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Several different mushrooms in different shapes, blue, orange, white, and brown with some dirt sticking to the ends.
A selection of mushrooms found in the farmers market
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

12 Mushroom Dishes Worth Foraging for Across NYC

These NYC restaurants showcase the delicious versatility of mushrooms in a wide range of dishes

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A selection of mushrooms found in the farmers market
| Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

It wasn’t long ago that we had no Impossible beef to put in our veggie burgers, or globs of chicken or ham TVP (textured vegetable protein) to toss into curries, salads, and banh mi sandwiches. Back then, the most common meat substitute was mushrooms, and in many ways it’s still the best. Mushrooms are simple and natural; they come in innumerable edible varieties, some cultivated, others foraged; they have distinctive woodsy flavors that can easily match meat for maximum umami. And they can be prepared dozens of ways: sauteed, baked, fricasseed, poached, even used raw in salads and carpaccios, or popped in the mouth as snacks.

Most of the mushroom dishes listed here are vegetarian and even vegan. Some are simply prepared while others are drenched in butter. Here then are some of our favorite mushroom items to hunt down in New York City.

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Wild Mushrooms in a Pita at Miznon

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Miznon, which first blew up at Chelsea Market in early 2018, caused a sensation by selling extravagantly puffy pitas stuffed with a variety of fillings, many vegetable-driven. Formulated by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, the mushroom sandwich was a case in point, the fungus glistening with oil and spilling out of the flatbread, its loamy flavor boosted by crunchy scallions, making it one of the city’s most elegant and satisfying vegan sandwiches.

A very puffy pita split with mushrooms and green onions spilling out. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

King Oyster Mushroom Burger at Spring Cafe

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Many of the city’s earliest veggie burgers deployed mushrooms, and the result was often stunning. At Spring Cafe, a vegan spot just west of Chinatown, king oyster mushrooms — the ones with a tubby stem and smaller cap — are sauteed and draped over a hamburger bun. This mushroom variety proves to be one of the most flavorsome and densely textured.

The king oyster mushroom burger with a stem sticking out like a tongue and lettuce underneath. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Focaccia at Sullivan Street Bakery

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Founded in 1994 on Sullivan Street by Jim Lahey and Monica Von Thun Calderón (he’s now the sole proprietor, she runs Grandaisy Bakery), this establishment was a leader in the no-knead bread revolution, and a pioneer in reviving Italian pastries and focaccias of an arcane sort. At the main branch in Hell’s Kitchen, a full range of focaccias are presented: potato, cauliflower, tomato, and pizza bianca. But a favorite is the one paved with mushrooms with little swatches of onion for sweetness. One serving makes for a full snack or two squares can make a meal. It’s available at four other branches, too.

A square slice of pizza with chopped up mushrooms and no tomatoes or cheese. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Sides at Craft

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Tom Colicchio’s flagship restaurant Craft — now celebrating its 20th anniversary in the Gramercy Park neighborhood — has always enjoyed an intimate relationship with mushrooms: roasted, buttered, sauteed, or pureed. There are always a number of mushroom choices among apps and sides, depending on season. Delivered in a pan, the restaurant’s classic assortment of mushrooms is on pandemic hiatus, but at press time, there are roasted black hen of the woods flavored with shallot butter with herbs as well as butter-poached morels. You can blow more money on mushrooms here than at most other restaurants in town.

Portobello Katsu Sando at Evil Katsu

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This persistent Lower East Side pop-up from Christopher Wagenlander, Asher Sendyk, and Hai Oliveria specializes in katsu-style cutlets. Along with the expected pork and chicken sandos (sandwiches typically featured on crustless white bread), it also offers one planked with a portobello mushroom cap. It proves to be a great meat alternative because when you get through the crunch, the grease, and the dressing, the mushroom has more flavor than the other menu choices.

A hand holds a gloppy sandwich in front of a cartoon of a boy looking astonished. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Sauerkraut Pierogies With Sauteed Mushrooms at Baba's Pierogies

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On the edge of the Gowanus Canal, Helena S. Fabiankovic and Robert Gardner opened Baba’s six years ago and turned to family recipes for pierogies. The doughy dumplings run from conventional (sauerkraut, cheese, and potato) to the more creative (jalapeno or mac and cheese), but you can have any choice topped with sauteed mushrooms, which turn a fistful of pierogies into a lush dish fit for a main course.

A heap of glistening mushrooms on a pile of paler pierogies. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Country Potatoes and Mushrooms at Chito Gvrito

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In the former Soviet republics and in Russia itself, it’s not unusual to find various fried potato dishes on a menu. Often times these potato recipes, which aren’t quite french fries, come with heaps of flavoring with ingredients like dill, parsley, and even crushed garlic. At this Georgian newcomer, where the chef is Lasha Jikia, the premium version of the dish adds shiitake mushrooms to the spuds, turning what would be a rather formulaic recipe into a spectacular one. Pour on the kubansky!

