Vegan
American
Beer/Wine
Fusion
Breakfast
Restaurant opened 2016 by vegan chef and author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Cuisine is billed as "swanky vegan comfort food." Offers a varied menu with example of choices include waffles, peach pie, poutine, deviled eggs, tofu benedict, risotto, scramble, bloody mary, mac n shews, and cheeseburger. Open Mon-Fri 5:00pm-10:00pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-10:00pm.
160 Reviews
First Review by Parasol
GoodNewsVeg
Points +333
Isa Did It - Edit
This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for us - Isa's was my first vegan cookbook. I went simple, to learn how tofu and seitan SHOULD be cooked, by a pro. Flavors were great. I appreciated that there were healthy bowls on the menu, in addition to all of the "comfort" food vegan restaurants have started to serve (i.e., fried everything, burgers, etc.,). Isa is a star!
Read morePros: Isa, Murals in bathrooms, service
Cons: In Brooklyn
Guest
C&CVegan
Points +602
Isa Does It Again!! - Edit
Being a huge fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s cookbooks, a trip to Modern Love felt like a pilgrimage, of sorts. Great little spot in Williamsburg, nice atmosphere, excellent drinks, and outstanding food. The Brussels Aioli were a perfect starter, and the Acorn Squash Curry was out of this world. Paired my food with a delicious non-alcoholic Blood Orange Margarita & left feeling full and satisfied! Highly recommend!
Read morePros: Innovative, high-quality comfort food, Great mocktail options, Varied menu & generous portions
Guest
VeganLens
Points +1332
Favorite Vegan Restaurant - Edit
Modern Love is my FAVORITE vegan restaurant in NYC. The dining room is beautiful, and you gotta check out the bathroom wallpaper! We always love sitting outside in the beautiful purple parklet. Everything on the menu is vegan, and they have a great brunch on weekends. They have some of the best vegan Italian creations as well!
Read moreIf you stop for brunch, you must try the Challah French Toast as it's one of the best things I've ever tried. We were also able to go when they unveiled their new lunch hours and menu. I had a delicious vegan Hot Honee Chicken Sandwich that was fantastic! The prices are also very fair considering the great quality of food and large portions.
Pros: Beautiful atmosphere , Delicious food, Great variety
Guest
ngold24
Points +39
You Have to Go! - Edit
What didn't I love? I have been to Modern Love several times and each time I LOVE it more! They are always tweaking the menu and offer really delicious, creative specials. During our last visit we had the TV Dinner special which was an upgraded, vegan version of the 1970's frozen TV dinner. It had a little bit of everything and very filling! Some of the items were their famous mac & shrews with ranch, the mushroom fried chick'n and the mash & gravy PLUS a cute little brownie! It came in an actual tray too! They have great milkshakes and fun mixed bevs too!! Everything was SO good. This is a really nice, fun place for dinner. You have to check it out!
Read morePros: Excellent Vegan Food, Gluten Free Options YAY, Fun, restaurant with lots of specials. Great vibe!
Cons: Parking
Guest
rtnc68
Points +407
Excellent - Edit
Really liked it. Had tofu rancheros - tasted great. Milkshake was very good - a bit expensive. #Veganuary
Read moreveganqueenofqueensnyc
Was last there in 2018 and it was REALLY noisy - very difficult to have a conversation with my dining partner. Otherwise, I thought the food was GREAT - and yes, it was a bit pricey.
Read moreGuest
str
Points +161
Genuinely disappointing - Edit
I'm surprised at so many reviews saying this food is flavorful and delicious. This is my second time coming here (last time was 4 years ago) and both times, the food was remarkably bland. The frying technique is lovely: nice crispness on the deep-fried and blistered ingredients. But there is absolutely no flavor or depth to the dishes.
Read moreWe got: blistered shishitos (no salt or acid, just oil); mac & shews with mushroom bacon (the cheese is more of a runny gravy, no flavor except burnt from the mushrooms), mushroom fried chick'n (somehow the coleslaw was the only component with flavor), bread pudding (unapologetically sweet caramel), and tiramisu (an inedibly thick cracker that was impossible to break with a fork, topped with cream and no coffee flavor).
