Anixi Mediterranean Vegan Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

We had a fabulous time at Anixi! We were visiting from Philly and I decided I wanted to go here based on an Instagram post I had saved showcasing their vegan Arak cured salmon. (The entire menu is vegan and kosher!)

We were initially greeted and had the door held open for us by the delightfully charming general Manager, Shannon. (Shanon? I should’ve gotten the spelling, please forgive me!) We spoke with him again after the meal because I absolutely had to let him know this is now my favorite vegan restaurant in NYC.

Our server, Violet, was very sweet and answered our questions thoughtfully! She was also kind and funny and listened to my thoughts on each meal and made me feel heard! Service was so quick and considerate. Everything was exceptionally clean and neat (photos of each dish we ordered as well as shots of the restaurant should show how important tidiness and order is to the staff!).

Now for the food. My gosh! I felt my soul leave my body with each dish in the best way possible.

We started off with some drinks (he got a Golden Hour and I got a Thyme for Strawberries. My drink was light, refreshing, and smelled like a clear day in summer. The taste of the alcohol itself was subtle, I had the false bravery that I could drink more of these than probably advisable, ha!

We ended up ordering four dishes and one dessert to split.

We started with the Arak cured salmon, the dish I was brought in by. And my god, it was SO worth the hype. The vegan salmon was so smooth and delicate. The za’atar pita chips were thick with an amazing crunch. And the texture of the labneh, harissa, caper berries and charred anise gave this a wonderfully strong punch of flavor that compliments the mild salmon as well.

We then got the kibbeh. I had never had kibbeh before and I know now I LOVE it. I have nothing else to compare it to! The flavor profile was so warm and comforting. A delightfully spiced beef enclosed in a bulgar crust, I was grinning from ear to ear and I savored each bite.

Next was the preserved lemon cured tuna. I have also never eaten “real” caviar in my life so I have no comparison, but my husband (who has eaten meat and fish and such before) tasted it and said the taste was INCREDIBLY close. So this taught me I like the good things in life, ha! I loved the vegan caviar! The brightness of the lemon with the cool tuna and the creamy avocado mousse with the crunch of more za’atar chips was a wonderful match of texture and sensory experiences.

We finished our savory experience with the grilled steak kabobs. The star of this dinner was the wonderfully charred Chunk steak with the garlic herb tapenade. I just… YUM. The smoky char went so well with the tender steak, and all tied together with the warm and buttery feel of the tapenade. I just hope I didn’t upset nearby patrons with happy noises similar to THAT scene in ‘When Harry Met Sally…’.

We ended up splitting the raspberry & pistachio baklava cheesecake. This is a very thiccc (with three c’s!) dessert but has a nice marriage of flavors. You’re immediately hit with tartness from the raspberry, which is then followed by the creaminess of the cheesecake and the crunch of the pistachio. The kicker is the subtly sweet phyllo dough, which once again proves that a mixture of textures is often necessary for a wonderful dish.

My only regret is not ordering the khachapuri too! But I’m leaving that for the next time I venture up to the city, it LOOKED amazing when I saw someone else get it!

If you can order at only one place while in NYC, go to Anixi. Hopefully you’ll have a kick ass time, too. Much love to the great food and the...

This was an absolutely wonderful choice for the birthday we were celebrating! I had read many other reviews before making my reservation, and this restaurant seemed perfect for the occasion.

The staff were very cordial and attentive when we arrived, offering to hang our coats before we were seated. We had requested a booth (which happened to be very large) for a bit of privacy and....luxury. They accommodated us with a lovely placement and immediately offered service.

We had a couple of appetizers...the Fire-Roasted Eggplant Dip, and the Arak Salmon. At this point, I must say that we had a great time and enjoyed the food very much!! The staff couldn't have been more attentive. However...we thought that it was quite weird that, when ordering the eggplant dip, the bread or chips were considered a separate a la carte order!! Now, I'm already into what is politely referred to as my "senior years" and have eaten at many restaurants over the decades. In my experience that when a restaurant creates a meal that almost always requires something more to eat that food with manners and propriety (like chips with salsa or guacamole, or pita with hummus, or crostinis with cheese) it doesn't feel correct to have to order the breading separately. I've had experiences eating at some pricey restaurants, and most eateries pair those kinds of foods together, naturally. It just feels right when they do.

So...we were given the choice of one of several options. Pita chips, crudité, or challah bread. We chose the challah - which was a fine and tasty pairing to go with the eggplant. Following that, we ordered the Chicken Gyro Rolls and the Spicy Lamb Merguez. Both were delicious, subtly spiced (our choice), and presented pleasingly and artfully.

What was amazing, was that, given that the restaurant was vegan, and that none of what we ordered was actually animal protein, it was surprising how authentic the food looked and tasted as compared with their original animal counterparts.

Our dessert - which we shared- was the Vanilla w/chocolate ganache, and pecans. Again...also delicious, but quite spare in volume, as compared with other experiences.

I was fully prepared for the cheque, as I had done my research before making the reservation and, as expected, was somewhat costly. As my grandmother used to say...It was dear.

One other thing...while we really appreciated the near constant attention (countered by other experiences where you could lose consciousness before anyone from the wait staff couldn't be found) the very frequent visits from our server, the buss workers, and the maître ď was just a tad overdone. What made it seem on the verge of eerie was that, instead of asking if we needed anything or..."more water?", or "...more tea?, they mostly tended to start blankly or exhibit a wan half-smile that came off oddly. Despite our responding that everything was wonderful, and thanking them profusely, the frequency of their attention bordered on being just a bit excessive. The maître ď was friendly and, on several occasions, approached us with a warm and friendly affect.

So, to sum up...the staff was very attentive, the atmosphere was elegant, and the food was enjoyable. Definitely an evening to remember joyfully. And, despite some of my lesser observations, we would definitely want to return on...

Really disappointed in this place. Came all the way from Philly to try it. I really like Willow and Beyond Sushi, and the menu looked great, so I was excited. The outside of the restaurant looks beautiful but frankly the interior is opulent in a tacky way. The music was like elevator music. It reminded me of Vegas hotels. Our server made a really poor first impression. When we started to order, we started by saying we’ll get the layered herb bread. She immediately said “Is that all?” It was a bizarre question and hinted at classism, as I am young appearing, it was our first stop in NYC and we looked like tourists who aren’t particularly well dressed or affluent (though I am a doctor). Later I asked for salt and waited patiently for 10 mins, allowing my food to get cold as I didn’t want to eat more until I felt it was adequately seasoned. My salt never came. I also noticed she was much warmer to the affluent appearing older gentleman next to me, checking in much more often and laughing with him - same with the older ladies next to us. Later when she asked if we needed anything on her table rounds, I said we were ready for dessert and she could clear most of the table as I was on my last few bites. She asked incredulously “Now? Before clearing the table?” which made no sense - she could clear 4 plates off the table, and mine in about a minute. It was condescending and unnecessary, and odd she would question a customer like that. Overall, I don’t make accusations lightly but I did experience an attitude that seemed like it stemmed from classism. Now, the food. I did a lot of research and ordered things people rave about. The layered herb bread tasted like a glorified dinner roll, just in loaf form. I expected something decadent and buttery, but nope. Just brushed with olive oil it seems. No herb flavor either - just some rosemary sprinkled on top. It was soft inside but the crust was dry and unpleasant - we only ate the interior. It did not seem layered. The lamb pockets were really delicious. The only thing that wasn’t disappointing. Well spiced, very savory, some nice caramelized crunchy bits. The labneh or whatever they called the yogurt sauce was clearly just So Delicious coconut yogurt though. Also very stingy with cherry tomatoes - there were two cherry tomatoes. The khachapuri for me was very bland. Tasted like store bought vegan cheese. The bread was good. The yo eggs were amazing but they are not made by Anixi. Finally, the date cake. So dry. The ganache was too dark. Cream cheese was nice. Ice cream was very nice. Again, so stingy with the figs - two paper thin slices. But at this price point I expect a moist cake - my date cake that I make at home is much moister. It was the driest cake I’ve ever eaten actually. Won’t be returning unfortunately, and I question why people...