Spring Cafe Aspen

Phenomenal experience! Went here to try their nachos and then also discovered they have tons of gluten-free and dairy free cookies and desserts as well that I’ll have to try next time! The nachos were really flavorful. The nut based cheeses were really great. I think it had about two different cheeses on there which was pretty great. I also got a chai latte with homemade almond milk, which was phenomenal. Really great experience. Also one of the rare places that you can stay late till 9 PM with your laptop. It’s really nice to have those places that you can do that. Courteous staff and a cool bathroom too. What’s not to like

This may our new favorite restaurant in the NYC!! In a city that is increasingly vegan-friendly but that won’t stop assaulting us with deep-fried mushrooms and buffalo cauliflower, Spring Cafe Aspen sets themselves apart by serving up vegetable-forward dishes that are healthy, delicious, and generously portioned. First, the health-conscious aspect. We came across them on a (very short) list of seed oil-free restaurants. Their website says they are free of “inflammatory oils.” Very little of their food is fried or highly processed. They use whole/sprouted grains in their wraps/bread, as well as having gluten-free options. It’s next to impossible to find restaurants in NYC or anywhere that accommodate a whole foods/plant-based diet, and even harder to find staff knowledgeable about the ingredients of their food. At Spring Cafe Aspen, the staff actually knows the ingredients of each dish and are very accommodating of questions and preferences, such as my wish to avoid coconut oil. If they don’t know the answer to a question, they have access to the ingredient lists for everything. Next, the flavor of the food. Despite being low in oil and free of overly processed ingredients, their food is delicious! Our favorite item so far has been the cauliflower risotto (warm, comforting, creamy and rich; packed with vegetables and flavor). Our other favorite is the lentil meatballs and spaghetti (incredible meatballs, excellent sauce full of basil, and pasta you would have no idea is made with brown rice). We also enjoyed the superhero tofu burrito and the blueberry pancakes. The menu is full of great tidbits such as the epic cashew mac and cheese and the tempeh that is raw and locally sourced (Barry’s). The portions - while other vegan/vegetarian restaurants in New York are serving up portions that get smaller every year, Spring Cafe Aspen actually provides generous portions that will nourish you without going overboard. (You won’t go home hungry after eating the cauliflower risotto!) It’s also worth mentioning that the vibe of Spring Cafe Aspen is a little different from the typical hippie or hipster flair of many other vegan/vegetarian restaurants in the city. The vibe hovers somewhere between hot yoga studio and business school seminar. Also slightly confusing is the setup - they have all the makings of a sit-down restaurant right down to cloth napkins, but they do not truly have table service. You wait in line to order and then bring a number to your table. Makes it harder to enjoy a cup of coffee or spontaneous turmeric latte after lunch, but definitely not a dealbreaker. Lastly, we initially wondered why they didn’t take the plunge and turn fully vegan, but when we saw the gusto with which workout couples were demolishing egg white omelettes, we understood. Overall not a real issue for us since they make the food with such care that we aren’t really worried about any stray goat cheese getting into our food by mistake. And the attention to detail in their homemade condiments like vegan sour cream and even homemade nut milk rivals that of any vegan restaurant. In conclusion, this is an epic brunch spot whipping up healthy food that manages to be both comforting and innovative; they have already become one of our regular spots.

Best vegan burrito I’ve ever had. The cashew sour cream is so delicious! The pesto sandwich is also amazing on sourdough. Ask for the breakfast potatoes well done. I get the Carrot Hop juice every time and it’s so fresh. Great service, friendly staff. Perfect for a morning coffee/breakfast.

