Best lunch deals in Manhattan. Reviews of some of the best deals and values for organic, health food and vegan restaurants in Manhattan, NYC for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Roast Kitchen - Manhattan, NYC

Roast Kitchen in Manhattan is an exciting new concept in the lunch hour or anytime dining. Since opening their doors this past summer, Roast Kitchen has created quite a buzz throughout the South Street Seaport neighborhood as well as the nearby Financial District. Their motto is "In season and local". The food served here is absolutely delicious and the emphasis is on quality meals with healthy ingredients. The Kitchen's master chefs have created a unique and tasty meal concept, Roast Bowls. The menu says that the chef's Roast Bowls are taste-tested and eater-approved. It's easy to see why the Bowls are garnering rave reviews from the local community.
 
 
These wondrous bowls of goodness are served both hot and cold. You'll want to sample them all, as you wonder what took these marvelous chefs so long to bring these bowls to the Seaport. But at last they're here, so get out your fork (or spoon) and enjoy. Heat things up with the Chorizo Bowl, a mountain of baby spinach, jasmine rice, smoky spicy chorizo, a touch of garlic and salsa verde sauce.
 
The Provence is a mix of kale, green beans, grape tomatoes, red and Vidalia onions, garlic chips, a hard-boiled egg, couscous and herb jus. Another heartily recommended hot bowl is the red curry: a mix of house greens, organic quinoa, green lentils, Kabocha squash, onions and mild red curry sauce.
 
 
You may add prime top sirloin, herb chicken, spicy chicken or marinated pork to your bowl. The Cold Bowl selections range from an off-the-wall spiked Caesar (romaine lettuce, shredded parmesan, whole wheat croutons topped with creamy Caesar dressing and livened up with a shot of Cholula) to the Andino (mixed greens, Quinoa, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, yellow new potatoes and Peruvian corn in a tomato Chimichurri dressing).
 
Shake things up (literally) for lunch and build your own bowl. Just choose your greens (kale, spinach, field greens, rocket arugula), then go to your mix-ins of choice. Their salad/bowl topping bar has over 30 items, plus always changing in season selections such as zucchini, cilantro and Brussel sprouts.
 
 
At Roast Kitchen you can dress up your bowl with olive oil, Cabernet and honey Dijon, just to name a few. The menu helpfully points out which dressings (there are eight) are low sodium, dairy-free, gluten and fat-free. Creamed spinach, roasted veggies and Cajun shrimp are available to elevate your bowl to new heights. Most customers get their bowl to go. This way they can go back to the office, sit in the breakroom and make their coworkers extremely jealous. Oh, and get some work done, too.
 
Roast Kitchen occupies a very large space inside the lobby floor of 199 Water Street. There is ample and comfortable seating at tables spread across the room and at ledges that run the length of the front windows. The room has a wide-open feel and the lighting fixtures are awesome.
 
 
When you step up to the long counter, running across the room's width, you'll be impressed by the sous-chefs. They will craft your bowl with precision and love. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It's very personal. Places like the Roast Kitchen that take the time and have the ingenuity to give us healthy, original options for lunch are one of the reasons why New York is unlike any city in the world. Stroll down any street in Manhattan and chances are that you will come across a cafe or restaurant whose menu captures your imagination as it satisfies your appetite. Having a chef's roast bowl would be a great start to your culinary adventure of discovery.

Location & Hours

Roast Kitchen - New York, NY
423 Madison Ave
New York, NY
(212) 753-6587

Roast Kitchen - New York, NY
740 7th Ave
New York, NY
(212) 399-9100

Roast Kitchen - New York, NY
199 Water St
New York, NY
(212) 269-2590  

Mon-Sun 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

  

d'Elici - Financial District - New York, NY 

What could be more soothing and satisfying for lunch than a hearty soup and sandwich? They just seem to go together. Mom gave us this delicious and filling tandem for lunch when we were kids. As adults, we can even eat this quick and nutritious combo on the go or while sitting on a park bench, as you take a break from the office.
 
At d'Elici, they have raised preparing a bowl of soup and making a sandwich to something of an art. Just down the block from the Federal Reserve Bank, d'Elici is a small shop that has been making a huge impact on the lunch hour and breakfast eating habits of local NYers.
 
 
Wraps come in plain, spinach, garlic pesto, roasted red pepper and whole wheat. Try the healthy wrap. It's got all the veggies from the farm, including grilled eggplant, green and yellow squash, peppers, carrots, tomato with fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.
 

If you love simply sliced bread, it will be hard to choose between the d'Elici wrap(smoked turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato with Russian spread) or the Caprese (fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, vinegar and olive oil). d'Elici does rare roast beef just the way you like it, with horseradish sauce. There are 14 kinds of heroes to choose from. The house Rueben is prepared in the traditional manner with heaps of pastrami, corned beef, swiss, coleslaw and Russian dressing. The Chicago Chicken comes with grilled marinated veggies. d'Elici's eggplant parmesan is breaded eggplant, fresh mozzarella, marinara sauce, parmesan cheese and basil is as good, if not better, than anything you'll find in a pizzeria.

 
The kitchen does a classic grilled cheese sandwich, as well as a version featuring Brie instead of American cheese. The chefs prepare different soups Monday through Friday. Soup savory selections include creamy tomato bisque, chicken tortellini with spinach, chicken gumbo, corn chowder, minestrone and lentil. If you are tired of the same old bland sandwiches from your usual place, give d'Elici a go.

Location & Hours

d Elici - Financial District - New York, NY
71 NASSAU STREET NY NY 10038. (212) 587-5740
Mon-Fri 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM  
Sat Closed
Sun Closed
 

Zaitzeff - Financial District - New York, NY

From time to time just about everyone loves a great, well-made burger for lunch. It really doesn't matter if your burger of choice is 100% all beef, turkey or even veggie; burgers are a staple of American cuisine. No matter how you top it, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions or ketchup, the traditional burger is food at its most comforting. What if you could get a delicious burger at a place where all of the beef, chicken, pork and poultry they serve is humanely raised as well as hormone and antibiotic free? Zaitzeff, in the Financial District, redefines how hamburgers are cooked and served. Zaitzeff is the opposite of fast food. Everything here is made with care and cooked to order. It's obvious that the team prides itself on "burger" knowledge and culinary professionalism.
 
 
Small but full of personality Zaitzeff does mostly takeout and delivery. But, if you want to eat in, they have several long country style wood tables and chairs. The furniture is beautifully made, something like you'd find in the kitchen of a farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. As an added touch, each table has a small bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece.
 
The burgers themselves range in size from 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb. You can delight your palate with a choice of sirloin, Kobe, turkey or veggie. The veggie burger, by the way, is organic, with melted cheddar and avocado. The delicious turkey burger consists of ground white organic turkey.
 
 
The equally delicious sirloin sliders are three mini burgers topped with folds of melted cheddar and grilled onions on Portuguese muffins. Zaitzeff's burgers stand on their own quite nicely, but you can dress them up with bacon, avocado, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, flying pig farm sausage or a fried egg. Some of the salads available are Cobb, Caesar and Greek to mixed greens with avocado. Their organic chicken breast sandwich served with lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, and mustard is a satisfying as are the hamburgers. And you can add hand-cut sweet potato fries to any order.
 
 
You can finish your lunch on a sweet note by delighting in their organic chocolate chip cookie.

Location & Hours

Zaitzeff - Financial District - New York, NY
72 Nassau Street, NY 10038. (212) 571-7272
Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM 
Sat-Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM