Anixi

"With its iron-wrought front doors, fringed chandelier, and velvet chairs, Anixi's interior already feels like a special occasion. Opened at the start of 2023, the vegan Mediterranean already has all the good bones of a Chelsea staple. While the fire-grilled grilled “steak” and kofta kabobs are a worth dinner alone, the restaurant is also home to one of the best starters in the city, a three dip mezze where diners have their choice between dips that range from the pomegranate-topped roasted eggplant to the no-bee, honey-dripped kobocha squash. By the time the waiter comes to lay your sampler before you, you'll kick the meal off thinking there's no problem the restaurant's warm, fluffy bread can't soak up."

"Anixi is a vegan spot in Chelsea that looks like a glamorous Art Deco-inspired mansion from the 1980s. It’s the perfect restaurant for when you want to get some use out of an impractical outfit that you spent too much money on, and the plant-based food is just as deluxe as the space. Bring the person who pays the other half of your ConEd bill, and eat some “chicken” kebabs and faux tuna tartare with seaweed caviar under a crystal chandelier." - bryan kim, neha talreja, kenny yang, sonal shah

"When you need to eat plant-based food beneath the sort of sparkly chandelier an ‘80s stockbroker would have placed in their foyer, grab a table at Anixi. A vegan Mediterranean restaurant from the team behind Coletta and Beyond Sushi, this is a glamorous place with white marble, green suede, and a menu that’s just as over-the-top as the decor. Try some caviar (made from seaweed), or grab a plate of faux-squid ink linguine with mushroom “scallops.” Keep in mind, everything here is also kosher and gluten-free." - bryan kim, neha talreja, hannah albertine, sonal shah

"The vegan Mediterranean food at this Chelsea restaurant is unabashedly over-the-top. Anixi embraces a “meat”-heavy menu, comprised mostly of incredible fake-meat dishes like family-sized platters of comically long kebab skewers, lamb cigars, and arak-cured salmon. You eat all of this in an opulent dining room lit by a succession of crystal chandeliers. Come here on a Saturday night with a plant-based crowd that wears fabulous faux furs and loves to party. " - neha talreja, bryan kim, kenny yang, willa moore

"Even though we regularly put fish eggs on bagels now (cough, Russ & Daughters), caviar is still kinda supposed to make you feel fancy. Even if it's vegan caviar, like the version made of black seaweed at Anixi, a completely plant-based Mediterranean restaurant in Chelsea. White marble, green suede, and a blinding amount of crystal set the tone for a fantastic meal consisting of huge chick’n skewers, “tuna” tartare, and “lamb” cigars. Show up to the chandelier-studded dining room in your best faux fur, ready for a big night out. " - Willa Moore, Sonal Shah, Bryan Kim, Neha Talreja