When asked to recommend a good salad spot, I always mention Greenleaf Chopshop in Beverly Hills — where you can get healthy salads made with local, organic greens for just $10. Then just a few weeks ago, I discovered that Greenleaf actually also has a spot in Century City that opened up last year!

This sunny quick lunch restaurant’s a lot like the Beverly Hills counterpart — except it’s open for breakfast and lunch, while Beverly Hills offers lunch and dinner. I stopped by last week and got to try some of Greenleaf Chopshop’s new healthy sides along with its classic big salads — and have a new lunch favorite: The Lemongrass Chicken.

Here’s a salad that brings cool tropical twist to the chicken salad. I loved the mix of mango, grilled pineapple, jicama, and agave nectar-sweetened roasted cashews — tossed with a lemongrass lychee vinaigrette and topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes. As with all of Greenleaf’s salads, the greens come from Scarsborough Farms in Oxnard — while the local chicken’s free-range and free of antibiotics.

For a little more sweet, opt for The Antioxidant Orchard — a tart, fruity blend of dried cranberries, strawberries grapes, apples, and walnuts on a mixed green salad with a pomegranate mustard vinaigrette. I got it without the blue cheese and added on pan-roasted salmon — but ask where the salmon comes from before you order. Greenleaf sometimes offers wild Alaskan salmon, but also makes use of unsustainable farmed salmon “depending on the season and availability,” according to the company.

The restaurant’s also added some newer, healthy sides, though these didn’t quite hit the spot like Greenleaf’s classic salads. I was looking forward to the raw kale side salad — except the dish comes topped with Parmesan cheese, which I can’t eat. Ask for the salad cheese free, and it’s a rather plain boring dish. The baked potato fries also sounded like a guilt-free pleasure — but did taste a tad dried out. Still, if you’ve shunned all fried food but have been craving fries, the healthier side dish makes for a worthy snack — especially with the avocado pesto!

The Century City spot has a very airy, sunny, and open feel. Beyond the usual energy efficient lighting and low-VOC-paints, this restaurant also boasts formaldehyde-free, locally-made furniture made from bamboo and sustainable wood, resin panels with 40 percent recycled content, and special glass that lets natural light in but heat out, saving energy on AC.

May happens to be National Salad Month, and in celebration, both Greenleaf locations are offering beer and wine samples. Just order your salad — then step up to the sample table and ask for a free taste of the libations — which include a biodynamic Alma Rosa Chardonnay and a Green Lakes Organic Pale Ale.

Plus, Greenleaf Chopshop will be celebrating its three-year anniversary next week. From Tue., May 31 to Sat., June 4, you get 50 percent off beer and wine selections, as well as a a punch card that gives you discounts the more you visit during the week, starting at 10% off on your first visit and capping off with 30% off your 5th in-store meal. In addition, all meals at the Beverly Hills restaurant will be discounted 30 percent on Sat., June 4.

Greenleaf Chopshop. 1888 Century Park East, Los Angeles. 424.239.8767. Second location in Beverly Hills.

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