After Threat of Closure, Little Choc Apothecary Will Remain Open

Vegans and crepe-lovers alike, rejoice! After previously announcing its closure, effective on February 26, Little Choc Apothecary (141 Havemeyer Street) was saved seemingly in the eleventh hour by buyer Adam Fine — a fellow vegan restaurateur — and will remain open after all. While the sale isn’t yet finalized, founder Julia Kravets remains optimistic and excited about the opportunity for Little Choc to live on.

And for Kravets, though interest was high upon announcing she was looking for buyers, it was crucial to find the right person for the job and to take on Little Choc’s values. Kravets estimated meeting with over 20 interested parties, but it was Fine’s experience professionally combined with his own personal stake in and passion for the vegan food industry that made him stand out.

“Adam just seemed awesome and down to earth,” Kravets remarked. “With [his other restaurant] the Fancy Radish, he didn’t open it himself, he took over ownership from the owners. So this is kind of a similar situation that he’s doing. So I’m like, ‘This is great, he’s done this before.’ He seems really passionate about vegan food.”

Fancy Radish (in Washington D.C.) describes itself as a “modern vegetable restaurant” for plant-based dining and offers seasonally-based dishes like rutabaga fondue, chermoula (a marinade popular in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan, and Tunisian cuisine; not unlike chimichurri) grilled tofu, and miso butter noodles. Fine will begin stopping by Little Choc in the coming weeks to learn the ropes.

While Kravets hands over the reins entirely after being mostly hands-off since 2021 (she currently works as a software engineer, an interest she was able to invest more time and effort into during pandemic closures), she’s excited to see the business continue to thrive.

“People seem genuinely happy and excited. There were past employees stopping by, and current employees are super happy that it gets to live on,” Kravets remarked. “I live nearby, so it would be great to come by and see it thriving still. I would also love to see even more locations.”