Kale NYC

I don’t understand why Unilocal states that Kale NYC has closed when we JUST got catering from them. The staff has been clamoring for healthier dinners and the menu from this establishment seemed to fit the bill. Regardless, it struck out.
Strike One: The food arrived more than 30 minutes late.
Strike Two: No one I have spoken to liked the taste of the food. At all. The only item that was described as «OK» was the beef.
Strike Three: The side dishes (quinoa, kale, and various vegetables) were sloppy and not suitable for catering.

Visited today. Wow did this place change. From the happy staff who wants to help me to people who look so uninterested for their only customer in the store. Not even a smile or how can I help you. I felt obligated to buy something since I was the only one there and I can see why. I’m glad they put in a seafood option (salmon) but I rather they leave it out. The salmon was so dried and tasteless that I didn’t even finish it. They also gave me a small piece, which I asked for more. $ 2 extra so I said fine. So the kind gentleman gave me a small sliver. I am very disappointed in this place. From a place I go to at least twice a week a couple months ago to a place I’m probably not going to visit again. What happened kale?

Just ordered delivery and am very happy! I was nervous because of the reviews saying it took too long, but my order arrived in about 40 min, which was right on time. I had the build your own plate, which is a great deal for $ 10. The beets and turkey meatballs were soo good and the mashed sweet potatoes were very creamy and light

I really like Kale. I work very close by and have taken to coming regularly. I think the vast majority of the staff are friendly and trying very hard, and in my experience the food has always been very flavorful and fresh. I appreciate, too, that they seem to continue to try and improve, like getting rid of the small and large plate options, for instance. When my breakfast sandwich took a little longer than it should have, they appropriately apologized for the delay, and even gave me a free kale cookie. There aren’t a lot of healthy options in this neighborhood and I really hope this place succeeds.

Granted I stopped by for a bite like 20 mins before closing time, Kale needs to step up its’ game!
initially, I was super excited to try this place with Diana S. after a few drinks at the new Raine’s nearby… and I thought this place was a dead ringer for Dig Inn!
Too bad the actual food AND service left much to be desired. The cashier was disinterested and the brussel sprouts I ordered def saw better days. Not worth the price at all!

I’m a fan! I was hesitant to try this place based on some of these reviews, but I’m glad I stopped by! If you’re familiar with Dig Inn, it’s a similar layout here. You can «build a plate” – choose a grain or salad, protein, and two sides. For vegetarians and vegans, the selection here is especially noteworthy. For protein, there is Korean BBQ tofu, seitan, and vegan meatballs. You won’t find a selection like that anywhere else in Midtown East (believe me, I would know). For my plate, I chose quinoa, Korean BBQ tofu, chili hoisin roasted brussels sprouts, and grilled kale. It was all very good, particularly when topped with the house hot sauce. I was surprised at the quality of the tofu. It had nice texture and flavor, which many non-​vegetarian restaurants struggle to accomplish when working with tofu. The portions were perfect and the price was right at $ 9.99. Some of the reviews below reference a large and small plate option, but it appears there is only one size option now, which is fine by me.
Edit: forgot the mention, staff is super friendly and helpful in store. Pleasant experience all around.

Food is fairly tasty, but delivery typically takes over an hour. Tonight it took ONE HOUR AND 28 MINUTES!
I called several times and finally said, «0k, I guess I’ll starve and wait to se if he shows up…» The girl on the phone laughed and said, «Ok sorry for that.» Poor customer service!
NEVER AGAIN.

I work one block from Kale, and since I am a vegetarian who eats pretty healthy you would think that I eat at Kale regularly. They have lots of vegetarian and vegan options, quinoa instead of rice and many veggie options for what should combine to a delicious and healthy meal, but something is just not right.
First of all the food is not very fresh. Today I got kale that most definitely was from the day before as it was all dry. The veggies they mix into the quinoa must come from a frozen vegetable mix. Why ruin quinoa with icky not fresh veggies? The tofu by itself tastes pretty well, but its drenched in sweet BBQ sauce. Everything just feels like it was pre-​made and they just heated it.
There are so many similar options in the neighborhood, like Dig Inn which is always packed. In comparison, Kale is always empty, and it is no coincidence.
My colleagues have more or less the same opinion. When they first opened we were pretty stoked, but most have never returned after that first visit. I have probably eaten there like 5 times the last year, but I have been disappointed every time.
They have a nice foundation for a successful lunch spot, but unfortunately the dishes are just not that good so they should revamp their menu, and also their food does not feel fresh. Make your product better and I am sure you will see a huge increase in business.

