Angelica Kitchen

From the fresh and delicious food to the calming atmosphere, Angelica Kitchen is sure to please. Angelica Kitchen is pure vegan - 100% plant based - and a minimum of 95% of all food used to prepare the menu has been grown organically. The ingredients used in the restaurant are grown ecologically and fairly traded. They use renewable sources of energy and a high quality backwash carbon system to filter their water. Best of all, they compost to ensure as little waste as possible.

My friend and I couldn't decide what to order so we split a few dishes (just a few😂).

The walnut-lentil pate with tofu sour cream, rice crackers & crisp crudités was my favorite savory dish. The pate was creamy and the crackers gave a contrasting crunch.

The warm vegetable salad was a mix of grilled & roasted vegetables tossed in rosemary balsamic vinaigrette served on a bed of arugula. The vegetables were perfectly roasted, but it was a little overdressed.

The Angelica Pickle Plate was a array of chipotle carrots, marinated beets, garlic shiitake and pickled seasonal vegetables. It was the perfect acidic contrast to the other dishes.

The combo bowl of tofu, tempeh, and roasted vegetables with a dip of parsley, scallions, tahini & umeboshi purée was just ok. The tofu and tempeh were not marinated because it was supposed to be dipped into the sauce, however, the sauce had a very strong flavor.

My friend really enjoyed the mashed potatoes with gravy; she loved the rosemary flavor. I like the dish, but I wished the potatoes were creamier.

The desserts really wowed my friend and I. I liked how the desserts were perfectly sweet; we couldn't tell they were naturally sweetened.

The apricot kanten had a smooth texture and a sweet apricot flavor.

The warm double chocolate cookie with walnuts was thick and chewy. My friend and I agreed it was the best vegan cookie we've ever had! No kidding!!

The tofu whip really amazed me. I was really skeptical at first because tofu in a dessert sounded too healthy😂 However, it tasted like a vanilla pudding. It was so creamy and had an amazing vanilla flavor.

Nice place to eat, the portions are ok and fulfilling. The taste really is nice as it is a real restaurant, I mean: they cook! no fast food here.

Updated from previous review on 2017-02-11

Went there because of their legendary status, not sure what to expect. The food was Ok as were the prices. Staff were friendly and the ambience chill. I'd go back, but I'd rather find something more contemporary instead.

Went there for lunch, I ordered a Fiesta Plate to taste different things and corn bread. The corn bread was good and most of my plate too... but not great. The salad of the day was a bit bland. My friend enjoyed her lasagna.
The atmosphere is nice and the staff very friendly.
It feels.
It is food that your grandmother could have made if she was a vegetarian: simple and confort food.

Such a disappointment. I had heard so much about this place, but once I visited it, I could not understand its phenomenon. We were three, ordered differented meals, and almost everyone was missing a taste. Also the dessert, was not special at all. The service was OK, but it is not enough.

Nice menu, but food tastes a bit flat. Service and ambiance are very good. Yummie desserts.

I had a good time at Angelica Kitchen. I had biscuits and mushroom gravy, soup, and a chocolate walnut brownie cookie that was excellent! They now ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS (Visa, MasterCard and Discover), just to update the info from previous reviews, as it used to be cash-only. I liked it cause it was spacious, and of course really appreciate the fully vegan and organic kitchen.

I'm not sure if it was what I ordered specifically or if it's just not to my taste but I didn't love my food. It wasn't bad or anything and the waitstaff were great and friendly. The waiter even noticed I didn't eat my food and offered to bring me something else which I appreciated. Great service but did not love my meal but it was average. I would be willing to go back and try other items eventually but wouldn't go out of my way.

I've heard about Angelica's Kitchen and was so happy to have made the visit during my recent trip to NYC. I got the New School sandwich - which was fantastic. We also got the cornbread (they have two kinds - one is gluten-free and made with some rice. Very good). My boyfriend got the tempeh reuben which was also delicious. Most of the vegan reubens we have had are made with seitan so this had great flavor and less of a gluten bomb in the gut. They also had a special (Masa of Puppets which my friend got and she also loved that). I plan to go back. One of the hardest things about traveling is that you eat all of your meals out at restaurants and we tend to eat really clean/healthy vegan food at home. This restaurants had so many great options for us. Oooh and get the vinegar elixer drink too!

