I always have a really hard time coming up with good lunch places in Cincinnati; I don't really like the standard chains (Panera, Chipotle) and I don't want to drive alllll the way downtown (a whopping 5 minutes) to all the new places that seem to be popping up. Â I had been to the Green Dog once before but kind of forgot about it. Â Until today, when I was leaving ballet class near Riverside with a cranky toddler (and it's her ballet class, just so there's no confusion. Â I don't dance) and wanted to feed her. Stat. Â I forgot how much I liked this place. Â I had the grilled salmon wrap with black beans, and it was delicious. Â My daughter had a HUGE chicken quesadilla, so she was happy too. Â I really appreciate that they buy local, too. Â And I'm especially glad that, even with everything being organic, green and healthy, they still have Coke products. Â All in all, it's a winner in my book, and it makes me want to come back to try out Buz.
Review Source:And the award for my favorite place to eat vegan in Cincinnati goes to... my apartment! What can I say? I'm a wonderful cook! Coming in a close second though is Green Dog Cafe in Columbia Tusculum!
Green Dog Cafe has something for everybody. They've got local pastured, antibiotic and hormone free, poultry and pork dishes for those who are carnivorous in nature! They've got a plethora of vegetarian dishes for those who are herbivorous in nature! And nearly all of the vegetarian items can be made completely vegan for those who want nothing to do with digesting any animal products whatsoever. In addition, some menu items can even be made wheat or gluten free as well!
The best part about all of these options is that their menu is easy to decipher. For example, dishes that can be made vegan are clearly marked with a V*, gluten-free with a G*, etc. This means you don't have to interrogate the help by asking a thousand questions pertaining to your allergies and dietary restrictions!
Everything vegan that I've eaten here is absolutely spot on! They have a few different beans and rice entrees that are made with fresh ingredients and homemade salsas. They have hummus, quinoa salad, edamame, fresh cut fries, a vegan soup of the day, and my favorite thing here: the Green Dog Burger!
Now this sandwich says vegetarian on the menu but it can be made vegan by omitting the cheese. I'm telling you, and this comes from an avid former meat eater, this burger is incredible! It's made of garbanzos, nuts, mushrooms, herbs and it's topped with sauteed onions and tomato jam! Simply amazing! I dare say the best vegan burger in Cincinnati!
I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone! Over the course of the next few months I plan to introduce every single one of my friends to this hidden gem (which should be easy since I only have two friends). Seriously though, make your way to Green Dog and see how easy and delicious eating healthy can be!
I have tried my best to like the green dog but it just isn't happening. It is so terrible pricey for no table service and mediocre inconsistent food. The last time I ate here I got a BLT... The bread it was served on could have fed three people. I also really dislike a side salad that is lettuce only... Seriously? Not even a little cheap cheese or a cherry tomato? After four times I won't ever be back.
Review Source:The chiwawa bowl.....or was it spelled like the dog? Â Not sure....but my friend had it and it look MUCH BETTER than my Salmon Wrap. Â My wrap was like a burrito and I ordered it with a side salad but I got some pretty limp lettuce. Â NO CRUNCH. Â I needed CRUNCH. Â Couldn't they throw on some chips? Â Please? Â I saw plenty on my friend's plate. Â But she's a regular.....maybe I need to get there.
Anyway, I loved that there is no PLASTIC silverware.....NOTHING to fill up a landfill and so GREEN is one theme. Â I like that.....and you can order alcohol. Â I love that they offer wine and are INCLUSIVE of those who wish to drink AND eat. Â NOT a bar....not a beer hall.....BUT a restaurant who serves alcohol. Â Amen.
I will be back. Â I like their mission but on my first visit.....I was left a little...disappointed.
Come on GREEN DOG, I'm cheering for you.
