NYC: Beyond Sushi – Vegan Sushi and Dumplings

Beyond Sushi is one of the best places for vegan sushi in New York City. The vegan restaurant chain is known for its innovative plant-based creations that appeal to both vegans and non-vegans like me. I often go there for lunch, because on weekdays they have a lunch special, where you can pick two items from selected menu categories for $19, which I think is a really good deal.

Two of my favorite dishes from the lunch menu are the Charred Avocado Roll and the Ginger “Beef” Dumplings. The Charred Avocado roll have rice, jackfruit “crab”, cucumber, charred avocado and black truffle caviar. I really like the combination of the rich and creamy jackfruit “crab”, the slightly smoky flavor from the charred avocado, and the umami touch from the truffle caviar. It tastes like a sophisticated version of a California roll, and for first timers at Beyond Sushi, the Charred Avocado Roll is a safe bet.

The Ginger “beef” dumplings are sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds, and come with a tasty dipping sauce with ginger, soy and chili. The dumpling filling is made with Impossible Meat, which is my favorite vegan meat brand. Impossible Meat tastes so much like meat, that the first time I ordered an Impossible Whopper at Burger King, I thought they had mistaken my order and given me a regular Whopper, because it tasted exactly the same. And the dumplings? If I hadn’t known that it wasn’t real beef, I would never have guessed. They are delicious.

Nowadays vegan sushi can be so much more than cucumber hosomaki and it is places like Beyond Sushi that have helped raise the bar. I know, sushi without raw fish sounds like a compromise. A choice you’re only making because it’s better for the planets or the animals, but if your tastebuds were to decide, they would never had made that choice. Though I’m telling you, at Beyond Sushi, it doesn’t feel like a compromise, and on its own terms Beyond Sushi is a completely valid alternative to traditional sushi places.

Beyond Sushi, 134 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018