On Monday, August 2, NuLeaf—a plant-based fast-casual restaurant—is opening in the Flatiron neighborhood of NYC. Craig Cochran and Michael Pease—the founders of vegan restaurant Terri—are the minds behind the all-vegan eatery, and are planning to open a second NuLeaf location after Labor Day.
“My goal was to create a menu that has traditional comfort dishes and items that satisfy cravings,” Cochran, co-founder of NuLeaf, told VegOut. “When I first started eating plant-based in college, I worked to recreate some of my favorite meals from growing up while using natural ingredients, and the NuLeaf menu is the result of years of perfecting these classics.”
NuLeaf’s Menu Featuring Childhood Recipes with a Vegan Twist
The NuLeaf menu consists of Cochran’s favorite childhood recipes with a vegan twist. Cochran worked alongside the culinary team to develop dishes that have the same delicious qualities of the bites he enjoyed as a kid, but with fully plant-based ingredients.
The stars of the menu include a Chorizo Fiesta Bowl (made with Blackbird seitan chorizo, seasoned rice, cashew sour cream, guacamole, black bean & corn salsa, tortilla chips, and cilantro-lime vinaigrette), Grilled Peach Salad (with mixed baby greens, jicama, herbed vegan goat cheese, sweet & spicy candied pecans, and maple balsamic dressing), a Chickpea Tuna Sandwich (with chickpea tuna, cheddar, tomato, red onion, and mayo served on focaccia), and a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (with vegan buffalo chicken, lettuce, celery, onion, and blue cheese dressing served on focaccia), all of which can be washed down with a plant-based PB Cookie Dough Shake.
Where to Find NuLeaf
NuLeaf’s first location is housed at 23 W 23rd Street, and the second restaurant (opening later this year) is located at 888 8th Ave. Both restaurants feature a signature plant wall installation with touches of wood and black steel throughout for a chic and stylish ambiance. The live plant wall at the 23rd Street location features more than 1,800 tropical plants, giving customers the opportunity to dine beneath lush greenery. In addition to indoor and outdoor seating, a self-pick-up area for to-go orders has been added to the front of each location.
NuLeaf is open Monday-Friday from 10:30am-9:30pm and Saturday-Sunday from 11:30am-9:30pm. For more information on the restaurant, check out eatnuleaf.com
or follow them on Instagram (@eatnuleaf).
