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Devil in the details

3 Posted on 04 / 23 / 2013

Driving through the area we were happy to see a raw place. It was easy enough to find. We ordered the mediterranean pizza and the burger. I was a little surprised the they only offered one gluten-free entree. For two lunch entrees, no drink or desserts or appetizers, it was over $35, not including tip. It took a long time to get our food, and we were surprised that they use standard styrofoam to-go containers. The staff was friendly. The food was good-not amazing, but solid. The pizza crust was thick enough not to get soggy, which was nice. The portions were a good size, not too small but not big enough to warrant the price. I know that raw is expensive, but it just is not that expensive. I have run raw restaurants and eaten at many throughout the world, and it is hard to find the balance between expensive enough to make up for low sales in a raw-unfriendly market and moderate enough to let newbies try a new way of eating in order to build clientele in those markets, but this place is priced like the best raw restaurants in NYC, where everything is much more expensive anyway. So, the details: cost, eco-friendliness, time to get our food, are where the score come from. If that doesn't matter to you, give this place a try, the food alone would get four cows from us.

Pros: Convenient, Raw/vegan, Tasty
Cons: Expensive, Took a long time, Styrofoam

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Great food and service

5 Posted on 02 / 16 / 2013

Very good food, fast. Quality is excellent. Service is great as well!

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Best yet

5 Posted on 02 / 16 / 2013

Had the tacos today and they were the best vegan food in a restaurant I've ever had. Slow but worth the wait. Smoothies were really yummy too

Pros: tasty, unique
Cons: slow

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yummy

3 Posted on 12 / 18 / 2012

I have been twice. After the first experience I just had to return with another health conscious friend. She loved the pizza that she dreamed of it a long time thereafter .
I thoroughly enjoyed the wait time sipping on a wonderful carrot almond drink and enjoying the time with dear friends.
The waitress was very nice and patient and helpful. They are all willing to share their knowledge of the ingredients and preparation to anyone who is interested in making raw meals themselves.
Very clean.
Store front street parking was not a problem.

Pros: all raw, delicious, generous portions, clean
Cons: pricey but you can share

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Great Food; So-So Service; Happy Experience

5 Posted on 07 / 02 / 2012

This place has awesome food and beverages, yummy raw desserts, and a nice atmosphere. The service leaves something to be desired, but for such delicious, healthy raw food, it's worth the wait. Just don't go if you're in a hurry, because they're not! Love it.

Pros: Healthful raw food, Great taste, Nice people
Cons: Long waittime

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Great food

4 Posted on 05 / 29 / 2012

great food.

Pros: good food, friendly
Cons: slow, limited menu

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Bad Service Left Bad Taste

2 Posted on 04 / 04 / 2012

Our family of three visited Leafy Greens during a recent day trip to St. Pete's. It had been recommended by a local as we sought a good vegetarian lunch. What we found was that while our waitress smiled a lot, she and others at the restaraunt were absolutely incapable of service. The place is small and quaint - just our style. And, the menu pricing did seem high, but we were on vacation and okay with a splurge. The taste of the food was actually decent, but waiting nearly an hour and a half for three raw dishes (the tacos, the burger and the wrap) seemed absolutely ridiculous -- all without the waitress stopping by once to say "oh, so very sorry for the delay, can I refill your drink or make your stay more pleasant in some other way". See, I put my way through college working at restaurants and know what service is. Even when the restaurant is busy or slow or backed up, you communicate with your customers so they don't feel ignored. The kicker was that we had our 7 year old son with us and yes, kids tend to be a little less adventurous with food. Every place we went to while on vacation (mostly local restaurants but also a few chains) realize that sometimes kids require a bit more accommodation. I asked if there was any way that we could get a piece of bread or wrap for his burger (sorry folks, while he likes lettuce, the flavorless veggie burger was not something any of us could wrap our heads or the lettuce around), the chef got angry. They charged us $4 extra dollars for the onion wrap, which was fine on the cost side, but not the attitude side. So, if you happen to be into going and spending a lot of money to be ignored and treated poorly by pompous staff, then Leafy Greens is your place. But, I'll tell you, there isn't a meal good enough that would make me choose that kind of poor service and treatment, especially while on vacation.

Pros: Decent Food, Quaint Decor
Cons: Horrible Service, Not Accommodating, Rude

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Disappointed

2 Posted on 01 / 22 / 2012

We had to wait an hour for our food. We tried to order juice, almond milk, or a smoothie but the waitress said they couldn't make it. Something about no machine, no time, and no ingredients (even though these things were on the menu). I had the pizza and it was not that great. Everything seemed very disorganized so I was hoping it was just a matter of working out the kinks of a new restaurant. When I'm in St. Pete again, I would love to visit and see if things have gotten better.

