London's Urban Greens. the modern salad bar brand, is to open its first site in the City, alongside the original sites at St James’s Park and Canary Wharf.
Having launched in July 2019 the trio behind the concept have tried, tested, tweaked and perfected their salad game. They’ve built up fiercely loyal followings at their first two sites in the capital and now, having honed their offering, are ready to roll-out and tell their story.
Three friends endured months of dismal desk-based lunches before finally quitting their jobs to offer the tasty, nourishing and energising fast food they craved.
Rushil Ramjee, Houman Ashrafzadeh and Yannis Drivas met at university before moving into corporate roles, where they were looking for something exciting at lunch to fuel their day.
The friends launched their first branch in St James’s Park in July 2019, Canary Wharf followed in July 2021, and St Paul’s One New Change will open in March 2023 followed by more outlets in the capital this year.
What’s made the openings so successful is Urban Greens’ commitment to fresh, seasonal ingredients – locally sourced whenever possible - and their tried and tested expertise in creating bold, memorable dishes. Each store offers 12 carefully crafted menu choices.
There are no pre-made boxes at Urban Greens. Instead, customers choose bowls such as Gogosan or Jakarta and watch every order made up in front of them.
A long line of fresh premium ingredients includes the likes of ginger-pickled carrots and sesame marinated glass noodles; leaves have made way for tenderly massaged shredded greens and every meal is sprinkled with perfectly toasted nuts, flavoursome fresh herbs and accompanied with complex signature dressings, all in compostable or 100% recyclable packaging.
Houman shared, “We’re fastidious, obsessive and committed to dismantling what takeaway ‘salads’ have been reduced to in the minds of hungry people.
“It’s difficult to ascribe the word ‘salad’ to what we produce because often what comes to mind with the word is pale, hard lettuce leaves and lumps of cold tomato, rather than tasty green dishes that sing with cajun-spiced tempeh or sweet potato harissa hummus.”
Yannis said, “We can’t wait to expand our brand in London, and beyond; our third site at St Paul’s can’t open soon enough.”