Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
International
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Non-veg
Serves fish, vegan options available. Restaurant est. 1973that offers plenty of clearly labeled vegan items. Sunday nights are ethnic cuisine nights; vegans please inquire. Reported to serve fish April 2024. Open Wed-Sun 11:30am-8:30pm. Closed Mon, Tue.
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215 N Cayuga St (at Seneca St), Ithaca, New York, USA, 14850
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Last update on 14 May 2024 by eliav
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54 Reviews
First Review by amysaundersbigelow
Elaine525
Points +125
Delicious - Edit
Mushroom pasta , curry pumpkin, beet hummus, mushroom lentil pate with chocolate cake for dessert. Everything was fantastic. The lavender lemonade was yummy too
Read morePros: Flavors were outstanding, Friendly staff very attentive , Cozy atmosphere
Cons: None
Guest
matchaoatmeal
Points +160
GREAT wholesome delicious food - Edit
After struggling a bit to find vegan food in Ithaca that wasn't deep fried or overly salty, we were thrilled and grateful to find Moosewood Restaurant. They are not fully vegan but the majority of the menu is vegan or vegan-possible (and clearly labeled). They do serve fish in a few dishes; I suspect they are in the process of phasing it out since the only fish I saw was an optional add-on (and I think salmon etc. used to be featured more prominently on the menu). There is still a good amount of dairy in various items. However, the vegan options are abundant and excellent. In addition, we loved the macrobiotic, whole foods plant-based approach glorifying local seasonal vegetables and legumes. We loved the green pea hummus (served with whole wheat pita!) and the mushroom lentil pate. The Moosewood salad with the addition of baked tofu was one of the highlights of the meal. The black bean burger with its housemade patty was delicious. It's served on a "vegan brioche bun" with Chao vegan cheddar and accompanied by delicious rosemary roasted potatoes and excellent housemade ketchup. We also loved the Moroccan chickpea stew which had such a diversity of different vegetables in it that I could hardly find any repeats. For dessert, they unfortunately had run out of the vegan apple crumble. We were also disappointed that they didn't offer a nonalcoholic kombucha option, especially with so many great local ones in the region (Redbyrd, Katboocha). The service was really excellent and accommodating throughout our meal and also when we asked to change the time of our reservation after arriving early. One of the other highlights of our visit was browsing the shop, which is full of their cookbooks as well as fun handmade items like wooden cutting boards and cloth napkins. Moosewood Restaurant is really a destination that shouldn't be missed if you're in Ithaca or anywhere nearby.
Read morePros: Macrobiotic/unprocessed foods are emphasized, Delicious flavors without being overly salty, Super accommodating service
Cons: Small amount of vegan dessert choices
Guest
BillB
Points +87
Wow, big improvement!! - Edit
I have been a patron of Moosewood since it's inception in 1973. I have seen the menu and quality of the food and service go through many ups and downs. I am happy to report that my latest experience was excellent: both service and food. The food had taken a steep downturn in recent years, to the point where I was reluctant to go there on my annual visit to Ithaca. But much to my surprise the new owners/chef brought flavor and creativity back to this iconic restaurant. And even nice presentation (which it was never noted for). Kudos to the new owners for giving us a high quality veg restaurant once again and living up to it's name!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-08-22
Pros: Delicious food!
Guest
HandsOffMyHummus
Points +441
Vegan GF options!! - Edit
All of the food was absolutely delicious. Love that the menu clearly labels which items are vegan and gf. The whole menu was vegetarian -- deserves 5 stars but Happy Cow wouldn't let me. Extensive list of adult beverages. Cute outdoor dining area and great service. Definitely recommend it!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-01
Guest
mnaganov
Points +73
Nice food and atmosphere - Edit
The food is tasty and there are lots of vegetarian/vegan options.
Read morePros: Quality of food, Service, Atmosphere
Guest
Liliths
Points +103
Lang gehegter Wunsch - Edit
Nachdem ich schon seit vielen Jahren die Moosewood Kochbücher sammele, war ich total begeistert, wie gut es dort schmeckt. 1x Abendessen 1x Mittagessen. Hat sich komplett gelohnt. Salat, Sandwich, Hauptgericht, Nachtisch. Alles vom Feinsten
Read moreGuest
gabandtonic
Points +3018
Very cute - Edit
I liked this restaurant more for the vibes than the food. I thought the salad and soup were good but I LOVED the ambiance of the patio seating. I would definitely go back, hopefully on a day with a wider vegan selection.
Read moreGuest
LisaJax
Points +69
Great food and service - Edit
The lunch menu was small, but the food was amazing. The server was friendly and agreeable when I asked if a dish contained onions, which I dislike. He advised that the curry did contain a small amount of onions, but said that they are pureed into the sauce, and not easily noticed. He said with confidence, "this dish is so good, I would hate for you to miss it." I loved his confidence, and he was right, it was delectable! Our group all loved their meals, including the lentil soup, tofu salad, chickpea stew, and black bean burger. I love the history of Moosewood and love that they continue to serve veggie forward dishes, and clearly identify what is vegan.
