Veggie Island

Delicious!
My husband and I felt like we were «in the know» when we visited here… The line for the taco joint down the street was wrapped around the block (i.e. right around Veggie Island, crowding the front door a bit) but we walked into V.I., ordered quickly from the friendly staff, and were enjoying our food within 10 minutes.
I had a zucchini, mozzarella, green tomato, pesto sammie. Super tastey and surprisingly filling. Husband got their marinated tofu sammie and was also pleasantly satisfied. Probably not enough food if you are Starving, but you could always order a juice/​vegan cookie, etc. to fill out the meal, all of which looked delicious.
The lost star was for the space itself. They had a mini veggie-​stand set up from which you could grab some local produce. I love the concept of this, but it did make the space very cramped. We were able to grab stools at the window, but everyone ordering behind us were forced to stand or take their grub to go.
All in all, we’ll definitely be back. Hit up the taco stand for breakfast, but skip the line and grab some fresh veggies here for lunch!

Get a quick bite. down by Rock– away beach.
Pineapple Mint and a carne taco cool spot had to check it out!
Cool atmosphere friendly quick.

This place is one of a kind. Walking in, I thought I walked into another world. What world? I’m still not sure. I tend to keep my reviews short and to the point, but this place is so unique, I am going to have to ramble on about it. To the point summary is at the bottom…
The scene: two tables that could seat 6 people each. When we walked in, one was filled up with people while the other only had 2 adults and a small child, but it looked like they were using up the entire table. Food, papers and who knows what else were all spread out across it and they appeared to be maximizing the space. That’s putting it nicely. Another way to describe it is it looked like a group of pigs had just eaten on the table and a food bomb had gone off at some point. Yeah, it looked like a complete mess.
After giving the small room a lookover, we went up to the counter to inquire what the dinner menu was for the evening. The blackboard mentioned fish, but nothing beyond that. The proprietor (I think?) informed us that they were serving fish katsu, a salad of some kind, and a tofu soup. I don’t recall which each one cost individually, but he said we could share them all family style for $ 12 per person. We figured sure, why not, let’s do that? I recall thinking how hungry I was and was wondering if a couple pieces of fish and some tofu could really fill me up. Thankfully my doubts did not become a reality, and in fact the opposite took place…
But before we filled up our stomachs, the man insisted there was space at the messy table for us, then walked over and cleaned things up and had the two sitting there «consolidate» their crap. So props to him for that!
We then waited for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was not that long at all. Time dragged for two reasons: firstly I was HUNGRY and secondly I had to hear the asinine, annoying woman next to me blabber on and and and on some more about this fashion designer and how all she used to work for him and blah blah blah. Lady, if you’re as hot shit as you say you are, why the hell are you in Rockaway? Shouldn’t you be kicking it in SoHo or something? Please just STFU and stop embarrassing yourself. Thank you.
Anyway, back to the meal… The first dish that was served was the fish katsu, which came with two sauces: a spicy mayo and a sauce that was described as a «Japanese-​style worcestershire sauce». The latter didn’t seem much different than your standard soy sauce. The spicy mayo, however, was great. My friend made certain that there was no remaining mayo. The fish itself also was excellent: very moist on the inside and nice and crunch on the outside.
The tofu soup was also delicious. I gave it an extra little kick with Sriacha. The salad, however, wasn’t my cup of tea. I felt it had way too much parsley and just didn’t suit my palate. My friend held a different opinion though, so it was probably an instance where I just wasn’t a fan of the general ingredients of the salad…
And the portions of all of them were quite generous. When we were finished, we were STUFFED! We DEFINITELY got our money’s worth for $ 12 each. Throw in the wonderful, friendly employees (a husband and wife– I think) and this place truly is a gem.
Summary:
Super friendly emloyees who make some amazing food. Very warm, home-​like atmosphere in a very small space. Just pray the people you have to share a table with are bearable.

