Ras Plant Based Brings Ethiopian Food, Good Vibes and Plenty of Spice to the West Village
It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon at Ras Plant Based’s new location on Sullivan and Bleecker, and despite the kind of dripping late-July weather that puts the city on standstill, Ras had an energy that prefaced how the food would taste. Ethiopian-inspired graffiti, painted by James Mong, electrified the walls. A field of philodendrons dangled from the ceiling, and lush living vines cradled corner high-tops by the bar. The dishes were a remix of traditional Ethiopian platters and innovative spins. None of them contained meat, but all of them had heart.
Romeo and Milka Regalli opened the restaurant just a few weeks earlier, on June 15, as NYU students went home for the summer and West Villagers headed to the Hamptons and other coastal escapes. The newly-opened second location is the husband-and-wife duo’s first Manhattan outpost; the original is in Crown Heights.
Despite the well-executed, plants-only menu, Romeo Regalli wasn’t always devoted to vegetarianism. Growing up in the capital of Ethiopia until a move in his teens to Paris, and later New York, it was typical to enjoy traditional dishes like Minchet-Abish Alicha, a ground beef stew, and the richly spiced chicken stew, Doro wat. And though the James Beard Award Best Chef finalist lived in New York through the ever-evolving fascination in the 2010s with farm-forward fare, his mastery of plant-based cooking came from something much purer: love.
Of course, Regalli, like many great chefs, always possessed a love for food—pouring creativity and Ethiopian spices into his exploration of new plates. But this journey was ignited by the kind of love that emerges like an indescribable force when a family member is faced with death.
In 2017, a year after Regalli married his wife and business partner, Milka, in a ceremony in Saint Lucia, his father fell ill. Months of doctor visits resulted in a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis. In the hospital room following a surgery, his father was presented with two options: to undergo chemotherapy with a three-year life expectancy, or to forgo it and live just one year.
“I thought, ‘you know what, you’re nobody to tell my dad that he only has three years,’” Regalli told Observer of how he felt when the surgeon spoke to his family. Regalli took an optimistic approach instead. With research about the health benefits of eating plant-based, Regalli was determined to help his dad in any way he could as he underwent chemotherapy, including in the kitchen.
“I lived with him for six months when he was sick and began cooking all plant-based foods and juices,” Regalli said. Regalli’s father was eventually declared cancer-free, and still is today.
The chef’s immersion into plant-based cooking didn’t stop there. Dishes from Regalli’s family, passed down from generation to generation, swirled together with his flair for modern cuisine (and love of brunch). By March 2020, he and Milka opened their first Ras Plant-Based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Despite launching days before the pandemic shutdown, the restaurant thrived by bringing flavor to sheltered-in locals and, eventually, waves of in-person diners. Vegans in pursuit of menus that catered to their plant-based requirements, Ethiopians, New Yorkers and anyone looking for a meal that wouldn’t break the bank—but would break their expectations of what one could do with a vegetable—filled the tables.
“The huge misconception about plant-based food is that it tastes bland. But with Ethiopian, it’s so easy because of all the spices,” Regalli said as he placed a refreshing cucumber salad with avocado and an order of his sambusa in front of me. “Simplicity makes the best food—and that dressing is the most simple: just lime juice, grape seed oil and salt.”
Three sambusa, flaky and fried to golden perfection with an arch of brick-colored sauce, each came with a different filling. The lentil (the more traditional of the bunch) was layered with mekelesha (a pre-toasted spice blend bursting with comforting cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon). The butternut squash (Regalli’s favorite) balanced the heat with its sweet, creamy purée and made me forget, for a moment, the humid city waiting for me outside. The salad was light and bright—entirely different, yet ideally paired with the umami-packed platter of diced royal trumpet mushrooms, jalapeño, onion and spongy sourdough injera (a traditional Ethiopian flatbread). Along with each bite, I enjoyed the Sorrel Chai, which I can honestly say is one of the most deeply satisfying iced teas I have ever—and I mean ever—enjoyed. Deep, zingy spices complemented the bright hibiscus for a beverage that was not only beautiful, but something I would drink every summer day while wandering the West Village.
One of the chef’s signature approaches to Ethiopian fusion is showcased in the bowls. He takes Ethiopian classics like Difin Missir, a slow-simmered lentil stew and vegetables including savory beetroot, carrots, string beans and homemade avocado salad, and arranges them atop brown turmeric rice. A drizzle of homemade hot sauce, fresh cilantro and crushed up, fresh-fried injera chips for a surprising crunchy texture, tie it all together for a nourishing meal.
“This is what they mean when they say, ‘taste the rainbow,’” the restaurateur said, letting out a belly laugh as he pulled up a chair beside his wife and their teacup poodle, Coco.
“She goes everywhere with us. We’ve had her for two years, and we’ve never been apart,” Milka said as Coco rested at her hip in a black cotton carrier. Like the cardamom and berbere wafting from the kitchen, the warm feeling of family permeated the space.
Family, and country, was always central to the Ras story. In addition to inspiring Regalli’s infatuation with plant-based cooking, the husband-and-wife powerhouse duo fell in love—with the restaurant business and each other—while working at Milka’s mother’s restaurant, a traditional Ethiopian spot called Awash. They met more than a decade ago, working front-of-house and doing everything that needed doing.
“She had a Brooklyn branch of her restaurant and she said, ‘Why don’t you [run] it and see if you like it? And that’s when we really started to fall in love with hospitality and the restaurant industry, because it was a lot more hands-on,” Milka told Observer. “We redesigned the place and made it more ours. It felt more like our thing. We did it all. Romeo loved cooking; he loved food—it was something he was really passionate about and was really natural for him. We knew we wanted to change the way Ethiopian food was presented—we wanted to represent the culture better.”
The Regallis cultivated their mission to celebrate Ethiopia at Awash, and continued that goal when it came time to part ways and create Ras from the ground up. The name itself pays tribute to their heritage. Ras Tafari was Ethiopia’s 225th and final emperor, titled Haile Selassie I once crowned, and believed by Rastafarians to be the redeeming messiah. As Ethiopians, the Regallis do not practice Rastafarianism, but felt the name honored their country, culture and what would end up being the culinary jewel of Crown Heights.
In only four years, the Regallis have proven that Ethiopian cuisine can not only be modernized, but that its foundation of lively spices and fresh ingredients is what pushes Ras from being a must-try for the health-conscious crowd to a hotspot for all diners. Their weekend brunch has funky cocktails, fun Ethiopian twists and French toast bathed in vegan ice cream instead of eggs, which Regalli says is the best he’s ever had—despite the obvious bias, I believe him.
They have a competitive weekday happy hour that kicks off at 3 p.m., with $5 tacos that easily meet the requisite for what qualifies as dinner: a sweet, smoky pineapple cauliflower; oyster mushroom “carnitas” and a classic “ground beef” made from a rich, spicy dehydrated pea protein. Within the year, they’ll be spilling tables onto the sidewalk to bring their “issa vibe” out into the West Village, and a live DJ (like they’ve had the Crown Heights space) may be on the horizon.
“We want Ras to be a destination where foodies, vegan or not, can explore innovative, delicious dishes,” Regalli said. “Our goal is for Ras to be more than just a place to eat, but a space where people feel a true sense of belonging, joy and inspiration in every visit.”