by Frances Phillips
Living in New York City can be a bit of a contradiction at the best of times. Surrounded by unavoidable pollution, numerous temptations and all the stresses of modern-day inner-city living, you’d be forgiven for thinking the city dwellers amongst us would be suffering the health consequences. But there seems to be quite a recent phenomena developing: the city health conscious. You can barely walk a block without ‘organic’ this and ‘raw, cold-pressed’ that. So in a city where it is seemingly possible to cancel out all that junk, just where are the top rated spots?
My favorites include the well known Organic Avenue, whose orange branches can be found in most areas of Manhattan and The Juice Press who have recently opened a flagship in the West Village. Both offer an extensive range of juices, salads and raw treats in addition to juice cleanses (for when you may have tipped the scales a little too far in the wrong direction!)
But head off the beaten track just a little and you’ll find the relatively new Tiny Empire just off Bedford Av in Brooklyn whose kale-cacao smoothie is just the right amount of healthy to stop it feeling naughty. Another favorite is Integral Yoga Food in the West Village. Adjacent to the yoga centre, this gem has every kind of supply you could ever need in addition to a juice bar tucked away at the back. And just to blurr the lines even more, make sure you pick up some naughty-but-nice treats from Rockin Raw, the Raw Ice Cream Company and NibMor whilst you’re there (best vegan hot chocolate you will EVER taste).
And if all this doesn’t satisfy, head to the incredibly popular Pure Food and Wine near Union Square for a raw vegan meal even the most carnivorous will enjoy. Wash that all down with agave sweetened cocktails.
Good job NYC!
Organic Avenue, various locations, organicavenue.com
The Juice Press, various locations, juicepress.com
Tiny Empire, 142 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249, tinyempirenyc.com
Integral Yoga Food, 229 West 13th Street, NY 10011, integralyoganaturalfoods.com
Pure Food and Wine, 54 Irving Place, NY 10003, purefoodandwine.com