New York vegan restaurant serving a Mediterranean and Latin-style menu. A selection of raw and cooked dishes available including lasagne, huitlacoche & chorizo quesadilla, and raw squash manicotti platter. Organic ingredients only. Live music every day. Est.1991. Open Mon 1:00pm-10:30pm, Tue-Wed 4:00pm-10:30pm, Thu-Fri 1:00pm-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 11:00am-11:00pm. Closed on Christmas Day and July 4th. Open for Thanksgiving and New Year.
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405 E 6th St (at Avenue A, East Village, Manhattan), New York City, New York, USA, 10009
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 09 Dec 2023 by caravanofdreams
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102 Reviews
First Review by bullcityveg
SonjaCPA
Points +5270
diverse menu - Edit
We went to Caravan of Dreams with two other couples (both vegan as well), so there was a total of six of us which means we had an automatic gratuity included. I don't know if that affected the service, but it was very slow in any case. I also never got a refill on my iced tea as they didn't really come around except to take our orders and drop them off. The menu is quite diverse with both raw and cooked food of different ethnicities. We all shared the seitan nachos and sampler appetizer plate to start. I got the soyrizo quesadilla and my friend got the raw one. I enjoyed mine more than she did hers. Dirk got the coconut curry special and was pleased. Also, at the table was raw tostadas and raw pizza. Most of us were happy with the food although it wasn't the best we'd had or anything, but the inattentive service did take away from the overall experience.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Wednesday July 24, 2013
Pros: diverse menu, raw and cooked
Cons: inattentive service
Guest
Krsnamayi
Points +83
Great Lunch! - Edit
I went with a group of friends to Caravan of Dreams, and everyone loved the food. It's a really cute place with a low ceiling, and it made for an intimate setting. There was a live piano player during lunchtime on a Saturday. 2 out of 5 in our group were vegetarians, and everyone was raving about the food. I had the reuben sandwich which literally knocked my socks off! Other friends had the breakfast set (with amazing chipolte sauce), the polenta with veg (HUGE portion) another reuben and a salad. Great service, moderately priced...expect $12-15 per entree.
Read morePros: TASTY!!!!, lovely atmosphere, great service
Cons: NONE!
Guest
amaranth
Points +115
Wondeful vegan food - Edit
I visited here recently and I really enjoyed the meal. I had the Pizzetta and it was delicious. Full of toppings and a massive serving. The pumpkin seed crust was really yum with the pesto and cashew cream. My non-vegan bf had tofu scramble and was very shocked at how good it was and wants me to make it at home now :)
Read morePros: Excellent food, Great atmosphere, Large servings
Guest
jenly
Points +241
changed for the better and pleasantly surprised - Edit
my husband and I have been going to C of C for many years now, but about two years ago we realized it was too stressful to bring our kids there and just stopped going altogether. Part of the problem were the very nice but supremely slow and often incompetent wait staff who made every meal an agonizing experience.
Read moreAnyway, a few weeks ago we tried it again with my slightly older children and it is apparent that some changes have taken place. The whole operation is much more professional. The wait staff are pleasant yet efficient.
The menu is slimmed down a bit but many old standbys remain. I always order what used to be called Angel's Green Garden Platter--I think it's called the macrobiotic platter now. It is sauteed kale and seitan served with carrot polenta and gravy. My children like the unchiken nachos. Every green salad on the menu is outstanding. There is not another restaurant in NYC that serves such fresh and thoroughly washed greens.
The downside is that it is expensive. It is also true that sometimes dishes disappoint. A few years ago we decided it was better to stick to the menu rather than going with the specials, which sometimes had kinks that needed to be worked out.
It is not the greatest restaurant to bring children, although they are tolerated. This is partly because the seating can be close together. If you go with kids, ask for a table in the back because there is more room to spread out there. Also bring paper and crayons or other amusements as they will have no such thingds to offer. And be prepared to have the only children in the restaurant. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen other children there.
We usually don't order the raw food, but there is an extensive selection.
Pros: fresh organic food
Cons: more 'spence than vegan fast food places
Guest
Sarah P
Points +9028
great selection - Edit
I ate here with a non-veg friend over the weekend. The ambiance was great, with attractive decor and live piano music. The menu was extensive, with brunch and non-brunch options such as sandwiches, pasta and salads. The salads looked fantastic. My friend ordered a sandwich and I ordered a celery root concoction. Both were very good. The portions were very small for the cost, but thankfully we had just eaten a Babycakes treat and did not need a lot to feel full. We also ordered a kefir drink with astragalus that tasted great and felt healthy. The servers were very friendly and helpful.
Read moreMany raw food items were on the menu, and I wish I had been able to try them. Someone at another table ordered the zucchini pasta raw special, and someone else ordered a raw fruit parfait, both of which looked delectable.
