Greenstar Co-op Natural Foods

Every time we visit Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, we drive to Ithaca to stock up on bullets of Susie's Seitan at Greenstar. They usually have a great selection of it. They also have tons of delicious vegan selections at the hot bar and the deli counter, so we get food to bring back to eat while staying at the farm. This store has a good variety of cruelty free bath and body items and groceries. The staff is always welcoming and helpful. Makes me wish I was a local!

As a vegan college student I find the Buffalo St location to be really convenient. They have a ton of awesome fresh food, and their pastries are amazing! I highly recommend any vegan pastry made with chocolate. Their "chunks of energy" are a great alternative to granola bars for snacks. They often have vegan chocolate cakes, baklava and pies as well. As a grocery store they have a great variety of different stocks, nondairy ice creams, cruelty free body products and local produce. All ingredients are clearly labeled. Hooray for Greenstar!

I have a hard time not liking vegan reuben sandwiches, so maybe I'm not a very good judge, but I think Greenstar's greasily-delicious vegan tempeh reuben is pretty amazing. It's crisp and buttery-tasting and saucy and a recipe for a good time.

Besides the deli, Greenstar has a fantastic selection of vegan foods - vegan cakes and baklava and dumplings, muffins and cookies, breads, produce and frozen stuff, fresh local tofu, giant slabs of tempeh, and a great bulk section full of cheap awesomeness - pastas, agave, dried fruit, nut butters, and soup and falafel and veggie burger mixes by the pound. Read the ingredients lists to find bulk granola, chocolate, carob, and other goodies.

I admit that when I first moved to Ithaca the greasy Vegan Pizza was cool, but then I ate a slice... I've tried other Vega offerings and I question if anyone in the kitchen actually tastes the food they make. I'm glad Food for the Planet opened across the street.

I eat at GreenStar often. They have tons of vegan and vegetarian options, and a lot of variety. Their hot bar is great for breakfast or lunch, too. I highly recommend the Tempeh Reuben (make sure to order it without cheese if you're vegan).

That said, you might expect that because most of the grocery items at GreenStar are organic/local that the Deli food would be too...but it's not. A lot of it comes from Sysco and is neither local nor organic. Their salad bar is always local/organic, so that's the bonus, but their sandwich items are not. Always good to know.