I was recently went to the Green Dog Cafe for the first time after numerous recommendations. Now, I don't usually like to review something until I've been a couple times, but I'll make an exception for GDC. Â
I Â went for dinner on a Friday night at 7:00. I'd say a quarter of the tables were filled; and I understand they are more of a lunch/brunch sort of operation, but I was still surprised. Given the stories you hear about this place, I thought it would be more full. We found a little table and waited for our friends to join us while perusing the menu. The menu features mainly healthy choice options--many of which are available vegan. In a sort of knee-jerk reaction, there are a few intensely un-healthy & pork/beef-centric items as well. Like, even your vegan friend's beer-guzzling, "what's-yoga?" coworker can eat here too. The prices are steep, even for organic whole foods dining. This can be explained, though, by reading the fine print on the bottom of the menu. All prices include gratuity. So, if you figure in a 20% (?) tip, then the prices make more sense.
After we were all gathered, we went up to the counter to order. This was a bit awkward. As we weren't all decided on food, there was a bit of a bottleneck in front of the cashier. We let the people behind us go ahead while we made decisions. It's a big enough menu that the whole order-at-the-counter thing is trouble if you've never been before. We got two appetizers, four entrees, and a reasonably-priced bottle of wine for the four of us for around $80. We sat back down at our table, and the appetizers came quickly to the table. First course was vegetarian chili cheese fries and hummus. The cheese fries were very yummy but enough for 6 people, we didn't come close to finishing. The hummus was also good, but got ignored due to the sheer volume of fries.
The entrees came out shortly after the appetizers. This is a pet peeve of mine, I hate it when the courses collide. While we had lots of appetizer left to eat, we instead turned to entrees on the now very full table. The guys both got bacon-wrapped hot dogs with a fruit slaw, my friend got the curry, and I had the turkey sandwich. Everybody finished their entree but me, my sandwich was gargantuan. (I tried to talk my hubby into splitting with me, which he turned down in favor of bacon--men...) I liked my sandwich but agree with other yelpers that there was too much bread. Should have taken heed, but I was lured in by tomato jam...
All in all, I enjoyed my time at the Green Dog. The ambiance was nice, the wine selection lovely, the menu enticingly fresh. I look forward to visiting again, but with a few pointers under my belt. I'll share. I'll not order anything with their too-thick and crumbly bread. I'll try more of the tex-mex-inspired and curry dishes. I'll opt for fries. Oh, and next time, I'll save room for Jeni's Ice Cream!
I'm just now getting around to writing a review on Green Dog. I met some friends for a light dinner.
This is another establishment that looks deceivingly small from the outside. It's actually really spacious inside! You stand in line and wait to place your order at the counter. There is a rack of menus on the wall to browse while you wait. Once you order, they hand you a number, you seat yourself and put your number in the card holder on the table and someone brings it out when it's ready.
It was a really nice night, so we decided to take advantage of the fact that it wasn't 100 degrees and humid- we grabbed a corner table on the enclosed patio. I can definitely see myself becoming a regular in the fall. It's really a great place to sit and talk when the weather is awesome.
I ordered a salmon wrap with goat cheese spread and seafood chowder. It was delicious....portion sizes are pretty large, we were all surprised by that.
The service was great. Everyone was extremely friendly and they checked in several times.
Places like this sometimes confuse me though, because I'm not sure if you're supposed to tip. We didn't have a designated server, but someone has to bus the tables so.... Not entirely sure how that works.
This was our first trip here for dinner, but one of my friends highly recommended the brunch. I'll definitely check it out and you should too!
We discovered this vegetarian-friendly restaurant when a vegetarian friend came to stay with us. And we loved it! Apparently, so does everyone else. When we arrived around 6PM, there was no line. Thirty minutes later, the line was 50-deep.
I had the Green Bowl, which includes socca, a chickpea pancake. The food could have used more seasoning, I thought, but it was creative, healthy and well-prepared. I'll return and try some different options to find a favorite.
The shaded patio was a huge win for hanging out with friends while enjoying the meal, such a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. There's also a huge indoor dining room for the weather-averse.
Here is a summary of what four friends and I experienced in a two-hour visit to Green Dog last night:
- Overcharged on a glass of wine.
- Ran out of a fairly run-of-the-mill menu item (fish and chips).
