The Butcher’s Daughter, Nolita

Don’t be fooled by the name… the butcher’s daughter, she’s vegetarian! Located in Nolita, The Butcher’s Daughter describes itself as a “vegetable slaughter house” where fruits and veggies are always the star of the show. Almost everything is vegan, but there’s the option to add an egg to a couple dishes. I’ve been wanting to give it a try for some time and finally had an opportunity to lunch here with Kunal and Liana earlier this summer.

This space is one of the loveliest cafes I’ve come across. Concrete floors, industrial accents, farmhouse tables, potted plants, and a refreshing brightness. I’m in love with the pop of vibrant yellow that creates a certain ooh la la! We were seated inside at the long wooden table.

Since The Butcher’s Daughter is known for being a juice bar, it would be wrong not to give them a try. From left to right, the Hangover Killer, the Water Flower, and Green juice. The bottles are pretty, and the juices are tasty, but at $9, I realize they’re not for everyone.

We decided to share three dishes so we could try different things. The Taco Verdes ($14) with seasoned ground tempeh, avocado crema, shaved radishes, cilantro, salsa, and romaine lettuce was very good, but not particularly unique or surprising.

I had read somewhere that the Watermelon Ricotta Salad ($14) is a must order dish, so that was my pick of the three dishes. Spinach, watermelon cubes, cashew ricotta, black pepper, and date vinaigrette. Delicious and refreshing. It’s basically summertime in a bowl.

Our third dish was their vegan take on a Vietnamese Banh Mi ($13) sandwich. Toasted baguette with mushroom pate, seared cauliflower, pickled daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro, and harissa mayo. A big thank you to Kunal for being our official sandwich cutter as the baguette was pretty tough. Who needs meat in your banh mi when you’ve got this delicious mushroom pate and cauliflower sandwich?!