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    Spring Cafe Aspen

    3.1 (114 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

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    SPRING CAFE ASPEN ATMOSPHERE

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    Loud
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Spring Cafe Aspen

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    Not your everyday nachos
    Ashwini A.

    SERVICE - located very close to Washington square park and NYU campus area - plenty of indoor seating at bar or dining area with tables for groups of 2-4 people - servers are friendly and helpful with clarifying allergens in orders - juices and smoothies made fresh - need to order at counter and then find a table - food takes a few minutes to be served but not an excessively long wait - outdoor tables available for small groups - popular work spot MENU - cafe style menu with bowls, sandwiches, and pastries - vegetarian and vegan options available - completely gluten free - average price FOOD - not your every day nachos (6/10): chips loaded with housemade cheese sauce, refried black beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, guacamole, and cashew sour cream. This was on the appetizers section of the menu but the portion was quite generous. I had it as an entree and barely finished. I liked how everything was made in house, especially the cheese and sour cream. It felt creamy yet light. My main issue was that the toppings really only covered the top layer of chips. There was almost half of the plate of just plain chips. I also would have liked more black beans and perhaps some seasoning in the beans. - pumpkin bread (8/10): vegan and gluten free pumpkin bread. I asked the servers to warm this up. It was such a nice afternoon snack. It was not overly sweet so you could taste the pumpkin spices. For being gluten free, it was quite soft and crumbly. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes but for the pastries and drinks rather than the meals

    Beetroot rose latte
    Lauren C.

    This may our new favorite restaurant in the NYC!! In a city that is increasingly vegan-friendly but that won't stop assaulting us with deep-fried mushrooms and buffalo cauliflower, Spring Cafe Aspen sets themselves apart by serving up vegetable-forward dishes that are healthy, delicious, and generously portioned. First, the health-conscious aspect. We came across them on a (very short) list of seed oil-free restaurants. Their website says they are free of "inflammatory oils." Very little of their food is fried or highly processed. They use whole/sprouted grains in their wraps/bread, as well as having gluten-free options. It's next to impossible to find restaurants in NYC or anywhere that accommodate a whole foods/plant-based diet, and even harder to find staff knowledgeable about the ingredients of their food. At Spring Cafe Aspen, the staff actually knows the ingredients of each dish and are very accommodating of questions and preferences, such as my wish to avoid coconut oil. If they don't know the answer to a question, they have access to the ingredient lists for everything. Next, the flavor of the food. Despite being low in oil and free of overly processed ingredients, their food is delicious! Our favorite item so far has been the cauliflower risotto (warm, comforting, creamy and rich; packed with vegetables and flavor). Our other favorite is the lentil meatballs and spaghetti (incredible meatballs, excellent sauce full of basil, and pasta you would have no idea is made with brown rice). We also enjoyed the superhero tofu burrito and the blueberry pancakes. The menu is full of great tidbits such as the epic cashew mac and cheese and the tempeh that is raw and locally sourced (Barry's). The portions - while other vegan/vegetarian restaurants in New York are serving up portions that get smaller every year, Spring Cafe Aspen actually provides generous portions that will nourish you without going overboard. (You won't go home hungry after eating the cauliflower risotto!) It's also worth mentioning that the vibe of Spring Cafe Aspen is a little different from the typical hippie or hipster flair of many other vegan/vegetarian restaurants in the city. The vibe hovers somewhere between hot yoga studio and business school seminar. Also slightly confusing is the setup - they have all the makings of a sit-down restaurant right down to cloth napkins, but they do not truly have table service. You wait in line to order and then bring a number to your table. Makes it harder to enjoy a cup of coffee or spontaneous turmeric latte after lunch, but definitely not a dealbreaker. Lastly, we initially wondered why they didn't take the plunge and turn fully vegan, but when we saw the gusto with which workout couples were demolishing egg white omelettes, we understood. Overall not a real issue for us since they make the food with such care that we aren't really worried about any stray goat cheese getting into our food by mistake. And the attention to detail in their homemade condiments like vegan sour cream and even homemade nut milk rivals that of any vegan restaurant. In conclusion, this is an epic brunch spot whipping up healthy food that manages to be both comforting and innovative; they have already become one of our regular spots.

    Superhero burrito with tofu and Chai Tea Latte
    Anne B.

