9. Angelica Kitchen
After serving as a pioneer in vegetarian and vegan cuisine in New York City for 40 years, Angelica Kitchen closed last April. Before there were many dining options for vegetarians in the East Village, Angelica Kitchen attracted visitors with its vegetarian comfort food, including its signature dish: the Dragon Bowl (veggie bowl served with rice, veggies, beans, seaweed, and greens). The entree was known as “The Dragon,” because each bowl had a painted dragon on the bottom of it. The restaurant also served more contemporary, modern vegan food including butter made from carrots, ramen topped with tahini, and homemade chutney.
As other vegetarian/vegan restaurants opened with competitive prices, Angelica Kitchen struggled to maintain its customer base. Its owner cited the changing dynamic of the neighborhood and real estate market as reasons for shuttering. Prior to that, it had been struggling for the past couple of years to make the numbers work “week in and week out.”