Read morePros: vegan and veg options, quaint location, good food and good service
Cons: small menu, not great for a group with picky eaters
Guest
Desh
Points +1287
Good - Edit
I don’t remember it being amazing but it was definitely good
Read moreGuest
ChristopherDawes
Points +114
Actually. They did have fish on the menu. - Edit
Very few vegan options & a lot of dairy. It was challenging to order vegan for two. Even the salmon was cooked in so much dairy that they declined to make it vegan. The wait staff made us feel like nuisances for asking questions. Very underwhelming. Nothing I couldn’t easily make and make better at home.
Read morePros: The restaurant space is nice and airy, Bookstore, Local
Cons: Wait staff attitude towards vegans, Lack of vegan options , No Parking
Guest
TheDiplomat
Points +1024
Food right out of the cookbook! - Edit
This place has the reputation (and James Beard awards) to warrant a five star review. There’s even a kids menu with vegan options and a gift shop. However, while I enjoyed the food and found it exceptionally prepared for what it was (essentially a soup, salad, Thai curry, and vegan chocolate cake), it didn’t overly wow me. It’s nice healthy dishes, but servings are moderate and the price high. I don’t want to complain as I enjoyed the peaceful ambiance and the chill vibe of the staff, but I was expecting more and that’s too bad. Additionally, I don’t understand why this place hasn’t made the move to being a fully vegan restaurant. It should. It’s about time and, honestly, the food would be better and the limited menu more extensive for a vegan if they did. Come on Moosewood! Keep leading the way!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-07-20
Guest
samantha84
Points +85
Beyond expectations - Edit
I’ve wanted to come here since going vegetarian at age 9, 30 years ago. Surpassed all expectations. They’ve somehow kept it contemporary, vegetable-forward, in season.
Read morePros: Delicious bean burger, Great local beer, Amazing sides
Guest
brittcatt
Points +46
Creative and Delicious! - Edit
Such a lovely restaurant! The staff was so incredibly sweet and helpful. Cora was the best! We had the mint pea hummus, lemon tahini broccoli, and shared the spicy coconut curry. Everything was so well prepared and perfectly portioned. Vegan options are clearly marked and they even provide clear edits that can make vegetarian items vegan. They do the same for gluten free offerings as well. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Clearly marked menu, Kind staff!
Guest
marincountyvegan
Points +2232
Lovely Experience - Edit
We had such a lovely experience here. They had tons of vegan options on the menu, including yummy vegan desserts. The service was great.
Read moreGuest
ichibanvegan
Points +360
Delicious vegan options - Edit
I’ve been here one other time and this time the food was even better than I remembered. I ordered a vegan lentil soup, the black bean burger and a local hard cider. I will definitely come back to try other items! #Veganuary
Read morePros: High quality ingredients , Imaginative dishes, Well labeled vegan options
Cons: Pricey
Guest
micbonf
Points +39
Best restaurant in Ithaca - Edit
I loved the special soup and salad and bread. The West African peanut soup was outstanding. Salad was also great and the bread.
Read morePortions were generous and prices reasonable.
I also recommend the ginger tea
Updated from previous review on 2022-10-30
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Friendly staff
Guest
DonaldMcAninch
Points +810
The one and only - Edit
Moosewood lived up to its reputation on my visit. The meals we had were vegetable-centric, very well crafted, and quite satisfying. Definitely will return to Ithaca if only to come back.
Read moreGuest
RichBeBe
Points +786
The OG ad More Vegan Than I Remembered - Edit
The last time I went to Moosewood was about 20 years ago and I remember a limited vegan selection. They stepped that up with lots of vegan and gluten-free options. The food was good, but not amazing, the prices were fair, the portions might have been a bit more. I would rather have paid an extra 20% and had a larger portion.
Read moreI just wish the food had a bit more "zing" or something as it was slightly bland, but not bad.
Guest
GFGoldenLady
Points +2142
A bucket list item checked off! - Edit
I went vegetarian 21 years ago (I've been vegan for the past 14 of those years). One of the first cookbooks that came into my hands was one from Moosewood. I was amazed there was a completely vegetarian restaurant! I really wanted to go someday but never thought that day would come.
Read moreThis past weekend my husband took me to Ithica and we decided we needed to go to such an iconic restaurant.
They are busy! Definitely call and make a reservation. We called the nor ing of and we're able to get an outdoor reservation.
Service was good as was the food. I don't think anything really blew us away, although I was happy to see many V and VGF options and we'll labeled on the menu.
We had the white bean and shishito dip, it was OK. More shishitos would have been better.
We also had the Finger Lakes red bean jambalaya. It was hearty and filling, but needed hot sauce or maybe worster to full it out flavour wise.
The Red Thai Cashew Curry was quite good. We felt this was the best of the three dishes.
Portions were small, but excellent given the price point. We decided to have the berry cherry mango crumble (warmed up) and it was very good.
Guest
MaeveEriq
Points +20
Moosewood restaurant - Edit
I ordered the Thai cashew curry. It was average tasting, mostly the veggies were bland.
Read moreThe service was pretty good.
