Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Pizza
Italian
Organic
Mediterranean
Delivery
Take-out
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Bistro making pizzas from stone oven, sandwiches, hearty soups, Mediterranean dishes, specials, grits, quinoa, baked goods, coffee. Focus is on local, organic, and healthy. Has Wi-Fi. Order online at http://www.clover.com/online-ordering/fresca. Previously vegetarian but added meat to the menu February 2024. Open Tue-Sat 11:30am-9:30pm, Sun 11:30am-8:00pm.
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 15 Jun 2024 by LaurenMilord
Update business info -
Added by frescaonaddison on 09 Dec 2010
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68 Reviews
First Review by roxette521
ANewDay
Points +236
A Decent Option - Edit
Update: unfortunately this place is no longer in my rotation due to the new owner blaming the vegan community for why he "had" to introduce meat. He bought the business and saw the financial numbers beforehand. Don't blame and alienate your entire original customer base when you should have known what you were getting into beforehand and started making changes on day 1 without giving it a trial period. He planned on making changes from the beginning.
Read moreI loved that they used to be all vegan and had whole wheat bread. New owners have reintroduced animal products as others have mentioned. I also don't think their bread is whole wheat anymore sadly. Their vegan chicken salad sandwhich was my favorite out of anywhere. I used to crave it sometimes. Wish they wouldn't add so much salt to things sometimes though. Their pizza was hit or miss in the past (over seasoned/burnt). I have not tried it with the new owners yet though. I also loved the vegan carne asada and BBQ tacos. It seems like theh changed the setain some though and there is less in the tacos now. Otherwise, I noticed the new owners increased the prices on some items. Probably rightfully so if they make improvements. I agree with another commenter that it used to be kind of dirty. I know they used to keep the garage behind the building for storage. I assume the Health Dept. Ok'd that. The new owners added table clothes outside and appeared to clean the floors but I think they are just stained with wear and tear from the past. They didn't have the ingredients for a pizza I ordered one time and never called me. Instead they waited until I came to pick it up and then told me it wasn't made. I couldn't wait for it to cook. The old owners would have called me and left a voicemail before I was there to pick it up.
Updated from previous review on 2025-05-01
Pros: Vegan chicken salad sandwhich, Vegan tacos, Fairly good parking on Cary
Cons: Menu changes causing confusion
Guest
KaylaMcNew37
Points +79
Friendly Staff, Delicious Food - Edit
Decided to come here for a date night and really enjoyed it! Hubs got the California burger and I got the Philly cheesesteak pizza. The fries and pizza crust were amazing!! I’m not a huge fan of vegan cheese so I think I should’ve tried something else, but even for not being a huge cheese fan it was very delicious. The owner was so very kind and the presentation was beautiful. We’ll definitely be back - I want to try the pesto pizza!
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Not expensive, Delicious, pizza oven, crust
Cons: Parking
Guest
IHeartAnimals
Points +180
Consistently delicious - Edit
I would give them 5 stars if this app would have let me.
Read moreThis is hands down one of my favorite “go to” Vegan restaurants in Richmond. The owner is a sweetheart and the food is consistently delicious. We were shopping in mechanicsville when we got hungry around 3:30pm. We ordered online and by the time we arrived (about 3:45pm) our order was ready. We drove home (to avoid driving in the snow) and everything was still warm when we dug in. We ordered the Vegan Philly cheesesteak pizza (with no cheese), the Falafel sandwich, 2 Lentil burgers and a Vegan Gyro (to eat the next day because they are delicious cold). The pizza was saucy and loaded with toppings. We split the Falafel sandwich. The Falafel was perfectly seasoned and fried at the correct temperature so it was not oily at all. The sandwich had just the right amount of Vegan Taziki sauce and the veggies were crispy. I look forward to eating the rest in the next couple days. I recommend this restaurant highly. They used to be exclusively Vegan so they know how to do it right.
Pros: The food quantity is consistent , They make their own bread/pizza dough from scratch, They have outside tables
Cons: The takeout sandwich boxes are plastic
Guest
kayakstern
Points +317
Awesomeness pizza - Edit
Excellent service
Read moreVery friendly
Pizza was great #Veganuary
Pros: Easy to order, Very fresh , Fast, tasty
Cons: Wish they provide plates
Guest
SomeKindOfVegan
Points +41
Lentil burger with a fresh-baked bun - Edit
The Lentil burger is our favorite item on the menu. The buns are baked to order so everything comes out hot and fresh.
