Little Lad’s Basket

It is healthy eating and I really enjoyed it. I hope they will open another on Fulton or nearby. You cant beat the quality and the prices.

I loved this place and there was no way you could find quality food at that price in Manhattan. It is very much missed.

This restaurant has very good vegan food, but the ambiance is that of a half-​empty college cafeteria. Perfect vegan food for lunch, if you happen to be in the area. The owner is actually quite friendly. I actually liked the downtown location much better, but I think they had no choice but to move here to the LES. They do some simple dishes with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and the like, and they also do very nice lentil and whole-​wheat pasta based dishes. I would say the hot food is the best, while their salad bar is quite decent, but not whole-​foods type quality. Their soups are generally quite good. Everything you eat here is cooked in an extremely healthy fashion, with very little or no oil. So if you are on a diet and eat here often, you will lose weight fast (it happened to me!).
If you need a quick vegan snack to go, it is also a good place to grab healthy crackers, fruit, or popcorn.

This place is frustrating. The food I love. I was a regular when it was in the financial district. But the new location isn’t convenient for lunch — for anyone, really (I caught the J/​Z up one day, and I was the only one in there) — and the «delivery» service is ridiculously frustrating. To place an order to downtown, there have to be at least three people ordering. So you can’t place an order unless two other people do, but those two other people won’t place one unless you do. Finally I convinced my coworkers to order delivery with me, and guess who’s not picking up the phone? That would be Little Lad’s. I want them to succeed, I really do. I want to be able to eat their vegan mac and cheese again, and the delicious kale. But if they don’t learn how to operate a business, then there’s not much I can do. Eat here if you can. It’s great. But don’t count on them to be competent.
Five stars for value, four stars for quality, one star for service = three stars overall.

This review is for Little Lad’s Restaurant in the Lower East Side.
Half of the pictures on this listing are incorrect, but it has a similar feel to it.
The restaurant is like a cafeteria. There is a buffet full of vegan/​vegetarian options on the right hand side. Dining on the left. There are several gluten free options.
Tons of reading material when you first walk in, and books to educate you on veganism.
A plate full of food for $ 7 you can’t go wrong! Fills you up quickly!

I am so sad to see this place go from the financial district. It is a hidden gem with creative vegan food at a great price. The best part was always the fruit salad with fresh fruit and dried coconut and granola toppings.
The food was decent, not the best as some vegetables were from cans, but there were always a few stand out dishes like the eggplant caccitore, the vegan mac and cheese and the yams with onions. Their food is always made with love and it shows.
I was always amazed to see the diverse crowd at this place. On any given day you would see kosher people, granola type folks, people in business suits and blue collar workers. It appealed to everyone.
They are moving to the Lower East Side, too far for my lunch, but they will have a delivery van dropping off lunch in the financial district. I wish I had discovered it sooner. I hope they are successful in their new location.

I’ve been here twice. Between the first and the second time, they adjusted the price. This was probably in the last few weeks. It’s still a great deal, but not as super amazing as it used to be. It used to be $ 5 for the buffet. Now it’s $ 6 if you go back for seconds (based on an honor system). The food is quite decent (although slightly bland). It makes you feel good and clean afterwards. However, for a vegan place, I’d have expected more vegetable varieities. The selection of food is starch-​heavy; perhaps they’re trying to compensate the lack of meat with carbs?
The restaurant has absolutely no ambience, which is totally fine for a lunch place. It does feel slightly cult-​ish though. Reminds me somewhat of the Loving Hut in Chelsea…

Alright, I have been here twice ho ho.
Now’s where I tell you how does my garden grow:
I REALLY want to like this place. The family who runs it are homeschooling vegans from Maine who travel to NY twice a week to bring the prepped food down. I like folks like that, and they were really sweet to chat with. Very ethical intentions with why they are running their spot.
The food on the other hand is stanky old doody. It’s not organic (yes I know that’s how they an offer it so cheap, but it still sucks to kill insects and destroy our ecosystem over a mediocre lunch).
WHY oh WHY do they use so much non-​biodegradable crap all over this place? Even if you eat there they waste it on you. The «burger» I ordered came with plastic dixie up full of regurgitated carrot mush, left over from an airline meal.
Is it cheap? I guess. …But you get what you pay for.
Still 3 stars for being nice people serving veg food with good intentions, even though the food is doody balls.