I was a second time customer of Spring Cafe Aspen and heard about the restaurant due to its seed oil free environment. What I eat is super important to me. 2 days ago I dinned at the W 4th street location. I ordered a Latte, the nachos, and the Chickpea Hummus. I realized that I had ordered too much food so I immediately asked my waiter to pack the chickpea hummus meal to go. He took it away and placed it in an enclosed to-go container and in a brown paper bag stapled shut. I ate the nachos and latte onsite and I saved the chickpea pita meal for dinner tonight. That evening, as I took several bites into one half of the sandwich, I noticed a live white worm/maggot crawling along side the pita and actively “eating” the scraps of food. I immediately spit out the food, took pictures, threw the meal away, and called the restaurant mortified by what I saw. I spoke with Eric who said to email holly the manager with my complaint. By sharing my name, he was able to pull up my order in the system. I emailed my complaint to the manager named Holly sharing the below photos requesting a full refund, but never heard back. I’ve called twice but the manager never seems to be around. I will never eat here again due to the unsanitary food environment and poor customer service. It’s been 2 days and I never heard a response from the restaurant. This has never happened to me before. I am very grossed out by what I saw, and could have ingested. I will never eat here again.

This cafe is great. It has clearly labeled vegan and gluten free items. We got the Not Your Every Day Nachos and the Vegan Poke Bowl. Both were yummy and the house made nacho cheese was especially good. They also had house nut milk for their Chai Latte. I had to get the lemon poppy seed muffin on the way out which was one of the most moist gluten free baked goods I have had. You order at the counter and they give you a number to bring to your table so you can choose where to sit. They have free Wi-Fi if you want to bring your laptop and work. The bathrooms are clean which is always a plus. There's one single on the first floor as well as gender neutral stalls in the basement.

Hands down one of the best cafes that I have been to. Their food is so fresh and the service is exceptional. They have a great selection of dishes on their menu as well as smoothies, juices, and alcholic beverages. I guarantee that you will find something that you like. My favorites are the nachos and the veggie burger. I definitely recommend stopping in and giving it a try!

What a beautiful beautiful cafe with a window to the city that’s hella aesthetic. The vibes of the cafe was also extremely artistic. Food was simply delicious.

Love the look and feel of this beautiful corner spot . Lots of seating and fresh foods .. however I was disappointed with my salad . Though it was a large portion the flavor was non existant . Can’t remember the name but it was the Asian one with kale . I also know now I’m not a fan of a rice noodle . Another thing I noticed is that lots of people were sitting doing work but there aren’t many plugs . Maybe they are trying to discourage that if that’s the case then I understand . Also they only had lemonade & tea . Wish there was some sort of caffeinated beverage you could get . Very clean spot though . So go see what you think . Maybe I ordered the wrong thing ;)

Spring Cafe Aspen is a cute spot with lots of seating both indoors and out doors. There are lots of menu items, including both food and drinks. I got a green juice which was tasty though on the pricey side ($12). There is a lot of seating indoors and outdoors (for when the weather is nice). There is also a restroom located inside the cafe.

What a cute healthy and super crowded cafe that is all gluten free and vegan!! I love the soup du hour which is a butternut squash purée along with tofu stir fry and green juice

Spring cafe aspen is a breakfast/lunch/dinner spot with a majority of the menu being menu is vegan & gluten-free. Outside of food, they have smoothies, fresh-pressed juice, an espresso bar, and some beer & wine. The dirty chai is great and felt VERY caffeinated, I also love that the default here is nut milk. The juices are also super fresh, you can see them made at the counter right in front of you. The space is versatile as there's people there for just dining and also some people set-up to study/get work done during the day. I enjoyed the superhero burrito with tofu, the wrap itself could be slightly more seasoned but the salsa that came with it definitely made up in flavor. The cashew-based sour cream that also came with it was really watery and difficult to eat with the burrito. My friend got the huevos rancheros which was similarly a sizable portion. I've previously tried one of the grain bowls with tofu, and again the bowl itself wasn't very flavorful but the sauces made up for it. I really like both the peanut and tahini sauce! I was really apprehensive of the fact that all the baked goods were gluten-free but the chocolate chip cookie was soft and delicious. The pumpkin chocolate chip bread was a bit more noticeably gluten-free due to its crumbly texture, but the flavor was great in this one as well. As expected, you pay a pretty penny for the clean & healthy aesthetic, but nothing absurd for New York standards.