- Falling-apart veggie burger.
- An astounding reluctance to accommodate a not-so-special request (no onions). Server came out to our table TWICE to find out if she REALLY needed there to be no onions.
- No cheese was requested; item arrived containing cheese.
- Side salad, advertised as containing tomatoes and croutons, arrived containing greens only. That's not a salad. That's a side of greens.
- Dirty water glass.
Listen, just because you're supporting local and organic doesn't mean you can get away with terrible service. And you shouldn't be able to get away with what you're charging people for this experience, either. Even though I'd love to support a place like this and it's close to my house, I don't see a reason to come back. And that's really too bad.
It's been awhile since I've been here, but I realized I never wrote a review about an atrocious experience I had. Â It's a shame when a place with a fresh concept and good, healthy food is ruined by terrible management and service.
I was a fairly regular at "Green Dog" since it had opened. Â One day I went with my mom, and ordered the daily special soup. Â I even specifically said the name of the soup as it was listed on the chalkboard when I ordered, and the employee mentioned no problem with my order. Â We took our seat and waited for our food to arrive. Â Shortly thereafter, an employee timidly approached and informed me that that soup was from the previous day and the sign hadn't been updated with the current day's specials, so what I had ordered was not available. Â She offered me a menu to select something else to order, and I decided to go with my favorite, the salmon wrap. Â I was disappointed about the soup, but I would have been totally happy with the salmon wrap instead. Â However... moments later the girl reappeared and said that the MANAGER said I would have to chose something of equal or lesser value of my original order, since we had already paid for our food - or I could pay the difference! Â What kind of customer service is that?!? Â It was their fault that the daily specials board had not been updated! Â And then to not allow me to have another dish of my choice? Â Any businessman/woman with half a brain would know it's worth a couple bucks to satisfy a customer, because if they're happy they will come back! Â DUH. Â
I don't recommend eating at a restaurant where the management values a couple of dollars here and there over providing good customer service. Â Had I cared more, I would have politely asked this poor employee to send the manager over to me so I could have a few words with them about how to run a business. Â Instead, I'll just trash them on yelp and hope to save some others from the terrible service at The Green Dog Cafe.
The food is wonderful....fresh, tasty and for the most part healthy. Â I love the specials (tonight was a fish taco!) and my favorite regular menu item is the salmon wrap. Â There is outdoor seating for nice weather dining and plenty of room inside if not.
However, the service could use a little improvement. The last 3 times I've been in I've had to wait at least 3/4 of the way thru my meal to get my drink. Â A server passed by twice to tell me he would bring it right away. Â I think next time I'll just wait at the counter for my drink and take it to the table myself. Â :-)
If not for the service I'd probably give GD a 5!
Green Dog cafe is where I head when I'm in one of those "nothing sounds good to eat" modes. Their fresh menu and delicious options are a far cry from the fast food I'm used to guzzling down-- Green Dog makes me wish there were more places that make it this easy to eat this good.
In particular I'm a fan of the Chihuahua Bowl, finished of course with a scoop of ANY flavor of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. But I've never gone wrong with Green Dog's menu, and I find the atmosphere comfortable and pleasant. A great reason to visit Columbia-Tusculum!
Like many other people on here who wrote unfavorable reviews; I too wanted to like Green Dog Cafe. I ate there 3 times and the name of the game is inconsistency.
Bacon wrapped hot dog - ok. The bread is overwhelming the hot dog is small but has good flavor. The mango salsa is great.
Turkey Burger - bad. Dry, again the bread is overwhelming.
BLT - bad. The mayo was caked on so heavily it was unappetizing. The bread, again, so thick and difficult to chew was 80% of the sandwich. See the pictures.
Quesadilla - really good. Inconsistent with the amount of toppings and how much oil is used to crisp it. The favors are there though.
Chili Fries - ok. Not worth the $.
Chicken Salad - good. Hard to mess up a chicken salad.
