Open Kitchen
“Huge assortment of lunch options – salads, hot bar, udon, stir fry, Mediterranean, carving stations and sandwiches, burrito bowls and more.”
“I'm giving four stars here because I love the concept, and I would go back, but I wouldn't get the stir fry again.”
“Its about 9 bucks a pound so be wary on how much you are piling on!”
Open Kitchen
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Great grab and go spot in Midtown. No minimums on credit cards. Wide range of options – Salad Bar, Burgers, Sandwiches, Ramen. Salad/Hot meal bar is very reasonably priced $10.50 per pound. One of the best deals in the area.
Place is kept clean and fully stocked with everything. Decent amount of seating even during lunch time. As great as this place is, I do wish they had more soup options. But overall I'm a fan and will keep this place in my lunch line up.
Came here for how convenient it is. They have set menu of all sorts and a hot and cold buffet. Not much seating above, seems to be a good place to grab and go back to work.
I had the Mediterranean dish with chicken, couscous, grape leaves a salad. Was not a fan of the tzatiki sauce or the grape leaves. Food otherwise was decent.
Smoothies on point.
They are really quick with order too….I mean, its served in front of you !
This place has a great energy. It was packed on a Tuesday at lunch time, full of people jostling to get their food and pay and get back to work. The large open layout allows you to see all your options at once, and there are a lot of options. Tacos, stir fry, sandwiches, salad bar, the list goes on. I went with the stir fry station, where they let me choose between noodles or rice (I went with noodles), four vegetables and one protein (I went with tofu) and then spicy or not-spicy teriyaki sauce. I went with not-spicy, but that was a mistake, but my stir fry came out really bland. The tofu wasn't that good either, kind of dry and spongy, but the veggies and noodles were great and made up for it. Plus I got a HUGE thing of food for $10.
My folks got salads from the salad bar, and the options over there were really impressive! Lots of unique choices, all of it fresh and tasty. I'm giving four stars here because I love the concept, and I would go back, but I wouldn't get the stir fry again.
It seems like this place draws a pretty big crowd…I suppose we are doing a number on their doors. Despite the many paper asking you to "please close the doors behind you", not only do the doors never actually close, but they seem to remain open at even the slightest suggestion of a gentle breeze.
Once you get in the doors, there is food, and there are a lot of excellent options. The salad is usually at the top of my list – unlike some salad places that use terrible tiny spoons to give you your 6 mini cubes of chicken and 7 chickpeas, they pile it on here, along with plenty of meat (or non-meat) of your choosing. My favorite is a half arugula half romaine [with 5 varying toppings] and a heap of salmon. It's a very generous salad for $9.
They also have a really good mediterranean bar – I'd recommend half chicken half falafel (plate) with two salads and a giant scoop of hummus. If I weighed the container before I left…2 to 3 pounds, easy. Plus, pit on the side! For $12, it's enough for two meals, and a way better deal (much more of everything) than the pita sandwich, which is $10.
I had stir fry once…and it was okay, I think i'd go with spicy sauce next time, the regular one didn't taste like much. Sandwiches are good, they offer some really good specials ($8 chicken sandwich is my go to) and those specials come with no less than 5lbs of fries (plenty to share).
There are a few other stations I haven't had yet, as well as a hot bar…which is hit or miss, depending on the time of day. I'm a late eater (1:45-2:15) so by that time the hot bar has been out for a few hours. I've had it once or twice, and I liked what I ate. Nothing astounding, nothing bad. They must have dense food because at $10.50/lb, it adds up really quickly.
You can get a lot for your money here, and at the same time come in the next day and pay way more for way less. Just depends on what you are in the mood for.
Unless i'm coming in specifically for a salad, Open Kitchen is good for my indecisive lunch days when I can't quite figure out what I want to eat…if I walk in circles enough, i'm bound to land on something.
If you want bang for your buck, go with the salad bar. Seriously. I don't know why it took me so long to find this place. I don't know why I've been making do with $10 salads at other local eateries that barely fill me up. I've been missing out big time.
I got a kale salad and topped it with snowpeas, edamame, cucumbers, roasted brussel sprouts, chickpeas, and salmon. There are a TON of different toppings to choose from, which makes it perfect for even the most picky of eaters. They are sooo generous with their scoops of the toppings, and I love that they thoroughly chop and mix everything together after all of the toppings are added. They have the typical dressings in addition to a few unique ones. I got the carrot ginger dressing which was light, but just flavorful enough to add a little somethin' to my salad.
It was probably because of the toppings I chose, but the end product was so heavy I almost dropped it when he handed it to me over the display case. For $9.80 including tax, I had such a large salad I could only finish one third of it for lunch. ONE THIRD. In addition, it was super delicious and really, really fresh.
Highly, highly recommended for a healthy lunchtime option!
I've come here few times on my lunch break. The place is like 15 steps from my office so it's really convenient. The variety factor here is really nice. From stir fry to salads to hot buffet, you'll definitely find something to eat.
Whenever I come here, I usually make my way to the Mediterranean counter. The guy who works this station is cool dude. It seems like he enjoys working here and he always loads up the platters.
The chicken is seasoned well and cooked nicely in the vertical broiler. The falafel is hand rolled and fried right then and there. Top your platter off with the hummus and you'll be set. (I would pass on the canned stuffed grape leaves).
Anyhow, the amount of food you get at the Mediterranean station is so worth it. This is my quickest option for Greek food fix and l usually leave really full.
Oh and also, the service at the register is so quick – blink and you'll miss the whole transaction.
After going to pure green, I noticed they had a food court here. I tried the hot food bar. It is what you can expect. Some of the food tasted good some not. My favorites were the salmon, fried fish tartar, spare rib, and the vegetables. After 3pm I believe you could fill the box for $8.
A nice, "open" spot to go to for lunch. I usually head here when I'm not craving anything specific but want some quality food. The aroma of flavors from the hot bar hit you on your way in that I can't help but make this section my first stop. They have a great selection and change it up throughout the week! I love when they have seared tuna or honey mustard chicken. There is also an open salad bar to pad your containers with some greens. As tempted as everything looks, be careful not to put too much on your plate. At a little over $10/pound, you can end up spending quite a bit for your mid-day meal.
Also be sure to check the specials of the day by the sandwich counter. I've gotten their citrus grilled chicken sandwich with curly fries for $8. Not bad, they really pile on the fries into the container. I almost always grab a Joe Tea on the way to the checkout line. May be a sentimental thing for me since these teas remind me of my childhood/favorite pizza restaurant growing up… but trust me, they're great! I rarely ever see these around anymore so I always take a peach or raspberry for the road.