**Vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants** seem to be **opening almost every month** in the **conveniently located Madison Square Park area.** And Madison Square Park itself has a large picnic area with tons of tables and chairs. Join us on this early October evening for a beautiful evening picnic under the lights, as we order order take-out from the numerous nearby vegan and vegan-friendly restuarants.

Two of the newest restaurants are **PLNT Burger** and **Mas Veggies Vegan Taqueria**. Also new to most of us is **Anita Gelato**, a **(non-vegan)** dessert venue with **TEN vegan ice cream and gelato options.**

**Take your pick: Get take-out from one or SEVERAL of the vegan and vegan-friendly venues on the list below, and THEN ***meet us in Madison Square Park in the picnic area by the Shake Shack*** for a sprawling veg*n take-out picnic. We’ll be putting the tables and chairs together into one, hugely-long table — you’ll see it!**

**1. PLNT Burger – ALL-VEGAN**
1147 Broadway (bet. W. 26th & W. 27th Streets)
[https://www.plntburger.com](https://www.plntburger.com)
This new-to-New York burgers-and-fries chain has taken the city by storm.

**2. Más Veggies Vegan Taqueria / Veggie Grill – ALL-VEGAN**
12 W. 23rd St. (bet. 5th & 6th Aves.)
[https://www.eatmasveggies.com](https://www.eatmasveggies.com)
Now sharing space with 23rd Street’s excellent Veggie Grill (an all-vegan burger joint), new kid on the block Más Veggies Vegan Taqueria offers an outstanding Mexican menu.

**3. Anita Gelato (aka: Anita La Mamma del Gelato)**
1141 Broadway (corner of W. 26th Street)
[https://www.anita-gelato.com](https://www.anita-gelato.com)
International gelato chain “Anita La Mamma del Gelato” — newly in New York, at the corner of Broadway & W. 26th Street — **is just a couple of doors down from PLNT Burger (see above)**. **Not all vegan**, they have 150 homemade ice cream and gelato flavors, **TEN** of which are **vegan**.

**4. NuLeaf – ALL-VEGAN**
23 W. 23rd St. (bet. 5th & 6th Aves.)
[https://www.eatnuleaf.com](https://www.eatnuleaf.com)
Yet another newish all-vegan restaurant, this one is across the street from Más Veggies Vegan Taqueria / Veggie Grill. They specialize in salads, vegan bowls, wraps, and soups and chili. Their large menu also includes a lot of side dishes, including multiple kinds of seitan, tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, grilled chicken, baked beans, and smoky maple mushrooms.

**5. Marty’s V Burger – ALL-VEGAN**
134 East 27th St. (bet. Lexington Ave. & 3rd Ave.)
[https://www.martysvburger.com](https://www.martysvburger.com)
We love this restaurant so much, we normally have whole meetups devoted to this one place. (We hosted one a few months ago.) The original burgers-and-fries venue in the Madison Square Park area, this longtime favorite continues to expand its menu. Marty’s serves a wide variety of vegan burgers, and their menu also includes Crabby Patties, Vegan Drumstix, and a large selection of entree salads, wraps, and vegan desserts.

**6. Pure Grit BBQ – ALL-VEGAN**
36 Lexington Ave. (bet. E. 23rd St. & E. 24th St.)
[https://www.puregritbbq.com](https://www.puregritbbq.com)
New. First-ever all-vegan fast food BBQ in NYC. In addition to BBQ, sells Chicken & Waffle, Mac and Cheese, Fried Tofu Bites, Waffle Fries, Chips & Queso, Baked Beans.

**WHERE TO MEET US:** Step one is on your own. **FIRST, Get take-out from one or SEVERAL of the vegan and vegan-friendly venues on the list above. THEN ***Meet us in Madison Square Park in the picnic area by the Shake Shack*** for a sprawling veg*n take-out picnic. We’ll be putting the tables and chairs together into one, hugely-long table — you’ll see it! Again, this is in the picnic area by the Shake Shack, inside of Madison Square Park.** (Madison Square Park is a three-block-long park between Madison Ave. & 5th Ave., bounded by E. 23rd St. on the south side of the park, going to E. 26th St. on the north side of the park. The Shake Shack picnic area is in the south section of the park, near 23rd Street.)

**We are an extremely friendly and welcoming group.** To our new members: Come to the meetup and make new friends! We are delighted to meet you, and to welcome you to the group.

Looking forward to seeing you for this veg*n evening picnic under the lights, in beautiful Madison Square Park!

David