I came in Friday afternoon and grabbed the Blue Beauty smoothie. It was a nice interior with plenty of space and light. The smoothie tasted mostly of almond butter and wasn't sweet at all but I enjoyed it! I came back and got the pretty in pink and I liked it better!

I will be vulnerable with you, my dear reader. There are 2 versions of me: Version 1: I can't for the life of me find a good coffee shop to work out of in NYC. Sometimes I just NEED to get out of my shoebox apartment and work somewhere else as the dark thoughts begin to encroach. I will step out and go to local coffee shops, but none seem to have wifi. How do you not have wifi in 2024?! ... And the ones that do have wifi are so packed I either can't get a seat, or I do get a seat and am literally rubbing shoulders with two strangers, as they pack as many seats as they can in there. Version 2: I love to get out of the house to go grab a coffee with a friend, sit and write or read a book, or just enjoy my me time and some good coffee. I will walk into my local coffee shop and get SO annoyed that someone has set up a full battle station working from their personal hotspot, taking up 4 seats in an already tiny coffee shop. They have 2 screens, mouse & mouse pad, headset, etc. They think they are like Brad Pitt in the Big Short when he makes that big trade from his laptop in the bar lol... Like dawg they don't have wifi in here for a reason, take the hint. Enter Spring Cafe Aspen. The perfect balance of my contradictory moods. It scratches the itches of both my personalities, Johnny & Patricia. They should rename this place Goldilocks Cafe Aspen ahahaha. When I need to get some work done, this is the only place I go to. There is an abundance of space & seating, beautiful white faux marble tables, great wifi, good coffee, big windows to allow light to flood in, a full food menu, bathrooms, etc. I'm LOCKED in when I'm in here. I've also been in here when I'm with friends after walking through Washington Sq Park to just grab a coffee or some drinks. I've never seen it packed to where I can't get a seat, and it is CLEAN. Spotless damn near. I always feel at peace in here. They nailed the feng shui. As I'm writing this I'm like damn maybe I should gatekeep this spot... but honestly who do I think I am lol this place not going to blow up over a yelp review ahahahaa. Can you get better coffee? Yeah. Can you get better food? Dumb question c'mon lol you're better than that. Yes, it's NYC. Can you find a better place to focus and work? NOPE! IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__

spacious, bright, and calming place to get work done and have a good drink/meal. worker who helped me order and made my drink was so patient and kind as it was my first time here. their menu has a wide range of items! i was able to sit down, drink my latte, and use their wifi. I think this place is geared toward being more of a sit down and have a waiter attend to you, as there were no napkins or straws just out to grab. I have the blackbird breakfast club pass, and I'm glad this restaurant allows me to get any drink, aside from smoothies, for free every day. I had the dirty chai latte, but I think I'd get just a regular latte the next time around. the dirty chai was spiced a little too much, and I couldn't get past that taste. hoping they add more syrup flavors, as they only have agave right now.

Really good vibes in this place, but the food and coffee left something to be desired. For the high prices I would have liked my burrito to be a little more intact and less weakness in the tortilla. Too many places in NYC to justify coming back!

I've never been to a cafe and was refused to make me a flat white... and their cold brew tastes like iced drip coffee... I don't know if it's a management decision or just staff decisions. It seems like they source their coffees from coffee project but it doesn't live up to it here. The location and place is great but they need to work on their quality.

Spring Cafe Aspen is a great breakfast stop. They have good coffee. They have wonderful local artists work displayed on the walls and they are open at 8 am. Good place for relaxing or having a quick business meeting. Near NYU

HORRIBLE The matcha had so much chunks and was tasteless. Cold cookies. Banana bread tastes nasty and was cold. The service was acceptable. Indoor was pleasant.

