London is getting a brand new lunch spot inspired by Mediterranean Blue Zones

an image of two salad bowls from Grain — (Image credit: Grain)

London is no stranger to a bougie salad spot – the kind of build-your-own leafy-green places where the final product comes in a brown recyclable box and costs around £15. You know the type, and much to the incredulity of non-Londoners (i.e. parents), you probably secretly love them. If this is ringing any organic bells, then you’re in for some exciting news as London is getting a brand new lunch spot.

Enigmatically titled Grain, the new restaurant is opening up in Holborn, casually serving up London’s healthiest global-inspired grain bowls. Their USP, much to the joy of holistic wellbeing practitioners - is that they don’t use any seed oils or any hidden calories.

As well as a core trio of signature bowls, the range includes build-your-own bowls, filled pittas, and breakfast options. Inspired by the annoyingly perfect health and vitality of Mediterranean Blue Zones, Grain is trying to redefine fast food and help the planet. Basically, it will be as close to the Med as you’ll be able to get in your lunch break from your office job. Especially if you linger under some kind of holiday-advertising billboard.

an image of a table of food all from Grain, including two of their bagels, a vegetarian Grain bowl, and a salmon grain bowl

Seven signature bowls are composed around a trio of grains: saffron rice, tri-colour quinoa or grain lentils, and then topped with clean proteins and varying (non-seed oil) dressings. You’ll be able to choose from the likes of Aegean Power Bowl, Saffron Soul or Lentil Legacy - all have grains, flavour and vitality in equal measure. Alternatively, if that doesn’t tickle your pickle, you can build your own courtesy of the Greens and Grain Bowl (mix and match your favourite greens and grains) or just a Grains Bowl using a mix of the three grain bases available. As you can imagine, the pricing is very on-brand for healthy London with the grain bowls ranging from £10-13 depending on how meaty you go. However, the build-your-own bowls and pittas start at a more reasonable £7.95.

If you’re heading in for a bit of pre-work fuel at breakfast time, you can get your hands on sourdough bagels with equally healthy but substantial fillings, like smoked salmon, avo and halloumi, beef salt and more. And, it wouldn't be a corporate-serving hipster lunch spot without serving up Matcha – but don’t worry, normal coffee is obviously available too.

If you roll your eyes at the idea of clean eating, the colourful and delicious-looking bowls on offer might just change your mind. And if you’re already worshipping at the temple of Emily English and Deliciously Ella, this will be one to bookmark for those mad-dash lunch breaks.

You can find Grain at 272 High Holborn, London, WC1.

London is getting a new restaurant where absolutely nothing is wasted

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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