Eat Like A Monk At A New Lenox Hill Eatery

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Himalaya Vegan Organic Restaurant, a new Tibetan eatery, is getting ready to open in Lenox Hill at the end of January, its owners told Patch.

The restaurant will open on York Avenue between East 75th Street and East 76th Street, where Sugba, a Filipino restaurant, used to be.

Inspired by Tibetan flavors and one of the co-owner's experiences as a Buddhist monk, Himalaya Vegan Organic will serve exclusively vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free food, co-owner Chu Bu said.

"This food is really healthy and peaceful food, it's really helpful for people," Bu told Patch.

Himalaya Vegan Organic Restaurant opened its first location in May 2022, launching in Sacramento, California. The family business focuses on Tibetan flavors and "peaceful food," meaning food that is healthy for customers while protecting animals, Bu said.

Bu, who owns the restaurant with his brother, Sam, said the menu is not like a typical restaurant where there are entrees and appetizers. Instead, the menu will have a rotation of six dishes for lunch and dinner that change every day.

This type of menu is inspired by the food Sam made during his time as a Buddhist monk in India, where he was tasked with cooking for 200 monks at a time, according to the restaurant's website.

The restaurant’s cooking is largely influenced by the macrobiotic diet, which emphasizes reducing animal products and eating locally grown, seasonal foods, with meals focused primarily on grains, vegetables, and other plant-based ingredients, Bu said.

Bu told Patch he came to the United States from Tibet when he was 27, and he has worked in restaurants ever since.

"I worked in a regular restaurant, and every day you work there, you're feeling like something — it's not feeling really well, not healthy food," Bu said. "That's why we started this restaurant."

Bu said that the restaurant is ready to open and is just waiting for a permit to be issued. Bu told Patch the restaurant will open by the end of January at the latest.

Himalaya Vegan Organic Restaurant will be located at 1425 York Ave.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.