I hate to write this review because we love Isa's work, have all of her cookbooks, and make those recipes regularly. But this food is such a poor imitation of those recipes that I feel like people need to be aware and adjust their expectations.
Pros: Lots of options, Cute atmosphere
Cons: Lack of flavor
Guest
chels2ocean
Points +772
Too good! - Edit
Went here with a non-vegan friend to try out their recently updated menu. We had a full meal and got the fried mozzarella, the goddess bowl, garlic alfredo pasta, a hot chocolate, and a brownie a la mode. Everything was amazing, I highly recommend eating here!
Read moreGuest
mjain02
Points +115
Phenomenal! - Edit
Everything is so packed with flavor. We seriously enjoyed everything we tried!! A lot of nyc food has let us down, but not this place! Also, the portions are huge!
Read morePros: Flavor , Big portions
Guest
foon
Points +592
Very disappointing - Edit
I really wanted this to be a great meal: I love Isa’s books, and have been following her work for decades. Nevertheless! Macaroni in a watery, insipid cheese sauce, with burnt mushroom bacon; mushroom fried chicken with no seasoning; tiramisu with no coffee. Everything we got was bland and flavorless. Adding a star for the fried items (mushroom chicken and tofu on the mac and cheese) which were well prepared, if flavorless, and for the house made ice cream, which is quite good.
Read moreGuest
zolete
Points +384
Súper delicious food!!! - Edit
I strongly recommend Nachos!! I loved it! And edamame hummus as well. Nice and kind staff!
Read moreGuest
CeciliaVargas
Points +234
Best sandwich - Edit
Started with an order of Nachos Molo which we shared and all of us loved. Ordered the Chickpea Parmesan Hero which was amazing. Big sandwich we split it. Came with fries. There’s also alcohol available.
Read moreGuest
danielle.liebe
Points +58
Best of the Best - Edit
Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Never disappoints.
Read moreGuest
makcurtis
Points +1050
💞💞💞 - Edit
I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Modern Love. We first fell in love with the Omaha location when we lived in Nebraska, and getting to visit the Brooklyn location after moving to NY was a dream come true. The food was spectacular and tasted just like we remember, and the service was attentive and friendly. We can’t wait to go back!
Read morePros: Friendly service , AMAZING vegan cheese
Guest
LisaSpykers
Points +6852
The mushroom and walnut burger is dope - Edit
A group of us went here for lunch and ordered the mushroom and walnut burger, French toast, and waffles with seitan chikin.
Read moreI really enjoyed the burger -- it was nice to have a change from fake meats but something more interesting than beans. It came with a flavorful potato and tofu salad. The waffle was okay: the seitan chikin it came with was a little heavy in texture for my liking. The staff were really accommodating (we arrived late for a reservation although it fortunately wasn't busy).
Updated from previous review on 2023-09-27
Guest
Raychel
Points +491
A must try! - Edit
Incredible food, friendly staff and lots of great options. We had a large party of six and were able to make reservations easily online. Everyone in our group had a great time.
Read moreGuest
AnnalisaVegan
Points +24
A bit disappointing - Edit
I had high expectations for this place, but they weren't met. I went for dinner and had macaroni & cheese, as I wanted something American, but the dish was far too acidic and watery, plus the pasta was overcooked. But the biggest disappointment was the dessert. Me and my friend got the tiramisù and a kind of sponge cake, which were inedible because of the amount of sugar and fat. In particular the "fatty" cashew-based layers of the tiramisù could be reduced to a third of what they are as they are way to thick. Also, I was expecting a more inventive menu, rather than basic American/Italian dishes made vegan. I have to say though that this is something I noticed in NYC in general. No much creativity, but classics made vegan, which is not bad per se, by I was expecting more of a variety in such a big and trendy place.
Read moreMy review needs to be taken into context though, as I was visiting from Europe, and can say is a bit different over here in terms of culinary traditions, taste and habits. Portions were definitely good, and the starter of spicy fried seitan as well, so not all bad.