Side salad - extremely bad. It was just lettuce, no oil, vinegar, dressing, lemon juice, nothing. I didn't realize until the third time they were tricking me into buying a side, every time. (that's on me, but be warned, they up sell)
Way to over priced.
It seems GDC tried to mirror Northstar Cafe in Columbus. Almost everything is identical. Only one major exception, the food at Northstar blows GDC out of the water. I hope GDC develops a better imagination because I love the concept, but the execution is extremely lacking. Service is average.
YUM. Delicious and fast. Very Casual and very Gourmet at the same time. There is something for everyone AND they use all local ingredients. I have no other words, I'd rather be stuffing pommes frites in my mouth with their succulent curry sauce.
No worries - from french fries to salads, everything is deliciously gourmet.
If I could give this place three-and-a-half stars, I would. Alas, no half stars are earned here, and it was a pretty good experience, so four it is.
Having decided to eat more healthily the past few months, I thought Green Dog would be a perfect place to try when meeting a friend for lunch. I made sure to peruse and acquaint myself with the menu so I would have some kind of idea what I would like to order when I arrived (I don't know about you, but I don't like to feel like a novice the first time I patronize a place).
I opted for the grilled salmon wrap with corn salad and cucumber salad. The salmon was a bit undercooked upon receiving it, so I kindly asked to cook it a bit longer to meet my culinary needs. In turn, they kindly obliged. The result was wonderful, and I ooh'd and ahh'd after a couple of bites. I even tried my friend's "Hey Perro" wrap and that was also delicious.
If it weren't so dang pricy for lunch, I would be back often. Instead, I will just have to treat myself once in a while.
I had a vegan friend in town for the weekend and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to try the Green Dog Cafe. Boy was it a good choice.
While all of the vegetarian and vegan members of my party were able to have delicious well prepared meals I too found an item that blew me away. I am of course talking about the Mom and pop Dog. This delicious deep fried bacon wrapped tube of meat was a great choice! Topped with a delicious pineapple relish and some kind of aioli, this dog was a real treat. I paired my dog with an order of black bean fries and a bowl of turkey chili and I had a true meal!
My friends all had different vegetarian and vegan sandwiches that all looked great. We enjoyed our meal on the patio outside. I could not have asked for anything better.
My only complaint is that it was expensive. For my wife an I our bill came to nearly 30 dollars. While the food was good, 30 is a bit steep for the casual experience as a whole.
I would still recommend Green Dog to parties looking for veggie options, but still something for all the carnivores.
I absolutely LOVE this place!! I recently got to experience the wonderful quality of food, the wonderful servers, and the ease of which the staff was able to accommodate a group of about 17-18 people. I ended up having the grilled salmon wrap with a green salad, I split an order of the fries with my fiance, and he had the BLT with green salad and a cup of turkey chili. It's absolutely AMAZING food! I ate so much that I wish I could have eaten more. The portions are huge, the food is awesome, and it's all fresh, locally grown, organic ingredients.
You might spend a little more money than you would at Applebee's but for the quality of the food, it's worth it.
This is a half-service restaurant. You order at the counter, take a number, then sit and wait for your order. It's an odd process, but plenty of places I went to in NC were similar and it works.
Both times that I went I ordered the eggs benedict. They're in an orange hollandaise sauce, and the citrus gives a nice flavor. Quite honestly I love this dish, even though I agree it's a bit pricey for what it is.
My friends that got breakfast all spoke highly. My friends that got lunch were less enthused. Their sandwiches were very impressive looking, but also seemed a bit dry. No lie, though, they looked fantastic.
Recommended.
Green Dog is a fantastic place to go for brunch, lunch, or dinner! Their vegan and vegetarian options are fantastic - as a non veg, I often end up ordering them. They're definitely pricey, but the food quality is excellent, the service is good, and the restaurant atmosphere is nice. It's well worth a visit!
I've had their breakfast burrito, which was so big that I could only eat half. I've also had their tex max burrito (I apparently eat way too many burritos), which was the same way. It lessens the cost impact when you have leftovers to take home!
Their soups and salads are also great. Definitely stop by!
