One of New York’s best (and first) vegan chinese restaurants is gearing up for a serious expansion.
Spicy Moon is a new restaurant concept that endeavors to change the way New Yorkers think about Chinese cuisine. The brand was founded by chef Nick Wang in 2019 in the East Village and quickly established itself as one of the neighborhood’s premiere plant-forward Chinese restaurants. Offering a robust menu of veganized Szechuan staples, Spicy Moon is also known for selling their signature sauces like chili oil and spicy mayo directly through their website.
Today, Spicy Moon currently operates at two locations across Manhattan, one in the East Village, and one in the West Village. Now though, the team is once again getting ready for a new expansion that will put Spicy Moon at the heart of the Lower East Side. Spicy Moon’s latest expansion will be arriving at 265 Bowery, moving into the space at previously housed Belse. Belse was a popular vegan restaurant and brewery that offered a creative menu of plant-based dishes in a gastropub setting, but sadly closed earlier this year. Fortunately for fans of Belse though, the company is still very active and currently operates a new location out of Dallas.
Five weeks ago on Instagram, Belse announced that the location at 265 Bowery would “transition to a new vegan restaurant,” and now we can confirm that that restaurant will be Spicy Moon. The location is extremely spacious, and when Belse was operational it was known as one of the largest vegan restaurants in New York. Once Spicy Moon is open, the restaurant is expected to seat an impressive 170 guests inside at one time, in addition to a proposed 20 seat outdoor cafe.
For the menu, guests can expect to enjoy Spicy Moon’s signature “veganized” take on Szechuan cuisine, including small bites like General Tso’s Mushroom, Crispy Eggplant, Vegan Duck Wraps, and Avocado Spring Rolls alongside vegan dumplings, wantons, and buns. Sample entrees include vegetarian dishes like String Beans and Cabbage with Dry Peppers as well as vegan “Big Bites” like Mapo Tofu with Beyond Beef and Double Cooked King Mushroom. There are also plenty of vegan noodle and rice options, including Dan Dan, Lo Mein, and Szechuan Fried Rice.
Of course, Belse Brewery was also much more than a restaurant. According to Spicy Moon’s latest liquor license application, the team is also looking to take over Belse’s Restaurant Brewing license. In a sample floor plan attached to their application, Spicy Moon’s new expansion will evidently feature its very own brewing equipment, taking over Belse’s critical role as one of the neighborhood’s only fully vegan breweries. Not much else is known at this time about Spicy Moon’s plans for brewing, but the team is currently getting ready to meet with the community board to propose their plans for the space. The team is currently proposing operating hours of 8:00 AM – 2:00 AM every day, seven days a week, and also lists live music and “occasional comedy shows” as potential events. For more information, you can follow Spicy Moon on Instagram and visit their extant locations to show your support.
