Candle 79 is an Upper East Side all vegan and vegetarian restaurant. You know if you’re one of those people who MUST drink vegan wines this is the place for you…No but really this restaurant is amazing and even if you think you cant let yourself enter a vegan restaurant because you think ew weird no dairy or meat, you will be proved wrong. Dairy free ice cream is just as good! All of the dishes here are cooked very intricately and with lots of different flavors. It’s way more colorful and tasty than Angelika’s in the East Village. The dining room feels old and could use a refresh if it really wanted to. The framed photos include fresh vegetables reminding you of where you are. As much as I love sushi with fish, several of these vegan and vegetarian restaurants around here are making incredible vegetarian sushi and with each bite you don’t even notice it is fish free. The intense bursts of flavors in the Nori Rolls are addicting and you might even want to order this for your entree.
The Kale Salad is also incredible and each night they have a special salad added to the menu as well that can be even better. The Kale is cooked which I prefer and loaded with seeds, berries and lentils to give it crunch and texture. The Seitan Piccata made with creamed spinach, oyster mushrooms and a lemon-caper sauce is one of the most popular entrees on the menu, but I actually couldn’t eat a lot of it. It was crunchy and felt a little too coated or fried for me. My portion was overly sauced making it too creamy to handle which some people might enjoy but it really just overpowered everything on the plate. Someone else at my table who ordered the exact same thing looked a lot lighter and the sauce was not as dark so mine could have just been a fluke. I did like the vegetables underneath the piccata which is why I say here definitely stick to the veggie as you can’t go wrong. Grab a few sides for the table as well such as mushrooms, broccoli, plantains, etc.. The onion rings are monstrous and add a little fun the healthy meal. 
Photo Credit: Anna Malskaya
The dairy free and vegan desserts will also blow you away and have you questioning that there is no cream used in the ice cream at all. It’s incredible and I especially loved the Berry Crumble which was a special of the day. It kind of looked like a bowl of yogurt and granola. You can see the individual shaved almonds and the ratio of crumble to fruit is perfect. The portion is large and each bit of crumble with fruit and then ice cream is divine. It’s light and crisp and succeeds in satisfying your sweet tooth at the end of the meal. A bit richer on the menu is the chocolate peanut butter cake which is fantastic as well. It’s easy to make a reservation and a great place to go during the week with grandparents, parents or someone that you want to prove to that vegetables can taste like candy or to your BBQ eating lover who needs to lose a few…
To make a reservation click here.