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Tender Greens

By Michelle Foody
Sofisticati

It’s all-the-rage among the downtown Culver City crowd, keeps attracting new devotees in San Diego and now its setting West Hollywood abuzz. After months of delays and anticipation, Tender Greens has finally opened on Santa Monica Boulevard to a warm welcome, serving up their eco-friendly cuisine at a rapid clip. Hungry, health-conscious eaters line up to order counter-side, then file along the assembly line that whips up their order before their very eyes. By the time you pay, dinner is waiting.

The extensive menu offerings, while served up faster than a drive-thru, are anything but prototypical “fast food”. Special care has been given to selecting top-shelf ingredients: produce comes from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard, the chicken and beef are grain-fed, free-range, and local, while the tuna is caught right here in the neighboring Pacific. The “big salads” and hearty soups are accented by TG’s homemade, freshly-baked bread and ought to leave plenty of room for indulgence: don’t pass up that lovely display of homemade desserts!

Prefer something a bit stronger than a toffee crunch devil’s food cupcake? The eatery also offers Craftsman draft and bottled beer, along with reds and whites from boutique wineries. Just don’t expect an intimate, atmospheric dining experience—Tender Greens is more cafeteria than bistro, with simple wooden booths, bright lighting, and a high ceiling that magnifies the din of dozens of chatty diners. But the price points may make amends for those on a budget: entrée-sized salads and their substantial “hot plates” all run for $10.50 and their savory soups go for only $4.

What Chef Fermin Arias has accomplished for such reasonable prices is rather impressive, and delicious! It’s prime location and pre-established reputation can only add to its staying power. Let’s hope it keeps drawing WeHo regulars for years to come!