    Spring cafe aspen is a breakfast/lunch/dinner spot with a majority of the menu being menu is vegan & gluten-free. Outside of food, they have smoothies, fresh-pressed juice, an espresso bar, and some beer & wine. The dirty chai is great and felt VERY caffeinated, I also love that the default here is nut milk. The juices are also super fresh, you can see them made at the counter right in front of you. The space is versatile as there's people there for just dining and also some people set-up to study/get work done during the day. I enjoyed the superhero burrito with tofu, the wrap itself could be slightly more seasoned but the salsa that came with it definitely made up in flavor. The cashew-based sour cream that also came with it was really watery and difficult to eat with the burrito. My friend got the huevos rancheros which was similarly a sizable portion. I've previously tried one of the grain bowls with tofu, and again the bowl itself wasn't very flavorful but the sauces made up for it. I really like both the peanut and tahini sauce! I was really apprehensive of the fact that all the baked goods were gluten-free but the chocolate chip cookie was soft and delicious. The pumpkin chocolate chip bread was a bit more noticeably gluten-free due to its crumbly texture, but the flavor was great in this one as well. As expected, you pay a pretty penny for the clean & healthy aesthetic, but nothing absurd for New York standards.

    Johnny N.

    I will be vulnerable with you, my dear reader. There are 2 versions of me: Version 1: I can't for the life of me find a good coffee shop to work out of in NYC. Sometimes I just NEED to get out of my shoebox apartment and work somewhere else as the dark thoughts begin to encroach. I will step out and go to local coffee shops, but none seem to have wifi. How do you not have wifi in 2024?! ... And the ones that do have wifi are so packed I either can't get a seat, or I do get a seat and am literally rubbing shoulders with two strangers, as they pack as many seats as they can in there. Version 2: I love to get out of the house to go grab a coffee with a friend, sit and write or read a book, or just enjoy my me time and some good coffee. I will walk into my local coffee shop and get SO annoyed that someone has set up a full battle station working from their personal hotspot, taking up 4 seats in an already tiny coffee shop. They have 2 screens, mouse & mouse pad, headset, etc. They think they are like Brad Pitt in the Big Short when he makes that big trade from his laptop in the bar lol... Like dawg they don't have wifi in here for a reason, take the hint. Enter Spring Cafe Aspen. The perfect balance of my contradictory moods. It scratches the itches of both my personalities, Johnny & Patricia. They should rename this place Goldilocks Cafe Aspen ahahaha. When I need to get some work done, this is the only place I go to. There is an abundance of space & seating, beautiful white faux marble tables, great wifi, good coffee, big windows to allow light to flood in, a full food menu, bathrooms, etc. I'm LOCKED in when I'm in here. I've also been in here when I'm with friends after walking through Washington Sq Park to just grab a coffee or some drinks. I've never seen it packed to where I can't get a seat, and it is CLEAN. Spotless damn near. I always feel at peace in here. They nailed the feng shui. As I'm writing this I'm like damn maybe I should gatekeep this spot... but honestly who do I think I am lol this place not going to blow up over a yelp review ahahahaa. Can you get better coffee? Yeah. Can you get better food? Dumb question c'mon lol you're better than that. Yes, it's NYC. Can you find a better place to focus and work? NOPE! IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__

    Blue beauty smoothie
    Liz B.

    I came in Friday afternoon and grabbed the Blue Beauty smoothie. It was a nice interior with plenty of space and light. The smoothie tasted mostly of almond butter and wasn't sweet at all but I enjoyed it! I came back and got the pretty in pink and I liked it better!

    Linan C.

    I've never been to a cafe and was refused to make me a flat white... and their cold brew tastes like iced drip coffee... I don't know if it's a management decision or just staff decisions. It seems like they source their coffees from coffee project but it doesn't live up to it here. The location and place is great but they need to work on their quality.

    Sofia L.

    spacious, bright, and calming place to get work done and have a good drink/meal. worker who helped me order and made my drink was so patient and kind as it was my first time here. their menu has a wide range of items! i was able to sit down, drink my latte, and use their wifi. I think this place is geared toward being more of a sit down and have a waiter attend to you, as there were no napkins or straws just out to grab. I have the blackbird breakfast club pass, and I'm glad this restaurant allows me to get any drink, aside from smoothies, for free every day. I had the dirty chai latte, but I think I'd get just a regular latte the next time around. the dirty chai was spiced a little too much, and I couldn't get past that taste. hoping they add more syrup flavors, as they only have agave right now.