Pros: healthy food, raw snacks for sale
Cons: disorganized, long preparation time, not many choices

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Amazing food!

5 Posted on 07 / 20 / 2011

I just went to Leafy Greens for the first time. I got the raw pizza, and my partner got the raw pasta dish. Both were good, but we both liked the pizza best. It was so good! I also got a blueberry iced tea, which was delicious, and we both got a raw macaroon for dessert which were also great. I definitely recommend the place!

Pros: Healthy, Outdoor seating, Friendly staff

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thai curry coconut soup

5 Posted on 03 / 15 / 2011

best soup ever!!! OMG! the real deal & the mediterranean pizza are also amazing!

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You must try this place

5 Posted on 10 / 25 / 2010

I went to Leafy Greens Cafe on October 16, 2010 and it was wonderful. The staff was friendly and the food was great. Being a trucker it was so nice to walk into a place to eat and be able to order anything on the menu.It was my first visit but it will not be my last.

Pros: great food, friendly staff, good portions
Cons: only one restroom

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leafy greens one year ago

5 Posted on 10 / 18 / 2010

I went to leafy greens while visiting my hometown one year ago and took my mother in law. She is not veg, and only thought her food was okay. I really didn't think much of this as she has a REALLY limited palate and doesn't like much of anything in the way of food. I, on the other hand thought the food was EXCELLENT! The owner came out and talked with us for awhile and told me how to get one of her recipes online, as I am just learning about raw food. I am coming out again in a few days, and hope to visit her restaurant again.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, good value
Cons: small dining rm

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Perfect for a healthy lunch

5 Posted on 02 / 13 / 2010

My husband and I drove all the way from Lakeland (at least 45 minutes away) to have lunch at Leafy Greens this afternoon. We read other reviews on this website and decided we just had to try it and we are so happy we did. The waitress greeted us immediately and sat us in the corner by the window. Only a half wall partition separates diners from the kitchen, so it is very open, which was neat. My husband has the chili and the cucumber and pineapple soup. I decided to try the Italian salad and the Zucchini "Spagetti" with a delicious pesto sauce. We both order half portions and it ended up being the perfect size for lunch. 4 hours later, we are still satisfied and will probably only eat a light dinner. We also ordered hot tea and "chocolate" macaroons for dessert. The food is simple, yet bursting with flavor and it is very filling. While the dining area is small and intimate, the high ceiling and windows make it very airy. When we were there every table was full (6 tables for 3-4 people each). Also, the menu was very simple, with only a few selections for each "category", but the quality of the food makes up for it. We really enjoyed our lunch and will definitely return next time we are in St. Pete!

Pros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Large portions
Cons: Small dining-in area, Simple menu

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Special Cafe

3 Posted on 09 / 27 / 2009

I have a strict Organic diet and in recent travels found this cafe online. Called the owner Denise who was very nice and after detailed discussion of my dietary needs, we decided on a menu for my upcoming visit. Unfortunately when I arrived with a friend on date agreed, the staff had not purchased organic produce as the owner asked and I ended up having a bland, dry, over priced lunch. When asking waiter about my preplaned meal she said the "garlic is sort of organic". Hello, there is no such thing as 'sort of organic'. It is or isn't. My friend enjoyed her meal. I would try it again but only after talking with the owner again with a commitment to serving an all organic meal.

Pros: healthy food, nice atmosphere, no meat
Cons: amateur chef, over priced, uneducated staff

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Our great experience at Leafy Greens Cafe

5 Posted on 04 / 13 / 2009

My family and I went to Leafy Greens Cafe and were extremely happy with the whole restaurant. The place was newly decorated, very clean, cozy, had excellent staff and the owner personally comes out to check out how we are doing. My family and I are going raw and were tired of green smoothies, salads and just plain raw vegetables. The menu at Leafy Greens Cafe really gives us hope to eat normal great tasting meals. The food was wonderful.

Pros: great food, clean and attractive restaurant, great service
Cons: not the best neighborhood

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The best restaurant in St Pete!

5 Posted on 01 / 18 / 2009

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Leafy Greens Cafe! Denise was an incredible hostess who truly made us feel at home, the food was phenomenal, the portions were huge and the prices were reasonable. I look forward to my next visit.

Pros: incredible food, reasonable prices, huge portions

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A Sad Note...

