Looking for a new place to eat near the Century 21 Theaters? We’ve got you covered. Staff photo by Eliza Crowder.

Eliza Crowder | Copy Editor

If you’ve been to the downtown Redwood City movie theater as many times as I have, you have probably been getting sick of eating the same old Chipotle and Five Guys meals before every movie showing. If you haven’t reached that point yet, not to worry because those two popular spots aren’t going anywhere. However, if you sometimes crave a slightly healthier meal before entering your movie and stuffing yourself with butter-lathered popcorn for two hours, lucky for you because Green Leaf Bistro and Café has recently been added to the outdoor restaurant strip right next to the theater.

Green Leaf Bistro and Café is an Asian-fusion restaurant that primarily offers a variety of spring rolls, bahn mi sandwiches, rice bowls, and salads. The menu is relatively easy to follow. It consists of three main steps.

First, you choose what you want to serve as a base for your dish (spring roll, sandwich, bowl, or salad).

Second, you pick your desired protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, pork belly, chicken salad, tofu, grilled veggies).

Last, you pick your sauce (peanut sauce, garlic sauce, chili sauce, or fish sauce.) The most expensive options on the menu are the rice bowls and salads, each being $8.95. As with any restaurant, there are also add-ons that cost extra, such as avocado, fried egg, and more. The self-explanatory menu allows for people to order quickly, which keeps the line moving at a good pace.

After ordering my grilled chicken and brown rice bowl, I was pleasantly surprised at how my food arrived before I even had enough time to find a table and sit down. The restaurant had a comfy setting with lots of different table sizes and options, a pair of couches and lounge chairs off to the side, and a set of TVs for constant entertainment while enjoying your meal.

My one critique at Green Leaf Bistro and Café, would be that the service wasn’t to the caliber that I would have liked it to be at. While the food came out very quickly, the servers seemed very distracted and rather uninterested in their customers or their jobs. I wouldn’t say the food is necessarily to-die-for, but it is surely a healthy, yummy, and super fast option for a quick bite to fill you up before your movie starts. 

So next time you find yourself contemplating what to do and where to go before your movie starts, try Green Leaf Bistro and Café for a satisfying meal.

See you next week!