NYC Vegetarian Restaurant Closes After 24 Years

Edited by The VEGPRENEUR Team

New York City’s plant based dining scene is preparing to say goodbye to a longtime staple. Red Bamboo, the beloved vegan restaurant located steps from Washington Square Park, will close its doors on February 28 after more than two decades in business.

Owner Jade Wong shared the news in a heartfelt video announcement, explaining that despite a year of extraordinary efforts to keep the restaurant afloat, the numbers no longer work.

“After a year of doing everything we could to keep the Boo alive, from starting a GoFundMe to selling merch, we are very sad to say this is no longer sustainable,” Wong said. “We are grateful for the 24 years you have spent with us and the love and support you’ve shown our vegan food.”

Opened in 2002, Red Bamboo became a defining part of NYC’s early vegan food movement. Long before plant based options were common on menus, Red Bamboo was serving indulgent, comfort food classics made entirely without animal products. Over the years, it earned a loyal following of locals, students, tourists, and notable fans including Billie Eilish, who publicly named it as a favorite.

The financial strain behind the closure

In the restaurant’s GoFundMe campaign, Wong detailed the mounting challenges that have made continuing operations impossible.

Since the pandemic, the business has struggled to recover from over a year without indoor dining revenue. At the same time, rent continued to rise while neighborhood foot traffic declined. A building gas pipe issue that went unresolved by the landlord forced a full kitchen overhaul costing more than $40,000. Add to that increasing food costs, overdue utilities, insurance, and payroll taxes, and the situation became unsustainable.

These pressures are not unique to Red Bamboo. They reflect the broader reality facing many independent restaurants, especially legacy vegan establishments that helped shape the movement long before plant based dining became mainstream.

A familiar pattern in NYC’s vegan restaurant landscape

Red Bamboo joins a growing list of well known vegan restaurants that have closed in recent years, including:

Modern Love Brooklyn
Organic Grill
Ro’s Diner (formerly Champs)

Each of these closures signals the same tension. Consumer interest in plant based food is at an all time high, yet independent operators face rising costs, shifting traffic patterns, and post pandemic economics that are difficult to overcome without significant capital or structural support.

A final chance to visit

Red Bamboo is located at 140 W 4th St and will remain open through February 28. For longtime fans and first time visitors alike, the next few weeks are an opportunity to celebrate a restaurant that helped define vegan comfort food in New York City for nearly a quarter century.

For many in the plant based community, Red Bamboo was more than a place to eat. It was an early proof point that vegan food could be indulgent, welcoming, and culturally embedded in the city’s dining fabric.

Its legacy will remain part of NYC’s plant based history.