above: Desserts, like Vanilla Swirl with Almond Butter Drizzle, are less than 300 calories and packed with superfoods.
The endless question of where to find a quick and healthy bite just got a little easier. Popular plant-based eatery Green & Tonic will open its fifth Connecticut location this month at 54 West Park Place, near Columbus Park.
“We have evolved from a smoothie bar into a cafe where everything is made from scratch,” says CEO Fausto Mieres who was raised in Stamford. “We use farm fresh ingredients to provide our consumer with quality.”
Mieres is on a roll here, with additional openings planned at two locations in Greenwich, which will add to his roster of restaurants in Cos Cob, Darien, New Canaan, Stamford and Westport.
A modern cafe requires robust coffee, and Mieres is on a mission to brew the best. Organic beans are sourced from Columbia, Ethiopia and Kenya, where they are selected for high levels of polyphenols, a health-promoting antioxidant. They arrive in small batches twice a month and are roasted in-house to make Super Brew Coffee. The best part is that you won’t lose your lunch money paying for it.
“We are a small, local company that is taking business away from big commercial cafes by being honest and transparent,” he says. “We undercut the competition.”
Bring your crew to sample breakfast offerings such as plant-based bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, avocado toast or roasted banana bread—all gluten-free. In addition to the full coffee bar, there are signature smoothies and a dozen ways to build your own açai bowl.
Green & Tonic has also expanded its menu and now features build-your-own chopped salads, falafel bowls, a house made veggie burger, plus grab-and-go options like seasonal soups, cold-pressed juices and refreshing wellness shots. Our current fave is the Tumeric Boost. The dressings are made with real, not additive-laden ingredients, such as olive oil and lemon juice that bring freshness to every bite.
If still somehow you’re ho-hum at lunch options, there is more. At Green & Tonic you can sample creative inventions such as a Tofu Bibimbap Bowl or a Sunshine Bento Box, where curry chickpea salad is the star. And if you need a fix for your sweet tooth, there are homemade treats, so pick up a dark chocolate brownie, peanut butter energy bites, or coconut fig squares to top off your lunch.
Photographs: wrap and bento box by elizabeth mathus; dessert and salad courtesy green & tonic