Description: An excellent spot for an affordable, chic (and vegetarian) dining experience in NYC is Pukk, a veggie/thai restaurant in East Village. Before visiting the city during our last trip, I'd looked up some highly-rated vegetarian-friendly places to eat near where we were staying in the Lower East Side. Pukk came up a few times, and then after we heard rave reviews from a local, we decided to try it out.
It definitely ended up to be one of our favorite stops on the trip, as it's a fun modern atmosphere with super good food and great prices. Be sure to look hard for the sign as you will pass right by if you're blinking too long because it's a very narrow space. When you go in, the chic simplistic setting may take you by surprise, as it's not the usual decor one thinks of for Thai or a vegetarian cafe. It's very nice though and upscale feeling without the inflated prices or snobby air.
The staff was very attentive and friendly, and quickly sat us and presented us with menus. The menu is filled with plenty of options for all eaters, and we heard a lot of meat-eaters enjoy this place as well. Most of the main dishes come with an option of "chicken", "duck", tofu, egg, or vegetables (the chicken and duck being meat-substitues of course). We ordered a coconut mushroom soup, and the "indy roll" with cucumber, "duck", noodles and tamarind sauce for the starters. Then we shared the pad thai dish with vegetarian duck. It was amazing really, and the presentation was so nice as well.
For the atmosphere, fun area of town, great food, and lovely presentation, the prices were really unbelievable. Most appetizers are around $4-$5, with main dishes $7-$9. There's a full bar available with several signature cocktail mixes with thai flair. If you're a vegetarian or just looking for a fun place to eat in East Village, head over to Pukk!
• http://www.pukknyc.com/
• 75 1st Ave
• Metro stop: 2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
• Open Sun-Thu: 11:30am-10:30pm, Fri-Sat: 11:30am-11:30pm
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