Traveling dairy (and egg and peanut) free: what my 5yo ate in NYC
Took my little dude to the big apple and we had a whole list of foods we wanted to find. NYC did not disappoint!
- Donuts from Doughnut Planet in Grand Central Station, 3 vegan options to choose from that day. We went double chocolate and strawberry glazed (not frosted). Pricey but did not disappoint!
- Mango maple lemonade from a Vermont Maple vendor at Columbus Circle outside Central Park: surprising flavor but so refreshing and delicious
- Dino nuggets, fries and a juice box kids meal at Dan & John’s Wings: a staple in our house already, didn’t disappoint. We were on the hunt for wings when these enticed him. Nice laid back atmosphere where we could play games while we ate.
- Froyo at 16Handles: froyo has died around me so this was a delightful teleportation back to 2013! They had several oat milk flavors to choose from and even had vegan cookie dough toppings! He went with chocolate and gummy bears.
- Spiderman popsicle from an ice cream truck outside Central Park: an expensive bribe to keep him walking. I paid almost as much as a box of these suckers costs at the store and he didn’t even finish it. Oh well.
- American Museum of Natural History Dino nuggets and fries: apparently the extra culture comes with an upcharge because I almost died when I saw that the nuggets alone cost $11!!!! I guess I’m officially a patron of the arts.
- Peacefood chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies: This was a big get, he really wanted chocolate cake and it was one of the best I’ve had ever. The frosting was so, so good. He demolished the massive cookie in minutes - it was both crunchy and soft if that makes sense? I wasn’t worried it would be dry based on the look but it was really good. They had scones, muffins, and other items too that looked good, plus lunch items. Solid spot!
- Plain pasta and fries from the Olive Garden Times Square. Olive oil wasn’t an option apparently??? Not much to say about this, kind of speaks for itself. I did learn he could eat the breadsticks as well, but he wasn’t interested. More for me!!
- Buffet breakfast from Gastro Market: I was really pleased with the quality and price for this. Little guy had bacon, strawberries, sausage, and Abe’s Mini Muffins I brought from home. I had potatoes, plantains, and a hash brown with avocado and mango salsa. Not entirely sure the potatoes and plantains were DF, but everything was really good.
- Tavern on the Green in Central Park: Terrible quality photo, but he had bow tie pasta with olive oil and vegan parm and fries. I NEVER see vegan parm as an option for pasta at restaurants near home, so this was exciting! This place is fancy and pricey though, so not a cost effective choice (the side of fries cost more than the price gauged nuggets at the museum).
- Bacon and breakfast sausage from Cafe Aroma, paired with Abe’s mini muffins and a clementine that I brought from home
- His number one most desired item: a real pizza slice from a real pizza place. We went with a vegan cheese slice from Vinny’s Gluten Free Kitchen. He liked it! Was nervous about the sauce because it had noticeable herbs in it (god forbid he eat something green) but then he scarfed it down. There were other options besides cheese, which is cool. We can find vegan pizza a few places by us but always as a whole pie, so I appreciated the slice option.
- Not pictured: a vegan chocolate chunk cookie from Joe Coffee in Grand Central Station. Really, really good. Very different from the Peacefood cookie, this was a thicker, chewier cookie with a cinnamon undertone and some salty bits. Superb.