Nestled a few blocks south of Grand Central Station is Franchia, the Korean vegan cafe. They have a beautiful space, composed of a downstairs communal area and very private-feeling tables in multi-level back space.
They have an incredible tea menu, though we strongly recommend the Red Chili Latte!
We had the Crispy Sweet & Sour Mushrooms with Kaffir Lime Leaves and the Vegan Lunch Box with soy ‘beef’ in spicy coconut sauce.
The Crispy Sweet & Sour Mushrooms with Kaffir Lime Leaves was really incredible, it had a sweet chili sauce which is tastier than most – and we really like sweet chili sauce! The crunch was so good we had difficulty being polite while sharing this dish.
Franchia’s Vegan Lunch Box is enormous. You really need a bit of help to finish it. It comes with the salad of the week, 2 appetizers, and a Choice of 4 entrees. This also came with a bowl of veggie rice which we quickly used to mop up all the remaining sauce from the dishes.
Franchia somehow manages to be both a place to get a fantastic lunch special any week day and an amazing Midtown go-to spot for any occasion.
We would expect to spend about $25 for lunch and $40 or more for dinner.
Address: 12 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016
Closest Subway: 33 St (6) or 34 St – Herald Sq (B/D/F/N/Q/R/W)
Opening hours:
Monday 12–10PM
Tuesday 12–10PM
Wednesday 12–10PM
Thursday 12–10PM
Friday 12–10:30PM
Saturday 1–10:30PM
Sunday 5–9:30PM
