Délice & Sarrasin: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Délice & Sarrasin is a fully vegan French restaurant and bakery on West Houston Street. Every dish on both menus is vegan, so you never need to ask a server about butter, eggs, or cream. The kitchen uses no animal products, and the wine list is vegan too.

The Caron family runs the place, and Yvette Caron cooks as head chef after training at Le Garenne, a well-known restaurant and hotel in the South of France. You’ll find the restaurant at 178 West Houston Street, with the entrance on Bedford Street.

The menu reads like a Paris bistro, then swaps the animal for something plant-based. Start with the Escargots Beurre Maître d’Hôtel ($14), which uses oyster mushrooms as the “snails” in parsley garlic butter. The Foie Gras Végétal ($15) is a tahini pâté served with fig jam. The Plateau de Fromage ($18) brings four French-style cashew cheeses, and the Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée ($15) comes with croutons and a “gruyère” topping.

The mains go further. The Coq au Vin ($26) braises “chicken legs” in red wine with Parisian mushrooms and onions. The Boeuf Bourguignon ($26) simmers “beef” with carrots and fingerling potatoes. The Cassoulet Toulousain ($26) packs white beans with a seared “duck” patty and Toulouse “sausage.” The Steak Frites ($27) arrives with black truffle fries, and the Tournedos Rossini ($35) tops a “steak” fillet with “foie gras” and shaved black truffle. The kitchen builds its meat texture from yellow split peas and pea protein. If you’d rather skip the imitations, order the Ratatouille Niçoise ($22), a stew of eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, and garlic.

Save room for the galettes. Sarrasin means buckwheat, and the savory crepes here use buckwheat flour. Mr Petrossian ($20) layers konjac smoked “salmon” with crème fraîche, avocado purée, and dill. La Paysanne ($18) fills a galette with “bacon” bits, roasted tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and coconut emmental. The sweet crepes run $14 to $16, and La Suzette is flambéed with Grand Marnier. For dessert, you can also order the Orange Crème Brûlée ($13), the Lavender Infused Rice Pudding ($12), or the Pain Perdu ($15).

The de Bernay Bakery shares the address and opens at 8am. You can order vegan croissants and pastries, including an Almond Croissant ($6.50), a Pain au Chocolat Praline ($7), and a Mille-feuille ($8.50). Coffee drinks come with oat, cashew, soy, or almond milk.

The kitchen situation is simple. Nothing animal-based enters the building, so cross-contact with meat, dairy, or eggs doesn’t happen. Allergies are a separate question. Dishes carry SF, GF, and NF tags for soy free, gluten free, and nut free, and the restaurant says most of the menu is free of soy, gluten, and nuts. Tell your server what you avoid, because the kitchen can adjust to prevent cross-contamination. The restaurant has no kosher certification.

Plan on $22 to $35 for a main. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner every day from 11am to 10pm, holidays included, and the bakery stays open until 9pm. You can reserve through Resy, order online through SkyTab, or call 212-243-7200. The restaurant doesn’t allow BYOB, but it sells vegan wines and beers. Catering trays serve 10 people each.

If this is your first visit, order the escargots, the Coq au Vin, and a Pain Perdu to share. Then buy an Almond Croissant on your way out for tomorrow’s breakfast.