Pros: 100% vegan, extensive menu, creative items
Cons: expensive, small portions
Guest
VidaVerde
Points +21
My Favorite Salad Lives Here. - Edit
I haven't been here in a while.. but I have been enjoying this awesome food for about 7 or eight years now. There is a salad called THE LOVERS SALAD. it is just so beautiful and amazing and delicious.. that with the Vegan un-chicken Nachos.. perfection. I would literally order from here minimum 3 times a week.. and it AINT cheap. It is also a great place to dine in.. breakfast so yummy.. man.. I need to get back there this summer. So, yes..Caravan of Dreams is the REAL DEal when it comes to wonderful, generous, delicious vegetarian food. done.
Read morePros: Raw Dessert, Fresh Coconut Milk, cozy atmosphere
Cons: a wee bit expensive
Guest
Jakub1977
Points +45
GREAT Food and Atmosphere - Edit
We find out about this place while shopping at Mooshoes. And I am glad we did. Everything I had was great, the food and the drinks. Staff was very friendly. This place gets busy but the staff will try to accommodate you as soon as they can.
Read moreNext time I go to NYC I will make sure to have dinner here again!!!
Pros: Food, Staff, Atmosphere
Guest
veggiegoth
Points +217
just ok - Edit
over the years i have had some pretty good meals and other times just mediocre. there is a lot better places than caravan.
Read moreGuest
Nelson
Points +56
forget this place! - Edit
As a raw foodist, I found this place to be quite a disappointment and quite over-priced.
Read moreGuest
cdrk
Points +888
Excellent raw food - Edit
All what I tried there was excellent and the raw humus was simply magic.
Read morePros: vegan, raw, tasty
Guest
andrea
Points +716
just lucky? - Edit
Had I read some of these reviews first, we probably would've skipped coming here. But,I've heard good things about CoD over the years. We must have been lucky in that our waiter was a super-nice new guy, taking a financial break from college. We had the yummy tempeh Reuben, loved it. And a tempeh and polenta and veggie plate. It, too was very good. Our meat-eating friend loved his soup, but wasn't crazy about his raw pate; if I'd been paying attention, I would've advised something else. He's never eaten vegan food except at my house, and certainly never raw. They special made me a smoothie sans banana, yea, it took a few minutes, but was totally awesome. OH and we had the "famous" nacho appetizer. It was just fantastic, much better than ones we've had elsewhere, and our waiter was really nice, bringing us some extra chips for our leftover guac. So, if the service suck when you go, call them out on it and tell them you'll post here!
Read morePros: Nachos, good food
Cons: a bit shabby
Guest
teal_ocean
Points +122
Okay Brunch - Edit
We happened upon Caravan of Dreams today and stopped for Brunch. I had the scramble ( which was 70% summer squash and bland, juice and tea for 16. I think for Caravan this is considered a deal. The person I dined with had a breakfast burritto and thought it was great. The waiter was nice enough and attentive--so according to past reviews maybe he's new? My only concern was how dingy and run down it is looking.
Read morePros: Vegan, Juices, Raw
Cons: Dingy, Dark, Expensive
Guest
Fredknows
Points +23
Live food, dead waitress - Edit
"Live food, dead waitress"
Read morePosted by Fredknows on: Saturday, June 07, 2008
Review: We ate here for here first time and really enjoyed the "raw live food sampler" and several other live items plus the natural fruit and nut drink shakes.
Warm weather is definitely the time for live food (served cold or a room temperature). It was a hot 85 degree day in lower Manhattan so it worked out well. We dined for lunch. When we arrived the restaurant only had a few customers, a few came in later and it was probably 1/2 mid-way through our meal.
The sole waitress on duty was slow to wait on us and terse in responding to our questions about the unique items on the menu. We ordered healthy frozen drinks when we sat down and then midway through our meal some herbal ice teas. We watched her walk back and forth past them on the bar several times without bothering to stop to acknowledge their existence and bring them over to our table. On the 2nd round of drinks, my wife just got up and grabbed them off the bar herself out of total disgust.
So I'd rate the food a 10 on it's uniqueness and the service a 2 for the clueless waitress.
When we left the place we met a girl walking down the street who overheard our conversation upon exiting the restaurant. She said she used to wait tables there and it's a problem with this place. Judging from other peoples comments it's a ongoing situation. But she said not worry, if you come back in a couple month that waitress will probably be gone too!
Pros: great live food and drink
Cons: bad service
Guest
condekedar
Points +9921
Mixed experience - Edit
Caravan has nice atmosphere (with live music) and seems to have an innovative menu. That said, the service was a bit confused (they forgot at least one item we ordered, but still charged us for it), and many of the dishes seemed indistinguishable from one another. This was particularly true of their "live" dishes, which just seemed like glorified salads, more than anything else. I think their cooked dishes would be superior, based upon my experience with their paella (which was light and tasty). Their desserts were lacking, however; none of them, raw or cooked, grabbed my attention or seemed extraordinary. It might be better to go for lunch, at an odd hour, when the service will be less hurried and the food better prepared, perhaps.
