And a special thank you to Lauren McCurry for the inspiration, as well as recommending the Cae Sal at Five Leaves & Cafe Colette <3
What is there to say about this classic restaurant along southern Madison Avenue that hasn’t alread been said? If, like us, you’re a zillenial – this is the platonic ideal of what a “nice” restaurant was when you were a kid. Spend the extra $6 and add the grilled chicken – with one of the house martinis this is a meal.
PS. Hillstone is best paired with a reservation!
In the not-to-distant past, Golden Diner’s pancakes made this understated Chinatown restaurant absolutely POP on T*kT*k. Now, with the hype back to a mangaeable level, is a good time to try their legendary Vegan Caesar. Baby romaine and garlic croutons make this salad pop, but much like many other salads on this menu, adding chicken (in this case sesame-studded crispy chicken) is a great way to bump up this dish to the next level.
Another Vegan Caesar, this salad on the menu of LES slice shop, Scarr’s, is a sleeper hit. Always with a cashew-based dressing and often topped with thinly sliced radishes, this is a salad best paired with a greasy, slice of pep. The crisp salad cuts through the savory flavors in wonderful compliment.
Photo from Edible Manhattan
There’s a 99% chance you have never heard of La Villa and that’s OK. For us, La Villa Pizzeria is a neighborhood hero – known for their whole pies that straddle the line between Neapolitan and New York-style, La Villa also has an extensive menu of Italian-American classics. While this caesar is great as is, served with gratis slices of focaccia, it’s also available as a CAESAR SALAD WRAP!
Let this be our line in the sand – not every restaurant with a view has to be mid! Keeping in line with that take, the cae sal at Celestine is absolutely fantastic. A mix of little gem and seasonal veggies tossed in a unique miso-caesar dressing, this is a perfect salad to enjoy al fresco!
If you can wade through the endless barrage of vintage clothing racks on Greenpoint’s triangular corner of Bedford, Nassau, and Lorimer, you’ll find Five Leaves. Most visited for brekkie and brunch, this spot has absolutely amazing caesar that features the welcome additinos of a spicy caesar dressing and aged gouda in place of the requisite parm.
The French love and alterative lettuce, and Cafe Colette keeps up with expectations. This Chicory-based caesar salad has a great bitterness to cut through the rich anchovy dressing. As ever, an added protein really plusses up this salad!
Take a hard turn off of Cooper Square, through the lobby of the Standard Hotel East Village and you’ll find yourself in the garden of Cafe Standard. While enjoying the relative peace in this pocket of the East Village, order their “Classic Caesar Salad” which elevates the classic with the best quality version of each ingredient – most notably the whole Spanish Anchovies adorning the top.
For the anchovy lovers among us, this is the Caesar is the one for you. While the fish-forward flavor comes through it’s clear that the ‘chovies are of the top-notch European variety, and quite unlike the oil-laden fish we often get in America (sorry Roland)
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Bernie’s’ might be the last on this list, but that’s a result of form – not quality. You see, at Bernie’s the caesar salad is an accompaniment to their fantastic chicken paillard (or chicken piccata). Best served alongside a martini and directly before a brownie sundae with vanilla and mint chip.
