Peacefood Cafe Downtown
“Chickpea fries, raw pizza, nachos and coconut cheese cake were all gluten free and INCREDIBLE.”
“Raw keylime pie: young coconut, cashew, avocado agave lime filling in an almond Brazil nut crust.”
“The brownies, cheesecake, tiramisu, strawberry shortcake…make sure you get there earlier in the day because they will sell out of the goodness!”
Peacefood Cafe Downtown
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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this location is so much nicer than the uptown one. food is slightly better because they have an extra page of specials. i got the grilled oyster mushroom served on top of parsnip puree with sauteed kale, fried lotus root and crispy chickpeas. the abundance of ingredients in that dish made me very happy but it was sooooo oily. theres no way that stuff is healthy lol. i also find that the heartier dishes here are the better ones (i've had bad experiences with the raw entrees, salads, and cooked veggies at the uptown location). so my advice is to treat yo'self and get something like pure fried wheat gluten. also service is extremely slow
I was really impressed by the food and service here. Also, it's a lot more spacious inside than I had imagined. You can come in small parties or even larger groups.
As for the food, I only tried the peacebowl. With this entree, you can pick 3 vegetables to mix into your bowl of rice. I ordered mine with kale, cauliflower, & bokchoy. If you're unsure of what boychoy is, it's a chinese vegetable (type of cabbage) with dark leafy greens. All these veggies I added are packed with vitamins and healthy nutrients. The sauce that came with this was pretty light (it tasted like ginger) but it added just the right flavor. I didn't think this dish was too heavy or made me feel stuffed after. I felt super satisfied after my meal. Also, I would recommend the fresh squeezed gingerade. So refreshing and so good!
Love coming here for brunch on Saturdays. This place is very spacious and cozy inside. Had an amazing meal here the other day: we ordered the Chickpea fries, the tofu omelet with mushrooms and the chicken & waffles dish. Love that they had new items on the menu every other time we go. Each dish was really well done and very tasty. I also got to try the ginger latte (it was eye opening) it taste as invigorating as coffee without the caffeine.
Absolutely love Peacefood. It's my go-to for a delicious and wholesome meal. Everything is delicious, for vegans and non-vegans alike. My personal favorite are the chickpea fries and the HUGE range of desserts. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The atmosphere is also very cozy and the service is quick and friendly. I recommend this to anyone in the area for a quick lunch, dinner or late night desert snack!
Peacefood Cafe is my second Vegan/Vegetarian food experience. I've always avoided plant-based eateries because prices can be really expensive for portions that are oftentimes small and meager, which is like not really worth the $$$. Peacefood cafe was different. As a part of a party of three, we ordered enough food to serve 4-5 people! We were so full by the time we were finished.
Magic Cookie($2.50)-
This was recommended by my friend. It was crispy, but hard. Loved the chocolate chips hidden within the cookie.
Mushroom Duxelle($12.95) + Vegan Cheese($3.5 extra)-
This is the vegan take on pizza. The tomato sauce is replaced by a fine layer of puréed mushrooms. Toppings include cucumber and red pepper. The crust is thin and reminded me of pita bread/Roti. The vegan cheese was amazing and tasted like real cheese, but better. How crazy is that?!
Vegan Cheeseburger($14.95)-
Beautiful, yet huge. A peaceful feeling was emitted from the simple presentation on the plate. It has a focaccia bun that sandwiches the burger and the cheese. Focaccia was not dry and the sauces were amazing. The texture of the burger patty was like real meat! The taste was even similar to real meat… @_@ #rocketscience My friend and I split this.
Chickpea Fries($9.5)-
Thickly cut, these chickpea fries were really filling. It came with a sauce that probably included red pepper/tomato. After two to three fries, the taste can get bland. The sauce doesn't really spice up the fries much.
Pan Seared Shanghai Style Dumplings($9.5)-
Yo. These are like legit Chinese dumplings. It's just more expensive than the ones in Chinatown. Can't believe there's no meat in these! Was not salty and tasty.
Chili Soup w/ side of Corn Bread($?)-
Corn Bread became stale out in the open. Chili soup seemed similar to the type you get out of a can. I'm sure that's not the case here though. Probably because my friend left the soup untouched for awhile.
Raw Cashew Cream Cheesecake($?)-
Tangy. Careful when eating this out in the sun! Can melt. LOL.
Strawberry Cheesecake($?)-
A real strawberry atop a strawberry glaze layer. Can pass off as a real cheesecake.
For the price, the quality and portion of the food you get is pretty good and reasonable! However, some of the stuff were sort of pricey.
Other notes:
+Our waiter was polite and attentive. He consistently came around to refill our cups and ask if everything was alright.
++There's only two unisex bathrooms. That's sort of ironic, considering how big the cafe is. The wait can be a bit long.