See my profile for full review and photos.
I am still amazed when I come across something new that has been around a long time. Apparently a lot of people know of this vegan restaurant in downtown Manhattan, tucked away in the basement of 120 Broadway. I find my jaw just hanging open more and more.
In the building lobby there is no storefront but if you have keen eyes, (I didn’t), you see the Lower Arcade, (where are pinball machines? Is there more on some upper arcade? SkeeBall?)
I got yelled at for taking this picture. They should have saved their voices. I can’t remember everything on the sign but «Boot Black» was one and Little Lads was the other. It is the Wall Street subway stop. I don’t remember what it said, vegan or veggie or what the last word was. There is no other sign or advertisement. Nada. Thank you Vegout!
Down the stairs and you end up in a sterile office building basement. Keep going, it’s worth it.
This is certainly a «fooled you» entrance. So sterile and marble-​y.
Once you see the signs you know two things. The place isn’t slick but has an owners personal influence and you’re also in the right place if you’re philosophy aligns with mine.
I like the education board to the left. I couldn’t agree more. Pricing is in the middle and I didn’t realize but they have a regular menu also.
The pricing will be clearer the second time you eat here. Well, perhaps the third.
Basically, lunch for 2 with a bottle of water was about $ 12. It’s not all you can eat but I saw some people pile up their plates like they were in a stomach stretching contest.
Lot’s of vegan health related items. To the right of the freezer is a TV playing tapes of MacDougall, Robins, and others. I saw a clip of plaque being pulled out of a coronary artery. Never saw that before. Makes you think even more about why people eat animals. And there is the little lad who was doing a fine job of cashiering and making you feel welcome.
As you enter for the first time there is so much to catch your attention. Theres the fruit, there’s the tv, clothing, DVDs, cake and cookies. A cash register. Two actually as there was a young lad, (really), learning about money, math and customer service.
This blew me away. The largest, prettiest, most welcoming fresh fruit display I’ve seen in a restaurant.
It’s like a maze and fun to see what’s around the next corner. We took trays, plates, plastic silverware and made our way around. I didn’t see anything I didn’t want to try. I sent off an email to inquire about how many items are vegan and the reply was,
«Marty,
Little Lad’s uses no animal products or by-​products in anything that we make. No cheese, eggs, dairy, meat of any type. Totally plant based. Honey is used in only 2 items — Marinated Bean Salad and Sesame Honey cookies. Thanks.
Maria @ Little Lad’s.»
I’m not sure if the bean salad was marked as containing honey but I also didn’t have any cold bean salad. I’ll update the post when it’s clarified.
The dining room was almost empty when we got here but it was a bit before lunch hour. Soups were to the left, a hot table with 6 items and a cold table to the right and right center.
There is no lack of choices at Little Lads including hot dishes, cold salads, fruit, starches, veggies and soups.
One soup was the Jamaican Bean Soup with a mild flavor and a hint of coconut. I should have put more in the bowl! The other soup was a Corn Chowder which looked delicious too.
Jamaican Black Bean Soup.
The hot table had 6 items. I loved loved loved the Chop Suey although I’m not sure it was anything like the dish but reminded me of Chef Boy R D Beef a roni. A delicious mouth feel and flavor and I could have shoveled that dish in all afternoon. The carrot and regular slaw was crisp and bright. The beans and rice were a nice combination but the dish which I thought would more than likely be so-​so was surprisingly outstanding. It was the mixed vegetables, the unsung hero. Who’d have thought but I should have had 2 big spoons of that!
The Harvard Beets were not to my liking and the Butternut Squash, which I love, had a taste I didn’t care for. You can’t like everything but I think this was a successful meal.
From front clockwise: Harvard Beets, Chop Suey, Cole Slaw, Beans over brown rice, mixed veggies, orange slices, and butternut squash with some carrot slaw in the middle.
I worry when I see a place that I like that doesn’t have a lot of business but by the time we left the dining room was more than half full. We also got there a bit before lunch hour started. That and the fact that this place has been here for years makes me think it will be around for a long long time.
One of the two dining rooms. It was about half full when we left.
I’m looking forward to many more return visits.

