a restaurant & a spiritual place
This is our temple in NYC - when we need a moment to clear our heads, eat great food and really connect with our loved one. Hangwai is one of those 'well-known' hidden gems the city offers -- and we have enjoyed the most wonderful moments and celebrations in its -- quiet zen-like no-shoes-allowed vortex -- that transports you to a Buddhist temple in the middle of nowhere, when in reality you are in Koreatown.
You MUST reserve in advance and it is a little pricey, but totally worth it!
Their Philosophy
Eating healthy
Today there are many concerns regarding our health and many experts advising us how we should eat. We must pay close attention to our diets, but eating well should not only benefit your body, but your mind as well. We, at HanGawi believe that of all the ways that people can eat, vegetarianism is the healthiest and safest diet.
We started HanGawi so that people might learn how to eat a healthy diet and to provide those who are already vegetarians a complete vegetarian meal. Many people know that vegetarianism is a healthy way of eating but many do not know how to eat a balanced vegetarian diet. As native Koreans, we have the benefit of understanding traditional Korean cuisine and quickly saw that there were many vegetarian dishes we could introduce to Westerners.
Um and Yang
Throughout Asia, there is a strong belief in harmony and balance embodied in the principles of yin and yang, or um and yang as it is known in Korean. Everything in nature is balanced by the opposing forces of yin and yang: moon and sun, man and women, fire and water. In order to achieve good health, the food you eat must also be a balance of these forces of um and yang. A healthy vegetarian diet should be a balance of um foods such as green vegetables and fruits, and yang foods such as roots, radishes, carrots, and potatoes. An imbalance will cause bad health. At HanGawi, we provide our guests with balanced vegetarian meals that are nourishing and most ideal in achieving a healthy diet.
must try!
- spicy kimchi side (on the house)
- organic zen noodles (organic buckwheat noodles with variety of vegetables and mushrooms, served with spicy sauce on the side)
- vegetarian stone bowl rice (assortment of vegetables over rice served in hot stone bowl with hot chili paste on the side)
why we ♡ them
- It's a body and mind experience, where all your senses are in harmony! There is actual silence inside these doors.
- They take care of you -- from the moment you enter the kind servers and staff cater to your comfort and accommodate you all the way to setting yourself into the lowered floor tables.
- The food is SOOOO DELISH! and you don't have to worry about the ingredients, as it is all perfectly sourced from organic vendors and properly tagged on the menu.
