Hartwell Vegetarian Is Now Open

Hartwell Vegetarian‘s soft opening was this weekend, so we stopped by 1017 Cortelyou Road (between Stratford Road and Coney Island Avenue) to see what they were serving up. Owner Ansel Francis and girlfriend Carmen were at the counter, offering customers stewed, curried, and BBQ pepper dishes alongside several options for sides.

Ansel said the restaurant had been well-received so far, and that the main objective of the soft opening is to get feedback from the community before making long-term menu decisions. He said he can already tell neighbors want delivery, so he’ll get that up and running soon–but input on dishes is welcome, too.

We ordered Hartwell’s BBQ main after hearing great things via Facebook, and got rice, black beans, lo mein, and a salad at Carmen’s suggestion. The sauce in the main dish was sweet and just a little hot, while the seitan, giant white beans, and peppers delivered satisfying texture.

The lo mein offered some serious soy saucy flavor, and it was nice to have the option of brown rice for the same price as white. It was way too much to finish in one sitting–not a bad deal at $6.

Hartwell Vegetarian’s grand opening will be Sunday, March 2, and Ansel says it will include a lot of food, music, and dancing! More details on that to come.

For now, you can get the latest updates by following Hartwell Vegetarian on Facebook, calling 718-282-3931, or stopping into 1017 Cortelyou Road from 11am-9pm seven days a week.