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Franchia, Murray Hill

Franchia Vegan Cafe, Murray Hill

In between errands on a sunny spring day, I ducked into Franchia for a quick lunch. Blending the traditional and the modern, Franchia’s multi-level space offers a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of Midtown. I arrived right as they opened for lunch at noon, and they filled up quickly within the next half hour. It seems like a good place for a casual business lunch.

Franchia Vegan Cafe, Murray Hill

Franchia is the sister restaurant of Hangawi, and even though both locations offer a tranquil, zen vibe, Franchia is supposed to be more of a casual cafe for a quick bite. The 100% vegan menu offers a variety of Asian fusion dishes, but it seems like Korean food is the main focus here.

It was one of the first hot days this year (high of 83F!), and I couldn’t wait to cool off with an iced pomegranate tea ($5). The tea was refreshing, but not anything particularly special.

Pomegranate Tea, Franchia

There are $12 lunch specials, but I ended up ordering off the regular menu because I really wanted the Avocado Bibimbap ($13.95). I can’t get enough of avocado lately! For an extra $1, you can upgrade to a hot stone bowl, but I stuck to the regular bowl. My bibimbap had avocado, tofu, carrots, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, and lettuce over brown rice.

Avocado Bibimbap, Franchia

A giant bowl of veggies over rice makes me a really happy girl! I forgot to mention which type of sauce I wanted, but my bibimbap came with a sweet and salty peanut sauce was very tasty with all the veggies and tofu. It also came with a small side of pickled cabbage. A delicious and healthy meal. Places like this make it ridiculously easy to be vegan!

Avocado Bibimbap, Franchia

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  • Reply
    Mitzie Mee
    at

    Avocado sounds like the perfect bibimbap add-on. Must be really creamy and delicious after mixing:)

    • Reply
      wazwu
      at

      It was, especially with the extra peanut sauce! Mmmm! :)

  • Reply
    brugesvegan
    at

    Oh, the memories! We were there in 2010 and Franchia was the first resto we visited, arriving in NYC after a long journey. It was delicious :-)
    The airco was very cold though (smt we noticed a lot more in other places the following days)

    • Reply
      wazwu
      at

      Franchia seems like a great spot for your first meal here! The interior is really nice, and the food is delicious.

  • Reply
    Delicious Peace of Mind
    at

    More places and meals like this and more people will go vegan! Looks delicious! :)

    • Reply
      wazwu
      at

      And it got really busy at lunchtime! Lots of people doing Meatless Monday. :)

  • Reply
    Hangawi, Koreatown | Let's Nom Nom!
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    […] Korean restaurant, I suspect it might actually be completely vegan like its sister restaurant Franchia as I didn’t spot anything that was obviously non-vegan when I browsed the […]

  • Reply
    Best Vegan & Vegan Restaurants, NYC – Let's Nom Nom!
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    […] / Franchia Sister restaurants, Hangawi and Franchia, serve up vegan versions of Korean favorites like sizzling […]

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