I love the Green Dog Cafe. Â
If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you will be amazed at how many options you have at this place. So many! Â They also offer dishes with chicken, salmon and turkey, so if you are an omnivore, you'll find something great as well.
First of all, this place locally sources their ingredients. More than once, I've been eating lunch and seen an old-timey looking farmer pull up and bring in fresh corn right to the kitchen. They even list what farms they are getting their ingredients from on their website.
Also, they do several things to be environmentally friendly (also can be found on their web site).
But the most important thing is the food. Oh the food is so good! Â I've had several meals here, brunch, lunch and dinner, and it's always been good. Â My favorites are the "bowls" all of them are fantastic. They also offer daily soups that are quite good, and served with a large hunk of bread. Â
The portions are huge! Most times I leave with left overs (who doesn't love an unscheduled snack of leftovers?). Seriously, you and a friend could share many of their dishes if you want to be frugal about things.
Also, they offer a punch card. Once you fill up your card, you get ten dollars off your meal. Tuesdays are double stamp days.
So sad it has taken me so long to write a review of what is probably my favorite place for organic food on the east side. Sure, it is expensive but its an expense I expect if that makes any sense. I am more than willing to shell out 17 dollars on a large salad because it tastes that good.
The atmosphere is not super cozy, but I still feel at home. Its a building that is green in many ways and that includes the lighting and treatments. Its counter service but they bring you your meal to the table, similar to melt. I have yet to have a bad meal there. Everything I try on the menu tastes good. Everything. If I had to make some recommendations though my top two are
Harvest Salad with Feta and Chicken
Green Dog BLT (as a wrap unless you like a lot of bread on your sandwich)
They do brunch options as well as daily dinner specials. They also have Vegan and Vegetarian options as well. I have had to make room in my budget to afford eating here all the time which, if you know me, is not something I do for just anything or any place. Green Dog Cafe is that kind of place.
Great vegetarian food! Great atmosphere!
I love the quesadillas here they are made so good and with unique ingredients. I also like the Turkey BLT but order it as a wrap!! The stir fry was very good and the harvest salad is my go to item! The fries are awesome too! The portions are large but are a great bang for your buck!
I don't prefer the bread it is a bit much.
I also would change the ordering style, the menu is too long and lengthy for counter service.
The Green Dog is very clean and spacious and has lots of magazines. This is a good place to go if you want to get a meal alone and not feel out of place.
My sister lives in Cincinnati and will always find cool places for us to eat when I visit. Â I really, really liked Green Dog Cafe. Â I absolutely love the concept and I'm always on a quest to find a place that sells local vegetarian options that are reasonably priced and this place definitely fits the bill.
First off, I became a fan as soon as I walked up to order when I saw they served Jeni's ice cream. Â Excellent choice. Â I ordered the chihuahua bowl and it was really good. Â There wasn't a ton of flavor, but it was good and I ate the majority of it. Â It is an extremely generous portion. Â My neice ordered the turkey blt and it was huge! Â It looked really good if you are a meat eater, but I generally get overwhelmed with that much bread in any sandwich. Â I also got the fries, which were good, but the best part was the dipping sauces. Â The fries didn't really have much of a crisp to them, but I would certainly order them again because of how amazing these dipping sauces were. Â I would have bought a bottle of either one if it was available.
Overall, this is the type of place I would want to support on a regular basis if I lived there. Â I think there could probably be some tweeking with the food, but I think that part is easy. Â The good service, the commitment to local and organic food, recycled materials, the extensive menu for vegetarians are all good building blocks. Â I hope this place is booming the next time I'm there.
I wanted to like this place SO bad. I drove past this every day coming back and forth from work / school while at UC. I still want to like it. I really do.
The idea is great, sounds great. "Green" environment friendly organic food. The menu sounded great - especially the turkey burger (hubby and I are crazy about them) and we were excited to go.