A white bowl of sliced potatoes and mushrooms partly hidden under green herbs. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Salad at Oiji

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Mushrooms are no stranger among the dishes at this experimental Korean restaurant in the East Village. One standout is the menu’s long-running mushroom salad, wherein lightly fried maitakes, shiitakes, and wood ears combine like a magnificent mushroom dance. Every bite is different, and this is one salad mushroom lovers will never get tired of.

Oiji’s mushroom salad Serena Dai/Eater NY

Wild Mushroom Tinga Tacos at El Mitote

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Chicken tinga — with its smoldering chipotle chiles — may be more familiar to many, but it’s only one version of the classic. At El Mitote, mushrooms are used instead. The slippery texture makes the filling unique and the sliced mushroom’s striated cap holds sauce as well as any shape of pasta. The mushroom’s earthy flavors are a nice contrast to the the sharper smoked chiles. Pick corn or flour tortillas.

Three tortillas folded up with mushrooms inside on a Delft-blue plate. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Bu Bo Hue Chay at Bolero

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One of the most exciting things on the menu at Bolero — an innovative Vietnamese restaurant on Williamsburg’s main drag — is chef Matt Le-Khac’s vegetarian take on the classic soup known as bun bo Hue, from the mid-country port of Hue. In it, king oyster mushrooms in all their bulbous glory stand in for the usual assortment of beef, pork, and (sometimes) pork blood. The mushroom is sliced every which way, and fried tofu plays a part, but the dominant flavor remains lemongrass backed up with other fresh herbs such as culantro (shown here).

A bowl of fresh mushroom soup with pale sliced mushrooms and a green leaf draped across the top of the bowl. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Barley Soup at Pastrami & Grill

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Among many flashy ways chefs use mushrooms, there are more humble deployment worth noting, including this mushroom barley soup. Yes, Jewish, Russian, or Polish delis all make a similar soup, which uses creamy barley as both thickener and a perfect foil for the subtle woodsiness of the ’shrooms. Carrots are added as a sweet note at this new pastrami purveyor on the Upper East Side.

A white plastic spoon dips into a soup to pull up barley and mushrooms. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Gluten and Mushrooms at Shanghai You Garden

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The cold dishes that make up a Shanghai appetizing buffet often contain a selection of mushroom dishes, including both cloud ears and black mushrooms. Both are tossed with spongy pieces of gluten in a thick, sweet soy sauce at this Flushing Shanghai teahouse in the shadow of the Long Island Railroad. The the soup dumplings and classic noodle dishes are front and center here, but don’t let them distract you from the wonderful cold apps that are perfect in the summer.

Brown gluten with various darker mushrooms, with a sprig of green cilantro on top. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Wild Mushrooms in a Pita at Miznon

Miznon, which first blew up at Chelsea Market in early 2018, caused a sensation by selling extravagantly puffy pitas stuffed with a variety of fillings, many vegetable-driven. Formulated by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, the mushroom sandwich was a case in point, the fungus glistening with oil and spilling out of the flatbread, its loamy flavor boosted by crunchy scallions, making it one of the city’s most elegant and satisfying vegan sandwiches.

A very puffy pita split with mushrooms and green onions spilling out. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

King Oyster Mushroom Burger at Spring Cafe

Many of the city’s earliest veggie burgers deployed mushrooms, and the result was often stunning. At Spring Cafe, a vegan spot just west of Chinatown, king oyster mushrooms — the ones with a tubby stem and smaller cap — are sauteed and draped over a hamburger bun. This mushroom variety proves to be one of the most flavorsome and densely textured.

The king oyster mushroom burger with a stem sticking out like a tongue and lettuce underneath. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Focaccia at Sullivan Street Bakery

Founded in 1994 on Sullivan Street by Jim Lahey and Monica Von Thun Calderón (he’s now the sole proprietor, she runs Grandaisy Bakery), this establishment was a leader in the no-knead bread revolution, and a pioneer in reviving Italian pastries and focaccias of an arcane sort. At the main branch in Hell’s Kitchen, a full range of focaccias are presented: potato, cauliflower, tomato, and pizza bianca. But a favorite is the one paved with mushrooms with little swatches of onion for sweetness. One serving makes for a full snack or two squares can make a meal. It’s available at four other branches, too.

