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Veggie Castle Falls to Invading Developers
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 24, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 24, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Santa came early and dumped some carnivorous coal down the throats of vegetarians in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood this weekend. The NY Press has reported that the beloved Veggie Castle – so named because it was converted from an old White Castle fast food restaurant – has abruptly closed. The Veggie Castle was as famous for repurposing the White Castle as it was for its vegetarian twist on Caribbean classics, offering such delicacies as jerk tofu, curried tofu and a steaming vegan soul food buffet.
Apparently, someone was shot there last week, but that’s not the reason for the closure.
The end of a 10-year lease is to blame, according to Cindy Bernard, daughter of owner Viburt Bernard. She said the landlord wanted to sell the lot to someone who plans to tear down the building and develop a new commercial space. In the meantime, “distraught” describes the mood among her regulars.
dubs this the “Worst News Ever”, but Christmas isn’t completely ruined; the Veggie Castle location in Queens (South Richmond Hill) will survive the development siege – for now. We never made it out to the Veggie Castle – did you? How did it compare with the city’s other vegetarian restaurants?
Tagged
brooklyn
christmas
fast food
news
ny press
queens
richmond hill
santa
Soul Food
the city
The NY
The NY Press
White Castle
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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