Vegan restaurant Green Street Eatery opens in Levittown
Yum Yum, Vietnamese and Buffalo tacos from Green Street Eatery in Levittown. Credit: Joann Vaglica
Grilled macaroni and cheese sandwiches, bacon-ranch fries, Buffalo tacos and chili bowls have all become veganized at Green Street Eatery, an offshoot of Matt and Lauren Korsky’s Green Street Food Truck. The eatery takes over the Levittown storefront and attached outdoor patio at the corner of Emerson and Hempstead Turnpike that was last Subway.
Green Street’s menu has grown significantly since the truck launched in 2018, and now features smoothies, sandwiches, bowls, tacos, fries and sides, all of which are vegan and gluten-free.
The Seoul Bowl, starring roasted Korean cauliflower ($9.50-$13.50); Yum Yum tacos, loaded with cauliflower, pickled red cabbage and shredded carrots ($4 each); and grilled macaroni and cheese sandwiches ($10) have been the most-ordered items so far. Its brunch menu is game for waffle bowls, pancakes, smoothies and doughnuts.
Fresh plant-based twists are added to traditional sweets, too, from chocolate chip cookie dough to dark chocolate truffles and rice pudding. Lauren, a full-time guidance counselor at Forest Hills High School in Queens, does all of the shop’s baking. Her specialty is "whookie pies," as in oatmeal cookies with "buttercream" filling.
Matt, a teacher, became vegan in 2013 in preparation for the Ironman Triathlon. He started his career teaching health and physical education, then turned to teaching plant-based nutrition, environmentalism and factory farming while hosting talks and cooking classes around the Island on the same subjects.
"When I taught, it was a job and that’s pretty much it," he said, whereas Green Street "is a really deep passion. It’s exhausting, but when you love it, it doesn’t matter the amount of time and effort you’re putting into it."
It took the Korskys and their business partner, Caroline Weaver, five months to turn the restaurant into a spot with an upcycled, rustic feel. It features several seating areas, all with small communal tables. Its outdoor patio, where free movie nights will be hosted, is decked out with plenty of shrubbery, string lights and a 4-foot, 400-pound wooden peace sign. But, perhaps the vibrantly colored mural of a hand holding a carrot is the real attraction here.
Green Street’s food truck has taken a back seat as the Korskys prepped for the restaurant's debut, but Matt said it’s just about ready to hit the road again.
Green Street is only one of many vegan options to pop up on the Island as of late. Others include Peach and Pine food truck and The Happy Pig in Bellmore.
Green Street Eatery is at 7 Emerson Ave. in Levittown. It’s open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays for brunch only, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More info: 516-806-2557; greenstreeteatery.com