I give it four stars because the size and price of a small plate make this place a viable option for repeated lunch visits.
What was eaten: small platter with quinoa, turkey meatballs, Brussel sprouts, and beets w/​tahini sauce
What I though: quinoa was fluffy but dry, turkey was flavorful but a bit salty, beets were slightly bland, Brussel sprouts had good flavor but seemed over cooked.
That being said, the combination of flavors was really great. The tahini sauce brought everything together. I would eat this 1 – 2 times a week if it were near my office.

The fun bright delicious future of eating healthy is here.
I thought I knew what eating healthy was or tasted like before I experienced Kale. Boy was I wrong. I felt as though I had awoken in the future from a 20 year slumber, and now eating healthy was fun, exotic, and above all mouth watering delicious.
You can choose a fresh custom made juice /​smoothie created right in front of you at their dedicated juice bar or from their selection of exotic juices from around the world. The homemade Greek yogurt packed with a basket of fresh fruit and jam, delightfully layered in a mason jar will keep you smiling for at least the 30 minutes that is takes to eat it.
Now comes the food or it should be called new food or better yet it’s what food should taste like. There’s quinoa, wild brown rice, delicious jerk-​style chicken, tasty turkey meat balls, shredded beef, a plethora of vegetable dishes prepared in ways that give you a new respect for Mother Earth. Pick and choose your favorites to create a dish that will make your personal trainer proud and your taste buds happy to be alive.
I’m so glad I found this place, and with Seamless they can find me. My next corporate event will be catered by Kale. Well done. Eating is fun again! I highly recommend this place enough to sign up and write my first review!

Food was delicious! I had the juice with beets and kale and ginger. It had just the right amount of all the ingredients.
Then I had the quinoa with BBQ tofu and spagehetti squash and grilled kale. It was the perfect lunch! Cooked just right and tasty too. Proves that healthy doesn’t have to be bland.
Service was quick. If I lived nearby I would eat there every day!

This review is for the acai bowl and juices only:
Just finished an acai bowl and it was SO delicious. it was like a sweet smoothie «soup» with fresh fruits, nuts, and chocolate. It’s an expensive breakfast and not something I could get everyday but definitely a treat. I would highly recommend it.
The juices are also fresh and also tasty. Check it out if you’re in the area.

Call me hipster but with a name like, «Kale,» you better believe it stopped me in my tracks and I was immediately intrigued by what their menu had to offer.
I was on the go and didn’t have time for a sit down meal so I opted for a pressed juice instead, which served as a great on-​the-​go pick-​me-​up. I find that pressed juiceries in NYC are now a dime a dozen but even with that said, I am always open to trying a new one!
The juice itself was NOT the best I have had, but I somehow managed to finish the juice in maybe two minutes tops while in transit power walking to Penn Station. FYI, I ordered the «Lean, Mean, and Green» and requested for ginger to also be added. I think the proportion of the ingredients blended could leave room for much improvement. I was observing how the guy was making it and just thought to myself the ratio of the ingredients in the juice didn’t seem to add up right. For example, he used a half apple where I would have expected a full apple for a little added sweetness to compensate for the overload of vegetables. I also was disappointed to see him add lemon juice from a BOTTLE as the very first step (umm, not to be a health snob here but what happened to real lemons, I thought that is what I was paying for?).
Despite all that, the service was efficient and I did after all come for a quick health fix, which often means taste will at [most] times will have to be sacrificed.

Had a small make it yourself dish and some coconut water, paid over $ 15 for it…
Thats a bit pricey for lunch if you ask me…
Food itself wasn’t bad… Had the Jerked Chicken with cauliflower, coleslaw, and greens was pretty tasty but not tasty enough to cost $ 15…

