New York: Vegetarian brunch at Dirt Candy – Lower East Side

I consider myself vege-curious, and for a long time, I’ve wanted to try Amanda Cohen’s Dirt Candy on Allen Street. The restaurant is 100% vegetarian and all dishes can also be made vegan. It’s often very difficult to get a table for dinner at Dirt Candy, and you know me and my non-existing ability to plan more than a couple of days ahead. Dinner at Dirt Candy was therefore never an option, but fortunately I had more luck with a brunch reservation and got a table on short notice.

Jessica and I had been out the night before, and we wanted something solid to keep the lurking hangovers away, so we decided on each our egg dish. I ordered Green Huevos & No Ham, while Jessica went for the popular Canadian Cracker, which is a waffle with fried eggs, melted cheddar and roasted tomatoes.

My Green Huevos & No Ham materialized in the shape of two poached eggs with a crispy tempura shell. A quick incision revealed the lazily flowing yolk, which was poached to perfection. The eggs were arranged on top of a green tortilla, so maybe I should have rolled it all together to a green burrito? I don’t know. I just ate it as it was, and it was delicious.

I had hoped to try their Insta-famous vegetable monkey bread, but it was only available for dinner, so instead we ordered Squash Biscuits, which were served with pumpkin butter and yellow pepper jam. Pumpkin butter and yellow pepper jam? I wonder how they came up with that. Though after I’ve tried it, I’m mostly wondering why you don’t see pumpkin butter and pepper jam everywhere, because that stuff is amazing.

Jessica’s waffles were covered in a thick melted layer of cheddar, and even with a healthy appetite, she had to ask for assistance halfway, which I was more than happy to provide. It tasted delicious, and I think the waffles would be an excellent choice if you’re after a more traditional brunch dish.

Even though I’m perfectly well aware that I don’t necessarily need meat to get satisfied, leaving hungry is still my major worry, when I’m eating at a vegetarian place. In case you’re also having the same thoughts, I can tell you that there’s no need to worry about this at Dirt Candy.

Dirt Candy is known for innovative and playful meatless creations, which furthermore tend to look absolutely fabulous. While our brunch dishes looked tasty enough, I must say that I had secretly hoped for something even more visually enticing, but maybe they’re also saving that for dinner. The food was really tasty, and I guess that’s what matters and what makes Dirt Candy a great pick for brunch, even for carnivores, in the Lower East Side area.

Dirt Candy, 86 Allen Street (between Grand St. & Broome St.), Lower East Side, New York, Tel: +1 (212) 228 7732