There’s a popular salad bar near my work that I’ve ignored for years. But then people in the office said they liked it, so I tried it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Green Leaf Salad Bar is on Bute near Pender. An A&W is opening up on the same block where the Enterprise Rent-a-Car used to be, which is weird cuz there’s already an A&W at Bute & Alberni three blocks away! Whatevs.

The menu. You have to go inside to see the actual prices. Food ranges from ~$6-11. Alright for a downtown lunch.

Other side of the menu.

Baklava and some other desserty thing that might be Basbousa or Namoura (semolina cake soaked in syrup). I ignored the salad bar and got a shawarma platter:

Chicken Shawarma on Rice ($11 incl. tax). They put tzatziki and (a very mild) hot sauce all over the chicken, so no extra containers to deal with — just shove it in your mouth already!

Very fresh-tasting tabouli. Vibrant. Acidic.

Nothing wrong with this hummus. While not as smooth as the stuff from Jamjar (nothing is), it was more than acceptable.

I’m a big amazing of the shawarma at Abdul’s BBQ near Metrotown. But while Abdul’s does a drier (I’m gonna say Syrian style) shawarma, the meat at Green Leaf was super moist (possibly at the expense of some caramelization) with a hint of seasoning. The rice underneath was neither dry nor mushy, but was swimming in chicken juices and what I assume is a bit of olive oil. They also put corn in the rice, which I’ve never seen before. I would ask for extra hot sauce next time 🙂

The freshness and high turnover puts this place on the lunch list!