Less than two hours north of New York City, tucked away in the scenic Hudson Valley, is the small, quaint city of Beacon, New York. Home of the contemporary art museum Dia Beacon, this charming Hudson River town has plenty of dining options for vegetarians, vegans, and clean food fans.
As you walk along the main strip of town you will spot eateries and cafés of all kinds on every block. There are plenty of veg-friendly options, from matcha to donuts, ramen noodles to ice cream, and hearty entrées of all kinds.
There is surely something for everyone to try—even those who need to eat gluten-free. Read on to browse a roundup of delicious must-try restaurants and eateries in Beacon, New York.
Make sure to link through to each establishment’s website for hours of operation, as they can vary quite a bit depending on the time of year. Here are the selections, from one end of Main Street to the other.
Photo: Zora Dora’s
Zora Dora’s
201 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 646-206-3982
Zora Dora’s Micro Batch is a frozen dessert shop created and founded by Steven Astorino. What makes these ice creams special is that they’re handmade in small batches every day in the shape of paletas. Paletas are Latin American ice pops made from fresh fruit. Sourced from the freshest ingredients in season from local Hudson Valley farmers, Zora Dora’s paletas showcase flavors that change often.
Some of the shop’s most popular flavors are mango, strawberry-banana, and citrus. Weekly blackboard specials have included watermelon-mango-ginger and lemon-ginger-raspberry sorbet. They also offer several different kinds of milk-based flavored paletas, so make sure to know what the ingredients are if you’re strictly plant-based.
Dairy-based paletas include coffee, chocolate, and cookies-and-cream. This gem of a shop is only open from March to October and is closed for the winter, so be sure to stop by when they’re open for the season.
Photo by Philosophia for Ziatun
Ziatun
244 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 845-765-8268
Ziatun is a Middle Eastern restaurant featuring Arabic-Palestinian cuisine. Owner and chef Kamel Jamal opened Ziatun in 2016 to celebrate his heritage and showcase the flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine.
Two of the restaurant’s flagship menu items, which happen to be vegan, include Jamal’s famous homemade hummus and falafel. He says that the hummus is a family recipe made with a special technique that’s been passed down through his family for generations.
Though this eatery’s menu offers non-vegan dishes, there are plenty of choices for vegetarians and vegans. According to Jamal, food is a form of resistance that shows existence. He said, “Some people resist to exist—some do it through war, some do it through protesting, we do it through food. When people eat here, it reminds us that there are people who stand behind us, and that drives us.”
Jamal is also the owner of Tito Santana Taqueria and the Beacon Bread Company, just a few short blocks from each other in the center of Beacon. He was also the founder and creator of Végétalien before selling the business to its new owners in 2018.
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Matcha Thomas
179 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 845-467-5677
Matcha Thomas is a family-owned wellness teahouse managed by long-time vegan sisters Haile and Nia Thomas. The sisters opened the café in May of 2021. They connect people with nourishing snacks and drinks in a nurturing atmosphere while giving back to the community.
“Matcha for the People” is a heart-warming “pay it forward” board that the Thomases set up for customers to provide pre-purchased drinks and snacks to others in the community, especially those in need. Anyone can redeem one of these donations at Matcha Thomas for free.
They also offer vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free sweets baked fresh every morning, using only the highest-quality, locally sourced organic ingredients. To honor the change of the seasons, the teahouse introduces seasonally inspired boba tea flavors and baked goods every month.
On a fall menu, you might find apple pie and pumpkin spice flavored beverages, for instance. The most popular drink on the menu is the Matcha Thomas, the café’s signature latte, with a creamy coconut vanilla base. To make this drink, they use ceremonial-grade handpicked matcha from the region of Uji in Japan. Check the website for new seasonal boba flavors and more tasty treats before you plan to visit.
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Quinn’s
330 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 845-202-7447
Featuring authentic Japanese-style comfort food in an attractive setting, this charming restaurant has plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. There is nothing else in this town quite like it. Their famous vegetarian hot ramen can easily be made vegan by swapping in soba or udon noodles and they even offer two vegan donburi bowls.
Also on the menu are vegan appetizers and snacks, including crispy tofu, edamame, purple sweet potato fries, and potato croquettes. Follow Quinn’s on Instagram to see weekly specials such as the tasty vegan spring rolls stuffed with cabbage, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and vermicelli.