Read morePros: Atmosphere, Cooked dishes, Innovative menu
Cons: Indistinguishable live dishes, Bland desserts, Mixed service
Guest
ivorygate
Points +308
utterly disappointing - Edit
My girlfriend and I, on day 2 of our raw journey through New York City, decided to stop here on this place's reputation alone. It had a lot of potential, west-coast vibe, jazz band playing. Seemed like a cool hangout spot.
Read moreThe wait staff was clueless, and having been a waiter for 15 years, I am well aware of what this entails. B.S.-ing your way through menu items that you haven't read is one way to incite the ire of customers, and then not finding out the answers and just blowing us off was mistake #2. Somehow, long after our appetizer was done and waiting for our entree order to be taken, we were given an even MORE clueless server, whose answer to a question as "difficult" as "what's in the cabbage wrap?" was (and no, I'm not making this up) "um, nuts .... and more nuts, and some dehydrated veggies"
Wow. Insightful.
The problem ensued when we found out that she may have to see if the kitchen was closed, since there was such a wait between someone coming to our table to order appetizers and entrees. That went over REALLY well, as one could imagine.
The live menu was sizable, which is a plus, but the dishes were not worth the money, and the dessert menu was not handed to us until after we paid our bill.
Word on the street is that the management is unstable, and they do not use organic ingredients like the menu states. Other customers from various NYC restaurants who have eaten at Caravan have shared similar experiences with inept staff and bland food, and have vowed not to return. A note to the owner Angel: neither will we.
Pros: live menu, jazz band
Cons: inept staffing, bland food, too much hype
Guest
Erin P.
Points +76
Not bad - Edit
I really disliked the Tempeh Reuben. Looked good in the description but failed on delivery. Not at all tasty. However, my friend ordered a grilled veggie burrito and it was outstanding. So he let me pretty much eat half of his meal and it was wonderful. We also had the nachos appetizer and it was stellar! Highly recommend it. I should have ordered another one of those. We didn't stay for dessert as nothing sounded terribly appealing to me.
Read morePros: great atmosphere
Cons: food hit and miss
Guest
fancy!
Points +87
cozy atmosphere, delicious healthy food! - Edit
while i was visiting new york city in late july 2007 and i went here for dinner. the menu was pretty big (including a live food menu!) and it took me a long time to decide because everything sounded so delicious. my boyfriend had the tempeh reuben that he gets in every veggie restaurant we've ever been to and he says this one was the BEST by far. i had a yummy raw meatball dish that was served with salad and an excellent salad dressing. we also had organic red wine and berry "cheesecake" for dessert. yummy.
Read moreour waiter was nice but was kind of aloof. i didn't care though because i was enjoying myself too much. i know it sucks to be a waiter sometimes because i was one for many years.
the presentation was beautiful and the atmosphere was great. it really had that old world, vibrant feeling. overall, very good!!!
Pros: vegan and raw menu, great atmosphere, delicious food
Cons: can be pricey, aloof waiter
Guest
michal
Points +93
best place in nyc - Edit
i have eaten at many different vegan places, this is for sure my favorite. it's absolutely delicious. pricey, sure, but it's a pleasure paying that much. daily specials, extensive menu which is all amazing, great juice & shake bar, i love it all. staff is always great too!
Read morePros: atmosphere, great tasting
Guest
myboyfriendisdead
Points +108
Great Live Food! - Edit
Caravan of Dreams has a unique menu of both live and cooked organic dishes. Try their Macrobiotic Platter, a juice or a smoothly. Wonderful deserts... You will always leave this place feeling great!
Read moreGuest
Nickysr
Points +140
Good Takeout - Edit
Only had take out delivered from here - but had an amazing burrito - all vegan and delivered speedily and actually too large to finish. Considered flavours and healthy cuisine make this one for my next visit to NYC.
Read morePros: delivery service, good size portions
Guest
bullcityveg
Points +207
Nice - Edit
I've been to caravan a few times...the food tastes good, and it's hard to please me, as I'm not a raw food fan. Their house dressing is seriously delicious, I've tried to find something close for a long time. The burritos are almost as big as my arm and the burgers were pretty good. This is one of the few places I've been in Manhattan where I can honestly say the salads are worth ordering, they know what they're doing! The service can be a little slow, and the desserts are sort of vile, but the food itself is yummy. I haven't actually ordered anything aside from the burrito, burger and the alfredo special (which is also huge and really delicious). That said, I've definitely gone there and it has been closed or the crowd has been a little odd.
Read morePros: good value
Cons: the venue itself
Guest
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