It still breaks my heart to pass by the Veggie Castle on Church Ave between Flatbush and Bedford and see it fenced up, tagged with uncreative graffiti, the lot covered in weeds and litter. It was just a year ago this month that the creative Caribbean soul food restaurant with a completely vegan menu closed up shop after 10 strong years in business.I'd be lying if I didn't say Veggie Castle was one of the reasons I moved into Flatbush. It was far and beyond the best vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to. The menu was constantly changing, the reggae was always pumping, and the community came out in droves to support it. It was a rare occasion that I didn't have to wait in a line for food, hoping the guy in front of me didn't ask for the last scoop of mac and cheese or oxtail chunks. It defied all odds. In the middle of fried chicken and fast food joints stood this mecca of healthy living, a converted White Castle restaurant that shared with its previous tenant only the castle decor and McDonald's style seating.
Even after a creepy nightime incident where a young guy stood at the window outside, directly behind Katie, staring at me for 5 or 10 minutes straight (I didn't tell Katie), I still went back week after week. It didn't surprise me to see people biking in from Park Slope, Fort Greene, and Williamsburg just to get their hands on some drumsticks and black-eyed peas. Aside from Uptown Juice Bar in Harlem, which had about half the selection of Veggie Castle, there was just nothing that compared to this place in all the boroughs.
Veggie Castle closed in January of last year because their landlord wanted more money. Now the place is still boarded up, the lot abandoned. So instead of taking in another year's worth of rent, their greedy landlord has let the space sit empty and has deprived an entire community of a vegetarian treasure.
What a shame.
6 comments:
I am so with you. It still upsets me. Veggie Castle was one of the things that attracted me to Flatbush as well. So sad and stupid.
FYI, they have another location on Liberty Ave around 130th Street. Walkable from the Lefferts stop on the A.
If you live in (or near) Flatbush and/or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens there are alternatives. There is Zen Vegetarian house at 773 Flatbush Avenue between Clarkson Avenue and Lenox Road Closer to corner of Lenox. This is 4and ½ blocks away from the old Veggie Castle. There is also Sushi Tatsu 3 at 644 Flatbush Avenue between Fenimore & Hawthorne Streets (much closer to the non-corner Fenimore Street side. They both also deliver. Go by check them out.
I forgot to mention, Zen vegetarian house in much better for the strict vegan. Sushi Tatsu 3 is more for the vegetarian, with about 45% of their menu good for the strict vegan.
There's also 2 places right next to Veggie Castle: Strictly Vegetarian, and across the street: Four Seasons. You get a crazy amount of food at Strictly Vegetarian for $6 (my girlfriend and I usually split it). Four Seasons has pastries too and is open for breakfast.
Yeah, we reviewed Four Seasons here:
http://www.flatbushvegan.com/2008/09/vegan-eats-four-seasons-vegetarian.html
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