Read moreGuest
kelhips
Points +15
Made with love! - Edit
I love Fresca! The majority of the menu is vegan and you can taste the love 🥰
Read moreGuest
cstein40
Points +355
Great!!! - Edit
Spoke to the owner - very friendly and helpful. Food was great. The whole menu minus two items is vegan. Something for everyone, especially vegans
Read moreGuest
rayneeats
Points +20
great food and kind people - Edit
My boyfriend and I are vegan and we went her with some Omni family while in Richmond. He got the gyro and I got the vegan pesto pizza. Both were very delicious!! I especially loved the fries in the gyro
Read moreGuest
csailor
Points +940
Sad they added meat to menu!!!! - Edit
Haven’t gone back since they added meat, but bummed that they did.
Read moreMany options including pizza, burgers, sandwiches, etc. with many sides too. Got the falafel sandwich, which was tasty but spiced unusually for falafel, curry spices, which I wouldn’t have chosen if it had been described as such on the menu. But fries w/ lemon pepper spice were very good!
Updated from previous review on 2022-07-26
Guest
Catherinec8
Points +195
Updated review - Edit
I’ve read they now serve meat so I can no longer recommend them as a restaurant of choice.
Read moreOne of the most creative menus I've experienced. The food was outstanding and will please all palates...plant-based foodies will LOVE this place.. Can't say enough good things about the food.
Updated from previous review on 2015-12-30
Pros: creative menu, variety of foods , clean restaurant, great staff
Cons: They now serve meat!
Guest
TheTofuTyrant
Points +2174
great casual spot - Edit
Their vegan pizza is delicious and the space is nice!! It’s a casual spot and staff is super friendly—I’ll definitely be returning!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-04-22
Guest
AshleyAlice
Points +78
Used to be good - Edit
Was good in the past when they were vegan/vegetarian. Has changed hands a couple of times and now serves meat. They don’t even have my favorite items on the menu anymore. Just not the same restaurant.
Read moreGuest
VeganInKansas
Points +59
Good food - good service - Edit
We enjoyed the food - had the vegan Phili and the falafel sandwich. Potato salad was amazing. I need that recipe.
Read morePros: Potato salad , Items were clearly marked, Decently priced.
Cons: None
Guest
SandyW.
Points +100
Great vegan choices - Edit
I ordered a vegan lasagna (ask for it if its not on the menu) and it came with a delicious salad. The lasagna was wonderful! I ordered one to go yoo!
Read morePros: Great vegan choices, Inside and outside dining, Nice and accommodating staff
Guest
smileykylie
Points +344
Okay food, not a fully vegan restaurant - Edit
Please be aware that they are not 100% vegan! So you have the be cautious with the sauces/items that aren’t specifically labeled as vegan, but the staff was helpful with helping adjust items to be vegan. The owner seemed quite passionate about his restaurant and was very kind, which was wonderful to see. I got the falafel sandwich, which was decent and filling. My partner got the gyro which was also decent. They make the food fresh and they are open pretty late, which makes it a nice choice for a late night meal. I just wish the menu was a bit more descriptive on which items contain dairy.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-10-31
Pros: Friendly staff, Fresh food
Cons: Not 100% vegan, Menu labeling not clear
Guest
clcrun
Points +49
Great vegan chicken salad! Bread is out of this world. - Edit
Fresca on Addison has some great vegan dishes. I love it and hope for its continued success. The atmosphere is very very casual. But the food is great.
