Candle Cafe opened in 1994 as a juice bar and health food cafe, and was owned by Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza.[4][5] The Potenzas used $53,000 they won in the New York State Take Five lottery in 1993 to start the restaurant.[6]
Celebrities such as Woody Harrelson were known to frequent the restaurant.[1]
All three restaurants closed as of December 2020. However, a new Candle Cafe location reopened at 388 3rd Ave in March 2023.
Reviews
In 2015 PETA named Candle 79 one of the six best vegan fine-dining restaurants in the U.S.,[7]BuzzFeed named them one of 24 "bucket list" vegan restaurants,[8] and vegan studies scholar Laura Wright referenced them as one of two "famous vegan restaurants."[9]: 23
In 2013 Travel + Leisure named Candle 79 one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the U.S.[10]
In 2013, Zagat's gave Candle Cafe a 25 rating for food, making it the second-highest rated of the 46 New York City health food restaurants rated by the survey.[11]
Shape named Candle 79 one of the top 10 upscale vegan restaurants in the United States, calling them "one of the 'Grand Dames'" of upscale vegan dining.[12]
Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos & Jorge Pineda, Candle*79 Cookbook: Modern Vegan Classics from New York's Premier Sustainable Restaurant, Ten Speed Press (2011). ISBN 978-1-60774-012-4