Caravan of Dreams

(212) 254-1613

405 E 6th St (nr. First Ave.)
New York, NY 10009 40.7264 -73.9859

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Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

caravanofdreams.net

Hours:

Caravan of Dreams is open from 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. from Sunday to Friday and 11 A.M. to midnight on Saturday.

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Organic

Cuisine:

Vegan, Vegetarian

Health Food Store Products:

Organic Health Foods, Vegan Foods

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Caravan of Dreams

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

East Village vegan-kosher restaurant with a multicultural menu featuring everything from ginger curry stir fry to seitan quesadillas.

Editor's Tips

The Extras:
Caravan of Dreams features live music nightly.
When to Go:
The restaurant offers yoga classes for a suggested donation of $5 Monday-Wednesday at 12pm, and Friday at 2pm.
ambiance
90.0% positive
  1. “The space was still romantic, with low lighting/candlelight, brick walls, and a great pair of jazz guitarists playing Triplets of Belleville-style gypsy jazz.”
  2. “Overall the place needs much improvement: the seating is not particularly comfortable, the staff is non-responsive, it's very noisy - the ceiling is low so normal conversation sounds louder, and add to that loud music, a noisy AC, and a very noisy blender”
  3. “made reservations for a large group, 16 of us all together, and we were given a long table in the back room, which was very cozy and added a sense of privacy to our little party.”
  4. “All in all, my entire group loved the experience and my party was great fun thanks to Caravan of Dreams!”
  5. “recommend you go to GOBO if you want good vegan food with great ambiance and NO creatures.”
dessert
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “had a draft beer (organic hefe-weizen) that was delicious and my girlfriend had a Pink Lady, a fruit smoothie that tasted like dessert.”
  2. “The desserts are nice but I'm usually too full to partake.”
  3. “Their fruit shakes and smoothies are refreshing in the summer, however avoid the desserts.”
  4. “We originally wanted to order dessert, but since we were ignored the entire time, we just wanted to leave.”
  5. “you may want to just split one with a friend :) by way of appetizers, the nachos are fantastic, and the brownie dessert is too.”
  6. “needless to say we didn't even bother with dessert”
drinks
75.0% positive
  1. “had a draft beer (organic hefe-weizen) that was delicious and my girlfriend had a Pink Lady, a fruit smoothie that tasted like dessert.”
  2. “It didn't help that the service was mostly mediocre too - the wait staff was really slow taking orders and bringing out drinks.”
food quality
81.02999687194824% positive
  1. “Then I get the bill, and she charged me $17 for a lousy lunch burrito.”
  2. “always get a big live salad.”
  3. “Went here with a few friends and found the food excellent.”
  4. “had a draft beer (organic hefe-weizen) that was delicious and my girlfriend had a Pink Lady, a fruit smoothie that tasted like dessert.”
  5. “All our dishes were extremly flavorful and not too pricey.”
  6. “The classic nachos are a delicious treat, so is the tofu pesto sandwich.”
  7. “Vegans love it for its selection of vegan and raw dishes prepared a la Mexican.”
  8. “Caravan can be a little slow sometimes, but more than makes up for it in the quality of the food and the care of wait staff.”
  9. “But much to my surprise, the food was wonderful - I would strongly recommend the Open-faced mushroom sandwich.”
  10. “The food was great again, the service was spot-on, friendly and attentive, the music and space were relaxing, and that hefe-weizen went really well with seitan taquitos with pineapple.”
  11. “The food is definitely fresh and ample.”
  12. “Always eat amazing food.”
  13. “The food is always fabulous!”
  14. “The paella is the best I've had in a long time (vegetarian paella is not on a lot of menus in town) and my girlfriend's burrito was everything you'd want in one: rice, beans, veggies, rich guacamole, bright salsa, without all the heaviness you'd find in r”
  15. “Oh my god, the raw dishes here are soooo good, and every server is a sweet person!”
  16. “The food took forever coming out, meanwhile our waitress was busy recking havick on our poor fellow diners, screwing up orders left and right”
  17. “great place to have very tasty, living food.”
  18. “The food didn't taste bad, but it was clearly nothing special.”
  19. “*. the food was so incredible, i could not believe it but i'm not sure that i could suffer through that again.”
  20. “delicious raw food!”
  21. “as a raw vegan, it's pretty hard to get delicious food in this city.”
  22. “took my mother out to dinner (she eats Kosher and I thought this will be good for her) and the food was so terrible that I was totally embarrassed.”
  23. “decide to order this burrito.”
  24. “The menu is extensive enough that maybe there are some hits but we went 0 for 3 on a diverse meal order.”
  25. “our entrees were brought at the speed of light and our table was in awe of the incredible food.”
  26. “The food they feed me is so good & fresh.”
  27. “recommend you go to GOBO if you want good vegan food with great ambiance and NO creatures.”
  28. “we ordered with a prompt, friendly waitress, who brought our delicious nachos in under a minute.”
