant-based menus, there are a lot of affordable vegan or vegetarian options on the menus of favorite Fordham lunch spots.
El Burrito Box, located near the corner of 57th Street and 9th Avenue, offers a vegetarian section of its menu. Burritos can be ordered with different vegetarian fillings, such as grilled mushrooms and tofu, which are then served with soy cheese and tofu sour cream.
Fordham’s trusty Halal Cart, located at the corner of 60th Street and 9th Avenue, offers delicious vegetarian options as well. Its falafel over rice dish is a popular choice among many students.
To grab a meal with friends or family, explore the menu at sit-down restaurants around Fordham for great plant-based plates.
El Mitote is a casual Mexican restaurant that is a great spot for groups due to its outdoor seating options and wide variety of food and drink offerings. There are several vegetarian taco filling options on their menu, including a mushroom filling and a bean and potato filling, both of which can be ordered wrapped in lettuce instead of a traditional corn or flour tortilla.
Bagel shops are a convenient and affordable way to eat sustainably for students.
Over in Hell’s Kitchen, Der Krung Thai serves classic Thai dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. Menu items such as their crispy veggie rolls, fresh summer rolls, Thai salad and eggplant tofu with spicy basil sauce are all plant-based.
Momofuku is a noodle bar on the third floor of The Shops at Columbus Circle that serves delicious starter plates and noodle dishes. The ginger scallion noodles are 100% plant-based.
Bagel shops are a convenient and affordable way to eat sustainably for students. Broad Nosh Bagels offers a variety of vegan spreads and cream cheeses, and Ess-A-Bagel offers completely vegan bagels made with no milk or eggs.
Coffee shops and bakeries near campus also have plant-based options. Joe Coffee Company, located on Columbus Ave between 68th and 69th Street, offers a vegan chocolate chip cookie.
Le Pain Quotidien has various plant-based options, such as avocado toast and chia seed pudding made with coconut milk.
For those who do not like paying extra to get a milk alternative in their coffee, Pret A Manger adds no additional charge for dairy-free milks.
Furthermore, Birch Coffee’s default milk is oat milk. Other non-dairy milk options can also be requested free of charge.
Eating sustainably does not mean you must completely change your lifestyle and adopt a fully vegan or vegetarian diet. However, if you find yourself wondering where or what to eat while you are on campus, consider choosing the more sustainable option; it is good for you and the planet.