Read morePros: Great vegan dishes, Great pizza and bread
Cons: Not a very great dining atmosphere, hours are limited
Guest
ravendearly
Points +97
New MGMT, items unclear - Edit
Still the best vegan chicken salad sandwich in town. It’s the best item on the menu, I order it once a week when I can! However, it seems this place has changed management at least twice in the last 6 years?? Items used to be clearly labeled vegan or veg, now they’re a little unclear on what’s what.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-07-17
Pros: Fresh pita, Friendly staff, Lots of options
Cons: Limited seating , Unclear vegan options
Guest
RinaGeorge
Points +49
Great mix of menu items - Edit
Great place. Relaxed and sunlit with a real pizza oven. The kids enjoyed pizza with vegan pepperoni and vegan cheese. My husband loved the vegan gyro (made with seitan). I loved the tacos. You can pick three. I especially enjoyed the BBQ seitan with pineapple slaw and the carne asada seitan. The vegan baklava seems like an afterthought, but it is incredible. It is made fresh every other day and delicious - crisp phyllo layers and finely-minced walnuts soaked in simple syrup. I’m going back to get some baklava to go before we leave town. 😁
Read morePros: Vegetarian and vegan options, Fresh food
Guest
hppywzrd
Points +57
New owner, unclear menu, hit or miss - Edit
This was a purely vegan restaurant, which now has a new owner that is re-introducing animal products. The artful chalk menus have been replaced by lcd screens, menu items are continuing to change, and there are no clear markings about what's vegan/vegan-optional. I've already seen one person recommend the gyro in a vegan group just a couple days after I asked about it in the store... I'ts NOT vegan and they cannot (will not) make it vegan (the tzatziki has dairy). there are a few things i like. the chicken salad sandwich and white bean burger, assuming they are still vegan, are good. the rest has been pretty hit or miss in my opinion, even before the change of owner. i hate to leave a somewhat bad review for a vegetarian restaurant, but the changes for the worse are extremely disappointing and i feel like i can't trust it anymore.
Read morePros: vegan options, some of it's good
Cons: new owner re-introducing animal products, hit or miss
Guest
EastCoastVegan
Points +97
Five-star food and service - Edit
We ended up here with a large group just before closing time—already a faux-pas. But the chef was gracious and happy to accommodate us, going the extra mile with bonus hors d'oeuvres, and even offering us input on the music. He also informed us of which items were not vegan (only a couple).
Read moreThe food itself was incredible; everything was fresh and the attention to detail was flawless. (Case in point: my gyro. The "meat" was "meaty" with an authentic flavor; the tzatziki was creamy and herby; the fries were perfectly crisp, and the pita was warm and straight from the oven.)
Among our group, we also tried the pizza, soup, salad, cookies—all amazing.
Don't sleep on this place!
Updated from previous review on 2023-08-01
Pros: Outstanding food, Outstanding service
Guest
BrittneyDauley
Points +40
Best potato salad - Edit
Their food is absolutely delicious! They have the best potato salad in the world and I love their falafel. The owners are great and the environment is amazing
Read moreGuest
DCinDC
Points +34
Disappointing - Edit
The menu for this place is diverse and looked promising, but both me and my daughter were disappointed. She got the pizza, which had cheese that had a weird consistency and sour flavor. I got the "carne asada" seitan tacos; the flavor was decent, but more like lamb than beef, but they so salty I could only eat one of the three (portion sizes are generous). My top concern about the place, however, was how dirty it was. I would not order from this restaurant again.
Read morePros: Generous portion sizes, Variety of foods
Cons: DIRTY, Food was salty
Guest
AmyK
Points +160
Delicious sadwich - Edit
Stopped in for lunch and had the vegan “chicken” salad pita sandwich and a side salad. The salad flavors blended perfectly, and the arugula added a nice peppery bite to the sandwich. It was plenty filling even without the side salad.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-11-26
Pros: Many options at this all-vegan eatery, Very welcoming service
Cons: Strange mirror placement in the bathroom
Guest
GeorgeMundy
Points +32
Amazing food! - Edit
Amazing food! Super service!
Read moreGuest
lw712
Points +50
Good but could be better - Edit
I had a chicken salad sandwich and my friend had the falafel platter. As others have mentioned the falafel was flavored differently than normal, but it was okay. The chicken salad was also okay, but it's better at Ipanema, another Richmond vegan restaurant. Most disappointing was that even though we ate at the restaurant (on the patio, a plus), everything was served in single-use plastic containers. The containers were actually put into a serving basket. They were completely unnecessary.
Read morePros: Decent food
Cons: Everything is served in plastic containers
Guest
LakeSomewhere
Points +18
Love Fresca! - Edit
Fantastic food and very friendly people!
Read morePros: Great Food, Wonderful service
Cons: A little slow
Guest
obimoe
Points +421
Delicious variety! - Edit
We ordered the falafel platter, the potato pizza, pb&j and the baklava. We were driving from SC up to DC and this was the perfect stop because the food was so good. Finding street parking was difficult and it was a good ways off from i95 but worth it.
Read morePros: All vegan, Healthy options
Cons: Parking can be difficult
Guest
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