Green Sage Cafe Merrimon

The food was good, but not great. I got the forbidden city bowl and I thought the flavors were asian-like but not as flavorful as they could have been. My brother got the grass-fed burger and it was also good, but very dense. The sweet potato chips are very thin sliced

Deliciously fresh servings in their ample menu including many plant based recipes and Their cold pressed juices and drinks are off the charts.

I am thrilled to have Green Sage as our new neighbor. I have always loved the downtown location and was thrilled to have them move so close to us on Merrimon Ave. They just opened up last week and we have ordered from them 3 times already. We had one IN restaurant visit and 2 take out orders.

The food is always the best and the staff is friendly. Tonight was a bit challenging but I will chalk that up to the growing pains of a new location. But, guys, never forget to put the jam and butter for a biscuit in the to go bag. And offer a bag and utensils. First take out was perfect. Tonight, not so much.
However, nothing from tonight's experience will stop me from returning.

If you have not tried Green Sage, I strongly encourage you to do so. The ambiance of the Merrimon location is very nice. The food is organic and delicious and healthy and the presentation is a work of art.
PLEASE, go there, eat, enjoy and repeat.

Delicious and nutritious! Bowls are a yummy bang for your buck. Great GF bakes goods- try the oatmeal cream pie! Cool as cucumbers staff even in the midst of “Karen” storms. Will be back anytime we’re in the area. Would love to see this chain grow.

I was very excited about this place but it only left disappointment. First the good, the coffee is delicious. But the staff is very rude, it really felt like they hate their job. Our food was cold and the portions are small served in a cafeteria style. My husband broke the really weak plastic utensils they give you and took forever to get someone's attention to get it replaced. I don't think I will be going back.

The new location of Green Sage is beautifully designed and has an updated menu. The first couple of weeks they were a bit slow, but I attributed it to Opening pains. The food is very good, made with high quality ingredients and a good variety of choices, including breakfast all day.

Really enjoy this place. From the delicious, healthy food to the yummy smoothies, everything I've tried has been great. Even love the Mate Factor products they carry (energy bars, tea, etc.). The only thing that I'd suggest is lowering the price of the smoothies or making them much larger.

Update:

Shanda C., thanks for your response to my original review. It does not, however, address the house policy issue of how to be sure that the first come are first served, whether there is staff shortage that day or not.

My suggestions are:

- train the kitchen staff to ring the bell every couple minutes until an order is taken away from the ready window.

- train the front counter staff to prioritize retrieving ready orders for a waiting customer instead of choosing to serve latter customers their drinks or food first.

- train the front counter staff to limit personal conversation with customers when there is a line or people have already ordered standing at the counter with a request.

All that said, I did take your suggestion and come try the place again. My second visit began as the first did, with (Lydia, maybe her name tag says) the same woman taking my order. She is amazing and fun and funny, working attentively and quickly and adding sound affects and wise suggestions to her interactions with me as I select from the menu, order, and pay. She even had what seemed like an unexpected and very excited visit from a best friend (who also ordered as a customer), but limited interactions with this person until she finished taking my order and making and serving my drink. I enjoyed my food more this visit and was served it promptly after it came up in the window and the bell was rung. I’ve changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars and will likely be back. Thanks.

Original Review:

Service not quick enough for me. I was greeted promptly and my order taken quickly. I went to my table and waited. My sandwich came up and sat in the kitchen window for a few minutes. I approached the counter and got nothing more than quick glance from the cook. The second counter staff person had disappeared and the only one there had a line of customers and was chatting on and on with one of them about prescription glasses style and cost. She finished taking that order and told the woman “I’ll get your coffee now.” I interjected and asked gently “will you please hand me my sandwich first, it’s been up for a while.” She declined and got the lady her coffee first. I received apologies and sympathies from that customer and others in line, and then was handed my sandwich. Perhaps the kitchen staff needs a bell or to holler “order up” every couple minutes until food is picked up and delivered to the table. I don’t want to wait 5 minutes for a sandwich to sit in the window when I’m on my way to work. Sandwich was dry, needed mustard and mayo, but I didn’t ask because I assumed I would be waiting a while to get it.

Lots of delicious vegan options!

A decent spot with healthy/GF options, but the more I frequent, the less excited I am to go back.

When I first heard of Green Sage, I was thrilled that there was a healthy eatery in town with gluten free (“sensitive”) options and fresh juice. Unfortunately, the juice is not pressed to order and is kept in the cold case for a long time (5ish days?), really reducing its appeal. Though if you happen to buy a fresh one on “juicing day”, it’s delicious.

Food and pastries are somewhat disappointing as well. Everything is tasty, but feels lacking in an I-can’t-put-my-ginger-on-it way. Pastries are GF (yay!) but taste like it (not yay!) — chalky, chewy, and cold. I suspect they similar to the juice and are not baked daily. Meal portions are large enough to be filling, and pricing seemed reasonable.

Overall, it’s a nice enough place to sit (nice patio outside!) and the staff gets the job done (sometimes they seem overwhelmed, even on a fairly quiet morning). I get the feeling that after expanding to 4 locations, the quality has really taken a hit. I haven’t eaten here until recently, so who knows.