Small Plates, Big Flavors: Inside Ladybird, NYC’s Chic Vegan Tapas Bar     

New York City isn’t exactly wanting for vegan options. Recently, New York was crowned one of the most vegan-friendly cities in America, thanks to its more than 1,400 restaurants offering quality plant-based menu items. It’s also been dubbed the most vegan-obsessed city in the country—with 595 vegan-related Google searches per 100,000 residents. And this passion for all-things plant-based can be felt in just about any swath of the city.

Take the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park, for example. Within one block’s walk from the historic, 10-acre green space, you can find a bite everywhere from a Michelin-recognized, fine-dining vegan restaurant to an iconic New York bagel shop with mountains of tofu cream cheese behind the deli case glass. Another find, nestled on a quiet street stretching from the park, is Ladybird—a tapas-style eatery and wine bar from the mind of James Beard-nominated restaurateur, Ravi DeRossi.

Opened in 2016, Ladybird lives behind a rainbow-colored door inside a Renaissance Revival apartment house built in 1901. It stands out among the street’s brick walkups, hinting at the restaurant’s eclectic interior.

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DeRossi says that he approaches restaurant concepts like a work of art. This, along with the fact that he once worked at an antiques shop, is evident in Ladybird’s whimsical décor. Antique gilded mirrors, including one from the historic Plaza Hotel, don the walls. Spider plants hang from the ceiling’s exposed beams, and the tables are topped with 1950s-pink plates and napkins. An entire wall is dedicated to plush teal velvet seating, and behind the mirror-finish bar sits a glass-and-gold cabinet that houses the restaurant’s delicate drinkware.

It’s an inviting atmosphere, for both vegans and omnivores alike—the latter making up 80 percent of the clientele, DeRossi says.

You can trust that he knows how to capture diners’ attention in the landscape of New York City’s busy restaurant scene. As the CEO and founder of the mission-driven, plant-based restaurant group Overthrow Hospitality, DeRossi has launched hit after hit in the city, including Avant Garden, Cadence, and of course, Ladybird itself.

Having served more than one million meals, when it comes to serving cruelty-free fare, Ladybird’s impact adds up. If 80 percent of the customers are omnivores, then it’s probable that they ordered at least 800,000 of those million meals.

“If we really want to be a mission-driven, impactful company, that’s how we do it,” he adds. “We didn’t set out to be a restaurant that catered to omnivores. We just wanted to have great food and service and a cool atmosphere that’s not your typical vegan restaurant vibe.”

And Ladybird nails it all. On a Friday evening, when the lights are low and the restaurant is bathed in neon pink, dream pop and ambient tunes play in the background welcoming intimate conversation over drinks and light bites. The whole joint vibrates with energy—buzzing, not frenetic—and the staff are warm and attentive.

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Light bites and libations

The eatery sits next to a Polish Roman Catholic church built at the start of the 20th century. This is relevant because all of the cocktails here are made with wine due to a law that prohibits selling liquor within 200 feet of places of worship. It’s a uniquely New York City sitch that gives way to a standout cocktail menu.

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The Ladybird Reunion is a concoction of Cocchi Rosa, lemon, basil, passionfruit, and Tiki Bitters, while the Carolina Parakeet melds green tea umeshu, kiwi, and pineapple—both resulting in lightly sweet-and-sour bevs that don’t overpower your meal. And don’t neglect the wine. The selection of vinos, several of which are made in small batches, have been hand-selected by Overthrow Hospitality COO Drew Brady. “Many of these wines come from makers whose hearts are tied tightly to the physical process,” he explains.

But if you don’t imbibe, you’ll happily find a selection of zero-proof drinks to accompany the food.

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The menu, led by Chef Juan Pajarito of Avant Garden and Third Kingdom, is served tapas-style, featuring a blend of comfort food and East Asian fusion. Sharing is encouraged, but a solo diner would be just as happy with a spot at the bar and a light bite to eat.

Going with a group gives you the benefit of sampling the menu. Start with the Buffalo Maitake Bun. It sees mushrooms battered, fried, and coated in a lip-tingling Buffalo sauce along with pickled celery and cooling ranch in a pillowy steamed bao. Or try the Sweet Thai Bun, featuring a steamed bao stuffed with marinated cauliflower, coleslaw, and chipotle mayo.

The Kale Caesar adds a generous serving of greenery to the table. Hearty greens are tossed with parmesan, light-as-air garlic nori croutons, and bits of char siu mushroom that’s crispy and wavy around the edges and chewy in the center with a lingering smokiness.

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Dig in

The Kimchi Mac & Cheese is one of the standout dishes on the varied menu. A plant-based take on macaroni and cheese, it features housemade spicy kimchi, breadcrumbs, and micro greens.

Or go for something saucy and fried, like the General Tso Cauliflower, where Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are coated in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. If the sharp, slightly bitter flavor of brassicas aren’t the first thing you gravitate toward on a menu, don’t be deterred. The florets’ flavor is mild, and they’re more like vessels for the thin, crisp batter and spicy coating.

Ladybird’s food is deceptively filling, considering you’re mostly eating vegetables, but if you arrive with a big appetite, get the Tonkatsu Sandwich, which features a katsu eggplant, gochujang coleslaw, and housemade tonkatsu date sauce stuffed between slices of fluffy white bread. An equally crowd-pleasing choice is the Hot Udon featuring chewy oyster mushrooms, burdock root tempura, and baby bok choy in a savory miso-sesame broth plus a little bit of chili oil for heat.

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It would be remiss not to mention that Ladybird does weekend brunch, too. Just like the dinner menu, it playfully fuses American regional comfort food with flavors from East Asian cuisine, such as the Matcha Waffle adorned with a melty pat of matcha-infused butter, jammy blueberry compote, and plenty of maple syrup. Or go down South with the Chikin ’n Waffles, starring fried oyster mushrooms for a top-tier mingling of sweet and savory.

And gluten-free diners, you’re not forgotten at Ladybird. For a fanciful GF option, get the frittata featuring an aromatic sofrito, mushrooms, parmesan, and cilantro crema. 

Sweet finish

No matter what time of day you go, don’t leave without getting dessert. Dig into the Strawberry Cheesecake, a delicious, nut-free slice featuring sweet coconut cream cheese and fresh strawberries.

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The Matcha Tres Leches is another top-tier option. Moist matcha sponge cake is finished off with whipped cream, strawberries, and juicy peaches for truly unforgettable bites of bliss. 

In a city where culinary innovation and artistic expression coalesce, Ladybird has carved out its own space, offering an inviting oasis for diners of all walks of life seeking an experience that’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the table. And with a team set on serving another million cruelty-free meals, Ladybird has proven that compassion and culinary excellence can go hand in hand.