Inside, we loved the local art and colors. It was very nice inside. It was weird that we went to a counter and ordered then got a number, but whatever. Also - 2 dollars for a can of coke? You have GOT to be kidding me. I got a margarita - which was good but nothing special and not worth it. It wasn't natural or organic by any means I could tell, just bottled sweet and sour. At the time, I was just happy to be drinking. (Oh....college)
We started with an order of the fries - which I wanted to like. They were thick cut, boardwalk like fries. But they were sub par - mostly just bland potato. I had to salt them heavily and my husband just flat out didn't eat them. The ketchup was weird - too weird - and I hate mustard so I can't judge that.
Oh the turkey burger. We came here for that alone. Oaxacan turkey burger with white cheddar on a whole grain bun. We get it. IT WAS THE MOST TASTELESS THING EVER! The turkey was bland and not seasoned at all, I couldn't believe it. Since we cook turkey burgers so often, we felt like this gave poor turkey burgers a disjustice. The cheese didn't even taste cheddary, just slimy and again, bland. The bun was fine, but after the other disappointments we weren't about to just eat the bun and be happy.
I've never been back. To top it all off, it took a long while to get our food (it was about 7pm and it was us and two other tables) and the service was just unfriendly and bad. A bad experience I have no intention on doing again. And wayyyy over priced, and I don't say that often.
It is hard to find a brunch/lunch spot as delicious and eco-friendly as the Green Dog Cafe. Â
Everything they serve is organic, as local as possible, and "green", hence the name "Green" Dog Cafe. Â Despite this local, organic focus, the food is not terribly expensive, and everything is delicious, wholesome, and healthy. Â I like to joke that even the fresh butter they serve is super-healthy since it is so organic and locally made. Â
I would highly recommend the breakfast burrito, the lemon zephyr pancakes, the farmer's breakfast, and the eggs benedict. The only meal I have had which wasn't truly superb was the omelette - not much flavor, and the flavors that it did have, weren't the best.
You MUST try one of their home-made, freshly-baked, warm out of the oven chocolate chip scones. Â They are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside, and served with fresh butter and jam. HEAVENLY. Â
Others complain about the cost of this place. Â I would counter their complaints and state that you pay for what you get here. Â Super-high quality organic ingredients are worth a few extra bucks in my book - and I would hope that you all would agree.
Love the food philosophy. Â Local, healthy, delicious food. Â
The space is uncluttered and filled with art which is a plus.
I like the variety of dishes that are offered here as well. Â You can get a sandwich, a hot entree, or a salad here along with dessert and various beverages.
The service was ok, but I would not say exceptional. Â
I realize Green Dog is eco friendly, so  perhaps they have not found any take away beverage containers to their liking.  It's a great idea to bring your own. . .I left half my chai tea at the restaurant. . .I was told they had none.
Travesty.
A friend suggested this place and I'd never heard of it before, so I hit the website to browse and see what I'd like. I'm a total omnivore, but I'm a big fan of local/natural type stuff and usually pick that wherever I go. I was pleasantly surprised to see that's exactly what this place does! I got the BLT, which is a gigantic sandwich of thick cut roast turkey (local and pastured), tomato, arugula and crunchy bacon.
I have to say I was initially a bit put off by the $12.50 price tag...but when it turned out to be the equivalent of two sandwiches, that made a lot more sense. I was bummed that I had errands to run after lunch, so I ended up handing off the leftovers to my friend. Those were good leftovers! To give you an idea of size, I had to squish the half I didn't eat jut a bit to fit it into a small square takeout box (burger sized)...yeah, THAT big!
Also, the waitress came out to the patio and asked if i wanted a takeout box and then went inside and brought it back out for me. Nice touch! An added bonus: they use EarthChoice containers, which are recyclable/biodegradable
A couple of quirks....
The only chips as a side are tortilla chips...and any dips are extra...($5/small guacamole, $9.50/large guac) Honestly though, you could order one BLT and a small guac and be set for a picnic for two (the guac comes with it's own side of chips!)
Also they only have one size of drink cup, basically the size of a fast-food small cup. A little annoying for refills, but I'm guessing it's to encourage conscious consumption?
