In my opinion, no vegan restaurant deserves a shout out more than Caravan of Dreams located at 405 E.6th Street (between 1st Ave & Ave A) in New York City. “Caravan” has been doing vegan for a very long time and has been at the same East Village location since 1991 despite the rapidly evolving neighborhood. I was lucky enough to dine there this past Saturday night with my husband Jeff. He’s such a great sport; I dragged him from Long Island in a massive rain storm. We both agreed that the trip was well worth the lovely dining experience.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by its cozy atmosphere. Jeff thought it seemed a bit old, but I really loved its exposed brick walls and intimate feeling. I have to admit that I felt the urge to be wearing a pair of Doc Martens when I entered the space. Apparently, the restaurant has live music but there wasn’t any playing while we were there. The restaurant was full and we were both excited to see the vast menu. There were so many choices and I didn’t expect to see the large selection of “live” foods which I thought was pretty cool.
Some of the entrees on the menu were a Spanish Paella, a Macrobiotic Platter and a “Live” Zucchini and Yellow Squash Spaghetti. There were “specials” of the day such as Electric Lemonade, Vegetable Lentil Soup and Spinach Ravioli. The regular menu also included appetizers, soups, sandwiches, desserts and a variety of drinks. I noticed that the sandwiches were made with bread from my favorite bakery, “Bread Alone” in Boiceville, New York (which I buy at Whole Foods).
Anyway, we started our meal with a Tapas Plate which included a smoked eggplant spread, a “live” pesto spread, a “live” almond hummus and a few other traditional hummus spreads. We really enjoyed it. This appetizer was served with a choice of chips or bread (not shown in photo).
Jeff ordered the Raw Avocado Coconut Soup (from the “specials” menu) and I ordered a “Live” Omega Salad with kale, mixed greens, sunflower sprouts, avocado, spiced macadamias, and hemp seeds in a citrus hemp dressing. We both loved our choices. Sorry about the fuzzy soup photo.
We shared two entrees: the “Special” Homemade Lasagna (made with spelt pasta, tomato sauce, artichokes, spinach, cashew kefir cheese and smoked tofu) and the “Caravan” Burrito (made with seitan, black beans, Spanish rice, sauteed vegetables, guacamole and salsa). They were both great and really, really filling.
Clearly, we ordered way too much food and left the restaurant stuffed. However, we really enjoyed everything and I highly recommend that you visit Caravan of Dreams if you are in New York City, especially in the area of the East Village. The restaurant would be perfect if you have non-vegans in your party and even more perfect if you are with raw foodists. I can attest to the fact that there is something for everyone. I wish I could tell you about the desserts, but we had no room to order any.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little restaurant review. Bonjour!