The name cafe is in the title.. and yet the coffee is terrible. I mean they don't even have sugar. No sugar packets! I got a macchiato that tasted very burnt and was looking for a brown sugar packet. To my surprise they don't give any and they only offer stevia or liquid agave sweetner. My friend got a cappuccino that was grainy? I'm not sure what was going on there but it tasted weird and pretty unenjoyable. We both ended up tossing our drinks. They are pricey too! On a side note I've come here before and gotten a smoothie. Honestly it was pretty bland and expensive. Not worth it.

I stopped by on a cold day for some coffee with a friend. I loved the location of this coffee shop right next to Washington square park! The best part about this is that there is a ton of seating! They have both indoor and outdoor seating! The outdoor heating is heated and very comfortable! The coffee is good! They also have a lot of food options and I noticed that many people buy meals here, so I'd come back to try that!

Visited Spring Cafe Aspen for lunch and was really disappointed. The ambiance is what initially peaked my interest and I will say that the outdoor seating is nice. The service and food, however, were beyond mediocre. We tried the falafel wraps and while they were well portion sized, they were bland, dry and crumbled apart immediately when we picked them up. Ended up taking home leftovers not because they were too big to finish but because they weren't enjoyable enough to finish on the spot. On top of all of that, they were incredibly overpriced and took 30 minutes to come out. It's easy for me to say with confidence that this place simply doesn't live up to the standards that a "healthy" lunch spot should. I don't think I'll be coming back anytime soon unfortunately.

This was a really good breakfast place and we really enjoyed it. We were looking for something lighter and refreshing and were excited to try it some of the vegetarian options. The food was good and very filling. It's had a kind of fast casual vibe but the dining area was bright and well lit. When we were there it was off of the busy hours and so there were only a few people. The service was nice, we just ordered at the cover and they brought it out to us.

The most CLUELESS, inefficient, and rude service EVER. If I could give 0 stars I would. Ordered in a 20 minute line because only 1 person was actually working while the other workers sat around talking. Finally when our food came out, the waiter silently held up all of dishes... We then realized he wanted us to grab to our dishes ourselves from his hands. The food arrived UNCOOKED and cold. When I asked for my dish to be heated up, the men working laughed and kept feeling the plate and standing around and looking at each other. I asked if the dish should be cold or hot? And they said hot. So after standing around for 2 minutes laughing and touching the plate they finally sent it back to be heated up. I WAS SHOCKED at the response.

AMAZING place to come for a quiet environment & great chai latte! Good for students, if you're working remote or just want a calm space! Staff are also very nice & helpful!

Nothing special but not bad. First off, took about 30 minutes for our food to come, which was quite slow for an order at the counter spot. The falafel wrap was massive and my fav item. The salad it came with was meh. Tried my friends huevos rancheros and it was so bland - glad I didn't order it lol Very loud inside on a Sunday

Always a great spot for good vegetarian options. Cute atmosphere and good service. I haven't had something I didn't like! This is one of my regular spots when I'm in the area.

Order one latte, got charged for two. Asked for a refund, was denied. Dishonest business.

This place was exactly what I was craving on a Sunday morning! It has a menu geared toward healthy ingredients, but all the food was so tasty and the portion sizes are large! We didn't order a salad, but those bowls are huge! My friend and I shared the Fall Spice Pancakes and the Falafel wrap: Pancakes - I love anything with apple and fall spices and this definitely hit the spot! I wouldn't have know that they are vegan and gluten free, and the portion size is so filling! Great amount of food for what you pay for:) Also, the syrup is a great addition, we even asked for more(but who knows, maybe that ruined the healthy aspect of it haha) Falafel wrap - I loved the pancakes but this was definitely my favorite. The filling in the wrap was so flavorful, and the hummus dip it came with was a perfect, more creamy addition to the leafy wrap. Also, it even came with a generous side salad. Needless to say, we were very full after these two dishes! Looking forward to coming back and trying the rest of their menu: )

Would eat the greek salad here everyday if I could! Big salad in a big bowl, and so refreshing!