SO happy we found this place! Staying at Club Quarters hotel we randomly found this little vegan place and were so happily surprised at the proximity to our hotel and the prices but also because everything was so damn tasty! Especially around this holiday/​new years time of year it’s hard not to spend a crazy amount of money on everything, food included. It was less than $ 5 a person for the buffet and everything was good! The mac and cheeze was scarfed down by the truck load by the beau and I was in love with their nice cream and delish side dishes. Definitely a little gem in the financial district.
Only qualm: where are the pepper shakers?!!

It’s so quiet and peaceful in here, all I wanted to do is scream «Praise Seitan!» as I entered. Thank goodness I don’t have Tourette’s (seriously, I am very grateful I don’t have Tourette’s, judging by the amount of impulse control I have to practice on a daily basis). They are religious here, so I’m not so sure that joke would have gone over too well.
How the hell (whoops) heck, did I not know this place existed? I used to work downtown and would bitch and moan constantly about the lack of vegan options. I do recall someone mentioning a place in a basement of some building and maybe that was a deterrent. I mean, who wants to head into a basement willingly?
The décor reminds me of slighly more posh mental hospital cafeteria circa 1975 (I assure you, this impression comes from seeing movies. In particular, a scene in Head On, aka Gegen die Wand, which doesn’t take place in the 1970s, but that mental hospital cafeteria is a dead ringer for Little Lad’s Basket. OK… this review is getting weird).
This is the kind of place that starving straight edge 20 year olds need to find. Righteous whippersnappers won’t need to eat again all day, as the buffet is well-​stocked with fresh salads and warm stuff, too. It was a bit overwhelming, so I took some salad and dressing (delicious) and what I think was some kind of veg shephard’s pie (normally I don’t like shephard’s pie all that much but this stuff was better than just about any I’ve had before) and felt quite satisfied. This is a New York City deal!
Be sure and check out the grocery section when you head out to pay after scarfing down all that vegan goodness.

This restaurant/​bakery/​store is one of the best values in the Wall Street area for lunch. Go with an open mind, as it is like no other restaurant you may have experienced… and it might even save your life.
I highly recommend the grilled cheese sandwich and pizza with everything — hands down they are the best non-​dairy cheeses I have ever had. In addition, Little Lad’s sells a great selection of homemade snacks and desserts — all containing no chemicals, preservatives, sugar or animal products. The herbal popcorn is amazing — it tastes like it is flavored with butter and cheese but it’s not. Fresh fruit to go is sold in generous container for $ 2. The Maple Oatmeal cookies and coffee nice cream are also delicious. Many other food products, including «cheese», nuts and crackers as well as books, CDs and clothing are also available for sale.
From time to time, cooking classes and lectures are offered. From now until the end of November, each Monday evening at 6pm cooking classes and lectures are offered at the bargain price of $ 10. I attended one class this past Monday night and it was well worth it for the abundant amount of food samples provided alone. The information provided, however, is priceless. The lecture on nutrition was extremely well done and informative. Although I have already read The China Study, The Food Revolution, and other important books regarding the link between diet and health, I still learned many more practical and informative tips.
Prices are more than fair. Service is always friendly. The people who run and work at this restaurant are true examples of people who are living their values and I respect them highly. The daughters who work here are just adorable, smart and lovely. There is nothing trendy about this restaurant but I truly enjoy eating lunch here, sitting quietly and escaping from the hustle of a busy work day.
Note, I wouldn’t recommend this place for a fancy special occassion dinner, because it is not that kind of place. It looks like an odd 1970’s cafeteria, but it is good for a casual lunch. It’s closed for dinners but I think you can get take out if you call them.
PS. It’s Kosher and they got an A for the NYC sanitary rating.
–Cash only

This is a great place if you’re trying to stick to a vegan diet. If you eat meat and dairy but just feel like a healthy lunch, you might be a little disappointed. The corn on the cob was over cooked and the tomato salad was over dressed, but other than that everything was very tasty.
Plus its only 5 dollars for lunch!
The beans were great, I love that you can go back and get more and there isn’t anything tempting you to cheat your diet like at other restaurants.

I’m hesitant to review this place. I was thrilled to find an actual vegan restaurant within walking distance of my new office. After a little hunting a friend and I finally found it, tucked away in a basement in an office building. It took us a moment to get our bearings and figure out what to do.
The pros: it’s vegan! It’s cheap! It’s, uh, cheap and vegan!
The cons: it is COMPLETELY SILENT. Seriously. It’s a little like being in detention. The 7^th day Adventist shit is disconcerting and uncomfortable. The dude at the front door in a suit scares the holy hell out of me (maybe that’s the point?).
The…bizarre?: All of it. this shit is completely weird, in every way.
The day I went the food was also strange – the black bean soup was mostly black bean juice and shredded coconut, and the rest of the «food» was not really recognizable beyond «vegan slop». That said, nothing tasted BAD per se.
I haven’t been back, which is why I am hesitant to review. But I’m also hesitant to return because it made me pretty uncomfortable.