The vanilla oat milk latte was good.
Guest
Poundie
Points +16521
Big reputation to live up to - Edit
Moosewood is well-known for the iconic cookbook that bears its name. When I was a teenager, I remember my mother preparing meals from this cookbook--I don't remember the meals themselves, but I did appreciate that there was such a cookbook at the time.
Read moreI have been to the Moosewood Restaurant a bunch of times while in the Ithaca area, largely out of a sense of nostalgia. My friends and I have always been satisfied with our meals here and have left happy. Something that is admittedly missing, however, is the "wow" factor that lives up to the high reputation of the Moosewood name. The apparent disconnect between the Moosewood reputation and the restaurant itself is something that other HappyCow reviewers have noted, and rightly so.
Am I being unfair in expecting too much? That is, would it be fairer to simply judge this according to the standards of a typical restaurant, rather than in relation to expectations inspired by its famous name? If I judged it according to that of a typical restaurant, admittedly I might have rated this place four stars. However, it might be safest to downplay the expectations--if you are not expecting to be bowled over by Moosewood, you are more likely find the food and atmosphere here to be fine.
Guest
rookievegan
Points +129
Takeout lunch on patio delicious - Edit
Takeout only this past week, but that worked out fine for us. We were able to eat in outside patio. Vegan gochujang noodles had yummy homemade sauce. My family had shawarma wrap & black bean burger, which they enjoyed
Read moreGuest
Philhower
Points +284
Delicious takeout - Edit
First time here in the takeout era and it did not disappoint. Good food. Careful attention to dietary needs.
Read moreGuest
veggivet
Points +180
Hanging on by its name... - Edit
I had a sense the dinner wouldn't go well when I was informed by the person in charge of seating that they had no record of my reservation. It was made the day before, but somehow wasn't in their 'system'. Reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry reserves a rental car but one isn't available when he shows up at the counter. Moosewood TOOK my reservation, but didn't KEEP my reservation. Fortunately, a small table was available outside, (where I specifically requested to eat the day before). I knew what I wanted before I was seated, and ordered right away, but despite that, it took at least 15 minutes for the salad to arrive. This was not during the evening rush; in fact, it was early, around 5 PM. OK, no problem, I'm thinking they're going to bring out this beautiful salad with all local veggies and olives, as the menu describes. Well, some chopped dark green lettuce (not mesclun mix or arugula or anything tasty) formed the base of the salad, with a generous mound of freshly grated carrot on top. On top of that was one, I repeat ONE, olive. Four slices of cucumber and four cherry tomatoes completed the salad, along with some miso dressing. Fortunately, I smuggled in a huge heirloom tomato from my garden, otherwise the salad would have been even more disappointing. Their cherry tomatoes didn't even taste like they were local. [Edited to say that the tomatoes were indeed local; they just didn't taste like it.]
Read moreOK, I took a deep breath and said to myself the entree will make up for the lackluster salad. The Indian cashew curry came out just as I was finishing my salad, and my first impression was that I thought the last time I ordered this it was plated in a larger bowl. I could be wrong, but in any case, the portion size was barely adequate, and not worth the price. Flavors were OK, but only a couple of pieces of tofu in the entire dish. No fresh cilantro garnish, either, and I don't recall any pieces of cashew, though some may have been in the sauce, all ground up.
I decided to forgo dessert, and I had asked for the check as I started my entree. It had not arrived by the time I finished, so I did some math in my head and left $24. I'm glad I didn't order dessert, because I may have been there for another hour or so if I did. I scored a gorgeous peach/strawberry pie at the local coop that is to die for.
One final complaint:Why no gazpacho on a perfect late summer day? Ithaca's winters are long enough.Save the hot soups for those 9 months
Updated from previous review on 2020-09-04
Pros: Outside seating available, though on noisy street., That's about it
Cons: Poor service, Bland dishes, Living in the past
Guest
CynthiaChu
Points +44
vegan brunch - Edit
love coming to moosewood for sunday brunch. most of their meals can be made vegan, even the pancakes and sweets. delicious food, but portions are on the smaller side. great atmosphere and my favorite brunch spot in ithaca😄
Read moreGuest
porchlife
Points +175
Vegan options from the 70s - Edit
Though a quick review of the menu told me not to have high expectations, I still wanted to visit Moosewood since their cookbook (the first one) was gifted to me as a new vegetarian by my aunt and I love the veggie pot-pie recipe from this book. However, as some reviewers have noted, their vegan options are so uninspired it's as if I were traveling back in time to the 70s/80s with dishes heavy on the sweet potato and sprout. My husband had their sweet potato roll and I had a modified dish of cauliflower with pasta and marinara. Bland -- needed some Beyond sausage or maybe some cashew cream? Very unimaginative. The best part was the delicious cocktail, a hot ginger toddy.
Read morePros: Historic
Cons: Bland, Not many vegan options, Unimaginative options
Guest
naomihhs
Points +1120
Always Great food! - Edit
The food here is great! Everything tasted fresh and wonderful.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options which are clearly marked , Vegan dessert options
Guest
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