I ordered my meal at this restaurant at 6:05pm on a Monday. After an hour, they gave me lukewarm food in a bowl that was so deep I could not comfortably eat my food out of it. The food was extremely salty and it was clearly cooked in oil (which it did not say on the menu) which tends to bother me, especially at a "health food" place. The coffee, however, is great tasting and reasonably priced!

The quesadilla was absolutely awful. It was cold, way too much butternut squash which was cold and was so unappetizing

Coffee is laughably bad. I've given this place a couple of opportunities by ordering different types of drinks, but all have had terrible flavor.

Great fresh food with incredible flavors. My highland bowl was huge, I could have shared it. The veggies were perfectly steamed the brown rice cooked precisely, the tofu had good flavor and the peanut sauce was out of this world.

Great smoothies & juice! Also a great place to do work as they are laptop friendly. Both indoor and outdoor seating.

I found this place while visiting my friend lives nearby. We decided go there for brunch on a Saturday noon. No a long waiting which is great. We got the highland bowl and falafel wrap. It's pretty healthy cause a lot of greens. But do I like it? Not really. The sauce is not that tasty to a moment I think I should mix it with other sauce to make it tastier. One thing good about this spot is their interior design. I did feel relaxed but that's all. Hope they can make the food a little bit more tastier.

Love this place. Environment is full of natural light and service is always amazing. Have been back every time I'm in NYC great food all around. Try something new every time and it never disappoints

i had lived in the area for a few years and finally decided to check it out not too long ago... my thoughts: - nice vibes, good if you want somewhere chill to work or have a conversation - staff is decent - you would think the food is healthy, but my friend and i both got similar items and we felt horrible after eating them. i also asked another friend who had gone there before with a date and he said they also thought the food was bad and too heavy. did not taste "healthy" whatsoever. also overpriced lol. - coffee was also mid and not worth the money

Made the mistake of trying this place again. We ordered a big delivery and our two sides of home fries arrived rancid. I ate one bite and nearly vomited then my fiancé came into the kitchen and said what smells sour? It was the potatoes. I have been down with a severe headache ever since. Am I just wildly unlucky at this place? If I end up with food poisoning I will be devastated.

The first time I came here I loved the food. I thought the portions were great and there was so much flavor. The second time, the eggs were overcooked, wrap was soggy, the english muffin was mushy, the potatoes were huge not in bite size pieces, and the food lacked salt. Other things I ordered: Cookie which was actually too salty. 2) Pancakes: not good 3) avocado toast was fine but you can't really mess that up.I was surprised because it was a sunday and usually they're known for brunch. $127 breakfast and nothing got eaten. There were only 2 staff members total and the place was a mess. I hope they can get it together because I did like it initially.

Such a cute brunch spot downtown! It was buzzing on a Saturday as expected, however we had no trouble finding a seat due to adequate seating arrangements inside and out. I wish I could say better things about our meal but it was just ok. My friend and I both ordered the superhero burrritos. It usually comes with the whole wheat wrap and I got mine on a gluten free wrap. Both very messy to eat. My wrap was falling apart from the second I picked it up and the tortilla itself was very hard, didn't taste fresh. Despite the tortilla, the fillings tasted great. The eggs were cooked well and the flavor was just right. I will be returning but definitely trying something else (so many options for all diet preferences - vegan, vegetarian, gluten free)

I love this place!! Finally a place where you get delicious food that's healthy! Quite reasonable prices for this area and the all fresh ingredients plus always friendly staff. I recommend it 1000%!

***Drink review only*** I came here to grab a quick refresher. The process to order was seamless, but it was a bit confusing where to go afterwards. There was a bit of a crowd of people just waiting and it took some time to get my drink.