The staff was very friendly & the food was great!

I ate a small salad & vegan sushi. The price was a little to expensive for what they have served but the portion was perfect. Try the hibiscus cooler!

CASH ONLY restaurant, old wood furniture and bland environment/atmosphere. interesting Asian style menu, but food is NOT special, I could make the same kale salad at home! The Japanese noodle bowl was presentable but bland except for overwhelming ginger that ruined the dish, couldn't eat it. They offered a free dessert but refused to take a couple of dollars off the bill instead of dessert. Would NOT RECOMMEND, say too many vegan. options in the city, spend your $ elsewhere.

Despite being recommended to this restaurant by numerous people, I found Angelica Kitchen incredibly disappointing. The food was very average and the atmosphere was sad. The meals look exciting on the menu but nothing lived up to the descriptions. Although the service was good, the overall vibe was mediocre. My sister returned her first meal (which they didn't charge us for) because she didn't like it. There are much better vegan options in New York City that are worth going to.

Our first dinner in NYC and a great pne. Fresh, organic and hearty food in a friendly casual environment. Good dimmed down warm lighting to enjoy the company. I tried their famous dragon bowl with black sesame dressing and it was as good as I hoped it would be. I'd love to have an Angelica Kitchen in Madrid.

My boyfriend and I love it here. Every time we eat at Angelica Kitchen we are satisfied. Easy prices, nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Pick your own, creative bowls and dishes! Take out next door.

Myself and my wife used to come here reasonably regularly, but have simply stopped going. We didn't really like the feeling we got from the place. If I needed extra sauce with a meal, they would charge $2 or $3 for it.
One time I forgot the place was cash-only (which I respect by the way). So, no problem, I go to an ATM and get the money. The attitude of the waiter was far from understanding.
I don't like to give a veggie place a bad review, but in this case I'll make an exception.
The food was fine on average – sometimes nice, sometimes just okay.

Below is my original review, but now that I've gone to Angelica a second time, I've had a change of heart! It competes with Caravan of Dreams as my absolute favorite vegan restaurant in NYC. As I had noted the first time, I really appreciate the specials menu and the diversity of the menu overall. The plates are all varied but somehow very simple, with ingredients that you can see and not slathered in sauces. I do wish entrées were like, $3 cheaper, however...in any event, GET DESSERT! I mean, I would suggest this at any vegan restaurant, but I'll be dreaming of the concord grape parfait that I had here last night for a good while.

---

After hearing so much about it, I finally went to Angelica Kitchen. I liked the atmosphere, and a lot of the menu items seemed wonderful -- the perfect warm, nourishing meals for a cold winter's day in NYC! I ordered an Indian-inspired curried vegetable cake dish off of the specials menu, which was just as diverse as the regular menu, and which I appreciated. The highlight was the peach chutney that mine came with (and my friend's cornbread!) but overall I wasn't super impressed, especially considering that the dish was $16! I could have made something perhaps simpler but just as filling and flavorful for much less. However, I will definitely return to Angelica to try other things...and the desserts! Remember to bring cash.

Updated from previous review on Saturday February 08, 2014

Angelica's kitchen is a cozy place to go for some good "homestyle" comfort vegan food. Like others have said, the food is good, but not the greatest. Still, I would recommend it.

Angelica Kitchen is reliably excellent. The specials are well done and varied. The ambiance is comfortable, service is good. We had two special entrees: the Franken-Thyme (vegetable cakes with accompaniments) and the Edgar Winter Savory (a dishless cassarole), as well as the Ole Man Seitan. All were delicious. We had an interesting appetizer - the People's Polenta - which also has a charitable component. Desserts were a flavorful banana pudding sundae and a bland peach kanten parfait. Dinner was totally enjoyable.