When you’re racing around, you need high-quality fuel to keep up the pace. Here are some places for a quick pit stop:

Springbone Kitchen
74 Pearl St.
Priding themselves on “simple, wholesome, unadulterated food,” Springbone Kitchen serves protein-rich meals. I love Springbone Kitchen’s transparency about their ingredients and processes almost as much as their hot sauce.

They serve primarily standard bowl options (meat, salmon, or tofu with veggies), gluten free dessert, and bone broth. Their cups of broth are a great sugar-free, and protein-rich snack available in a wide range of flavor blends, from Spicy Vegan to Kimchi to New Roots (immunity boosting compounds).

I usually order the Bad Hombre bone broth, which includes hot sauce, rice, and chicken, because I can drink it on the train to work it’s a healthy meal of a reasonable portion size with marvelous convenience.

TwentyOne Grains
100 Pearl St.
Because their menu focuses on alternative grains, everything at TwentyOne Grains is naturally gluten-free. As part of the Urbanspace Market brand, TwentyOne Grains is good at keeping the line short despite high demand.With only over the counter service, it’s easy to be in and out in under 15 minutes.

The buffalo cauliflower snack is idyllically crispy and just one of many veggie-forward options on the menu. With both customizations and extremely well-balanced menu options available, it’s difficult to go wrong if you’re looking to stay sated on fresh ingredients.

Taïm
75 Maiden Ln.
Taïm’s whole menu is vegetarian, and The Washington Post called it a “Falafel Nirvana.” Taïm is the brainchild of restaurateur Einat Admony, who also created Kish-Kash, NYC’s first couscous bar (not to be confused with Nish Nush, a vegan mediterranean spot).

They’ve been super popular on the healthy fast-casual food scene for over a decade, so you’re in for an extremely efficient treat. Embodying speed and convenience, Taïm offers a $50 Family Meal kit that feeds 4-6 as well as $6 kids meals. Also, the Ginger Mint Lemonade is super refreshing.

Proper Food
67 Wall St.
Proper Food specializes in healthy, made-from-scratch grab and go food that spans diets, including dairy, meat, and fish. The executive chef, Juan Muñoz, has experience in high-end, Michelin-starred kitchens and catering, so the food is both delicious and fresh all day.

Every flavor combination at Proper Food is seasonal, so the menu changes frequently. They offer hot and cold options with some customization. While this is the fastest option and the only location on the list offering breakfast, picky eaters may struggle with the preset options.

Pita Press
25 Cedar St.
Pita Press is a classic Greek rotisserie run by two brothers, Jerry and Telly, who made sharing their love of sliced meat a lifelong project. Their chicken is always super juicy, and, for veggie folks, the vegan tomato mint and zucchini feta fritters are, refreshingly, a crunchy falafel alternative.

With unique salads, lentil soup, and filling, yogurt-based smoothies, there’s no shortage of delicious options even past the classic pita and plates. They also have great baklava and sweet Greek desserts to pair with the hearty meals, which are usually large enough portions to take half home for a second helping.

Main photo courtesy of Proper Food