Vegan
International
Beer/Wine
Caribbean

Small veggie food shop with an extensive menu featuring soul food, mockmeat dishes, sandwiches, Asian dishes, pasta, desserts, and more. Fixed menu is a good deal with large portions. Fully vegan since Feb 2020. Quiet atmosphere but gets busy. Does not take reservations. Open Mon-Tue 12:00pm-9:00pm, Wed-Sun 12:00pm-10:00pm.


Venue map for Red Bamboo
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150 Reviews

First Review by Poundie

BradleyB

Points +107

Vegan
19 Jun 2025

Unique options

I went for lunch and tried a Filipino special - Kare kare (a peanut broth stew with veggies and soy “oxtail”), fried rice and vegan fried egg, lumpia and a mango salsa. It was a little pricey but it was a lot of food. There are a lot of unique options on the menu.

andrea.childress

Points +16

Vegan
12 Jun 2025

Fantastic food, chill vibes

Such an underrated place! The food was fantastic and the portions are huge. I forgot to take a photo, but I promise you’ll enjoy it

DerekKlein

Points +24

Vegan
22 Apr 2025

Eggplant Parmesan And Oreo Cheesecake Dessert

The Eggplant Parmesan was perfectly prepared with the best breading I have tasted. It seems like the same breading that makes their Vegetable Tempura, Popcorn Shrimp, . . . so good. The vegan NUMU mozzarella cheese did not disappoint. The sweet basil marinara sauce is fine but, for years, I have become accustomed to a less sweet non-basil marinara sauce at home so I can not rave about the basil sauce until it grows on me as I suspect it will. My guess is most people would prefer Red Bamboo's sweet basil sauce over the less sweet non-basil sauce that I am use to eating at home.

For dessert, I had a slice of their vegan Oreo Cheesecake, and it was 95% as good as the best chocolate cheesecakes I use to have before I turned vegan. It seemed like the largest slice of cake I ever had at a restaurant, so I had to take most of it home to finish it off the next day.

ChristopherBradshaw

Points +26

Vegan
16 Apr 2025

A New York Institution

I’ve been to Red Bamboo many times. Big portions of wonderful comfort food. Today I stopped by for lunch and indulged in a vegan pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and fries. So yummy.

hnn1

Points +429

Vegan
07 Apr 2025

Actually delicious!

I saw some mixed reviews about this place so I picked my appetizer and entree based on the good reviews I saw and these dishes did not disappoint. I got the jerk-spiced seitan as the app which had a lovely flavor. The seitan was very soft and not chewy. I then got the coconut chicken, which was so tasty and the texture of the “meat” and breading was perfect👍. I got this HUGE slice of peanut butter bomb cake for dessert, so yum. I was also recommended the ginger juice with lemon and pineapple which was also a good addition to the experience.

Updated from previous review on 2025-04-07

Tom1973

Points +684

Vegan
06 Apr 2025

Very large vegan menu

The menu here is very varied. You'll find something for everyone.

Updated from previous review on 2025-04-06

rtnc68

Points +953

Vegan
01 Apr 2025

Fantastic

NYC classic vegan comfort food.
Extensive menu options.

RebeccaSullivan

Points +5247

Vegan
25 Mar 2025

Delicious Food

Came here once or twice many years ago, but returned this past weekend when learning that they were struggling financially. They are currently taking reservations but they usually don’t. We got here around 4:45 and were in and out in an hour. Food came out insanely quickly. Other than my water have lipstick stains on it (🤮) the experience was great. Place is tiny but when food comes out fast you can be in and out quickly. The menu is extensive. We ordered the sample platter, sweet and sour chicken, and ribs. The sample platter was great and we enjoyed everything. The sweet and sour chicken had a great flavor but we both expected the chicken to have a bit of a crunchier bite but it was very soft. The ribs were a little thick for our liking but the flavor of everything was really good. We grabbed a tiramisu and death by chocolate slice for the train ride home.

Updated from previous review on 2025-03-25

Shane Rice

Points +30

Vegan
22 Mar 2025

Michael Jordan…

Sign said it was the “Michael Jordan of vegan food”…and was really great. Menu is EXPANSIVE, service is friendly, bathroom is clean (if small), and the food was hot and delicious.

Pros: No wait , Good service , Great food

muzzest

Points +491

Vegan
21 Mar 2025

DELICIOUS

Chicken satay with the peanut sauce was heavenly. Also absolutely loved the death by chocolate slice of chocolate cake. The dining room is cozy but does not feel too crowded or loud. Staff are awesome. Can’t wait to come back to try everything on the menu!

Pros: Fair price, Delicious , Great atmosphere

hwing

Points +1907

Vegan
15 Mar 2025

Really good curry with lots of fake meat options

Restaurant opened several minutes after 12pm but super friendly staff and nice atmosphere inside once we were seated.