A square slice of pizza with chopped up mushrooms and no tomatoes or cheese. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Sides at Craft

Tom Colicchio’s flagship restaurant Craft — now celebrating its 20th anniversary in the Gramercy Park neighborhood — has always enjoyed an intimate relationship with mushrooms: roasted, buttered, sauteed, or pureed. There are always a number of mushroom choices among apps and sides, depending on season. Delivered in a pan, the restaurant’s classic assortment of mushrooms is on pandemic hiatus, but at press time, there are roasted black hen of the woods flavored with shallot butter with herbs as well as butter-poached morels. You can blow more money on mushrooms here than at most other restaurants in town.

Portobello Katsu Sando at Evil Katsu

This persistent Lower East Side pop-up from Christopher Wagenlander, Asher Sendyk, and Hai Oliveria specializes in katsu-style cutlets. Along with the expected pork and chicken sandos (sandwiches typically featured on crustless white bread), it also offers one planked with a portobello mushroom cap. It proves to be a great meat alternative because when you get through the crunch, the grease, and the dressing, the mushroom has more flavor than the other menu choices.

A hand holds a gloppy sandwich in front of a cartoon of a boy looking astonished. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Sauerkraut Pierogies With Sauteed Mushrooms at Baba's Pierogies

On the edge of the Gowanus Canal, Helena S. Fabiankovic and Robert Gardner opened Baba’s six years ago and turned to family recipes for pierogies. The doughy dumplings run from conventional (sauerkraut, cheese, and potato) to the more creative (jalapeno or mac and cheese), but you can have any choice topped with sauteed mushrooms, which turn a fistful of pierogies into a lush dish fit for a main course.

A heap of glistening mushrooms on a pile of paler pierogies. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Country Potatoes and Mushrooms at Chito Gvrito

In the former Soviet republics and in Russia itself, it’s not unusual to find various fried potato dishes on a menu. Often times these potato recipes, which aren’t quite french fries, come with heaps of flavoring with ingredients like dill, parsley, and even crushed garlic. At this Georgian newcomer, where the chef is Lasha Jikia, the premium version of the dish adds shiitake mushrooms to the spuds, turning what would be a rather formulaic recipe into a spectacular one. Pour on the kubansky!

A white bowl of sliced potatoes and mushrooms partly hidden under green herbs. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Salad at Oiji

Mushrooms are no stranger among the dishes at this experimental Korean restaurant in the East Village. One standout is the menu’s long-running mushroom salad, wherein lightly fried maitakes, shiitakes, and wood ears combine like a magnificent mushroom dance. Every bite is different, and this is one salad mushroom lovers will never get tired of.

Oiji’s mushroom salad Serena Dai/Eater NY

Wild Mushroom Tinga Tacos at El Mitote

Chicken tinga — with its smoldering chipotle chiles — may be more familiar to many, but it’s only one version of the classic. At El Mitote, mushrooms are used instead. The slippery texture makes the filling unique and the sliced mushroom’s striated cap holds sauce as well as any shape of pasta. The mushroom’s earthy flavors are a nice contrast to the the sharper smoked chiles. Pick corn or flour tortillas.

Three tortillas folded up with mushrooms inside on a Delft-blue plate. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Bu Bo Hue Chay at Bolero

One of the most exciting things on the menu at Bolero — an innovative Vietnamese restaurant on Williamsburg’s main drag — is chef Matt Le-Khac’s vegetarian take on the classic soup known as bun bo Hue, from the mid-country port of Hue. In it, king oyster mushrooms in all their bulbous glory stand in for the usual assortment of beef, pork, and (sometimes) pork blood. The mushroom is sliced every which way, and fried tofu plays a part, but the dominant flavor remains lemongrass backed up with other fresh herbs such as culantro (shown here).

A bowl of fresh mushroom soup with pale sliced mushrooms and a green leaf draped across the top of the bowl. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mushroom Barley Soup at Pastrami & Grill

Among many flashy ways chefs use mushrooms, there are more humble deployment worth noting, including this mushroom barley soup. Yes, Jewish, Russian, or Polish delis all make a similar soup, which uses creamy barley as both thickener and a perfect foil for the subtle woodsiness of the ’shrooms. Carrots are added as a sweet note at this new pastrami purveyor on the Upper East Side.

A white plastic spoon dips into a soup to pull up barley and mushrooms. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Gluten and Mushrooms at Shanghai You Garden

The cold dishes that make up a Shanghai appetizing buffet often contain a selection of mushroom dishes, including both cloud ears and black mushrooms. Both are tossed with spongy pieces of gluten in a thick, sweet soy sauce at this Flushing Shanghai teahouse in the shadow of the Long Island Railroad. The the soup dumplings and classic noodle dishes are front and center here, but don’t let them distract you from the wonderful cold apps that are perfect in the summer.

Brown gluten with various darker mushrooms, with a sprig of green cilantro on top. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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