Updated from previous review on 2023-09-12
Pros: Portions, Service, Seitan-based starter
Cons: Too much fat and sugar in two of the desserts, Lack of creativity
foon
You’re not wrong, it’s bad according to an American palate too 😉
Read moreGuest
matse
Points +983
Cozy dinning in Brooklyn - Edit
This place has amazing food. The atmosphere is nice, and the staff is friendly. The portion sizes are pretty big as well. The majority of items on the menu contain garlic. But there are also items without garlic.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-08-30
Pros: Great food, Friendly staff
Guest
Mariana95
Points +201
In love - Edit
We came here with high expectations, and those expectations were far exceeded. The Buffalo wings (cauliflower or seitan option) with ranch were delicious, and the vegan calamari and Mac & cheese were also to be enjoyed. The portions were large and suitable for sharing. Highly recommended!
Read morePros: Great variety of dishes, So tasty , Portion size
Guest
Ameisherry
Points +8400
Thank you😄 - Edit
Love the gf nachos , thank you, a lot of their items are no longer on the menu so always asked the kitchen what they have, for example I was originally going for plantain and guacamole but they don’t have plantain anymore , still love the nacho , I can tell it’s air fried nacho and home made, it’s not like regular nachos and it’s not oily at all , thank you😄
Read moreGuest
SophieThompson
Points +125
Amazing birthday dinner! - Edit
I have wanted to come here for a very long time, so came all the way from 🇬🇧! It did not disappoint! Delicious and lovely folk!
Read moreGuest
NWatlington
Points +641
Best vegan fried calamari I’ve ever had - Edit
Mouth-watering comfort food in Brooklyn
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-06-29
Guest
CamilleMacLeod
Points +825
Best wings - Edit
I had the wings and they were the best I had in the states!
Read moreStaff is super friendly and you get a big portion.
Guest
kale_queen
Points +444
Amazing - Edit
I love it here so much. Everything is amazing. I love that Isa Chandra Moskowitz made a restaurant. You must try if you’re ever in Williamsburg. Or just go on purpose!
Read moreGuest
jennyc32
Points +3277
Classy Comfort Food - Edit
I was really excited to visit Modern Love as a long term fan of Isa's cookbooks. The food was exactly what I was hoping for - big, hearty, comforting plates. We ordered the seitan buffalo wings for a starter, and it was such a huge portion it could have fed several people. The sauce was excellent, and the texture was good too. By that point, I really didn't need the fried chicken tofu I'd ordered with my pasta alfredo. It was rich and creamy, but could have done with a bit more flavour. The bread was nice, and the tofu had a lovely coating. My companions had the Greek salad, which was very refreshing, and the mushroom fried chick'n, which was a big hit, although the coleslaw was not as exciting as the other components. We had no room for dessert unfortunately, but the chocolate milkshake was really decadent.
Read moreService was great, and we had a really lovely experience.
Guest
Walktell
Points +844
Always good! - Edit
I've been to Modern Love a few times over the years of living in the neighborhood and this last time I went as part of a Vegan meetup event. Service was attentive which is especially impressive considering we were a large group. I tried something new to me, the Chickpea Parmesan Hero and it was really good and a vanilla spiked shake was delicious! There are quite a few vegan options now in the neighborhood but definitely recommend this Williamsburg staple if you've never been!
Read morePros: Good variety of dishes , Great service, Cool vibe
Guest
Amanbx
Points +158
Elevated Vegan - Edit
This was my second time here to Modern Love and it was another home run! The food is not fancy but a step above the average vegan “junk” or “fast” food that I usually love. Everything we tried was delicious, without the faux meats (again that I usually love). I highly recommend the Shrooms and Grits and Brownie a-la-mode.
Read moreGuest
Chad_and_Emily
Points +1851
Honest review - Edit
I really dislike giving mediocre reviews, usually I will just skip it. We were very excited to try Modern Love and maybe our expectations were set too high.
Read moreIt started off somewhat negative with a very unfriendly hostess whom we had a difficult time hearing. Upon sitting we soon realized that conversation would be a struggle without yelling across the table. The acoustics of the space need some work.
The chicken wing appetizer was definitely worth ordering and the portion was enormous. The fried chicken entree was unfortunately tasteless. I was basically eating fried batter. The mashed potatoes were excellent and I would try to pair it with the chicken wings for a better meal next time.
With the noise, impersonal service and mediocre food I am disappointed to only give the meal three stars.
Guest
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