    Falafel Wraps
    Kuki T.

    Visited Spring Cafe Aspen for lunch and was really disappointed. The ambiance is what initially peaked my interest and I will say that the outdoor seating is nice. The service and food, however, were beyond mediocre. We tried the falafel wraps and while they were well portion sized, they were bland, dry and crumbled apart immediately when we picked them up. Ended up taking home leftovers not because they were too big to finish but because they weren't enjoyable enough to finish on the spot. On top of all of that, they were incredibly overpriced and took 30 minutes to come out. It's easy for me to say with confidence that this place simply doesn't live up to the standards that a "healthy" lunch spot should. I don't think I'll be coming back anytime soon unfortunately.

    Beer
    Nancy C.

    I can't wait to go back. The menu is so healthy & I love nutritious food. I had a beetroot latte and zucchini bread (total perfection)

    Spring Aspen Cafe.
    Carol T.

    Spring Cafe Aspen is a great breakfast stop. They have good coffee. They have wonderful local artists work displayed on the walls and they are open at 8 am. Good place for relaxing or having a quick business meeting. Near NYU

    Breakfast wrap and Falafel Wrap
    Nicole S.

    Lots of healthy options! Good place for a quick meal. Usually super busy so not the easiest to get a table. They messed up my first burrito but would go back to try again. Food was decent

    Falafel Wrap and Huevos Rancheros

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    I had been looking forward to trying Avant Garden for a long time and chose it for a birthday…read moredinner, so this was especially disappointing. We had a 9:30 reservation on May 9. The reservation email said they would hold the table for 15 minutes, and we arrived at about 9:43 after getting stuck in traffic. We were still within that window, but as soon as we checked in, the host immediately told us the kitchen was closing in one minute and that the bar would close in about 20 minutes, so we needed to place our food order right away. It made the meal feel rushed from the moment we arrived. The restaurant was virtually empty, but we were seated directly next to the bathroom. There were clearly plenty of other seating options available, which made that choice even more frustrating. Unfortunately, there was a noticeable bathroom odor from our table, which was really unpleasant and not what I would expect from a restaurant at this price point. Servers were also constantly going back and forth between the dining room and what seemed to be either a storage or cleaning area near the bathroom, so in addition to the odor, there was steady foot traffic throughout the meal. There were also papers or sugar packets underneath the table next to us, which added to the feeling that the dining room was not being carefully maintained. We ordered the paella, fig toast, and Calabrian flatbread. The food itself was fine in terms of flavor, but the rest of the experience made it feel understated and much less enjoyable than it should have been. The paella and toast came out quickly, and then we waited about 45 minutes for the flatbread. During that time, no one checked in, explained the delay, or asked how anything was. We honestly thought the flatbread had been forgotten. Then, after that long wait, the flatbread and dessert were brought out almost at the same time. The server explained that the kitchen was telling them to bring everything out at once. We had also ordered a bottle of Lambrusco, but it was not available, so we were given a different wine instead. Overall, the pacing and service felt very disorganized. We were rushed to order immediately, then largely ignored for the rest of the meal. No one asked how the food was, no one checked on the delay, and the timing of the final dishes made the meal feel chaotic rather than enjoyable. Even though the food was fine, the experience around it really took away from the meal. I also think there is a practical issue with the reservation timing. If the kitchen closes 15 minutes after the last available reservation, it does not make sense to offer a 15-minute grace period. Either the final seating should be earlier, or the kitchen should remain open long enough to properly serve guests who arrive within the stated reservation window. For a restaurant with Avant Garden's reputation and price point, I expected a much more thoughtful and polished experience. I wanted this to be a special birthday dinner, but we left feeling disappointed. I don't feel eager to return, and based on this visit, I would have a hard time recommending it to vegan friends.

    Had the most magical Valentine's Day dinner at Avant Garden in NYC. They offered a beautifully…read morecurated menu for the evening and every dish felt thoughtful, creative, and incredibly satisfying. We were honestly surprised by how filling everything was -- so many generous, flavorful courses. The pizza ended up being our favorite dish of the night -- absolutely delicious and such a standout. And the sweetest touch at the end: cookies to take home! Such a small detail but it made the whole experience feel even more special. If you're looking for a plant-based spot that still feels like a true night-out experience, Avant Garden really delivers.

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