Tender Greens Fast Casual Organic Restaurant

By Ryan Eisenacher
Discover SD

The ever evolving debate between long and express lunch has baffled business minds throughout the decades. To sit down and relax or grab a quick bite to go?

Unfortunately, many of us are forced down the latter of the two routes and let’s be honest, cheeseburgers, fries, potato skins and chicken wings aren’t exactly items that are conducive with a healthy lifestyle. But what if there were hearty and healthful on-the-go substitutes that didn’t interfere with your waistline?

From Tropical Smoothie Café in Point Loma and Evolution Fast Food in Banker’s Hill, to Prepkitchen in Del Mar and Lean & Green in La Jolla, lunchtime in San Diego has never been so fresh and green.

Discover the top restaurants for healthy lunch alternatives.

Tender Greens
Tender Greens has a cult following in Los Angeles and health-conscious San Diego has quickly embraced their commitment to sustainability (even the shirts are made of organic cotton) and fresh products (fish from the neighboring Pacific Beach). The new San Diego Tender Greens in Point Loma took the simple combo concept of a soup, salad, and sandwich café and created an amazing eco-friendly restaurant that uses locally grown produce, humanely raised meats, and non-toxic cleaners. In short, Tender Greens is a place where great food and “green living” mesh beautifully. The majority of produce comes fresh-picked from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard or is chosen from a small handful of local farms that believe picking at the peak of ripeness leads to a more delicious and healthier dish. In addition, the beef and poultry choices all comes from grain-fed hormone-free cows and cage-free chickens. Tender Greens also looks for the best boutique wineries, cool microbreweries and organic tea blenders to prove beverages that respect the same commitment and care as their food. For lunch, we recommend: The Happy Vegan Salad is served with Farro Wheat with cranberries, hazelnuts, tabbouleh, green hummus and tender greens; the Chinese Chicken Salad is the perfect combination of colorful greens from Oxnard’s Scarborough Farms and flavorful chicken breast, golden pea sprouts, carrots, roasted peanuts, cilantro, green onions, mizuna, tatsoi, and sesame dressing.; or the Herb Brushed Local Albacore Sandwich on Ciabatta with roasted red peppers and aioli served with a small simple salad. For more details, please visit Tender Greens.