A friend of mine suggested dinner. I concurred. I followed up with "where at?" She said, "Peacefood…"
After that thrilling bit of back and forth, I performed my due diligence in order to determine what kind of tasty treats I had unknowingly volunteered my palate for this past Tuesday night. Was it a super expensive place? Did the place have live (adult) entertainment? Or did the word, "peace," in the moniker allude to some kind of ceasefire or armistice as relating to geo-political forces? Alas… these were the thoughts that swirled in the brain pan of yours truly until the appropriate Yelp search could be undertaken.
So what were the fruits of my painstaking research??? "Coffee & tea"…"Vegan"…"Gluten-Free"… three gastonomical genres that this particular writer never dabbles with (go ahead, look through my reviews). As a specimen blessed with the metabolism of a gas guzzling H2 Hummer (coupled with the vanity and work ethic of a thing that works out a lot), I've justified that such "super" health foods were items that I had no need to dabble in… that, plus I very much enjoy the taste of things with fat, and grease, and crunch, and booze (not all of them mixed together at the same time, mind you). Nevertheless, I couldn't back down from this chance to test the limits of my gastronomical fortitude (plus meet w/ friends I hadn't seen in some time… who may or may not have had a souvenir bag of a rare flavored Dorito that I was looking forward to receiving… but did not…).
No reservations had been made for our low-key party of three; the joint was full, but us three small framed Far Eastern-ers volunteered to be seated at a table for two, given our structural advantage of being well suited to be accommodated by way of an efficient use of space (plus, I was really hungry and wanted to get started on ordering these curiously named offerings on the menu.
As seen with most similar establishments, a good amount of menu items present themselves as meat dishes. The use of the word "chicken" (if one were to use a Control "F" search on the menu for that word, it would appear a number of times). A curious thing, advertising that a dish is something that a vegan isn't allowed to eat… but that's a philosophical debate for another time. In the end, we ended up splitting chickpea fries, Thai curry, a creamy oyster pasta, and a double chocolate and mint cookie sandwich.
Even one as skeptical as myself, as to the viability of the vegan lifestyle (as to sustaining satisfactory nutrition, economy of resource acquisition, and tastiness), was impressed by the offerings of this place. The chickpea fries packed an punch as far as flavors were concerned; very well seasoned, although I would have appreciated more of a crispy/crunchy exterior (they do bear the name "fries" after all, and that does come with certain expectations). The Thai curry was quite the standout as well; again, robust seasoning on the curry sauce… my carnivorous nature couldn't help but remind the back of my mind that "this sauce would go awesome with some kind of meat…" but alas, it would have to work it's magic on the tofu and other healthy nibbles it was served along with.
The oyster pasta definitely rattled my core. On a purely personal level, I abstain from cheeses and creamy creams, just because… ew. But ever the adventurous palate of mine… along with the generous serving from the friend to my left, supplied me with quite the heap of the stuff. Alas, it was edible, and surprised me as far replicating what "cheese" and "oysters" should taste like (except not exactly, which worked in its favor… as far as the cheese goes). If I ever were to generate the desire to learn how to eat cheese, this dish would provide a nice set of training wheels in that endeavor.
And lastly, the intriguing vegan dessert was as tasty as any "unhealthier" version out there. It was a chocolate cookie sandwich with a mint filling. No way you could f*ck that up, vegan or not.
While the place doesn't have me pondering the meaning of life, questioning my religion, or whether or not if a tree falls in the woods would a certain type of person hear it… this spot does kinda fly in the face of some ideas I've had a "healthier" kind of eating; am I completely convinced? Nah… but hey, the argument is there thanks to those in the name of Peacefood (and similarly set up establishments).
Chic dinning option around Union Square with Gluten Free and vegan menu selections.
The dinning area is arranged with cozy lighting and white table cloths. Coming in there is a 'to go' area with a dessert display.
At a first look I had trouble with the menu. I couldn't find anything that spoke to me. People were having a butternut squash dish with mashed potatoes. It looked good and seemed popular but I needed something lighter. I ended up sharing nacho fries with the girls, ordering a quinoa Buddah bowl with some veggies and a gluten free cashew cream pie. The Buddah bowl was pretty regular for my taste but the nachos and dessert were amazing. I have actually been craving that pie since trying it. I will defiantly come back to get it again.
Service was extremely attentive. Several people have approached us to make sure we were taken care of and to let us know when the dishes were coming next. I am always happy to discover a new place that fits my dietary needs and has good quality food.
I really like Peacefood Cafe. It serves a great purpose as a casual spot that you can usually get into with no worries, have a healthy, satisfying meal, and catch up with friends. It's also in a good central location and has lots of different menu options depending what you're in the mood for. I especially like going in the winter on weeknights, as their dumpling soup is one of my favorite menu items. It's nothing too fancy and I probably wouldn't go on a weekend night, but it is a great option for a lot of scenarios, and I like having it as a neighborhood spot.