Food quality is mediocre. They don't have even have a microwave to warm muffins etc!!

Best fresh juice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!! Mmmmm!!!! Thinking about it still!!!!!!! Yuuummmmmmm!!!

I just waited 15 min in an empty restaurant to get a smoothie made, received it and it's the worst smoothie I ever had. I literally threw it out after 1 sip. It was chalky, warm, and milky.

The best service Amazing salads. I asked for half lemon to add to my dressing the server right away put a whole lemon in juicer and gave it to me. I'm sold on this food and place. Inside is cleans trendy. Great for reading and chilling

We have been in New York for the weekend. This is truly the place to go for a casual meal. Salads are amazing. Great juices and smoothies and service. We will be back again.

poor service and managment. Only one cashier and busy with other things. condition are fine, which is the reason why so many people.

I can't give this place enough stars!! The food. The service. The ambience. I wanted to specifically highlight one of the team members, Ronaldo, who went above and beyond to make sure our experience was incredible. I have never ever ran to write a review quicker because of HIM. I also LOVE that everything is organic and super vegan-friendly. Food 10/10 Service 12/10 Will be back a ton!!!!

I had the vegan falafel wrap. Falafel was not as crispy as expected and a little thicker than wanted. Overall the wrap was fresh.

Nice place for some healthy dishes. Really great vegan/vegetarian options too. A little pricey.

Yummy food, wasn't the best delivered! Love how healthy the entire menu is. The artichoke dip is to die for!

I had: banana chocolate chip bread - dry flavorless small slice oatmeal pumpkin - low on flavor and small - maybe oats are pricey? toast w/butter- thin as a sheet of paper. it looked- shrunken as well. oh yeah and bread had no flavor as well. way overpriced. ****I definitely want to come back and try other things due to the kind service and the lack of establishments serving this type of food.

This restaurant is new as of summer this year. It is very close to NYU. The space is very clean and open looking. There is limited seating available. The food is focused on being healthier and offers fresh juices as well. The food is vegetarian, more salad options, etc. It is expensive as my juice was $11. You walk in order, receive a number if you are going to sit and eat and then find a seat.

I got their PB Blast and Avocado Toast and they both are really good! Especially the avocado toast when you dine in because the presentation is excellent! When I went there to study, I noticed that there was a birthday celebration which I find extremely fitting because it's such a cozy, comfortable but classy place at the same time perfect for an instagram moment with the cool decor. Smoothie was freshly blended too so I usually get that to take with me on the go to Bobst. Great service too if you dine in because they give you water without asking. And the water cup is glass so it makes it even more fancier.

Is it called Aspen because of the outrageous prices? Genuinely curious. First things first: The staff is super friendly, so make sure to tip them well despite the outrageous bill you will inevitably be faced with. The space is bright and pleasant, but that's where it ends. Places that are both overpriced and uninspired food-wise are my pet peeve, and this is one of them. I mean, sure, $12 juices, it is NYC, to be expected, okay. But the $20 Highland Bowl was truly one of the most boring things I've eaten. I'm vegan, so I eat at a lot of vegan places, and this is 2023, so a bowl consisting of a bunch of boring and badly seasoned stuff thrown together is not doing it. My son loved their chocolate chip cookies, but the Lemon Poppy Seed Bread was pretty much inedible. I don't know what they flavor/sweeten it with, but the aftertaste was so overpowering, I couldn't eat it. Happy to stop by for a coffee and a cookie in the future, but there are definitely more affordable and more flavorful vegan options in the neighborhood.

I wasn't going to post this until I saw several other people have had the same type of BUG in their salad. I would be wary of ordering any dish with lettuce in it, which is the majority of dishes, given they clearly do not wash their lettuce. When I called to ask for a refund for the salad, I was asked to email the store manager...aka go out of my way to remedy the situation. No thank you. Will not be ordering from here again.