City Roots Catering and Events — Local services in New York

I'd give CityRoots 10 stars if I could. Once my husband and I got engaged, our first priority was finding a caterer that could provide a fully vegan menu that could impress even the most naysaying guest. We have always loved Beyond Sushi, so we were excited to find they had an entire catering service. We had a few tastings and Chef Guy blew the competition out of the water. Not only was the food incredible, but he was thoughtful in designing a menu that brought in a lot of Puerto Rican dishes, which was important to my husband. Another detail I hadn't considered is to make every passed hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour bite-sized for the ease of the guests, which is actually a big deal (I've gone to so many weddings where you're trying to balance a drink, a plate, a fork, and a napkin because there's no table in the cocktail space). Catherine helped so much every step of the way, from narrowing down the entree and dessert choices, to creating signature cocktails, to organizing a walkthrough to ensure the day went off without a hitch. She even worked very hard to accommodate one of our guests severe gluten intolerance and brought a meal packaged separate to ensure zero cross-contamination.

We knew we were going to love the menu, but the wedding was the real test. I have a number of family members who are not particularly open minded about vegan food. So, when I say that everyone found something they raved about, that's a BFD. At the end of the night, when people were coming up to say their goodbyes and congratulate us, so many also followed it up with, that food was so good, I can't believe it was all vegan! My brother in law even said that, while he still won't go vegan, our wedding menu convinced him to open his mind to other vegan options. The food was so good that I ended up not getting to try a couple of the dessert options because our guests inhaled them while we were doing the cake cutting and taking photos. Also, the presentation of everything was absolutely stunning (I hope the photos load). Honestly, I was surprised CityRoots was in our budget because their food, service, and presentation is so top notch.

My husband and I are both ethical vegans, and it was very important to us that we had a wedding that both amazed our guests and were in line with our beliefs. We definitely didn't want to serve animal products, nor did we want our guests to leave reaffirming their incorrect notions that vegan food is bland and boring. CityRoots opened their eyes to what vegan food can be, and that eating ethically does not have to mean without flavor or creativity. That is exactly what we wanted for our wedding and is the gift they gave us. Anyone looking for the best vegan caterer need look no further - CityRoots is it, hands down. Thank you for giving us such an...

Chef Guy and the City Roots team helped make our wedding a truly memorable event – “the most fun we’ve had at a wedding” according to my Uncle & Aunt!

We held our wedding ceremony and reception in Coletta, their cozy and charming Italian restaurant in Gramercy (max capacity: 65 seated dinner). It was a delicate balance while searching for a venue/caterer – I’m vegan, my husband’s vegetarian, and his family is a mix of Chasidish, Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, and Conservative Jewish. Therefore, it was important that not only would no animal products be used, but that the kitchen be kosher to their (quite specific) certification standards. Coletta fit the bill and we really appreciated the time and effort everyone – especially Catering & Events Director Catherine A. – made to ensure everything was up to par. Although we brought our own vegan-kosher cake (shout out to Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC in LES) they had no problem with us providing tovel’d cutlery for the cake cutting and even sourced mevushal wines (both regular and sparkling) for our open bar!

None of our guests were vegan or vegetarian, yet absolutely everyone raved about the food. We had passed hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour as well as a seated dinner and all the items were delicious. The guests, who were a little nervous, had fun trying many different dishes and guessing “what they really are.” They also liked choosing from an extensive menu for the seated portion instead of being restricted to one or two choices.

And of course, the waitstaff were so lovely and helpful! They helped me and my husband connect to their speaker system just before the wedding got underway. Many guests from my side are not from NYC and this was their first time in the city – let alone a nicer bar/restaurant – since the 1980s. The waiters and bartenders were friendly and happy to answer questions about the food and drinks or offer recommendations on what to try for those that were indecisive.

Overall, a fantastic experience – I would highly recommend working with City Roots for...

City Roots catered our wedding and I could not be more thrilled with their food and service for our big day. It was the first vegan wedding for our guests, some of them their first vegan meal, and I really wanted to blow them away with how delicious vegan food can be. We spoke with several other NYC caterers for whom the vegan menu was very lackluster and clearly an afterthought. But once we found City Roots, I am happy to say we succeeded in my goal, and Chef Guy and team gave me the vegan wedding of my dreams! Our guests could not stop raving about the food and truly couldn’t believe certain things were vegan. The whole experience with the team from the tasting, to the contract process, to the planning and event itself, was wonderful and every person we interacted with was incredibly lovely and helpful. You can tell they are true pros who are passionate about what they do, and we always felt that we were in good hands. I would enthusiastically recommend them for any event catering needs, whether you are vegan, looking for a more environmentally friendly/ sustainable menu, or just want food that is silly delicious. Thank...