Sweetgreen Opens In New York City

The first outpost of the Washington, D.C.-based salad and fro-yo chain Sweetgreen has opened in New York's NoMad neighborhood, on Broadway on the stretch between Madison Square Park and Herald Square.

The organic, farm-to-table chain now has 20 locations, and a visit will make it pretty clear right away that there's a major "green" thing going on here. The sources for several dozen of the vegetables and herbs used in their food are listed on a chalkboard, all packaging is eco-friendly, there are separate receptacles for recycling and compostable trash, and just about all the furnishings are made from recycled materials in one way or another.

The space was designed by Leong Leong, whose clients include the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Queens' P.S. 1 museum; this represents their first restaurant. It's a stark white space, with a variety of self-serve juices up front and a large salad bar directly behind that. There's bleacher seating in the rear of the space (taken from an upstate gym) that will double as a stage for live music, farmer lectures, and demos.

Beverage selections include fresh-made lemonade (in watermelon and blueberry-basil flavors), cucumber limeade, fair trade iced tea, wine, and beer. There are six varieties of frozen yogurt made with organic fat-free yogurt, and you can design your own salad or choose one from the eight signature salads with names like "Earth Bowl," "Guacamole Greens," and "Spicy Sabzi." There are also some grain bowls for those looking for something heartier, and soups. Salads average around eight bucks.

The chain has plans to open an additional New York outpost, in Tribeca, this winter. They've conquered D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Philadelphia, and Boston, and it's clear that they're certainly ready for prime time with this New York opening.