Greentrees - Düsseldorf — Restaurant in Dusseldorf

We found this gem while visiting Düsseldorf. The owner (?) is super sweet and very helpful. He seemed genuinely interested in our enjoyment of the food and experience. Helpful with ordering then after our food came out he made sure we liked it, so far as to offer something else if we weren’t pleased. Above and beyond necessary and much appreciated. When we came in the door he was waiting with someone’s to-go order for a smooth pass off, and while we were eating we saw him deliver to-go order to a car outside.

Every dish had excellent presentation, drinks not excluded. In addition to looking great, everything tasted great too.

Aussie salad: Exactly as described, and came with a sweet but not too sweet tasty balsamic dressing. I love that the pepitas were toasted. Porridge: Lots of berries and a very yummy flavor. Poke: Looked good and my friend said it tastes good too. Ripe avocado included! Vegan pancake: Topped with lots of berries, toasted coconuts, banana, and toasted buckwheat treat. Each hot drink (espresso, chai, cappuccino, tea) came with toasted, cinnamon buckwheat treat. I thought that was a nice touch. Banana...

Greentrees is a place one should really like: It's very healthy food, run by a cute couple (as opposed to being some franchised chain), actually tasted good and has an instagramable interior (think lots of white, plants, untreated beechwood) and an altogether airy feel to it. It also seems quite genuine in the sense that if one was to cut out the shop and replant it in Australia it would quite fit.

However i have one serious hygienic problem: The owner licked 👅 (!) my tray before serving. 😨

So the trays have some paper cover onto which the sandwiches are put. And just in the same way as some weird people lick book pages or bills or what have you, the owner licked her fingers and then used that saliva to have a paper cover stick to her finger, then put that paper cover (and her saliva) onto my tray and then put my sandwich onto that. So effectively I am not eating "avocado toast" but "avocado and owners saliva toast".

Not cool. This is a serious health issue.

I'm willing to try again and would be happy to update this review once this has...

Food is good! Well prepared Poached Eggs, properly healthy pressed juices, I enjoyed the fact that you have a list of add-ons to every dish.

However, the service is just pure chaotic, super slow, unorganized (and extra friendly)! It took us 15 minutes of standing in the queue to place the order. Just before that the waiter decided to re-arrange some bits on the plates going out of the kitchen, then also take a minute to change the music and volume. There is a queue of 4/5 tables waiting to pay or place the order, but sorting out Spotify comes first. During our visit for lunch there were at least 3 order mix ups, someone getting an extra coffee, someone getting sandwiches they did not order (nor anyone in the restaurant), my order was missing the add-on. With slow processing, queues, items missing on the menu... it took us 80 minutes to get lunch for 2.

So, again, food is good, but they need...