Contento in East Harlem describes its menu as elevated Peruvian cooking and owner George Gallego says the atmosphere is just as important as the food.

“To be able to roll into the space and to see folks from all walks of life just enjoying life,” Gallego said when asked about the restaurant and how it feels on a busy night.

It’s not just aesthetics he’s talking about, though. He’s focused on people being able to get in at all — if they have a disability.

“I think one of the most challenging things for a person with disabilities, find a space at a restaurant where you can go without any concerns having any barriers,” Gallego said.

After an accident left Gallego paralyzed in 1992, the restaurateur says he dedicated his career to creating spaces accessible to people in wheelchairs because he says people never understood what accessible truly meant. Gallego describes his experiences in the past when finding restaurants he could go to.

“After being told they were accessible on the phone, I learned they weren’t accessible,” he said. “They either had a step leading into the space or a bathroom that wasn’t accessible at all.”

When you head inside, the bathroom and dining room are on the same floor. There’s a bar that is the same height as a wheelchair, and all the tables were made to fit a wheelchair. Milagros Franco with the Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled advocates for better conditions at restaurants.

“I feel like it is an obligation if not to make the changes for myself but for the next person after me,” Franco said.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses like restaurants to provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to purchase goods and services.

That means the “removal of architectural barriers” when it’s easy to be carried out “without much difficulty or expense.”

All “new construction” and renovations “must comply with ADA Standards and the NYC Building Code.” Also, “businesses should make reasonable modifications to allow people with disabilities access to their goods and services.”

“Accessibility does cost money. Right? Making your bathroom bigger costs money. Having you know wider doorways and maybe more space between tables in a restaurant, that costs money.” Alex Elegudin, disability lawyer and the president of Wheeling Forward, a nonprofit organization, said.

Elegudin works on physical accessibility cases and says if a restaurant is not asked to change, in most cases, they just remain inaccessible. He says unless you are doing a major renovation, new spaces get away with not being up to code. He explains just one loophole.

“It’s very possible as a new restaurant or new facility just moving into an existing facility you wouldn’t be required to make your facility physically accessible,” Elegudin said.

Mayor Eric Adam’s office for people with disabilities says the “Department of Buildings does not actively track the amount of restaurants that are “accessible” in the city.

Gallego meanwhile says he’s hoping his focus on accessibility adds a new necessary layer of embracing diversity that catches on.

“We ensure that anyone that comes to Contento feels completely welcomed,” Gallego said.