Candle Cafe
(Now Closed)Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant, Gluten-Free Restaurant, and Juice Bar$$$$
Upper East Side, New York
The experts at The Corcoran Group and Village Voice recommend this place
148 Tips and reviews
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Emily KaplanFebruary 1, 2019Never disappoints. My favorites are the nachos and Cajun sandwich. I recently tried the black bean mac n cheese burger for lunch. The mac n cheese tasted very real.
Village VoiceJune 3, 2013Serving up vegan cuisine before juice bars infiltrated the city, this spot will satisfy your carnivorous friends too. Try the rich (cream free!) corn chowder and the ginger vegetable stir-fry.
The Corcoran GroupMay 18, 2010Some of the best Vegetarian on the Upper East Side. Try the porcini crusted seitan with mashed potatoes, the portions are generous and you won’t leave hungry. Try their sister restaurant up the street
Shahrzad ShamsOctober 22, 2017Dope restaurant with delicious vegan dishes. Definitely try queseida, the Coco date shake is the best and the Southern Dish and Temphe empanadas for the main. Love this place!
Martin BDecember 29, 2014One of the most amazing vegetarian/vegan places I have been to. Highly recommended. The Tofu club and the tempeh were just awesome! Good organic IPA available as well.
Rex DowJune 4, 2013A great all organic/vegan restaurant on the Upper East Side. Loved the Ginger Miso Stir Fry with Pinkus Hefe-Weizen beer (claiming to be the world's oldest organic brewer - from Germany)
Tom AdamsDecember 14, 2018Cozy little spot on the UES for a coffee and a vegan bite. Mix those with a charismatic server and you’ve got a real gem. Highly recommend.
Joanne PangJune 10, 2015Looking for fresh, flavorful, and healthy fare in the UES? Look no farther! Echoing everyone else, I loved the cajun seitan sandwich! Looking forward to my return trip already!
Ali RoseMay 15, 2015Vegan BLT on gluten free bread was AWESOME & we got some green juice that was super refreshing with mint... 💚
Erin BaileyFebruary 11, 2012This place is amazing. The food is so good. Even if you're not a vegan or even a vegetarian, you can find something you'll like here. And they put your leftovers in a cute little box!
Vivian VoApril 12, 2015Vegetarian food. Vegan Carrot cake was phenomenal - still wondering how they made that "cream cheese"
AFAR MediaAugust 12, 2014If you aren't up for a meal, their juice bar is a must-try. You can't get much healthier and environmentally conscious than Candle Cafe. Read more
AthletaOctober 14, 2011Hungry? You’re just steps from New York City’s vegan fine-dining landmark, Candle 79, and the more casual Candle Café, which makes a mean tempeh BLT. -- Melisse Gelula, Well + Good
Christina ChinMay 9, 2016I'm not vegan but the seitan sandwich was very good and sweet potato fries!
Grace CheungMay 16, 2013BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potato Sandwich for the win. Comes with a delicious ranch-like sauce. Vegan heaven! Must return.
Aditi LuthraOctober 10, 2018One of the best vegan entrees I’ve had! I’d skip the flu fighter though if you don’t want to drink carrots
Burger WeeklyJanuary 9, 2014
Chantae VetriceNovember 18, 2013The staff are super friendly and the food is very fresh. I ordered the ginger-miso stir fry and oh man! Delicious!!!
Christina NawabiDecember 19, 2014Pricy and not-so-large portions. The quesadilla and indian wrap appetizers were flavorful and delicious. The dumplings weren't as good.
Kim BrownMarch 12, 2011Everything is fantastic; I've had the Living Crunchy Sprout salad and the Magical Miso soup, both great. Don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu...
Leanne AlyssaAugust 20, 2014Definitely get the mac and cheese!! Also get the chocolate mousse. Our waiter recommended it by calling it "redonky-donk"- Village VoiceJanuary 18, 2013With lots of boldly-spiced vegan style food, we think we may have finally found a vegan restaurant that can satisfy even most adamant carnivores.
Michelle WilesJune 4, 2017Pricey but the food is incredible. Seitan burger with mushrooms is yummy (and healthy ish? Kinda?)
New York HabitatDecember 13, 2011You can't go wrong with either the cajun seitan sandwich or the paradise casserole. Even the meat lovers can't resist the dishes here.
Andrew RoseOctober 26, 2019Terrific sangria!! The staff was very nice and knowledgeable about allergens in the kitchen
NataliaFebruary 2, 2013I never thought vegan food could be this good! Porcini Crusted Seitan is so delicious it's almost obcene :)
Lucia GutierrezOctober 22, 2012For my 1st vegan experience I gotta say I enjoyed this place...the strawberry limeade was very good...tangy but good
Physique 57May 26, 2011The fresh fruit crumb pie is a must-have dessert here– they use seasonal fruit so it changes all the time and of course get it a la mode with soy ice cream.
Molly StoddartSeptember 18, 2014Amazing vegan food with a great selection and variety. Can't wait to come back.
Adrienne BorgersenOctober 27, 2011I love and hate that this place is always crowded. Everything on the menu is delish. I only wish they delivered to the west side!
Ellen DeGeneresSeptember 9, 2010Grab a bite to eat at Candle Café while you’re in the neighborhood. They have amazing vegan cuisine that’s fresh from the farm to the table.
David GoldbergMay 30, 2014Omg get a side of quinoa with agave and cinnamon for breakfast. It's amazing
Luca MessinaMarch 6, 2013Highly recommend the sweet potato pie smoothie, you won't regret it! Tofu club on whole grain was great too.
Will McMahanJanuary 25, 2017Really tasty lunch for 2 (1 sandwich, 1 small pate, and 2 drinks), was $50-60.
Institute for Integrative NutritionSeptember 12, 2011Discounts available for all Fall IINto Action Conference participants! See our healthy restaurant guide for more info. Make sure to give IIN a shout when you check in! Read more
Terrific food, but the secret is out: it can sometimes take quite a while to get a table.
Melissa FordJuly 4, 2016I'm a vegetarian so this place is a dream come true...but since it's really expensive I can't come often
ᴡ ElliotApril 24, 2015The sweet potato fries didn't taste right; the spring rolls were a great starter, and we could barely did the tempeh in the tempeh BLT. Might've just been a bad day - other times were better
Jenny GregoryFebruary 9, 2014One of the 10 best vegetarian restaurants in New York according to Gothamist and CBS New York
Stephane WenricApril 27, 2018the fried seitan in the southern plate is really so-so, but the collard greens are good
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Vegan, organic, comfort food at its finest.
Permanently closed (Show more)
- Mon–Sat
- 11:30 AM–10:30 PM
- Sun
- 11:30 AM–9:30 PM
(212) 472-0970
Features
Reservations
Yes
Credit Cards
Yes (incl. American Express)
Wi-Fi
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Parking
Street
Restroom
Yes
Food & Drink
Menus
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner
Drinks
Beer, Full Bar, Cocktails
See More
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