This counter-service vegetarian hangout was founded in the spirit of 1960s Los Angeles, a utopian land where personal wellness and charity were yin and yang. Founder Camilla Marcus, an entrepreneur with four professional degrees who revitalized dell’anima, Riverpark, and the Union Square Café, brings California consciousness to Lower Manhattan through what she calls the Westbourne Collective, a dream team of local farmers, bespoke-furniture designers, ceramicists, sustainability experts, and charities—all of whom make West-Bourne the clean-living experience it is. (One percent of profits are donated to poverty-fighting organizations.) We recommend the savory Mushreuben (roasted maltake mushrooms, sauerkraut, Peppadew peppers, Swiss cheese, and special sauce on toasted caraway bread) and the vivid Over the Rainbowl (brown basmati rice, lentil falafel, tricolored cauliflower, kale, delicate squash, pickled beets, jalapeño tahini). Cold-pressed juices, beer, and wine are also available, and rose is a popular beverage choice here.
west~bourne
Images by Nicole Franzen
