Candle Cafe
New York, NY 10021
Phone: (212) 472-0970
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- E 75th Street
- Directions:
- 6 at 77th St
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 11:30am-10:30pm, Sun 11:30am-9:30pm
Editorial Review for Candle Cafe – by Jack Shay
The Scene
Despite the name, Candle Cafe is clean of wax drippings and chooses to light its warm, woody environs with unobtrusive electric fixtures. The mood is equally bright, thanks to amusing decorative touches, charming servers and a palpable lack of dietary guilt among the patrons.
The Food
The menu reflects much loving experimentation. It remains grounded, however, thanks to a thorough glossary (for folks who don't know what seitan or macrobiotics are) and an array of straightforward, incidentally vegetarian dishes like the robust ginger-miso stir fry. For those comfortable in veggie cuisine territory, Candle Cafe's seitan is full-flavored enough, especially in a chimichurri appetizer, to anchor all its preparations here. Fresh, smartly dressed salads are a tasty good value. Be unorthodox and, in place of dessert, order up a zippy custom smoothie.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkConsider BYOB (for a corkage fee of $10)--the healthy and environment-friendly ethos extends to the wine list at cost to quality, especially in the by-the-glass selections.
User Reviews for Candle Cafe
06/26/2008 Posted by lellen1
Number one rule in the restaurant business, when a customer finds an insect crawling in their food, they should be given a full refund and a sincere apology.... A good, well trained manager should know exactly how to handle these situations when they happen because word gets around and when you loose regular customers, that is really bad for business. If i was treated properly i would not be writing this review. Where is the kind and friendly customer service. I have eaten there dozens of times and i'm afraid after what i experienced tonight (thur 26th June) i will not return - i go to restaurants where customers are appreciated and treated with a little bit of respect... I'm so disappointed in Candle cafe..... Also, Candle cafe need to spend a little extra money and hire a few more delivery people because 1 hour wait when you only live around the corner is a little ridiculous. So as much as i hate to say it, i just would not recommend this restaurant anymore. Awful, just plain awful....
12/05/2007 Posted by vda
Due to the lack of Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants on the UES (or in NYC) when I want the convenience of ordering take out after a long hard day, I have little choice but to order from Candle Cafe. The entire take out process is truly a test of ones patience. I understand being put on hold, due to the sheer volume of take out calls. I do not however understand the borderline rude, devoid of personality staff taking my order in a rushed, annoyed fashion after I have waited patiently to place said order. Cut to me recieving luke warm, mediocre, food 45 min. to 1 hour later. Not only is the food sub-par, there is, more times than not something incorrect about my order. Okay so mistakes happen, but at Candle Cafe do not expect inept management to care, or to go out of their way to take care of the problem. They will resend your order, but just because they screwed up does not mean you will not be waiting another 45min to 1 hour for the replacement, which will usually be missing a sauce or condiment. This restaurant cares little for their clientele and it shows. I suppose the reason they get away with running a customer service based business this way is the lack of competition. Ordering takeout from this restaurant is a major (expensive) inconvenience, and I would recommend you think twice before you decide to chance it.
Pros: Fresh Organic Ingrediants
