Dirt Candy

The story

Dirt Candy in New York City: Michelin-starred vegetarian tasting menu on Allen Street

Dirt Candy, at 86 Allen Street in New York City, earned a 2026 Michelin star for a vegetarian kitchen that cooks only vegetables. The menu is a single seasonal tasting menu, rewritten as the produce changes.

Chef Amanda Cohen's kitchen

Amanda Cohen, a James Beard nominee, owns and cooks at the restaurant. The kitchen works like a laboratory for vegetables, and each day the team tries to make something no one has made before. Cohen was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America, and Dirt Candy was the first vegetable-focused restaurant in the city.

The tasting menu

Dinner is one set progression, with open fire, tableside grilling and unusual broths. The restaurant dropped its second tasting menu after finding how much food it wasted. The 2026 We're Smart Green Guide awarded it three radishes.

Wine and cocktails

The wine list features estates run by women, chosen by sommelier Lauren Friel. Cocktails are built around vegetables, such as the Kyuri with mezcal, cucumber and yuzu, and the Fennel 75 with gin, grapefruit-fennel cordial and sparkling wine. Non-alcoholic vegetable sodas, including beet lemon and carrot lemon ginger, are also served.