5 Posted on 12 / 14 / 2008

I am the owner of Leafy Greens Cafe. Today, after four VERY successful months open, we had our FIRST unhappy customer! Two people came into the restaurant and ordered a stir-fry and an infused rice dish. Both were ordered without garlic or onion, which I gladly accommodated because we make everything from scratch and I make most of the vegan dishes, being a long-time vegan and Macro for many years.

Well, the one infused rice dish was made with orange juice, rice vinegar and a small amount of Tamari Sauce. Just so you know, we only use the BEST ingredients and the Tamari we use costs a FORTUNE!!! The stir fry is described as a tofu dish with a "Savory Brown Tamari Sauce". There was no question that we were using Tamari for this dish! The guest (Ralph Reed) and his partner ate half of the dish and then, when the server asked if they wanted to take the other half home (our portions are pretty big and it is not unusual for someone to leave with vegan food), they said the food was WAY too salty! I was pretty upset because this was the first customer since we opened to complain - but worse was the fact that I tried to offer to re-cook them a dish or give them something else and Mr. Reed wanted to argue instead. I tried to explain that we use aged traditional Tamari in the Macro tradition and that we would be happy to fix any problem he had. He responded by telling me he was a vegetarian for 20+ years (same as me!) and that our Brown organic basmati rice, organic veggies cold pressed organic olive oil and aged Tamari with Arrowroot was not healthy!

He then thanked me for arguing with him and told me that he was going to write a terrible review of our restaurant! I wanted to send this out because I am quite confident that I did everything possible to fix anything I could possibly fix for this customer and that I really believe (since he also did not tip the server) that these people may make excuses in order to not pay for their dinners and I wanted to make sure that any other restaurateur that looks through these reviews knows this person's name so they do not fall prey to the same nonsense.

As for everyone else reading this, I assure you that we bend over backwards to please our customers and have had nothing but RAVE reviews of our food!

The most ironic part of this is that I keep Organic, Low-sodium, Aged Tamari in the restaurant for anyone who asks for it!

Be well,
Denise

Pros: Friendly, Accommodating, GREAT FOOD!
Cons: Takes a while to get the food, Parking in downtown is always a problem, Too many good things to order!

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The ONLY Raw Vegan Restaurant in Pinellas County!

5 Posted on 12 / 10 / 2008

Leafy Greens Cafe arrived in downtown St Pete the first week in November and they are taking the town by storm! The menu was changed to allow people to order half portions for lunch (which really is great because there are so many things to try you want to order more than one!). The food is fresh, creative and exciting! The prices are where they should be for the quality of the food (all organic) with lunch ranging from $8-9. The best part is you never know what the specials will be - usually something yummy like a raw cobbler or dessert and always some kind of wonderful vegan hot dish! They also have a raw food market with lots of raw grocery items that are hard to find in the health food stores, organic produce sold at great wholesale prices and organic teas sold by the weight. The atmosphere is more casual than their beach location and much easier to reach - just off I-375 right in the middle of St Pete, which is the best city in Tampa Bay, in my opinion. There's lots to do in town before or after your meal too! The Saturday market is wonderful as are the shops and museums as well as the pier and the sailboats! What a great way to spend the afternoon! I sneak back to the cafe after shopping for a soft serve dessert or a smoothie too! Check it out - well worth the trip!

Pros: RAW!!! Excellent food!, Fresh and Organic, Terrific Menu Selections
Cons: Expect a short wait, More expensive than conventional food, Parking meters during the week

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once the word gets out...

5 Posted on 09 / 12 / 2008

Second visit, and I promise to go again (it's so close to home!). Each entree I've tried seems to become a new favorite of mine. Today, Raw vegan lasagna! Definitely the way to go! My husband had the Artichoke Pasta Pomadoro with chicken (which he found out later that it was totally vegan) and being a meat & potatoes guy, thought it was the real thing. I had a taste of his pasta after finding out it was vegan and it was yummy too. We shared the cucumber salad (my husband's favorite veggie) and a blueberry crumble, both were awesome too. I look forward to next week when we take another walk up the beach. If you enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, you'll need to bring your own. The food is worth the wait as it is freshly prepared.

If they aren't too busy, Denise & staff would probably create something to your child's liking, while we were there Max's Wrap was invented. Keep in mind that Leafy Greens specializes in raw, vegan and vegetarian dishes. Some of the dishes (like pasta entrees) are cooked.

If you haven't been yet, now is the time to discover Leafy Greens, before word gets out and becomes the rave of the beach. Kudos to Denise & staff! I'm really glad you chose Redington Beaches as home to your Cafe.

Pros: unique menu, healthy , friendly staff, excellent entrees prepared freshly
Cons: food is worth the wait time,, non-alcohol