Over the course of the summer, you’ve likely seen the green, bunny-clad building that houses a drive-in salad shop every time you drive on Gandy. Green Lane, which opened in late May and overtook the spot of Jerk Hut, is a new establishment that offers nutritious green food choices for those in the South Tampa area. On the current menu, there are eight signature salads, which can also be made into wraps. I was able to try two of their salads: the Creamy Caesar and the Golden Greek.
The Creamy Caesar’s ingredients were standard, having just croutons, grape tomatoes, cheese and grilled chicken for toppings and caesar dressing. Immediately, I hate the name of the dish. ‘Creamy’ is the worst possible way to describe a salad. It’s so unappealing and I don’t know how they allowed that to happen to their menu. Aside from the name, the salad was just average. I liked that the toppings were dice cut, which improved the texture once it was all mixed in. However, there should have been more protein based on the price of the salad. The majority of the bowl is just lettuce, with what looked like one tender worth of chicken. I would not go to Green Lane for something that can easily be replicated at home, such as a Caesar Salad.
The Golden Greek on the other hand was very special. This salad came with a choice of chicken or tofu, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, kalamata olives, mini croutons and a red wine vinaigrette for dressing. All of the produce and vegetables tasted so fresh. If the movie “Mamma Mia” was a salad, it would be the Golden Greek because it just tastes like summertime. My only complaint is that once again, there was not enough protein for the price. However, this one was worth the money I spent. If I go again, this is definitely what I want to order.
I also got their Passion Black Tea, which was more bitter than I expected. I have not had a chance to try their other drinks, but I would skip that one if I went again.
Overall, Green Lane will be a good addition to the Gandy landscape and I am very happy to have a healthier drive-by option in South Tampa.