Molly T.
Yelp
It's about time I write a review for my favorite healthy lunch spot in Midtown. I stumbled upon Green Symphony last spring and it was love at first sight/taste. Now, over a year later, I'm a faithful Yelp user and must sing the praises of this diamond in the rough.
...and when I say rough, I'm not exaggerating. This unassuming spot sits in the heart of Times Square, which I choose to call Hell on Earth (it's 15 degrees hotter than the rest of the city and it houses the worst kind of people and worst kind of establishments...I rest my case). But the downsides to Green Symphony end there. This place is a perfect example of yet another overused idiom - good (GREAT) things come in small packages. Green Symphony is quite a tiny place, but the vast amount of health food options they offer is overwhelming in the best kind of way.
What can you get here? Anything you could ever want. They have a well-stocked buffet that's divided into a hot section and a cold section. As one would expect, the hot section is filled with different types of chicken preparations and other various meat dishes. On the cold side (the only one I can reliably speak to), you'll find a nice variety of salads - a few tofu preparations (tofu curry w/ chickpeas, Asian-style tofu w/ mushrooms and peas), edamame salad, broccoli, quinoa, kale salad w/ pumpkin seeds and flax seeds, etc. etc. That's the side I've always opted for (see my picture for a visual). The food is flavorful, fresh and healthy. Has yet to disappoint.
If the buffet doesn't suit your needs on any particular day, they've got rice bowls, salads and plenty of other options. I can speak to the Kale Salad (kale, gluten-free tamari, sesame, oil, tomato, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, ginger) and the Chicken Vegetable Rice Bowl (vegetables and a mildly spicy sauce. Organic brown rice, free range chicken, spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, wild-root, shiitake mushrooms, chopped greens, kimchi and egg). Both are delicious and nutritious and bring a smile to my face. I think it's because all of my vital organs are smiling themselves when I eat this healthfully - for with these meals, they can bask in the ecstasy of knowing that their keeper cares about their lifespan.
More notes:
-They have smoothies/shakes aplenty. I have yet to try one, but they seem to be quite the popular item here
-It DOES get busy but the line moves quickly - so just be a bit patient. It's not a big establishment, so it can seem more packed than it actually is
-***PRICES!! *** I am starring this because you've probably started to nod off from this novel I've been writing...some of the MOST REASONABLY PRICED HEALTH FOOD I've found in the city. Cheaper than Dig Inn. Cheaper than Sweetgreen. Cheaper than Fresh & Co. You get the point - this is, as the Cave of Wonders utters in Aladdin and as I have repeated here, a "Diamond. In. The. Rough."