Stopped by Kale because it was the middle of the workday and I was seriously craving something «healthy». After Googling «acai bowl» on trusty Unilocal search, I saw that Kale’s restaurant was only a few blocks from my office. And their acai bowl is $ 5.99, which is definitely cheaper than other juice bars in NYC. The restaurant is a very clean, GREEN space – the kale photography is great, but I personally thought it was a little «much».
I ordered the acai bowl, and had high expectations since Kale’s Instagram photos looked so delicious! However, I noticed that the employee on staff put in a LOT of ice – the ratio of ice to fruit was probably 3:2. No, I’m not kidding. Then, they served the acai bowl in a tiny container topped with banana, strawberries, granola and chocolate chips.
Now, while I don’t mind a «frosty» consistency to the acai bowl, the bland taste of Kale NYC’s acai bowl was disappointing. In other words, the acai bowl tasted like ice. The only redeeming factors were the fruit/​granola and chocolate chip toppings (I mean, you can’t really mess up chopped fruit and chocolate).
As a cherry on top of a «meh» sundae, the employees at this location seemed to be having a rough day, and were thus particularly unenthusiastic. I can’t find it in my heart to say «fix your attitude!», since we all have those days, but patience and a smile to customers always goes a long way.

A Charismatic Review.
Environment: Clean ⁹⁄₁₀
Staff: ⁸⁄₁₀. Have a slight attitude but was composed.
Chicken with kale salad: ⁷⁄₁₀. I had chicken over kale salad and quinoa. The sour sauce is a bit weird but hot sauce was good. Would have been better if it was mixed and heated.
Other than that, it satisfied my kale craving. No big deal.
Hope you enjoyed this review,
Cherie

I like Kale. It’s a nice healthy alternative lunch place. I tried the Jerk Chicken (which wasn’t spicy despite mention of scotch bonnet peppers) over mixed greens and had Brussel sprouts with chilli and kale. Everything tasted fresh and clean. Service was adequate but uninspired. My only complaint was that the sever seemed bored taking the order. Show done live or people might get turned off. Still filling healthy and under 9 bucks near my office. Juices and shakes are good as well.

Huge surprise on the food. Tasty and healthy! If it was closer to work I would be going everyday.
The green juice was a little watered down for my liking — too much cucumber.
The shredded beaf with brown rice is a fav of mine with some garlicky kale on the side. I also tried the turkey meatballs which were so fresh and unlike any other I have had.

WORST ESTABLISHMENT AROUND. DO NOT COME HERE EVEN IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.
Let me walk you through my nightmare experience. First off, this place is huge yet there was no one in it. I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THERE. There were 5 people working behind the register, all of whom were SUPER GHETTO and one was even wearing plaid! Uh, hello?! No one offered to help me. When I asked if they had smoothies, they pointed me to the smoothie menu which was on the opposite side of the whole place, no where near anything else, which was hard to find. The selection was embarrassing so I asked to create my own. The women I ordered with could not remember my order for the life of her. She ended up having to write it down but couldn’t find a pen for a whole minute. How do you not have ANY pens lying around… Then she put the order in and didn’t charge me. I literally stood there for at least 10 minutes, as the only customer in the store, WATCHING-​GLARING as all 5 people behind the register continued to do basically nothing and NOT make my smoothie. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and asked out loud if anyone was making my smoothie. Some girl with a NASTY ATTITUDE told me to hold on because she was busy juicing random carrots. Even if they weren’t random, I am the only person in the store. Friggen complete my order. I had to ask to be charged. This person did not know how to use a register. Had to get a manager to help her do the entire thing. Didn’t even end up charging me for the right thing. The menu clearly said large smoothies were $ 6.99 before tax, but she charged me for the fresh juice, which was much more than that. At this point I was so pissed, I didn’t even want to deal with their half-​brains and end up having to be in there settling the receipt for another 15 minutes. FINALLY my smoothie was ready. The straws they order must be from the prehistoric ages because the wrappers don’t come off. They just don’t. Long story short, I finally get a taste of the smoothie and WOW. WOW. WOW. LITERALLY JUST WATER, with probably 3 blueberries in it, a rotten banana, and a sliver of kale. I was about to HURT SOMEBODY. I LITERALLY JUST PAID $ 8.10 FOR THE NASTIEST DRINK. IN. THE. WORLD.
I am going to end the review here, before I say something that’ll get me sued.
THIS PLACE. NEEDS TO BE BULLDOZED. What a waste of Manhattan real estate!

The juices here are probably better than the food. I highly recommend the what’s up doc juice, but only if you like the taste of beets.
The kale wasn’t as great as I expected. The chili brussel sprouts were better. The korean bbq tofu was decently marinated, but the first time I had it athe tofu was hard (probably because it was sitting out for too long.
Customer service here is really good. The manager was very courteous when I was waiting for my order.