Radha Yoga & Eatery to close vegan restaurant in Vancouver
Vancouver is about to lose one of its most celebrated vegan restaurants.
Radha Yoga & Eatery (728 Main Street) plans to serve dinner for the last time on April 30.
Until then, the Chinatown resto, which offers raw and cooked vegan food made from local and organic ingredients, is open in the evenings, from Wednesday to Saturday.
Reached by phone, Deborah Pohorski, director of Radha, told the Straight today (April 5) that it’s only the eatery that’s shutting down.
Radha will remain open for cooking classes, yoga classes, urban retreats, and space rentals for special events.
Pohorski said the eatery will be taking a “pause” while the yoga centre re-imagines how it will run after six years of operation.
In the Straight’s 2011 Golden Plate Awards, Radha tied for third place in the Most Vegan-Friendly category.
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Comments
9 Comments
ryan s
Apr 5, 2011 at 5:12pm
it's true what they say, you don't win friends with salad
greggon
Apr 6, 2011 at 12:01am
Canadians love BBQ and sports. Tofu and yoga...not so much.
Freddie
Apr 6, 2011 at 7:14am
This sucks. Radha is a really amazing restaurant.
Alissa Stewart
Apr 6, 2011 at 11:51am
April is the time to dine at Radha!
After six years of operating our vegan, local-food, organic restaurant in accordance with yogic ideals (highest quality ingredients and presentation, integrity, support and growth of staff), we are going to pause at the end of April to reconfigure Radha Eatery’s future.
April 30th will be our final day of dinner service—at least until we reinvent ourselves. We’re working on a plan to create financial sustainability in the same way that we have focused on environmental and ethical sustainability.
Radha will continue to offer rental space in our lovely building for events and celebrations. We will also continue to offer our popular cooking classes, yoga classes and retreats. Please join us!
And we extend our deepest gratitude to all of our loyal customers who have supported the restaurant and our values over the years. Let us know how we can continue to work together!
Please contact radhaevents@gmail.com with your ideas or to book space for events.
Vancouverites
Apr 6, 2011 at 3:29pm
This is really sad. Another lovely restaurant is closing down in our Chinatown. WHY? It is not the Restaurant that is the problem. There is just no people in Chinatown. Why don't our friends from DTES and City Hall listen? We need people to save the businesses.
Leslie Murray
Apr 6, 2011 at 10:36pm
I think it's more like Radha does not cater to the people who live in Chinatown as does Kent's Kitchen or Prime Time Chicken. People can't afford to eat there.
kaur
Apr 7, 2011 at 5:39am
I agree that location is an issue. I've been wanting to go to Radha for ages but i have not made it out to Chinatown yet. I guess I will have to before it closes its restaurant... If it were closer to the Mount Pleasant Main Street shops or on the Drive, I think it would be more successful.
TL
Apr 13, 2011 at 12:53am
Not sure it's the location as much as it is the operating hours.... Being closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday doesn't help. Plus the service is a bit 'sketchy" at times -- a few flakes on the floor, forgetting to bring stuff, etc. Still, I love going there, and the trek from North Van doesn't bother me at all.
Amanda
Apr 21, 2011 at 5:40pm
Yeah, the food is great but those commenting on the service are right. Went their for my birthday and after we were finished eating the main the server walked around and went to all the other tables and ignored ours for 35 minutes, despite our attempts to wave her down. My partner finally had to get up and walk to the bar to order our dessert.
Still, we've been back since then (the service was still spotty) and I am going tomorrow again. The food is that good and the philosophy is something that I support. However, I could see how that combined with the location might have turned people off.