Ordered three dishes:
- Red curry tofu: very flavorful, nice textured tofu, but wished the eggplant was sautéed or cooked differently as it lacked flavor
- Spicy chicken with broccoli: my friend’s all-time favorite meal here
- Thai beef curry: really good curry

Very comprehensive vegan menu with a strong emphasis on fake meats

SharonSimon

Points +211

Vegan
15 Mar 2025

Always amazing!

This place is an institution has been around forever and has some of the best vegan food in the world! Where else can you get a vegan chicken Parm sandwich with new Numu?
Vegan cheesecake so good omnis wanna eat it! And always the best Thanksgiving feast!

Emlette

Points +106

Vegan
04 Mar 2025

One of my favs

This place is sooo good. Truly endless options. I love their soy cutlets. The fried rice. A welcoming and peaceful atmosphere.

Pros: Fried rice, Soy cutlets

red_head_dude

Points +55

Vegetarian
22 Feb 2025

One of the favourite veg restaurant

I visit it every time I visit New York. I've tried almost all the dishes. I recommend it for dinner. The atmosphere here is very pleasant.

Profasmith

Points +142

Vegan
29 Jan 2025

Flavorful, Fun, & Fantastic

One of the best comfort food restaurants in the city - made-from-scratch options ranging from sandwiches and burgers to bowls, Italian and Chinese dishes. Recommend their “chck’n dishes,” especially their wings! There is something for everyone! Save room for dessert!

Pros: Excellent comfort food, Amazing Service, Warm Ambiance

Cons: None! No cons.

Yumtum

Points +239

Vegan
03 Jan 2025

Loved this place for decades!

Best comfort food ever; love the “chicken” parm, roti, and milk shakes

Pros: Nice folks, Excellent food, Big portions

tronna

Points +1827

Vegan
03 Jan 2025

Huge menu, friendly stuff.

It was cold inside, we needed to wear jackets. The Szechuan beef was extremely garlicky, maybe too much so.

Jenster

Points +1200

Vegan
30 Dec 2024

Excellent food

So many choices on the menu. We went for the ribs and the salmon teriyaki. Both very good sizes and very tasty. Friendly and attentive service, and excellent price. Perfect for my first meal out in NYC!

xHoneyx

Points +35

Vegetarian
14 Sep 2024

So yummy

Omg . Second time I’m here Best vegan ever

Pros: Staff, Food

DEdoc

Points +378

Vegan
01 Sep 2024

Extensive menu

Indoor seating, huge variety of food choices including dessert. I had an eggplant hero, came with sauce on the side. Eggplant was too greasy for me but the rest of my family very much enjoyed their choices. Thai beef curry, sweet n sour chicken. Friendly staff.

daleaucoin

Points +62

Vegan
27 Aug 2024

Fake Meat Fix

I hadn't been in years and went recently with a friend. I had the ribs which were pretty tasty but dry and chewy. The mashed potatoes and gravy was tiny and disappointing. I find most of their "meats" to be a bit on the tough side. I do however like how big their menu is and the food is always fresh.

Pros: big menu, good variety

Cons: can be loud and crowded, noisy chairs

chels2ocean

Points +1357

Vegan
10 Jul 2024

Huge menu, probably hit or miss

Came here for the first time with a group. Really nice staff. I tried the BBQ buffalo wings and the vegetable tempura. The wings were good, the sauce use is very tasty, but I do wish the seitan or soy meat that they use was a little less tough. The tempura wasn't bad but not what I expected, it's not a light airy batter. I probably wouldn't order the tempura again. Every one else seemed happy with what they ordered. It's a huge menu so lots of things to try next time, and they have desserts from vegan treats which is a plus!

catenthusiast

Points +87

Vegan
09 Jul 2024

My fav in Manhattan

Everything is delicious! Their desserts are the best vegan cakes at a restaurant!

suikunkun

Points +803

Vegan
20 May 2024

Wow!

Tasty vegan stuff with an extensive menu! Interesting mix of Asian and American food with many things to try. I got the popcorn shrimp - very nice - and the teriyaki salmon. Both tasted good though I wasn't a huge fan of the shrimp sauce or the vegetables on the side (a bit plain). But overall a great place to go for sure!

Xxlauraann

Points +241

Vegan
16 May 2024

Varied menu

We shared some starters and had a main each- the portions were generous meaning unfortunately we didn't finish all of it but all of the food was so delicious! Friendly and welcoming staff too. Definitely recommend.

Pros: Variation, Portion size

NYCswimmer

Points +776

Vegan
09 May 2024

Ok vegan food

Nice service. Quick and efficient
The food tastes pretty much the same regardless of the dish

Pros: Bamboo nuggets , Dragonfly dumplings

Cons: Collard green rolls, Coconut almond Chicken , Asian dumplings

Annukka

Points +305

Vegan
26 Apr 2024

Einfach köstlich!

Sehr leckeres Essen und nette Bedienung - und preislich für New York auch völlig in Ordnung. Große Empfehlung!

Pros: Very tasty food, Lots of choice, Friendly staff




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