The eternal question that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time isn’t “Why are we here?” or “Is there intelligent life in the universe?” but rather “What in heck is for lunch?” And if you live and/or work in Hoboken, you know that the struggle to avoid eating something incredibly greasy, unhealthy, and heavy. Everyone loves burritos, pizza, and hamburgers—but sometimes (maybe a lot of the time) you want something light and healthy for lunch. Enter Quality Greens, the locally-owned spot on Washington Street. It’s been open for six months or so, and we finally got a chance to check it out. The name checks out—there are a lot of greens on the menu, and the quality of the food (and the service!) is quite high.

Light and Airy

The space is very bright and expansive. For a small spot, it feels big and roomy—you’re not crowded in elbow to elbow like some spots (Hoboken Gourmet and Bluestone Lane, we are looking at you). The whole space manages to be modern and comfortable while conveying a sense of freshness. Plus, having all that space is useful because of the one downside to Quality Greens: The crowds. Put simply, the lines moves pretty slowly. This is a result of the customization aspect of the food—while there is a menu with plenty of pre-made options on it, the real fun is making your own salad or Chef’s Plate, starting with your pick of greens, then adding in proteins and other ingredients. But whether that’s the reason or not, expect a line, and don’t expect it to move particularly fast.

Worth the Wait

It’s worth it. The food is on display and it’s all extremely fresh. Their preset salads are all marked as either vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, which makes sticking to your diet or lifestyle easy, and making your own salad is a process familiar to everyone these days—although Quality Greens does have a lengthy list of possible ingredients, so we’d beg you not to be That Person that doesn’t start thinking about their salad until they’re standing at the counter and then takes 20 minutes to decide which four toppings they want. The Chef’s Plate is a similar concept—you start with your protein, then you pick two sides. For example, you can get the Herb Marinated Steak and add in Mac and Cheese and a Simple Ceasar Salad. You can also get the sides a la carte. They offer a range of healthy beverages as well as tea and roasted sweet potato soup.

Delicious

It’s really good stuff. Simple, fresh, and made right in front of you—it’s kind of awesome. And awesome to have dedicated salad place in Hoboken, too. Quality Greens was put together by Jersey Native and Hoboken resident Steven Friedrich, and its staff includes many folks with culinary degrees. Their salads aren’t just a mish-mash of ingredients, but a thoughtful catalog of tastes and textures. We’d recommend that even if you’re normally very independent-minded about your salads that you give some of their preset offerings a try, because they’re perfectly balanced and really, really good. What do you think—salads for lunch?

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