Being vegetarian, I was super excited to try out The Butcher’s Daughter, a new juice bar, cafe and “vegetable slaughter house”. The cafe treats fruits and vegetables as a butcher would meat: They chop, fillet and carve fresh produce into heathy vegetarian dishes as well as press them into pretty juices. The menu changes daily to reflect seasonal fruits and vegetables, and is 100% vegetarian and non-dairy. Most of the items on the menu items are vegan and gluten-free, and they are happy to prepare substitutions for most dietary restrictions (yay! Fussy eaters + special dietary folks rejoice!).
We arrived at peak brunch hour — 1pm on a Sunday. There were a few free tables and we were seated straight away at the communal table. The interior is pretty small (seating 35 people max). During the warmer months they can fit an additional 30 people outside.
While we were seated quickly, we had to wait a while for our server to realise that we needed menus, and again a while longer to be served water. Our server helpfully offered to give Cheese a smaller paper cup out of which to drink, but of course Cheese only wanted Mommy and Daddy’s huge metal cups (but it was a really nice thought).
Alec’s standard favourite brunch dish is eggs Benedict. He ordered The Butcher’s Daughter equivalent — the Smashed Avocado Benedict (two poached eggs, curried hollandaise, ripe avocado smashed with curry, mustard seed and lime, on a whole-grain English muffin, served with roasted potato hash, $15). Alec’s comments: “The bread was quite solid and dense, which balanced the light eggs and hollandaise sauce. The potatoes were quite lightly spiced too. Really tasty. The only odd note was the watermelon, but I didn’t mind it.”
I ordered the Egg Sandwich Platter (folded eggs, carrot cashew cheese, kale, tomato jam on toasted 7-grain served with roasted potato hash, $14). I was in absolute heaven. The eggs and carrot cashew cheese were creamy and flavoursome — but the big hit was the sweet and spicy tomato jam. It really gave a punch to the sandwich and elevated it to one of my top brekkie sandwiches (my other fave is from local Brooklyn cafe Ted & Honey).
Cheese was being a fussy bugger and only picked at a few things from our plates. We tried bribing her to sit still with the phone, but it only gave us enough time to scarf down our food at an indigestion-inducing rate, and to high-tail it out before we embarrassed ourselves in this super-hip joint.
Despite the high prices and slow service, The Butcher’s Daughter is my kinda place. There are a lot of vegan joints, but few (if any?) that are dedicated vegetarian, where you can still get things like eggs, honey and yogurt on the menu (you can have these items substituted for things like tofu eggs if you’re vegan). All the food is foraged from farms in upstate New York and Connecticut by Michael Geller of Mike’s Organics.
The Butcher’s Daughter also specialises in freshly-made juices and smoothies, plus a juice cleanse of varying levels that you can try (juice and raw food, juice and a bit of raw food, or just juice).
It’s worth noting that while this cafe is small, there is some room for the odd full-size stroller, especially near the bar area on the left side of the cafe. Your best bet is to bring an umbrella stroller or carrier.
Last Bite: A vegetarian and juice-lover’s heaven. Be prepared for a long wait and steep prices, but once your food comes out you won’t regret it. Kids are welcome although not catered to. Start your baby’s hipster training right here!
Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Very little.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.
The Butcher’s Daughter
19 Kenmare St
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 2193434
Prices: $$
Hours: Sun-Thur 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat 8am-11pm