Veg Out Vegetarian Guide to New York City (Restaurant Guidebooks for Vegetarian and Vegan Diners)

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Summary: Finally! A restaurant guide strictly for vegetarians!
Review: I have now bought a few copies of this book -- one for my office and three as gifts. It's super useful (even if you're not a full-on vegetarian): the author includes a lot of restaurants that serve a "full menu with vegetarian choices" as well as strictly vegetarian and vegan establishments. It's organized by neighborhood and offers highly-detailed reviews. Really terrific.

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Summary: An approachable and enticing book of vegetarian eateries
Review: I'm a life-long omnivore but my boyfriend recently became vegan, I thought we would never be able to find a restaurant to suit both our tastes. Recently I came across this book and it is wonderful. Who knew there were so many vegetarian/vegan restaurants in New York City? The listings break down restaurants to their most minute details and make them approachable even to those who know very little about vegetarian/vegan cuisine. In addition to the ample information this book contains pull-out maps that make planning a trip even easier. I seriously recommend it for any vegetarian New Yorker, or for those dating one. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A great book to carry on your next trip to the city!
Review: This book is part of a new series of vegetarian guides to major cities. The pocket or purse-sized guide is packed full of reviews and information about restaurants around New York-Manhattan and the five boroughs. The guide is organized by neighborhood, and includes a nice map of all the locations listed in the book. Within the neighborhood section, the locations are listed alphabetically, but there is an index by cuisine at the back of the book.

Each Restaurant is rated for quality and price and has a key to whether the location is vegetarian, vegan, or a conventional menu with vegetarian choices. There's a short description for each restaurant which provides useful information about the location, sometimes describing favorite dishes. Because the book was written by one person, Justin Schwartz, who reviewed all the restaurants himself (!), it is useful to read the introduction to get a feel for his style and what he likes and doesn't like. (For instance, he loves falafel, so there are endless choices of great places to find it all over the city).

There are many fantastic restaurants listed in Veg Out that I wouldn't have heard of otherwise, but the author also spends a lot of time describing one or no-star restaurants, when I think he simply could have listed the location with a caveat to stay away. The size, convenience and well-stocked pages of this guide make it a great book to carry on your next trip to the city. --Amy O'Neill Houck