The Green Dog Cafe reminds me of a variety of restaurants in our old home of Denver, Colorado. The menu features "local pastured poultry, organic sustainable fish, antibiotic free pork and other fresh foods that appeal to all tastes, including vegans, vegetarians and those who don't tolerate wheat and dairy." This is not something that I could have found in Cincinnati when I last lived here in 2003, at least not easily, but I'm glad to see that this has changed.
My wife and I stumbled across this restaurant while heading toward the neighboring Greenorama Home Show. We both actually read about the restaurant recently, but didn't pay much attention to where it was located. When we pulled into the parking lot to find an ATM, we spotted the restaurant and immediately headed for the front door. One glance at the menu and I knew that I was ordering the Green Dog BLT with roasted turkey. My wife went with the Green Dog Burger made of garbanzos, mushrooms, and herbs. Each of these came with one side. I chose the kimchee while my wife had the green salad.
My sandwich was gigantic! It was filled with plenty of thick cut roasted turkey to go along with the bacon, arugula, and tomato. Other reviews I have read stated that there is too much bread on the sandwich, but I felt that the ratio was pretty close to perfect, though I must admit that my sandwich does look much better than the picture in the other review. I would definitely order this sandwich again. And the kimchee was a really good mix of pickled vegetables that were spiced up a bit.
My wife was also very happy with her veggie burger. I had a small bite of it and I was impressed with the taste of the patty. One disappointing thing was that the online menu says it should be served with red onion and tomato jam, but I don't recall that being true. I would definitely like to try this jam on a future visit. The green salad was pretty typical mix of field greens that I would skip.
I would easily recommend trying this restaurant and I'm sure we will be back in the future. Another review that I read from back in 2009 was not that positive either, but I think some changes have been made to the Green Dog Cafe and it is worth a revisit if you have been there before. I hope that it continues to improve on our favorable first visit.
After hearing how great this place was....mostly from the GF.... I was looking forward to trying one of the sandwiches from the Green Dog. Â Anyone who knows me at all, knows that one of the primary purposes in my life is to find (or make) great sandwiches. Â
So, I stop in for some carry-ouy and ordered the BLT, which has turkey on it as well, making it more of a club sandwich. Â Now, correct me if if wrong, but if I'm dropping $12.50 for a club sandwich, I'm well within my rights to expect something pretty spectacular. Â Well, it was spectacular...but only in size.
This sandwich was HUUUUUGE!!! Â But don't get too excited. Â It was at least 80% bread and very, very dry. Â Difficult to eat, too. Â Basically, this sandwich was just trying way too hard to be more than a sandwich, and as a result, it was...well... a less than good sandwich. Â I don't doubt that Green Dog uses the best possible ingredients. Â They freakin' better at these prices, but in this case, I thought their BLT was way off the mark. Â Some of their other dishes might be good, but I ain't payin' to find out. Â I told the GF, if she wants to go there with me, she's payin'...
I am as far from being vegan as they come. Give me a juicy, red steak over a turkey burger any day. Seriously. So when I was first dragged out to this restaurant, I was dating a vegan. Of course.
But when I was perusing the menu - many of the items sounded amazing for brunch. I ended up getting the Green Dog egg benedict, and my was it yummy. They also have the best fruit ensemble ever. Most places (Bob Evans) will just give you fruit such as grapes, strawberry and call it a day. This place had cantelope, blackberries, blueberries...kiwi even, I believe!
If you're also looking for a spot that isn't over crowded during Sunday church vultures, this is the best place for that. It's opened up, and still somewhat tucked away that people are not sure it exists. Basically, this is NOT your neighborhood First Watch. :)
Green Dog Cafe is right next to my gym, and if I'm working out during the lunch hour, I can watch a steady stream of customers in and out of Green Dog any day of the week. But I have no idea why.
The atmosphere is somewhere between a Panera and a Chipotle. It wasn't cozy or inviting at all. You order at the counter and they bring your food. You don't get much attention from the wait staff. For these prices, I shouldn't be ordering at a counter.
