The best sustainable restaurants in New York City for eco-conscious diners

What is it? A sustainable steakhouse from across the pond. 

Why we like it: Hawksmoor is serious about its meats—one bite into its thick-cut dry-aged steak and you can taste the difference. But the steakhouse is also just as serious when it comes to sustainability, so much so that Hawksmoor is the only U.S. steakhouse to be B Corp certified. Beyond using environmentally-friendly LED lighting and creating a workplace where staff can thrive, the meat of the matter when it comes to sustainability is, well, its meats. The steakhouse sticks to a 300-mile radius for its grass-fed steaks, working with family-run farms from upstate New York, Pennsylvania and New England. Together, the steakhouse works with farmers, ranchers and fishermen who honor the land, who in turn, honor what gets put on your plate.

Time Out tip: Weekends call for the British-style roast beef with all the trimmings, available until 5pm. 

Address: 109 East 22nd Street (Gramercy)

Hours: Lunch: Wed–Sat noon–3pm; Dinner Mon–Sat 5–10:30pm; Sun noon–4:30 pm and 5:30–9:30pm; Bar: Mon and Tues 4:30–10:30pm, Wed–Sat noon–3:30 and 4:30–10:30pm, Sun noon–4:30pm and 5:30–9:30 pm

What is it? NYC’s first 100% sustainable seafood restaurant and NYC’s second restaurant to receive a B Corp certification. 

Why we like it: Executive Chef Todd Mitgang built sustainability into each of his seafood restaurants, Crave Sushi Bar being no exception. One of the first restaurants in Manhattan to align with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guidelines, the sushi spot became the first 100% sustainable restaurant by prioritising under-caught selections from the sea as well as sourcing from responsible shellfish farms. For Mitgang, this is just what it looks like when you give a shuck. 

Time Out tip: Knowing that each oyster shell is getting donated to the Billion Oyster Project, an initiative to restore oysters to New York harbor, you might as well get an order or two. 

Address: 947 2nd Avenue (Midtown East)

Hours: Daily 5–10pm

What is it? Chef Austin Johnson’s tasting menu that lives up to a sustainable ethos.  

Why we like it: Farm-to-table is more than just a phrase for chef Austin Johnson. With a pedigree that includes time at Eleven Madison Park and The Nomad, plus time spent living and cooking on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska, chef Johnson understands the intricacies of a system that honors the farm. So much so that he built a farm upstate, Rigor Hill Farm, to source seasonal vegetables that he even sells outside his restaurant as a pop-up farmers market. Clearly, the community has noticed, as the restaurant gained a Michelin Green Star in 2024. 

Time Out tip: Keep an eye on its Instagram to see what’s sprouting on the farm. 

Address: 1 White Street (Tribeca)

Hours: Sun–Thurs 5:30–9pm; Fri and Sat 5:30–10pm

What is it? Amanda Cohen’s pioneering, vegetable-forward tasting menu.  

Why we like it: Amanda Cohen recalls investors blanching at the name “Dirt Candy” when it came to the name of her solo venture. Nowadays, the name of the Michelin Green Star-rated spot is synonymous with the plant-based movement. While its meat-free menu puts it lightyears ahead when it comes to sustainability, Cohen goes even further, sourcing local, staying seasonal and sourcing biodynamic wines to reduce her carbon footprint. Plus, the things that she can do with a carrot (Korean fried broccoli) or mushrooms (portobello mousse, anyone?) goes the distance. 

Time Out tip: The tasting is priced at $110 per person and we do recommend spending the extra coin (of $55) for the drink pairing. 

Address: 86 Allen Street (Lower East Side)

Hours: Tues–Sat 5:30–10:30pm

What is it? A farm-to-table restaurant with digs and dishes that are farm fresh. 

Why we like it: Blackbarn is a rustic refuge off the hustle of Madison Square. With wooden rafters and lived-in furniture, the interior models barn houses found in Long Island. However, chef John Doherty’s restaurant goes past the aesthetic of it all, committed to sourcing local goods from sustainable farms in the state. His robust recycling program includes plastic, glass and paper—even food scraps from the restaurant that find a new life, literally. Composting with Peat, a Queens-based circular farm, the leftover food turns into mushrooms that once again find themselves on the plate.  

Time Out tip: Try the homegrown mushrooms in the Mushroom Ravioli with a cauliflower-parsley sauce. 

Address: 19 East 26th Street (Flatiron)

Hours: Lunch: Mon–Fri 11:30am–3pm; Dinner: Mon–Sat 4:30–9pm; Brunch: Sat and Sun 10:30am–3pm; Happy Hour Mon–Fri 4–6:30pm

What is it? Dan Barber’s upstate magic can be found right here in the city. Family Meal started in 2021 as a way to reintroduce Dan Barber’s farm-to-table restaurant back to the masses as we slowly crawled our way out of the pandemic. But something about the community and conviviality of it all, especially in a time of disconnect, just stuck.

