Franchia, 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 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.

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.

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!

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