I like Little Lad’s. I’ve had their lunch buffet and it’s really good. I get the feeling that the menu changes every week.
They’re also SUPER friendly here. I dig the vegan mac and cheese the most and they have some really tasty soups. Plus you can’t beat the price for the Financial District.

GREAT lunch place in the Financial District. I’m not vegan, but after leaving, I kinda want to be.
The Mac & Cheese is out of this world! Maybe better than the «real» stuff! Several Soups, a Salad bar, an island of hot dishes, a little «general store» of sorts as you’re leaving.
I’ll definitely be coming back here for my fill or CHEAP, healthy foods!

Oh, Little Lad, what a strange place you are! In the basement of a grand monument to capitalism, you are a beacon of midwestern «styling» and perfectly seared kale… So many strange juxtapositions live in your affordable buffet line. Church ladies, brokers, hippies and hipsters all co-​mingle around steaming platters of rice, kale, and corn pudding. There is a beautiful salad bar packed with great carrot salad, amazing lettuces, chopped veggies and the best raw marinated tofu that I’ve had in quite a while.
As for the atmosphere, oh my! Its a bit sad and dingy down here. Stained «glass» reminiscent of a TGIFriday’s, jars of very homemade looking jams and jellies… There is nothing bright or fresh about it. But, hey, it’s a vegan buffet! In a basement! Run by church ladies! Not Blossom.
I am positive that I’ll be lunching here quite regularly… Especially in the charming fellow in the plaid shirt and tight jeans is in line with me again. You were so cute! I should have said something like, «hi, do you like David Bowie too?» as you scooped kale into your styrofoam clamshell. But, I didn’t because I was far too busy wondering about the logic of styrofoam containers in an establishment that also has statistics about global warming and its human causes posted about.

For a second, I thought I had accidentally wandered into a soup kitchen. Boy, is this place depressing! Check out the photos.
How do people eat down here? The surprising thing is that there were tons of people in this place. I came here during lunch on a Wednesday and the buffet consisted of about 6 side dishes — Squash, asparagus, beans, couscous and more beans. I didn’t notice any main dish that blended more than 1 ingredient together. I supposed it’s pretty cheap for decent tasting vegetarian food. I’m not a vegetarian, so I have better options.
Buffet to go — $ 3.99/lb
Buffet dine in — $ 4.98 per plate, includes soup
RUBBARB PIE: Didn’t taste as good as it looked (stale and mushy filling), but maybe I should say it taste like a vegan pie. For $ 1.59, it was not a tragic loss.
CASH ONLY!

+ star for being inexpensive
+ star for being the only vegan option in the Financial District
+ star for having pretty good food
— star for having Green propaganda everywhere and then serving food in Styrofoam.
— star for the baked goods not being very flavorful and crumbly

Where can you find nutritious, filling and cheap vegan/​vegetarian food in the financial district?
Why Little Lad’s of course!
Their slogan is, «Solving America’s health problems – One customer at a time!» And I couldn’t agree more. You don’t need meat at every meal. Don’t be afraid to go vegan once in awhile. (I’m a vegetarian and I always find plenty to eat here).
My good friend H. introduced me to this underground oasis of health a couple months ago. I never knew it existed because it’s in the basement of 120 Broadway.
You can dine in or take out, and it’s all buffet style. They always have two soups, a fresh fruit and salad bar as well as a hot steam table (with rotating dishes). They also make the best veggie burger I’ve ever had (and this yummy seasoned popcorn comes on the side).
I absolutely love their pumpkin cookies as well as their lemon cookies. (All baked goods are vegan). They also serve breakfast, which I have yet to try.
Did I mention cheap? The buffet is $ 4.98, all you can eat (for one plate and one bowl) if you dine in, and I think $ 4.98 a pound if you take out.
Also, everyone who works here is extremely pleasant, warm and welcoming and will help you if you look confused.
This is a nice, quiet spot to sit with a book and eat lunch… knowing that you’re eating healthily.