Green + The Grain — Local services in Minneapolis

Green + the Grain is a convenient place to grab lunch downtown (and one of the healthier places to do so it), but slightly missed the mark on quality and value.

Pros: tons of options to choose from and ways to customize your salad. Ingredients are very fresh, and flavor is there. Loved that there were so many different types of dressing to choose from. Line moves reasonably quickly as there is a small army of staff working during peak hours. Most people order to-go, so even when incredibly busy, there’s lots of seating.

Cons: portion sizes are very small for the price, especially compared to a certain national competitor that also has a location downtown (and a rewards program). Salad options could be a little healthier—mine was soaked in dressing and a lot of the more interesting ingredient options seemed fried or fatty. I definitely wasn’t expecting the sesame tofu to fried until it was totally crispy like a crouton.

Tip: order in-person, not online. If you order online, you’ll need to place your order by 11 am and will have to pay a 15% service charge (+ an additional 10% for delivery).

I’m optimistic I’ll be back here (especially to support a local business!), but likely will be choosing the other option more frequently as it’s easier to...

Every now and then you'll find a restaurant that just does everything perfectly—that's Green + The Grain. To start with, their salads are top notch and you can get any of them wrapped in a tortilla if you want (the Cowboy is my go-to). Do yourself a favor and grab a chocolate chip cookie at checkout too—perfectly salty+sweet and not too big.

But the real star of the show is their service. Because it's so popular, the line at this place is always long BUT IT MOVES SO FAST. Watching the staff work is like watching endless Ford Model T's roll off a Detroit assembly line. They came to do one thing and they do it...

I was Googling around for a fast, good salad spot. After a couple days of sporadic searching I discovered Green and The Grain and decided to get a lunch there (just one skyway away for me!). I was surprised at first with the prices, $9+ for a salad, but after getting a buffalo chicken salad and then the Farmer I can say I will be trying more of the menu soon and my body couldn't be happier! Fresh, healthy and delicious ingredients mixed quickly and properly and you're off. Highly recommend. Get a large size for usually $2 more if you like a larger lunch, want to take some home or just...