When the chill of fall blows in (as it is about to do any moment now), the Rockaway Taco (separate review) block reverts back to what it is for most of the year — a kind of unremarkable corner of a ghetto-​by-​the-​sea. But one of the greatest things about Farrrrr Rockaway is the year-​round Northeast beach culture, upheld by a grizzly, weathered, year-​round tribe of coastal adherents who continue to live, eat, and surf the beach life even in the dead of winter. For anyone who’s made the trip out here in the off season, it’s COLD. That wind blows over the frigid Atlantic, and when particles hit your chaffed face, you aren’t quite sure if it’s sand, glass, snow, or ice.
During the deep freeze, the places where food can still be found on the strip leading off the Beach 98^th Street A-​train stop are: (1) a dubious Chinese takeout place, (2) a liquor store with plenty of Rumchata and Hypnotiq in stock, and (3) a convenience store that at least has Gatorade and the ultra cheap grade Ramen. Alas, these places offer no warmth, no sense of hearth (to say the least).
When I moved into the ‘hood, the painted Veggie Island shack looked kind of like a carrot juice stand, so I opted for a bagel/​burger/​sandwich place next door to fill up. One of my movers, however, went to Veggie Island instead and came back with an apple and a banana, gushing about how amazing the whole scene was, and how there was all kinds of real food.
Later, on a particularly blustery night, I ran into my landlord as he was coming back from the place. He was raving about the experience, saying that you wouldn’t know it, but that it was basically a «five star, gourmet» experience.
Veggie Island was at the top of my list after these two tantalizing endorsements, but I could never find the right moment. Sometimes, all the seats were full. Other times, I wasn’t in the mood. Yet other times, I didn’t want to spend cash. I also learned that it’s only open during the weekends in the wintry months.
The stars aligned when Sean B was visiting me earlier this year. On a Sunday night, we walked into the warmth of the shack and oriented ourselves at a table with an obnoxious mid-​thirties woman talking about her past modeling or fashion boutique career to another obnoxious woman, but this was better than trying to squeeze in next to a free spirit and her baby and corresponding mess spread over the entire other table.
The guy behind the counter told us that the menu rotated once every couple weeks or so. Our options were to purchase certain components of the set menu for $ 4 or $ 6 dollars each, or get pretty much everything for $ 12. We went for the $ 12 deal, no questions asked.
While we waited, I asked to use the bathroom and was let into a garagey space with a lot of clutter and works in progress going on. But at least they had a toilet. Forget if it flushed…
The food arrived in plastic dinnerware of Chinese/​Japanese design. We each got one gigantic bowl of steamed rice that was kind of halfway between short grain and Jasmine in taste and texture, plus bowls of Japanese style broth with fishballs and seaweed and beansprouts and scallions, along with fried tofu creations that were vegetarian but had the taste, texture, and wholesomeness of flaky fish. There were no names for the dishes or concepts for the cuisine; it was just Asian, healthy, and surprisingly filling. Of everything, my favorite was simply the rice, which I couldn’t stop eating with the katsu-​like soy based sauce that accompanied our food.
Beach cronies kept walking in and out, which was a bit distracting, but as the hot food went down, I started catching my snarky thoughts about the heavy handed pseudo NorCal (as in Humboldt) vibe. I scolded myself for just wishing there were no babies or stoners or beach bums or hippies or friends of friends around; just me and my friend and the food. By the time I was done eating, I’d mellowed considerably.
There were a lot of bottles of liquid yogurt under the counter, going for a dollar per because they’d expire in a week. So at checkout, I bought about ten organic drinkable yogurts in all different flavors and walked away feeling great.
When visiting Veggie Island, you should prepare to really let go and eat whatever they’re making at the pace of service at which they are serving, and refrain from judging the clientele who kind of loiter around, playing board games, browsing abandoned paperbacks on the shelves, and jiving with the laiiiiiid back staff, and letting their offspring take up half the space. If you find yourself here while in a misanthropic mood, though, the good home cooking might just set you straight.
Veggie Island cranks up the business during the summer, but morphs into more of a sandwich-​and-​healthy-​juice shop with a menu. Winter’s where it’s at for a very unique experience overall, with food that you can normally only find in hippie towns on the California Coast against a backdrop of the real Northeast beach scene.