  29. “The salads are great but avoid the soups - especially the miso soup which is an abomination to the Japanese staple.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “The menu is extensive enough that maybe there are some hits but we went 0 for 3 on a diverse meal order.”
  2. “There are not many places you can do in the east village with a menu like this, i have my favorite on the menu and stick to them, the salads are big and filling.”
  3. “The paella is the best I've had in a long time (vegetarian paella is not on a lot of menus in town) and my girlfriend's burrito was everything you'd want in one: rice, beans, veggies, rich guacamole, bright salsa, without all the heaviness you'd find in r”
  4. “Vegans love it for its selection of vegan and raw dishes prepared a la Mexican.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “This resteraunt is such a great place for Vegans.”
  2. “It's my favorite restaurant.”
  3. “great place to have very tasty, living food.”
  4. “If you are not in a rush, as the waitstaff is not quick, this is a great place!”
  5. “great kosher/vegetarian place!”
service
62.5% positive
  1. “the waiters are a bit out to lunch and service was a bit slow, but we were not in a rush.”
  2. “we ordered with a prompt, friendly waitress, who brought our delicious nachos in under a minute.”
  3. “The service is awful.”
  4. “It didn't help that the service was mostly mediocre too - the wait staff was really slow taking orders and bringing out drinks.”
  5. “The experience was good, but the details of service were lacking.”
  6. “always get excellent service.”
  7. “Oh my god, the raw dishes here are soooo good, and every server is a sweet person!”
  8. “Caravan can be a little slow sometimes, but more than makes up for it in the quality of the food and the care of wait staff.”
  9. “He apologized half-heartedly while the bad waiter was standing nearby, not saying a word.”
  10. “the only thing i hated was the music - a sort of ravi shankar-ish sitar, REALLY annoying, but other than that the service was friendly, though i agree it's not the fastest in the world.”
  11. “His attitude wasn't rude, but he clearly wasn't friendly either.”
  12. “mediocre service.”
  13. “The owner is quite attentive and even provided us a discount due to the long waits.”
  14. “Overall the place needs much improvement: the seating is not particularly comfortable, the staff is non-responsive, it's very noisy - the ceiling is low so normal conversation sounds louder, and add to that loud music, a noisy AC, and a very noisy blender”
  15. “The waitstaff is knowledgeable and friendly.”
  16. “The food took forever coming out, meanwhile our waitress was busy recking havick on our poor fellow diners, screwing up orders left and right”
  17. “The food was great again, the service was spot-on, friendly and attentive, the music and space were relaxing, and that hefe-weizen went really well with seitan taquitos with pineapple.”
  18. “Our waitress was wonderfully attentive and did not lose her cool at all when our group began to get loud and boisterous.”
  19. “The service was good, with the exception of my waitor who seemed to take his time but the manager more than made up for service with his friendliness.”
  20. “do have to say that some people who were at our table love it there so.”
value
75.0% positive
  1. “So, if you're looking for a vegan place for a reasonable price, go to Caravan, and don't expect too much.”
  2. “All our dishes were extremly flavorful and not too pricey.”
  3. “It's really a poor value, disguised by the fact that the servings are plentiful.”
  4. “On the positive side, the prices are reasonable.”
wait time
55.0% positive
  1. “This has to be one of the worst dining experiences in New York that I've had in a very long time.”
  2. “we ordered with a prompt, friendly waitress, who brought our delicious nachos in under a minute.”
  3. “Caravan can be a little slow sometimes, but more than makes up for it in the quality of the food and the care of wait staff.”
  4. “the waiters are a bit out to lunch and service was a bit slow, but we were not in a rush.”
  5. “The paella is the best I've had in a long time (vegetarian paella is not on a lot of menus in town) and my girlfriend's burrito was everything you'd want in one: rice, beans, veggies, rich guacamole, bright salsa, without all the heaviness you'd find in r”
  6. “If you are not in a rush, as the waitstaff is not quick, this is a great place!”
  7. “It didn't help that the service was mostly mediocre too - the wait staff was really slow taking orders and bringing out drinks.”
  8. “Though you are seated promptly, the waitstaff is a little slow when it comes to acknowledging your presence, remembering your orders, and bringing your check.”
  9. “made reservations for a large group, 16 of us all together, and we were given a long table in the back room, which was very cozy and added a sense of privacy to our little party.”
  10. “The owner is quite attentive and even provided us a discount due to the long waits.”
2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/08/10

Not too impressive..

by nycbassist

I've been a vegetarian for 10 years. What I can say about this food, is that it is fairly creative, and not your typical, "Wow, it almost tastes like meat" kind of vegan restaurant. However, the prices are a little outrageous. I'm sorry, but $16 dollars for a burrito?? It's simply not THAT good.

