John's of 12th Street

Bow-tied servers, chicken parm portions that could sustain Caesar’s armies, and at least one person yelling that “this is the best spot in town,” are all signs that you’re in one of New York’s roughly 36,000 old-school Italian joints. John’s of 12th Street, which has held its ground in the East Village since the early 1900s, has all of that—plus a whole lot of signed celebrity photos on the walls, and candles that have been melting into mountains of wax for a hundred years straight, probably.

But it also has something that most of their competition lacks: a full vegan menu. Sure, we’ve found ourselves reaching for the salt shaker on a few occasions (especially when those occasions involve the vegan stuffed mushrooms). And sure, the size of the chicken parm, or the vegan eggplant version, is its most impressive attribute. But if you’re here for a powerful hit of charm and schtick, then rest assured John’s will deliver a night of drinking barolo and singing “That’s Amore.”

photo credit: Will Hartman