Why we like it: The restaurant follows the seasons, and at times, the micro seasons in between, with chef Mark Ordaz and his team riffing off the daily product produced from Blue Hill Farm and Barber’s dairy farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Time Out tip: The rooftop garden houses herbs and flowers. You can most commonly spot them in your cocktail and throughout the bar program.  

Address: 75 Washington Place (Greenwich Village)

Hours: Daily 5:30–9:30pm; Lunch: Sat and Sun 11:30am–2pm

What is it? Chef Franklin Becker’s hall for seafood inside the MetLife Building. 

Why we like it: Point Seven is inspired by all things ocean, and we mean all things. Beyond pristine cuts of fish, the interior of chef Becker’s restaurant is made with misplaced materials that end up in our oceans. Yes, the tables, the bar and even the countertops are all made from recycled plastic found in the sea. This was all by design thanks to design firm Studio Valerius who worked with Smile Plastic, a company that transforms waste into decorative goods. Among such green environs, Becker follows suit, working with Dock to Dish, Montauk’s sustainable fish company, for fish from the sea to your plate within 24 hours.

Time Out tip: As of March, you can find cuts of salmon, kanpachi and fluke on ice, ready for sushi, sashimi and hand rolls.  

Address: 200 Park Avenue (midtown)

Hours: Mon–Fri Breakfast: 7:30–10:30am, Lunch: 11:30am–2:30pm, Snack: 3–10:30pm, Dinner: 5– 9:30pm, Bar: 11:30 am–10:30 pm​; Sat Snack: 4–10:30pm, Dinner: 5–9:30 pm, Bar: 4–10:30pm

What is it? A Swediopian venture from Marcus Samuelsson led by executive chef Fariyal Abdullahi. 

Why we like it: Chef Fariyal Abdullahi not only takes care of her staff, but she is also taking care of the planet. Passionate about food waste, chef Abdullahi donates the kitchen's food waste to Afterlifeag. In turn, the organization turns it into compost that finds its way back into New York parks as well as fresh mushrooms which end up back at the restaurant. The restaurant also donates its oyster shells to the Billion Oyster Project. 

Time Out tip: If you take a look at the Hav & Martini, you may notice a pinkish hue. That’s because general manager Tia Barrett carries on the zero-waste ethos in cocktail form, saving the kitchen’s pickling liquid for a riff on a Gibson.  

Address: 245 11th Avenue (Chelsea) 

Hours: Sun and Mon 5–9pm; Tues–Sat 5–10pm

What is it? New York’s only three Michelin-starred vegan restaurant. 

Why we like it: For the longest time, Eleven Madison Park laid the blueprint when it came to fine dining, from the tip-top service down to Daniel Humm's handing of dry-aged ducks. In 2021 when Humm reopened for dining—the restaurant served as a commissary kitchen during the pandemic—he decided to do it differently, going completely vegan all in the vein of sustainability. He’s proven it can be done, as the restaurant has retained its three-star rating from the Michelin Guide.

Time Out tip: Located up above is Humm’s latest cocktail venture, Clemente Bar. Following the same ethos as its sister space, the food here is plant-based and the cocktails do their part as well, incorporating food scraps for the kitchen for its drinks. 

Address: 11 Madison Avenue (Flatiron)

Hours: Mon–Thurs 5–10:30pm; Fri 5–11pm; Sat and Sun noon–11pm

What is it? A wine bar with good eats inspired by tapas bars in Portugal and Barcelona from the team behind the sustainable Brooklyn concepts Rucola, June and Purslane.

Why we like it: From its start in 2019, Rhodora Wine Bar has been minimizing its carbon footprint by recycling, upcycling and composting its ingredients with the aim of being the first zero-waste wine bar of its kind in the country. It also avoids single-use plastics and items destined for landfills and spotlights natural wines and local cheese. It also has a cool model, where all staff are cross-trained for each position, allowing for front- and back-of-house positions to be shared and the staff gets 10 percent of profits on a quarterly basis.

Time Out tip: Order and sit at the bar—you can take your time and chat with the staff. Otherwise, you need to order from the bar before you sit down.

Address: 197 Adelphi Street (Fort Greene)

Hours: Mon–Thurs 5–11pm; Fri 4–11pm; Sat and Sun 2–11pm

What is it? A vintage arcade parlor where craft beers reign supreme 

Why we like it: You may not associate an arcade bar with sustainability, but Barcade invites you to think again. In fact, the bar is one of the few Green Restaurant Association “Certified Green” spots in NYC. Among taking environmental steps such as counting water efficiency, recycling and pollution reduction, the bar saves previously loved arcade machines to lower its overall purchasing footprint. So game on! 

Time Out tip: The bar only serves American-brewed craft beer on draft to reduce the usage of single use bottles and cans, giving us even more incentive to order another round. 

Address: 148 West 24th Street (Chelsea); 6 Street Marks Place (East Village); 388 Union Avenue (Williamsburg)