Recently, my boyfriend treated me to a delicious dinner at Candle 79 in New York City for our anniversary. This  restaurant is among the creme-de-la-creme of vegan spots in the city. It’s a must-try spot for vegan travelers, and now I know why!

Candle 79 has been on my to-do list for a while now, and it was well worth the trip to the Upper East Side. I’ve been to a lot of vegan restaurants throughout NYC, and this is by far one of the best, in my opinion (and many others’ I’m sure)!

Reasons to Love Candle 79 for a Fancy Vegan Dinner

For starters, the starters are delicious! It’s definitely possible to make a meal from just starters alone here. For our dinner, we began with these Cornmeal Poppers with Jalapeno Aioli. They’re made with fall vegetables and were just sooooo delicious that we scarfed them down in an instant. I would definitely order these again and recommend them to anyone. It’s hard to believe these are vegan!

We also got the BBQ Pomegranate Seitan Skewers. I thought they tasted good, but they are not my kind of dish so I would not order them again. However, my boyfriend, who is not a vegan, really liked these for their smoky taste and chewy texture. The consistency is similar to that of meat, so meat eaters might like this dish better if they’re looking for meat-like substitutes.

For my entree, I chose the Mediterranean Chickpea Cake. The jalapeno jelly on top really made the dish, blending the chickpea cake with the sauteed kale and broccoli rabe underneath. Overall, this dish has a very smoky taste. I liked it, but probably would opt for a less-smoky dish next time I go to Candle 79.

Candle 79 is on my list for top vegan restaurants in the city. The atmosphere was very nice, and it was also clean, relaxing and seemed to be running like a smooth operation. Since it’s on the pricier side, with dinner entrees usually costing between $21 – $24, I like this place as a date night spot or restaurant for special occasions. Having fresh vegan food that is made well can be worth the cost, and Candle 79 delivers to math its price. Plus, they have a cookbook that I need to get ASAP!

Now, check out Vegetarian NYC – South Indian Curry and Masala Dosas at Indian Restaurant Dosai

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