Seed Oil Free Restaurants in NYC

What are seed oils, and why avoid them?

"Seed oils" usually refers to a group of industrially refined oils extracted from seeds rather than pressed from fruit — canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, cottonseed, and rice bran oil are the most common. They became the default cooking fat in most restaurants and packaged food starting in the mid-20th century because they're cheap, shelf-stable, and neutral-tasting.

A growing number of people are choosing to avoid them, pointing to their high concentration of polyunsaturated fats and the heavy processing involved, and preferring traditional fats instead — tallow, lard, butter, ghee, coconut oil, and cold-pressed olive or avocado oil. This remains a debated area of nutrition science: mainstream dietary guidelines still generally favor unsaturated fats over saturated ones, while critics argue the research hasn't kept pace with how much seed oil consumption has changed over the past century.

Whatever your reasoning, actually avoiding them at restaurants is hard — most kitchens use them by default for frying and sautéing, and it's rarely listed on a menu. That's what this page tracks: which restaurants use something else, and how to order around the ones that don't.

How listings are verified

A listing marked "verified in person" has been personally confirmed by the site's author. Listings marked "reported, unverified" come from other seed oil free directories, community posts, and press coverage, and have not been confirmed yet. Chain listings come from public databases and community reports, and they can change. If you know a spot we are missing, use the restaurant submission form.

Common questions about seed oil free restaurants

Which NYC restaurants are seed oil free?

The restaurants we have personally verified as cooking without seed oils are 4 Charles Prime Rib, 7th Street Burger, Blue Park Kitchen, COTE Korean Steakhouse, Daddies, Ecce, Frena, goodsugar, Hearth, Matter, Motek, Rooted, and Springbone Kitchen. The directory lists many more that are reported to cook with tallow, butter, or olive oil but have not been verified yet. Those are labeled "reported, unverified".

Are there seed oil free restaurants in Brooklyn?

Brooklyn listings so far are SAVO in Sunset Park, Lucali in Carroll Gardens, Juliana's in DUMBO, and King Souvlaki in Bay Ridge, all reported to cook without seed oils. The Binc in Brooklyn Heights and Liar Liar in Boerum Hill are partial listings known for steak frites. None of the Brooklyn listings have been verified in person yet.

Does Chipotle use seed oil?

Partly. Chipotle reportedly uses rice bran and soybean oil on its plancha grill and sunflower oil for its chips. The carnitas are slow-cooked rather than plancha-seared, so carnitas over rice, beans, salsa, and guacamole is the lower seed oil order. Skip the chips and any plancha-seared protein. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

Does Chick-fil-A use seed oil?

Partly. The chicken is cooked in peanut oil, which is generally not classed as a seed oil but is moderate in polyunsaturated fat. The waffle fries reportedly run on a canola blend, so the chicken is the better order and the fries are the one to skip. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

Does In-N-Out use seed oil?

Its fries are reportedly cooked in 100% sunflower oil, which is high in polyunsaturated fat. The burger patty is griddled with no added oil, so the burger is the safer order and the fries are the issue. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

Does Five Guys use seed oil?

Five Guys fries in 100% peanut oil, which is generally not classed as a seed oil but is moderate in polyunsaturated fat. Burgers are griddled, so skipping the fries and mayo is the cleaner order. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

Does Sweetgreen use seed oil?

Mostly not. Sweetgreen reportedly uses extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil for roasting and dressings, but one employee comment suggests some dressings may still contain sunflower oil, so ask about the specific dressing you choose. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

Which chain restaurants cook with beef tallow?

Steak 'n Shake reportedly cooks its fries, tots, onion rings, and tenders in 100% beef tallow. Hopdoddy Burger Bar cooks its hand-cut fries in tallow. Buffalo Wild Wings uses tallow for its bone-in wings only, while boneless wings and sides still go in the seed oil fryer. Ingredients and practices can change, so confirm with your location.

What oils do seed oil free restaurants use instead?

Most use tallow, lard, butter, ghee, coconut oil, or cold-pressed olive or avocado oil.

Seed oil free restaurants by neighborhood

Independent NYC restaurants listed as cooking without seed oils. Verified means personally confirmed; the rest are reported and not yet verified.

Manhattan

East Village: 7th Street Burger (verified), Ecce (verified), Hearth (verified), Lil' Frankie's

Flatiron: COTE Korean Steakhouse (verified), Motek (verified), Rooted (verified)

Greenwich Village: Springbone Kitchen (verified)

Hell's Kitchen: Frena (verified)

Midtown: Blue Park Kitchen (verified)

Nolita: Matter (verified), NADC Burger

Upper East Side: goodsugar (verified)

West Village: 4 Charles Prime Rib (verified), BURGERHEAD, Daddies (verified)

Brooklyn

Bay Ridge: King Souvlaki

Carroll Gardens: Lucali

DUMBO: Juliana's

Sunset Park: SAVO

Queens

Astoria: Alba's Pizza & Restaurant, Saffron Indian Cuisine