The thing that really bothered me was, that at these prices it's absurd to not accept plastic. I had a party of 4 and the meal came close to $200., drinks and tips included. I hardly ever carry around that much cash, so in order to pay the bill, I had to go out and find an ATM, (paying the fee, of course..) leaving the rest of my group as hostages. This is not a little coffee shop, which understandably wants to keep their costs down. This is a $16 dollar burrito restaurant. Really...

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/03/10

Vegan done right!

by JustBeachyNY

I'm a vegetarian (not a vegan) and this surpassed my expectations! Had the spinach ravioli special with avocado, tasty and of course fresh.

Impressive menu and very creative. I could've tried every dish! I'll have to come back pronto. Highly recommend, even if you arent veg.

3 Star Rating: Average

06/01/10

slowly improving

by gaiamcraft

I agree with the other review. I have been coming here for years, mainly because the hours are convenient and the few things I order are always good. But nothing else really except of late. It has improved! The menu looks simplified, and the food is a bit tastier.

I have never had a problem with the service, except I suppose if the place is packed, a wait is to be expected.

The classic nachos are a delicious treat, so is the tofu pesto sandwich. The salads are great but avoid the soups - especially the miso soup which is an abomination to the Japanese staple. The desserts are nice but I'm usually too full to partake.

  • Pros: Nachos, desserts, sandwiches
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/20/10

Getting Better

by samhenrik

I've eaten at Caravan off and on for the last three years. I've dealt with some of the things others have mentioned: service issues, high prices. But something surprising happened recently: I noticed Caravan is getting better.

I stopped in a couple weeks ago for dinner. The space was still romantic, with low lighting/candlelight, brick walls, and a great pair of jazz guitarists playing Triplets of Belleville-style gypsy jazz. The food was better than ever. The paella is the best I've had in a long time (vegetarian paella is not on a lot of menus in town) and my girlfriend's burrito was everything you'd want in one: rice, beans, veggies, rich guacamole, bright salsa, without all the heaviness you'd find in regular burrito joints.

I had a draft beer (organic hefe-weizen) that was delicious and my girlfriend had a Pink Lady, a fruit smoothie that tasted like dessert. Perfect.

I went back tonight with some friends (my suggestion) and Caravan didn't let me down. The food was great again, the service was spot-on, friendly and attentive, the music and space were relaxing, and that hefe-weizen went really well with seitan taquitos with pineapple.

I am officially on the Caravan.

  • Pros: Great romantic space; food tastes good, feels good
  • Cons: Can get crowded
1 Star Rating: Poor

05/06/09

Caravan of "Nightmares" Indeed

by mm550366

I was initially exicted about checking out this vegetarian restaurant but from the get go my experience was anything but dreamy...

The hostess practically ignored us, then sat us all the way in the back

Our waitress was a mess, it took her 20 minutes to even get us water, let alone take our order

We ordered mango smoothies and they came out looking and tasting like hot pureed babyfood with stringy bites of bad unripe mango in it

The waitress told us that the blender over heats and to this she added "its normal"

(trust me, i have two culinary degrees, and that is NOT NORMAL)

then she gave us atitude about sending them back

The food took forever coming out, meanwhile our waitress was busy recking havick on our poor fellow diners, screwing up orders left and right

When the food came out i thought i'd ordered the wrong thing

I had ordered the ravioli as an ENTREE

what came out was 6 sad looking raviolli swimming in a plate of white sauce

i will admit that it didn't taste that bad, but for the price i paid i was very dissapointed

needless to say we didn't even bother with dessert

we left and were both still so hungry that we went on a late night hunt for chocolate ice cream

but i can asure you i'm still having nightmares about my meal there : (

  • Cons: Horrible Service, Small Portion Sizes, Warm Smoothies, Pricy

The Details on Caravan of Dreams

Place Categories:

  • very tasty living food
  • excellent service
  • great place
  • extremly flavorful raw dishes
  • nice dessert
  • terrible food
  • love caravan
  • knowledgeable waitstaff
  • fantastic nachos
  • good experience
  • wonderfully attentive waitress
  • big salads
  • reasonable price
  • not rude attitude
  • poor value
  • big live salad
  • delicious raw food
  • great ambiance
  • poor fellow diners
  • really slow wait staff
  • not acceptable live creatures
  • worst dining experiences
  • bad waiter
  • always good few things i order
  • best paella
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