The food was ok. Nothing to brag about. But nowhere near worth the money. Very, very disappointing. If it was half the price, then I'd consider it a fair value (not good - fair). But at the exorbitant prices they charge it was a complete disappointment.
I'll not be going back and would recommend steering clear, unless you like to waste money on mediocre food. Go to Allyn's right across the street and you'll be happy you did!
The first time I had Green Dog Cafe was for dinner. It was so good I went back the next day for lunch. I have only tried three menu items. First was the guacamole which is freshly handmade and soooo good. The small is perfect for one person, get the large for 2 people or more. I also had their fries which are handcut and perfectly salted. It is served in a silver "milkshake" cup wrapped in paper on the inside. I had the honey bean vanilla ice cream for dessert- WHOA! where did they find this ice cream?? UH-MAY-ZING lol.
I agree with everyone, it is expensive, those three items came to $19.95 and the portion of ice cream and fries for $5 each was small to me, but I will be going back none the less (partway becuase I can walk there from where I live and I'm all about convienience ) :-)
It pains me to hate on a restaurant like the Green Dog, but there's no getting around it: Â the restaurant is just too expensive and the food is just not good enough, given the counter service and casual atmosphere. Â Â
Count me among the many who were excited upon hearing about the Green Dog's opening in Columbia-Tusculum a year or so back. Â (We used to live just up the hill from its location.) Â At the time, the East Side had no casual dining options that fit this bill: Â fresh, healthy, veg-friendly, and focused on local ingredients and "sustainability" concerns. Â (Who but a witless reactionary could be opposed to such a concept?)
But what we've tried just hasn't been very good. Â
--The $12.50 Green Dog BLT was about 85 percent bread that overwhelmed the sandwich's rather pedestrian contents. Â
--The Green Dog kimchee side is a bland mockery of Korea's national staple. Â (Good kimchi is one of my favorite things on the planet.)
--The grilled chicken salad was decent but is absurdly overpriced at 14 dollars. Â (A place like Dewey's actually serves a better salad for several dollars less.) Â
--The chihuahua bowl, consisting of black beans, corn, tomato salsa, and organic rice, would make a pretty good side but slides into dullsville as a vegetarian entree. Â (It's the kind of dish that vegetarians could make in their sleep at home.) Â And it was served with tortilla chips that, quite honestly, were a bit stale.
--The pablum-like veggie burger fell apart, and aside from the tomato jam, it was pretty bland.
I realize that what Green Dog is trying to do means that its ingredients are more expensive than those of comparable restaurants. Â But it's what they're doing with them that has left me disappointed so far.
I keep reading that Green Dog's brunch/breakfast is really good. Â Maybe we'll get back there for that, and I'll be able to positively update this review.
Having just moved to the Columbia-Tusculum area, I have been hard pressed to find a good place to eat lunch in the immediate vicinity. All that has changed. Ill even go as far to say that the Green Dog Cafe is one of the best lunch spots in the city if you don't mind spending a few extra dollars.
I went to Green Dog a few weeks ago with som friends for a late lunch. Once there we decided to get some appetizers-Edamame and their fries. The edamame was fantastic, perfectly cooked, and lightly salted. The fries were clearly hand-cut in house and flash fried. What really stood out was the honey mayo and banana ketcuhp. It was absolutely stellar.
I had the Oxacan Turkey Burger, which was perfectly cooked, was great, their cheese, avocado, and salsa were all fresh, and their house-made bun was as close to perfect as a bun can get.
The main theme of this place is sustainability (hence the *green* dog cafe) So to everyone that says it is expensive-yes I agree-but for premium, local ingredients you should expect to pay a premium. Plus, the portions are huge. One other thing my friends and I noticed while eating here, although the portions are large, and we ate alot of food, we didn't have the bloated food-comaesque feeling that is so common in most places.
Since I first wrote this review, I have been back many times, and I will have to say, that I am never disappointed with their food. Get the "Hey Perro" wrap, its too good.
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