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Peaceful Provisions
383 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 845-440-6385
Established in 2015 by twin sisters Brittany and Justine Soto, Peaceful Provisions is a family-owned artisan doughnut shop specializing in vegan doughnuts. After five years of serving pop-up markets across New York, the sisters opened their first storefront business in April 2021.
The doughnuts are made with brioche-style dough using the highest quality ingredients and no artificial flavors or colorings. Twice the size of a standard doughnut, the dough, fillings, toppings, and icings are all made in-house using recipes the owners have crafted over several years.
The menu changes weekly to incorporate new flavors, some inspired by the seasons, and others by classic dessert favorites. Two best-sellers are peach-glazed fritters and cinnamon sugar twists.
Other specialty flavors in the case may include Arnold Palmer, Crème Brûlée, and Samoa-filled doughnuts. The shop rolls out some 2,000 doughnuts per weekend, and customers line up ten to fifteen minutes before opening time to make sure to get some delicious doughnuts before they sell out. If you’re thinking about visiting, make sure to get there early, as the shop is only open from Friday to Sunday, with limited hours or until sold out.
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Kitchen & Coffee
420 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 845-765-0778
Kitchen and Coffee is a mostly vegan, completely gluten-free coffee shop and café featuring locally sourced ingredients and fair trade coffees and teas. This lively coffee shop opened in July 2020. It offers a full menu, plus many homemade vegan baked goods. Some of the most popular items on the menu are Garden Tahini Bowl and Tempeh Reuben.
House-made bread is baked fresh every morning. The vegan and gluten-free sourdough’s rich flavor complements the umami tempeh in the Tempeh Reuben sandwich perfectly.
Specials change weekly, offering the highest quality local ingredients from the Hudson Valley, including a quiche of the day and soup of the day. Drink specials on the menu include vegan hot chocolate and vegan chocolate ganache coffee syrup. They also make gorgeous custom gluten-free cakes, but you need to order weeks in advance!
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Végétalien
504 Main Street, Beacon, NY | 845-838-1943
Végétalien is a locally sourced vegan café and juice bar. The specials on the menu change based on seasonal ingredients from a variety of farms in the Hudson Valley.
Some of the most popular items on the menu continue to be their famous Tu-Nah (made with chickpeas), and the B.L.T., featuring their famous sun sauce and smokey “facon.” The facon (fake bacon) is made fresh every day using rice paper and undergoes a dehydration process that makes it as smoky and crispy as the real thing. You can also build your own Buddha bowl with a choice of plant-based proteins and other toppings.
Végétalien’s goal is to nourish your mind, body, and spirit by taking comfort food and making it better for you. They also aim to remain sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint.
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The Vegan Stuff
504 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508 | 646-981-7334
Chante Tenoso discovered a demand for vegan ice cream a few years ago while she was working at another restaurant and began making it herself one day. Shortly after, she entered a partnership with Végétalien to open a storefront business in the summer of 2019. Ever since, her vegan ice cream has been a huge success.
Tenoso says the name of her ice cream shop was inspired by the 1985 horror film, The Stuff, which was shot in the Hudson Valley. She currently makes over forty different dairy-free ice cream flavors with all-natural ingredients like cashews, gluten-free oat milk, organic cane sugar, and locally sourced fresh fruits from the Hudson Valley.
Her bestsellers include roulette (a fresh lavender lemon sorbet) and cereal milk (which tastes exactly what it sounds like). They even have vegan and gluten-free ice cream waffle cones!
Flavors change weekly depending on the seasons, for example, fireball apple cider, pumpkin, and apple crumble for fall. The Vegan Stuff can also be found at wholesale in selected flavors at Homestyle Desserts and Bakery in Cold Spring, NY, and at Fishkill Creamery.
More options
The Beacon Farmer’s Market hosts several vendors every weekend on Sundays to connect customers with local food and agricultural businesses in the Hudson Valley. Happy Belly Hudson, a vegan and gluten-free baked goods company, is a regular at this farmer’s market. They pride themselves on sourcing the highest-quality ingredients from local businesses and maintaining their focus on using whole foods. Of course, there are also many stalls selling fresh produce from around the region.
Several vegan options are available from the Dia Beacon Café if you’re spending the day at the museum. While there aren’t many to choose from, there’s always a vegan special sandwich for lunch and a fresh fruit pop from Zora Dora’s for dessert.
Contributed by Anna Fiore: Anna is a 2021 graduate of SUNY-New Paltz, majoring in Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in journalism. She is an advocate of environmental sustainability and clean eating.
See a full listing of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in New York’s Hudson Valley.
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